ASUS ROG Keris and Gladius III Wireless Aimpoint review: ASUS cares

When we wrote about our top 5 mouse companies that are not of the likes of Razer and Logitech, I included ASUS as one of the five.

Trying to stand out from the rest, ASUS's ROG line of mice usually offers the little things that are generally not found in the various mice sold by other mouse manufacturers, like interchangeable mouse switches and also modular parts.

I personally have the original ASUS ROG Keris Wireless, and I was blown away at how robust the mouse felt in the hand, while also having flawless wireless that is on par with the Razers and Logitechs.

So when ASUS offered to send the Keris and Gladius III Wireless Aimpoint for review, I was generally intrigued on the improvements that they could have made on an already top-tier mice like the Keris.

Box contents

Both the Keris and Gladius III Aimpoint come with the mouse, a flexible cable, a USB dongle, a USB extender (more on this later, this really impressed me), mouse grip tape, extra mouse feet, ROG stickers and an extra pair of Japanese OMRON switches if you want to swap your switches out.

For some reason, the Gladius III came with a switch puller, but the Keris didn't. Both mice have the capability to hot-swap the main mouse button switches.

One additonal thing that was notably missing from the Keris Aimpoint packaging was the extra swappable side buttons. The old Keris Wireless came with different coloured side buttons that you could swap out to depending on the colour that you like.

You are still able to swap it out on the Aimpoint version though, funnily enough. You just somehow have to own the older Keris Wireless to have access to the extra coloured buttons.

Notable differences

The original Keris Wireless was supposed to weight 79g according to the specifications, but my unit weighs 83g. The Aimpoint version however, is a lighter version at 75g on paper, and also in real life.

According to ASUS, the battery life of the original Keris wireless is 78 hours with the RGB switched on, and I usually have around 120 hours with the RGB switched off. The Aimpoint version however, has a 119-hour listed battery life with the RGB turned on.

I have used the mouse for a good two weeks now, albeit with the RGB turned off, for about six to eight hours a day, and the battery is still at 60 per cent.

Yes, this means I am possibly at least 110 hours in and the battery still hasn't gone pass the halfway mark.

A little detail that I noticed is that the old Keris Wireless uses a 500mAh battery, but the Aimpoint one uses a lighter 370mAh battery. It has less juice, but it lasts longer.

I'm not complaining, but this is a feat.

The Gladius III is also touted to have 119 hours with the RGB turned on. I have to admit, I didn't use this as much as the Keris, but I would assume that the battery life should be about the same.

Performance

The Keris Wireless has a 16,000 DPI sensor while the Aimpoint has a 36,000 sensor.

This makes a whole lot of difference......is what I would have said if I really wanted to to shill for the product, but I couldn't feel a lick of difference between the two mice when it came to wireless connectivity and sensor accuracy.

The original Keris Wireless already had a top tier sensor and great lag-free performance. These things might matter to the ones who are playing games professionally, but to the general user, getting either one should be good enough.

However, I must say that I could feel the difference in the weight reduction, even though it is only about 8g for me.

ASUS must have balanced the Keris Aimpoint well enough for this to happen, as it feels much lighter and easier to move around compared to the original.

The Gladius III Aimpoint technically has the same sensor as the Keris Aimpoint, so it performs the same.

Shape

Both the Keris and Gladius III are ergonomic mice shapes. The Keris is almost similar to an ambidextrous mouse, while the Gladius has more curves to it.

If you are a fan of the Logitech G403/G703 or the Razer Deathadder, the Gladius will feel right at home with its shape and 80g weight.

The Keris is somewhat of a hybrid between an ambidextrous and an ergonomic mouse, due to the linearity of its shape. It is comfortable to hold, and you are still able to aim well with it, due to how small and easy it is to keep it in the palm of your hand for claw and fingertip grip.

What makes the ROG line special

This is going to sound like a paid ad, but it really isn't.

ASUS's mice technology and shapes, to be absolutely honest, aren't really all that special. It really is like any other top-tier mouse in the market — just make sure the shape is right for you if you decide to purchase it.

What I do personally feel is that the mouse department of ASUS has passionate people in their team that care for the user experience, and you can tell this from what they provide in their packaging.

The USB extender is one prime example. In my multitude of mice reviews, I have not seen a single company that implemented a clip-on USB extender for the mice dongle. It is something so minute and simple, but makes a world of difference for the end user.

Never again will I need to watch my USB extender go out of place on my set up if I clip it to my mouse pad.

And what if you simply don't want to clip it there?

You can either choose to clip it somewhere else, or use it like your typical extender on the table. At least the option to clip is there.

The extras provided in the box, such as the grip tape, the extra mouse feet and also the extra switches are usually provided by some companies, but not all of them — and usually only for the most premium of products.

Last but not least — I have said this countless of times — why aren't companies implementing this hot-swap tech that ASUS has had for eons?

Although many agree that it is not needed as much in the mouse space as it is for keyboards, having the option to do so is always nice.

If I feel that my switch is experiencing double clicking issues, I can easily swap it out to something else.

As the end user, I do not need to learn how to solder or buy a new mouse just because I have a silly switch issue that I could resolve for $2, instead of spending another $80 on a new mouse.

If ROG could come up with a great ultralight wireless mouse while still keeping the user experience intact, it would definitely be a great hit.

Conclusion

Back to reality, the Gladius III Wireless Aimpoint retails for S$189 and the Keris Wireless Aimpoint retails for S$169.

Let's be real, they are not cheap. I got my original Keris Wireless for S$99 (retail price is S$159), and at that price range, it was a steal. That's only slightly more than half the price of the Aimpoint.

I could also easily come up with cheaper alternatives to these mice.

The Razer Deathadder V2 Pro is currently on sale at S$129 and still has top-tier wireless. The Logitech G Pro Superlight, in fact, can be found for under S$170 these days, and that is already one of the top mice in the industry.

It already is tough advocating for ASUS mice because they are so obscure (there are people who still don't believe that they make mice, let alone good ones). It doesn't help that they're pricing their latest offerings a little too confidently, although I do agree that they are great.

Unless you really care about the user experience and the super long battery life, I would advice to wait until prices lower.

Or you could always just get the non-Aimpoint variants. They might be slightly heavier and have a shorter battery life, but I can attest that their wireless is pretty amazing.

Dominic loves tech and games. When he is not busy getting bodied in games or watercooling anything he sees, he does some pro wrestling.

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