ASUS ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition: a pro gaming mouse developed in partnership with Aim Lab

At the beginning of the year, the gaming brand the ASUS Republic of Gamers announced the release of gaming peripherals — mice ASUS ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition and gaming surface ASUS ROG Hone Ace Aim Lab Edition. They were created in partnership with software developer Aim Lab, which is designed to help gamers improve their first-person shooter skills. And today we got this mouse along with the mat for review.

ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition specifications

Design, ergonomics

ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition is a medium-sized mouse (~128x64x40 mm) with a symmetrical body and a “minimalist” design: it does not have ergonomic “stands” on the sides, a large number of additional buttons or bright RGB illumination. Instead, the developer focused on the main thing: ergonomics and performance.

The set includes a removable USB cable in fabric braiding length of 2 meters – it is thin and very flexible, so it does not interfere with the movement of the manipulator at all. It connects to the mouse via USB-C. The mouse also comes with a USB receiver for radio communication (“hiding” in the lower part of the case), and an “extender” for the receiver — an adapter from USB-A to USB-C.

In addition, in the box, you can find additional Teflon “legs” and a set of stickers on the main buttons and side parts of the case – in addition to the geometric pattern that will decorate the “inexpressive” black plastic, they have a special “non-slip” coating that prevents the manipulator from slipping from sweaty hands.

As already mentioned, the case is symmetrical – the mouse has no difference in inclination to the right or left, so theoretically you can hold it in any hand; “theoretically” — because the side buttons are only on the left side, and the left-handed person will have to do without buttons under the thumb. The “rise” in the upper part is located almost in the center of the mouse, it has almost no backward displacement. The main buttons are relatively small, their comfortable click zone begins approximately at the level of the far “part” of the wheel, that is, quite far from the center of the manipulator.

The case of the ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition is quite narrow, with almost “vertical” sidewalls, so for large hands, the “claw” or “finger” grips will be optimal, while for medium-sized hands, the “palm” grip will be quite comfortable. For smaller hands, the “palm” can generally be the main option. Another factor that makes the “claw” and “finger” grips comfortable, by the way, is the very low weight of the mouse, especially for a wireless model: without the cable, it weighs only 54 g. The mouse feels so light that it is hard to believe that it has a battery, as most wired gaming mice are heavier than this one.

The ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition has five programmable buttons — two main buttons, a scroll wheel, and two side buttons (Aim Lab’s signature blue color). At the bottom, you can find the connection options switch, DPI switch, and pairing buttons. As usual, the “far” side button is located far enough for the grip of the “palm”, so in this case, it will be difficult to reach it, especially for players with small hands. Next to it, under the left main button, there is an almost inconspicuous Aim Lab logo – it glows under ultraviolet light. You can see this with the help of the corresponding flashlight, which we already encountered during the review of the gaming laptop ASUS ROG Strix SCAR 17 SE.

Sensor, ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition functionality

The ASUS ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition is equipped with the proprietary ROG AimPoint sensor. The main characteristics of the sensor are impressive: a maximum resolution of 36,000 DPI, a maximum tracking speed of 650 inches per second, and a maximum acceleration of 50g. The button to change the sensitivity of the sensor by default switches it between 400, 800, 1600, and 3200 DPI. In addition, the DPI button, along with several others (side buttons, scroll wheel, left button), is used to switch between profiles stored in the controller’s memory.

ROG Micro branded mechanical switches are installed under the main buttons, the resource claimed by the manufacturer is 70 million actuations. Their click is light and soft but well-felt. The wheel is relatively small, and scrolls with some effort, the click is also not the easiest, plus it lacks a little tactile feedback.

The ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition has RGB illumination, but only in the scroll wheel – the ROG logo on the back of the case is not illuminated. The controller supports Aura Sync technology, so the backlight can be adjusted in the proprietary Armory Crate utility and synchronized with other ASUS devices. The minimum illumination has a good effect on the autonomous operation of the mouse: according to official data, the battery should last for 79 hours with basic illumination. If you turn it off, the mouse will “last” for 90 hours.

When working via radio communication, we did not experience any differences compared to a wired connection. The manufacturer notes that the ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition uses proprietary ROG SpeedNova technology — it optimizes data transmission for wireless mode with minimal delay and makes the connection more stable in a “noisy” environment.

Communication via Bluetooth was also surprisingly very high-quality: the inertia traditional for this type of connection was practically absent. The input delay was almost imperceptible and was approximately at the level of ordinary wireless mice that work on a radio channel. It can be noted that you can use ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition via Bluetooth not only in Windows but also in almost all games, with the possible exception of dynamic network shooters and eSports.

In addition, this mouse supports NVIDIA Reflex technology, so it can be used to measure the overall response speed of the system, from the click of the mouse to the response of pixels on the monitor.

Software

The traditional setting of the manipulator’s parameters is performed in the Armoury Crate proprietary utility. It allows you to change button values, record macros, configure the RGB illumination, change the sensitivity of the sensor and the polling rate, create user profiles and save them in the mouse memory, update the firmware, etc. Also in Armory Crate, there is a choice of “liftoff distance”, that is, the height of the manipulator above the game surface at which the sensor stops tracking the movement of the cursor, and “calibration” of the mouse for a specific game surface.

Collaboration with Aim Lab adds additional functionality to ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition, namely Aim Lab Settings Optimizer – to use it you will need to install Aim Lab software from Steam. Here, the user will be offered to complete a series of long test tasks – in total, about half an hour. Based on their results, the software will suggest optimal parameters for FPS games (sensor sensitivity, liftoff distance, etc.), after which they can be applied to the manipulator settings.

ROG Hone Ace Aim Lab Edition mat

Together with the mouse, we got a gaming surface, also developed together with Aim Lab – ROG Hone Ace Aim Lab Edition. This is a large “mat”: the dimensions are 508×480 mm, so if desired, you can place not only a mouse but also a small laptop on it.

The mat has a soft rubber base, well-finished edges, and a fabric surface with a protective coating that repels water and dust. The surface is smooth, “speed” type, and good for moving the mouse quickly.

The partnership with Aim Lab means that the mat is compatible with the Aim Lab X ROG 360 utility feature, which helps players improve their pointing: a measuring ruler is applied to its surface, which makes it easy to compare the actual distance traveled by the manipulator with its movement on the screen.