Asus has just unveiled the Asus Keris II Ace wireless gaming mouse, which along with a host of impressive stats, Asus points out is ideal for use with 240Hz or higher refresh rate gaming monitors, thanks to its 8kHz polling rate.
The new Asus contender for a spot on our best gaming mouse guide is stylistically simple, but it has some mighty specs under its hood. Along with that ultrafast polling rate, it has a huge 42,000dpi maximum sensitivity, optical main switches rated to last over 100 million clicks, and a weight of just 54g for the whole mouse.
Such a low weight doesn’t actually make this Asus’ lightest gaming mouse, with the Asus TUF Gaming M4 Air currently taking that title. Nor does it make it the lightest wireless gaming mouse around, with several others such as the G-Wolves HS-K+ dropping below 50g (the Finalmouse Ultralight even drops to under 40g!). However, it’s comfortably lighter than the likes of the Corsair M75 Air, for instance, which weighs in at 60g.
The shape of the Asus Keris II Ace is sure to have wide appeal too, as it incorporates a palm grip-friendly ergonomic shape with a sizeable mid hump. However, it should also suit a range of grip styles, at least for those with larger hands. However, it can’t offer the variety of the likes of the multi-size BenQ Zowie EC1-CW, EC2-CW, and EC3-CW.
Back to the specs, and this mouse contains the company’s own ROG AimPoint Pro optical sensor, which it claims has a less than 1% deviation “for outstanding class leading precision tracking and movement alongside track-on-glass capability.”
As for that speedy polling rate, the mouse can hit 4kHz polling over wireless and 8kHz polling when connected via its front USB-C port (a lightweight braided “ROG Paracord” cable is provided). How does this tie into fast refresh rate monitors? Well, the faster your screen, the more important it is that your mouse and other inputs are delivering the most up-to-date movement inputs.
A mouse with a polling rate of just 250Hz will only update the user’s position once per frame, leaving plenty of time between frames where position data isn’t being accounted for. Jump up to a typical 1,000Hz polling rate and you get four updates per frame, greatly increasing the chance that your sense of the location to where the mouse should have tracked is reflected in the images you see on screen. Jumping to 4kHz or 8kHz means you get 16 updates or 32 updates per frame, ensuring even more accuracy.
As well as having an ultrafast desktop gaming connection, the new Keris can also connect via Bluetooth, making for a multi-purpose mouse that’s good for travel too. The Asus Keris II Ace release date is right now, with the new mouse available from the likes of Newegg in the US. The Asus Keris II Ace price is high, though, with it currently set at $159.99.
For more wireless rodent recommendations, check out our best wireless gaming mouse guide, which includes a range of styles and prices to suit a variety of needs.