Hand Size: 19.5cm x 10cm
This mouse was purchased for $130 with my own money.
The most underrated ergo?
Since its release this mouse was set for failure. The Keris 2 ace released at the retail price of $160 in the north american market, and 190 euros in the european market. Thankfully since than Asus has corrected the price for its mouse to $130, offering as much as a $50 rebate program to allow people to make up the difference. Before I start sharing my opinion on lets get the facts straight.
Specifications:
- 3950 sensor
- Optical Switches
- 54g
- Tri-mode (bluetooth, wired, 2.4ghz wireless)
- 4k wireless
- 8k wired
In The Box
The packaging itself is not impressive. There is a strong theme of eco-friendliness with this mouse, as it is made of recycled plastic. The box seems to be designed to save plastic as well, which contributes to its unimpressive appearance.
In The Box
- Mouse
- 1k dongle
- Polling rate booster (Once plugged in Automatically boosts to 4k Polling)
- USB A to USB C Adapter (In order to plug in cable and use Dongle near the mouse), has a clip on it in order to clip on a mousepad.
- Cable (Allows 8K wired)
- Skates
- Grips
- Papers (Warrenty, Instructions, Thank You Note)
Build Quality
The build quality on this mouse is exactly what you’d expect for mouse costing $130. The whole mouse is built extremely well, from gaming sessions to web development there was not a single moment during which there was any flex or creaking. Even when intentionally squeezing this mouse it did not let out a creak.
Side Buttons:
The side buttons are near perfect, they have no post-travel and very minimal pre-travel, the have a very tactile click with no mushiness, probably the best side buttons I’ve used. If you play anything involving heavy side button use this mouse will not fail you.
Main Clicks:
The main clicks on this mouse use optical switches, and I’ve got to say it is not a great implementation of them. They perform well, I have no performance issues with them. My main gripes with them is that my copy’s clicks were louder than that of my other mice which was surprising, and that they feel alright, not great. The clicks are not quiet. There is very minimal side wobble, but not noticeable during use, only when intentionally moving them from side to side you can notice some extremely minimal travel.
Scroll Wheel:
The Scroll wheel is made of rubber and is a translucent grey colour but features programmable RGB. It has no side wobble and a tactile click. It has a smooth scrolling experiences with a feeling I can best describe as bumpy. Scrolling is not tactile, with each “bump” being well defined enough to accurately stop and control the wheel.
Coating/Grip:
The coating of this mouse has a micro-texture, which allows to have a better grip on the mouse, but the feel of the coating itself isn’t great, when sweating in does get somewhat slippery, this is the type of mouse I can recommend using grip tape. The mouse also has grooved lines on each side in the area where your fingers are supposed to grip the mouse, and I can confidently say they are really helpful to lock into a consistent grip. Overall the coating of this mouse is alright, but Asus should definitely improve it. I highly recommend using grips, and the mouse features grooved lines which I found beneficial.
Dongle Compartment
The Keris 2 Ace also has dongle compartment at the bottom, holding the dongle safely and securely in place. This is a great feature for those who travel or commute, rest assured you won’t loose your dongle.
Shape
The shape is a Zowie EC2 clone, as shown above in the EloShapes comparison they are very similar with minor differences, most notably it is slightly shorter. I can use it comfortably with my 19.5cm x 10cm in a relaxed claw & palm grip. If your hands are longer than 19cm you will have to use a somewhat aggressive claw x palm grip. If your hands are 18cm or less you should be able to comfortably just palm it.
Software:
You may have heard that Asus software isn’t great, previously Asus had their software for the Keris 2 Ace and its other mice in the Armoury crate, an unpleasant software universal for majority of Asus Rog Products. Thankfully Asus has heard the cries of the community and introduced optimized product specific software, allowing you to download software for only the Asus Rog product you have, rather than for all of Asus’ products.
Although Asus has improved its software it still isn’t great, it has all the features you’d expect from a mouse as well as Angle Snapping. Its main drawback is that it is significantly slower than other peripheral software I’ve used, and isn’t a great experiencer to use, as seen on the image above it has all of the necessities, but if it where web-based it would be significantly better.
Thankfully it’s not all so bad:
Using the buttons and switch at the bottom you are able to control the dpi, lighting and connection method, and using the polling rate booster (shown below) which does not require any software you can automatically use the mouse at 4k polling. My conclusion is the improved software is alright, but it is not necessary considering all of the important variables such as dpi and polling rate can be adjusted without downloading the software.
Conclusion
This is a mouse that impressed me, and at its recently updated price of $130 it isn’t great value but I feel like it is justified. I find this mouse to be perfect for those who want the best performing mouse with features which accommodate work or travel, such as the dongle compartment, Bluetooth, and the ability to change core settings without downloading software. Using grips you can overcome the imperfect coating, making the mouse have only very little wrong with it.
Pros & Cons:
Pros:
+ Build Quality
+ 4k Polling Rate Booster included
+ Bluetooth
+ Top of the line 3950 Sensor
+ Extra Skates and Grips
+ Great Side Buttons
+ Option to have RGB
+ Lightweight at 54g considering it has no holes and its size
+ Dongle Compartment
+ Core settings changeable without software
Cons:
– Software (Core settings can be changed without it)
– Main Clicks (Alright but not great)
– Coating (Can be fixed with grips)
Final Rating: 4/5
