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MSI's new gaming mouse will have an 8K wireless polling rate and Qi-certification
At the moment, Razer is the only company with mice that have 8K wireless polling rates — other companies offer 8K wired polling rates (and 4K wireless — such as the Glorious Model D 2 Pro 4K/8K we recently reviewed) — but it looks like MSI is going to change that with its new Versa Pro Wireless 8K gaming mouse. MSI is among one of a few companies (like Cherry) introducing the tech in its mice here at CES.
We saw a live demo of the Versa Pro Wireless 8K at MSI's CES 2024 suite, and the mouse was definitely reporting polling rates of over 4K (it wasn't quite reaching 8K most of the time, but we saw it jump to 5K - 6K pretty frequently). Of course, whether most gamers need a mouse with an ultra-high polling rate — especially because the toll such frequent reporting takes on a system isn't negligible, not when we're already talking about less than a quarter of a millisecond — is up for debate. Regardless, it's nice to see a company other than Razer going for extremes.
As for the mouse itself, the Versa Pro Wireless 8K is an ergonomically-contoured, right-handed gaming mouse with 13 programmable controls including the 4-way tilt wheel (11 programmable buttons if you include the tilt wheel's center and side clicks but not its up/down scroll).
It's got two left-side thumb buttons as well as a sniper button, plus an extra button on the left of the right-click. The tilt wheel also features both free-spin and tactile modes, though we couldn't tell if this is more software-controlled and/or automatic based on scroll style (like we've seen on Razer's mice) or physically-controlled (like we've seen on Logitech's mice), though MSI seems to be including the scroll-switch button as one of its "programmable controls," so we assume it's the former.
Under the hood, the Versa Pro Wireless 8K has a PAW-3395 optical sensor with a maximum sensitivity of 26,000DPI, a maximum speed of 650 IPS, and up to 50 G's of acceleration. It's also got tri-mode connectivity (2.4 GHz wireless, Bluetooth, and wired via USB-C) and full side lighting similar to MSI Clutch GM51 Lightweight Wireless. It's not an ultra-lightweight mouse but it didn't feel too heavy — the MSI rep said it was around 85g, which is the same weight as the GM51, but it felt a little heavier (perhaps because of its shape).
The Versa Pro Wireless 8K looks like it will come with its own wireless charging dock (complete with dongle storage and matching side lighting, naturally), but the mouse's wireless charging puck will also be Qi-certified. This means it will work with other Qi chargers, so you can charge it wirelessly without needing the dedicated dock.
MSI says the Versa Pro Wireless 8K will hit shelves with both 8K wireless polling rates and built-in Qi-certification in Q2 2024. There's no word on pricing yet.
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Sarah Jacobsson Purewal is a senior editor at Tom's Hardware covering peripherals, software, and custom builds. You can find more of her work in PCWorld, Macworld, TechHive, CNET, Gizmodo, Tom's Guide, PC Gamer, Men's Health, Men's Fitness, SHAPE, Cosmopolitan, and just about everywhere else.
OK, I've got to admit, wireless charging for the mouse is a great idea. Even better would be a mouse/deskpad that has a charging zone in the corner so you can throw it there when you need a quick topoff.
OK, I've got to admit, wireless charging for the mouse is a great idea. Even better would be a mouse/deskpad that has a charging zone in the corner so you can throw it there when you need a quick topoff.
How is this a good idea? We got rid of the mouse charging dock over 10 years ago because you couldn't use the mouse while charging and now it's a great idea that it's coming back? Logitech has the charging mat along with it's mice that can be charged while used but that is also more or less useless bcs you can just plug it in to charge and continue using it. This is just going backwards.
How is this a good idea? We got rid of the mouse charging dock over 10 years ago because you couldn't use the mouse while charging and now it's a great idea that it's coming back? Logitech has the charging mat along with it's mice that can be charged while used but that is also more or less useless bcs you can just plug it in to charge and continue using it. This is just going backwards.
I do remember the old days when wireless mice were a joke, but they're smart enough now to give you ample warning for days, if not weeks, in advance. All you have to do is chuck your mouse into a corner one night and you're good to go for months. It all depends on what you want and need in your mouse. Some value the cord and never having to charge. Personally, I value not having a cord getting tangled up in a mess. To each their own.
How is this a good idea? We got rid of the mouse charging dock over 10 years ago because you couldn't use the mouse while charging and now it's a great idea that it's coming back? Logitech has the charging mat along with it's mice that can be charged while used but that is also more or less useless bcs you can just plug it in to charge and continue using it. This is just going backwards.
It doesn't matter much to me either way, because because good mice only need to be charged a few times a year. Although, personally I can still feel the latency in wireless mice/keyboards, so I never use wireless when I want to be serious about gaming or productivity.
"At the moment, Razer is the only company with mice that have 8K wireless polling rates"
And having a polling rate 20x faster than the fastest gaming monitors matters .... why? I'm not sure a game exists that checks the position of your mouse more than once per frame. Can the OS even read mouse data more than once per screen refresh? I legitimately don't know if the mouse is polled by the system, or if mouse movement causes an interrupt. But either way, the system would be incapable of displaying movement that happens between frames.
It seems like a total waste of data, power, and maybe CPU. You would think gamers would want the most stripped-down and efficient mouse they could get.
