There’s a lot to be said for the simple things in life. Bread and butter. A cold beer on a sunny afternoon. My brain on a Wednesday. Alienware seems to agree, because their latest mouse isn’t exactly overloaded with features. In fact, out of the box, it almost seems too simple.
The Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse is, on the surface, just that: a wireless gaming mouse. Available in black or white, it has a left mouse button, a right mouse button, a scroll wheel (with a click, of course), two side buttons, and a hidden button beneath the power switch. And that’s all for the low, low price of $150/£127.
Wait, that’s not a cheap price for a gaming mouse, right? You can pick up a Razer Deathadder V3 Pro for about the same money, and while it currently sits at the top of our list of the best gaming mice, we should point out that that’s still a lot of money for a mouse with a limited number of buttons.
As you might expect, but much like the Razer, you’re not paying for customizability or flashy aesthetics here. Instead, Alienware claims refined, lightning-fast performance, thanks to wireless polling rates of up to 4kHz and wired polling rates of up to 8kHz, which equate to response times of 0.25ms and 0.125ms respectively. With an optical sensor capable of 26,000DPI motion resolution and a pair of magnetic keyplates for rapid clicks without sticky buttons, everything about this mouse’s spec sheet screams speed.
Alienware Pro Specifications
Tests: 6
Feet: PTFE
Connectivity: 2.4GHz wireless, USB wired
Maximum DPI: 26,000 DPI
Maximum acceleration: 50 grams
Maximum speed: 650 IPS
Polling percentage: 4 kHz (wireless), 8 kHz (wired)
Battery life: Up to 32 hours at 4 kHz, 120 hours at 1 kHz
Weight: 59 grams
Price: €150 | €127
The first thing you’ll notice is the glide. There are two hefty PTFE feet on the bottom that hold the Pro Wireless up, and they’re as smooth as silk when paired with a decent mousepad. So much so that sliding this mouse around is a pretty enjoyable experience for the sheer tactile effect.
What helps that fluid motion is its weight, or in this case, lack thereof. I prefer a heavier mouse, but the Alienware Pro tips the scales at just 59 grams, making it so light that—combined with those gliding feet—the slightest flick of your finger sends it smoothly in the right direction. Alienware may have created the first hover mouse, or at least a close approximation of one.
Customizations and settings are handled by the Alienware Command Center, which may sound like it’s preparing the little mouse for its maiden voyage into space, but sadly it doesn’t. Instead, a simple settings interface lets you rebind the limited buttons, set macros, and tweak DPI profiles and polling rates, along with sleep mode settings, lift-off distance adjustments, and battery saver settings.
It’s actually remarkably well laid out, with a grayscale aesthetic that’s thankfully clean to read and easy to use. Again, simplicity. Simplicity can be good.
Battery life is rated at 32 hours for the 4kHz setting, or 120 hours at 1kHz polling. It’s easy to switch between the two in the app, and as a result I kept them on the lower setting for everyday use and switched them to the faster polling rate for gaming tasks.
Now then. Blazing fast polling rates and ultra-fast sensors. I’ve complained before about my distaste for esports-focused gaming peripherals like this , and made the argument that you’re paying for performance you don’t really need unless you have the reaction times of a gnat. Has the little Alienware changed my mind?
No. Not really. That said, the smooth glide combined with the precise feel of this mouse is undoubtedly enjoyable to use in fast-paced shooters. There are a lot of things about this little beeper that I don’t particularly like on paper, but in use they come together to create a package that actually feels quite good – and extremely responsive – under your fingertips.
The Mouse Tester’s graphs show a reasonable result, as the proximity of the dots indicates the consistency of the sensor’s motion reporting (though I’ll admit the fluidity of my movements could use some work). In practice, the Alienware Pro feels fairly accurate in the games I tested it in, even if the fleshy thing behind it isn’t the most adept.
1 kHz results in a mouse tester.
4 kHz results in a mouse tester.
Results of 1 kHz polling test
Results of 1 kHz polling test
4 kHz polling results
Results of 8 KHz polling test (wired)
For a mouse that seems so refined in many ways, the two side clickers are so soft that they feel a little icky.
It’s light, fast, pleasantly tactile for the most part (the left and right mouse buttons have a particular click-bounce combination that feels very satisfying once you get used to it), and behaves well. It’s never stuttered or dropped its connection, and the fast-charging capabilities combined with easy DPI switching mean it’s easy to keep track of the battery.
What I don’t like, however, comes in two parts. The first concerns the two side buttons. For a mouse that seems so refined in many ways, the two side clickers have a soft quality that feels a bit dirty, along with a hollow feel under the action that betrays the weight-saving efforts behind the mechanism.
I get that it’s supposed to be light, but I’d happily add another 5 grams or so to get two (for my own use, pretty essential) buttons that don’t feel mushy when I press them. There aren’t many buttons here, so having two that feel a bit cheap and gross is a no-go for me.
The second is price. Yes, it’s time for me to start tapping away at that esports board again: $150 for a mouse that’s all about lightning-fast response times rather than useful added functionality still seems like paying for speed you don’t need. Yes, the Razer Deathadder V3 Pro is just as expensive, but it looks and feels more premium, with its micro-textured coating, stylish, flared button design, and more positive action side buttons.
It also has a higher-rated sensor, 30,000 DPI, if ultimate speed and accuracy are your thing. Horses for courses and all that. Or the Razer Viper V3 Pro , just $8 more but with a 35,000 DPI sensor. The Viper can also handle 8kHz wireless, thanks to Razer’s Hyperpolling system.
Buy as…
✅ You search simply, but quickly: Although the design may not be particularly spectacular, it is still a simple and very fast gaming mouse.
✅ You like a smooth gliding movement: The feet on this little mouse ensure a smooth ride, making it feel like a premium product.
Do not buy if…
❌ You want lots of buttons: Six total is pretty standard, and the options on the side don’t feel like expensive options.
❌ You have a limited budget: $150 is a lot for a mouse, so you’ll have to have pretty high demands on speed to justify the price.
That said, in most respects the Alienware is so refined that it almost feels polite. Aside from the shiny silver alien head on top, there’s nothing to tell you that this is a high-performance gaming mouse. For some, that’ll be a blessing; for others, it might be a bit of a disappointment.
But once you start sliding it around, you’ll start to notice where some of that money went. If only a little more had been put into the side buttons, and maybe the coating (it feels nice, but nothing special), this really would feel like a more premium item. But putting that aside, the Alienware Pro Wireless Gaming Mouse is simple, well-behaved, and for the most part, well thought out.
Where I struggle the most is still that price tag. There’s fierce competition in the market for super-light, fast mice, and it’s not just Razer that makes tempting models. The Logitech Pro X Superlight 2 weighs just a gram more, costs about the same, and yet, like the Deathadder V3 Pro and Viper V3 Pro, also has solid-feeling side buttons. That’s three mice with a similar price tag, without that significant drawback.
I’d still take one of the Razers if I was going for something expensive but ultra-fast. At least there the whole package is as premium as the MSRP suggests.