A comfortable and high-quality computer mouse is the most important element for a successful game of shooters, strategies and any projects that require quick and accurate aiming of the cursor or sight. This type of device is widely represented in stores, so the eyes can run up from a variety. Recently appeared on sale Rog chakram – flagship optical mouse premium brand Asus. How good she is, let’s figure it out.
ASUS ROG Chakram comes in a large black and red box. To get a mouse, you need to open the cover like a case for premium watches. The price is appropriate – in Russia it can be bought for 12 900 rubles.
Packaging and filling indicates the high status of the device. Inside, besides the mouse itself, lies a 1.8-meter cable USB Type-C for charging, adapter to standard USB Type-A, documentation and eye-shaped logo sticker Republic of gamers, a soft case with a pocket for safe transportation of the device (it has an additional compartment that is designed for replacement parts), as well as a small triangular case in which there are two spare microcontrollers for the right and left buttons (Japanese switches Omron), tweezers and a replaceable longer stick for mouse built-in analog (!).
The appearance of the ASUS ROG Chakram resembles a sports car, there is even an opening “trunk”. The upper translucent housing cover is quite tight, does not play and does not creak during use, but if necessary, it easily opens, as it is mounted on a powerful magnet. Inside the “trunk” is a luminous logo Rogas well as a USB receiver for communication with a computer.
The right and left buttons are also mounted on magnets – if necessary, they are easily removable to replace microcontrollers.
Mouse compatible with Windows and macOSHowever, for the latter there is no support for specialized software Rog armory, so everything works with the default settings. It is important to note that if you use the program on another computer and then connect the mouse back to the “Mac”, then all settings are transferred, as they are stored inside the manipulator itself, which is very convenient.
The weight of the gadget is 122 grams.
ROG Chakram can work both Bluetooth LEby connecting directly to a computer or through a USB-receiver operating at a frequency 2.4 GHz. The latter option allows you to increase the range and stability of the connection.
If there is a lot of noise in the room or the computer is behind a large monitor or TV, the distance with which you can comfortably use the device is greatly reduced. Engineers envisioned such a problem, and the same USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter, together with the charging cable, turns into a receiver extension cable, which can thus be brought closer to the location of the mouse.
On the bottom of the device there are pairing buttons and parameter changes DPI, as well as a switch between communication modes. In the off state, you can connect the USB Type-C wire and use the mouse while charging, like a wired one.
In addition, ROG Chakram supports wireless charging. Qi, which can be convenient for those who already have similar accessories for phones and other devices. ASUS itself has a special mouse pad with built-in recharge ROG Balteus Qi.
The battery life is excellent. From a single charge, the device can stay for about a week in 2.4 GHz mode with the backlight on at incomplete brightness. If you turn off the glow, the ROG Chakram lasts even longer. ASUS claims 79 hours of continuous light-free operation.
The LEDs themselves are located on the front edge near the buttons, on the scroll wheel and the already mentioned logo on the back of the device.
The laser sensor of the device has a high sensitivity of 16,000 dpi, as well as a tracking speed of 400 inches per second with a polling frequency of 1000 Hz. Maximum values are available only in “2.4 GHz” and USB modes. Thanks to these characteristics, you can quickly and accurately aim at the most demanding shooters and other games, not to mention the comfort while surfing the net and working in applications of the operating system.
Mouse ergonomics are designed exclusively for right-handed users. On the left side of the device there is a special platform for the thumb. Keeping the ASUS ROG Chakram in full grip is very convenient. There, on the left side, there are two additional buttons, and a little lower – a stick resembling the one that was PSP, especially if you use a shorter “fungus”, which is installed by default.
Unlike most of these elements on gamepads, the “stick” does not deviate to the side, but moves as it were in the direction of the finger. If everything is clear with the additional buttons, then why a stick is needed on the mouse, it may not be immediately clear. Without special settings in the ROG Armory program, it repeats the navigation arrows on the keyboard and, in fact, is another set of additional buttons. However, in the settings of special software, you can assign the functions of an analog gamepad to the stick, which will also take into account the strength of the tilt and other nuances. In this mode, the mouse will be useful in simulators and games, where it is important to control the degree of inclination of the joystick.
You can experiment with this in any way. You can even run Half-life 2 and assign walking to the stick. Managing Gordon Freeman with just one mouse is unusual, but very interesting. This option should be appreciated by fans NieR: Automata, but this unusual experience is unlikely to be useful in eSports disciplines.
For fans of competitive games, Chakram offers a huge scope for experimenting with a stick. It’s very convenient to assign small combinations of commands and macros to this “fungus”. Or just hang there the same reload or switch weapons. It is a pity that you can not click on it like on R3 on the gamepad of home consoles.
As mentioned at the beginning of the review, ROG Armory is available only to Windows users. It is worth noting that on the “seven” the application may work unstably and freeze.
The program allows you to configure many parameters to your liking. For example, backlight. By default, it shimmers with a rainbow and shines very brightly. In the application, you can set a color palette that is comfortable for you, change the glow effect (like a wave, a burst, ripple, and so on), and also select the brightness.
Among the interesting modes is the ability to show the degree of charge of the device in color. If the mouse shines green, then it is 75% charged or higher, but over time, as the battery is empty, the tone changes to blue, and then red. The latter means that the battery is almost empty.
Having played with RGB, I settled on the option with the charge level, since this is a really useful effect. I turned down the brightness to 25%, which saves battery power and is suitable for a dark room, while not distracting from the game.
The main features of ROG Armory lie in the programming of buttons and sticks. In addition to duplicating commands from the keyboard or gamepad, it is possible to configure some media functions here. For example, by vertical movements of the stick to change the volume, and by horizontal rewinding the video.
In addition, you can record macros, and also edit them and play them by shifting the stick in some direction – this can be a very convenient tool that facilitates the routine in the same MMORPG or in work in professional programs, like Photoshop.
However, it is worth paying attention to some moral aspects. In the same fighting games, such a toolkit can be used to record long and complex combinations of strokes that people usually memorize and train for months, but here it is possible to implement this with the click of a button. They can even be banned for such an unfair advantage, so do not abuse the capabilities of this tool, be careful and honest.
In ROG Armory, you can configure many other parameters, such as softening the angles during movement, the acceleration curve and the response time of the button, which is useful for professional players and will please those who want to fine-tune the device for a specific game.
Impressions from ASUS ROG Chakram extremely positive. The device is very comfortable in big hands, and high accuracy, many settings and the convenience of changing mechanisms make this mouse optimal for professionals. The presence of a stick in the mouse is a very fresh solution that allows you to experiment with control in games and in the operating system. If you want a premium modern mouse for righties, then the ROG Chakram will be a great option to buy.
Author – Azamat Tegaev (Azzy),
Editing – Mikhail Shaginyan (ACE) and Denis Korolev (Skyerist)
Read also: New Generation Technologies: Asus introduced motherboards for the latest processors Intel.
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