SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wired Gaming Mouse – Lighter Than a Feather
Gaming mice are everywhere these days. Every major brand has one and they all purport to offer the best control for your gaming buck. But something of a new trend in gaming mice is the Ultra-light variants. Mice that have had their chassis stripped back to the bare minimum to ensure it is as light as possible, kind of like how a supercar has all the comforts and fancy features stripped out to maintain performance. The SteelSeries Aerox 3 is the first of this type of mouse I have had a chance to use and I can tell you it leaves a good impression.
Let’s start with the big-ticket item, the weight. I haven’t used a mouse so light before and I would be lying if I said it didn’t take some getting used to. I always subscribed to the philosophy of weight = quality, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. I have been using the Aerox 3 for about 6 weeks now in a range of activities like gaming, photo editing and general everyday use and I must say that in all that time I have never felt like the mouse was fragile or anything less than a sturdy little beast. One of the unexpected benefits of the lightweight is wear and tear on the user. As you may or may not know, I have something of a chronic wrist problem that continues to confound doctors and frustrate me to no end. One of the symptoms related to that problem is any extended use of a mouse tends to give me cramps and sharp pains. This ultra-light mouse delayed that by a significant margin, allowing me precious extra work time before having to take a break.
Of course, there are interesting little issues with the weight too. Like the fact that my air conditioner, which is situated near my computer desk, is strong enough to move the mouse on its own. I didn’t realise it was doing it until one day I was playing Destiny 2 with a controller but the game kept registering movement of the mouse so it was frantically switching between controller and mouse. Odd problem to have right? But in the scheme of things, it is a pretty minor one and should only be an issue on those hot summer days. The other worry I have is how long is the mouse going to last. It feels nice and sturdy, but there is no escaping the fact that it is essentially just a latticework of thin plastic and some electronic components. I hope that despite its looks, there is a long life ahead for the little beast.
Looks-wise, well it wouldn’t be a gaming mouse without some obnoxious lights and the Aerox 3 has that in spades. The lights can be edited with the SteelSeries software along with things like DPI settings, pretty standard for a product like this but nice to see none-the-less. It is a standard size and shape for a mouse and the buttons all have a satisfactory feel when using. It is an odd thing to notice, but I was really impressed with the click wheel, which felt outstanding to use and is easily the best click wheel I have used. The mouse comes with the standard left and right buttons, a middle click wheel, two buttons on the left side of the mouse and a small DPI button that allows for speed changes on the fly. Once again a standard configuration but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it right?
The Aerox 3 Wired Gaming Mouse is a great little package that should meet just about any gamer’s needs. It feels like it has been made well, has all the features you would expect from a mouse such as this and it’s ultra-lightweight means that there is less pressure on the user as well as making it easier to move in a quick and smooth manner. There is nothing here you probably haven’t seen before but it is all put together in a high-quality package at a pretty reasonable price so there isn’t really any way you could go wrong here. SteelSeries has earned a reputation for fairly priced, high-quality gaming products and after using the Areox 3 it is easy to see why.
Specifications
Sensor
Sensor – SteelSeries TrueMove Core
Sensor Type – Optical
CPI – 200–8,500 in 100 CPI Increments
IPS – 300, on SteelSeries QcK surfaces
Acceleration – 35G
Polling Rate – 1000Hz / 1 ms
Hardware Acceleration – None (Zero Hardware Acceleration)
Design
Back Cover Material
Black Matte Finish
Core Construction
ABS Plastic
Shape – Ergonomic, Right-Handed
Grip Style – Claw or Fingertip
Number of Buttons – 6
Switch Type – SteelSeries mechanical switches, rated for 80 million clicks
Illumination – 3 RGB Zones, Independently Controlled
Weight – 57g without cable
Length – 120.55mm / 4.75 inches
Width – 57.91mm / 2.28 inches (front), 67.03mm / 2.64 inches (back)
Height – 21.53mm / 0.85 inches (front), 37.98mm / 1.50 inches (back)
Super Mesh Cable Length – 1.8m / 6 feet
Compatibility
OS – Windows, Mac, Xbox, and Linux. USB port required.
Software – SteelSeries Engine 3.15.1+, for Windows (7 or newer) and Mac OSX (10.12 or newer)
