ASUS ROG Keris II Ace review: lightweight and comfortable wireless mouse with a top-notch sensor

In addition to laptops and components, ASUS actively produces interesting gaming peripherals under the Republic of Gamers brand. Mostly top-of-the-line with flagship characteristics. Today we have a new ASUS ROG Keris II Ace gaming mouse for review, which has a top-end optical sensor, has an increased polling frequency, and can work in both wired and wireless modes. But these are not all the interesting features of the mouse, and now we will tell you about it in more detail.

ASUS ROG Keris II Ace specifications

Package contents

ASUS ROG Keris II Ace comes in a black and red box with a lot of bright printing, which is usual for the company’s gaming gadgets. The package turned out to be interesting.

In addition to the mouse, the package includes a ROG Omni USB receiver, a ROG Paracord cable, a ROG Polling Rate Booster adapter, a USB Type-C to Type-A adapter, four stickers on the sides of the case and the main keys (in our case, they were already glued to the mouse), and documentation. The official website also states that there should be spare Teflon legs and stickers, but we did not receive them.

Design and construction

ASUS ROG Keris II Ace is a medium-sized mouse with an ergonomic asymmetrical shape for right-handed use. At one time we reviewed the first-generation ASUS ROG Keris, which was very good. The shape of ASUS ROG Keris II Ace has been changed quite significantly.

The mouse is made entirely of matte plastic with a rough surface. It is available in black and white colors. The white version looks much more interesting and original. ASUS ROG Keris II Ace is medium-sized, so it can’t be called compact. At the same time, ASUS engineers managed to make it very light, only 54 g.

The side edges of the mouse have curves for comfortable finger positioning. On the left there is a concave area for the thumb, and on the right there is a peculiar protrusion that fits perfectly with the ring finger and little finger. On both sides there are diagonal notches that contribute to a good grip and a secure grip. In our case, they are already covered with stickers. Additional side buttons are medium-sized and made of light gray plastic.

The only backlit element of ASUS ROG Keris II Ace is the scroll wheel. It is fully illuminated and has a rubber coating with notches. The ROG logo on the back of the mouse is light gray and has no RGB color. This is a standard practice in the latest ASUS models.

The two main buttons are separated from the rest of the ASUS ROG Keris II Ace chassis. There is no gap between the buttons and switches, so they do not wobble or shake at all. As it should be in ergonomic models for the right hand, the buttons have different heights.

The Type-C connector is located in a small recess in the middle of the front of the mouse. The cable itself is 2 meters long and has USB Type-A and USB Type-C connectors. The ROG Paracord braid, which is already familiar from the latest models, is used. It is very light, flexible, and easy to use. But sometimes it gets folded.

The bottom of the ASUS ROG Keris II Ace has four triangular Teflon feet, a ROG AimPoint Pro optical sensor with a round Teflon insert, a connection mode switch, a storage space for a USB transmitter, and DPI and connection buttons. They are also used for some additional customization without the need for software.

The bundled USB Type-C to USB Type-A adapter is designed to place the receiver closer to the mouse. It has a metal clip for fixing it on the gaming surface.

ROG Polling Rate Booster has the size of a fairly large flash drive with a standard USB connector for connecting to a PC and a USB connector for connecting a receiver or cable.

Ergonomics, shape and weight

ASUS ROG Keris II Ace is a lightweight mouse with excellent weight distribution. It doesn’t tip either forward or backward when it comes off the surface. ASUS claims that the mouse is suitable for any type of grip. The “claw” is a specific type of grip that is not used very often. For it, we would like to see a slightly steeper curve of the mouse back. But for the “palm” or “fingers” grip, the mouse is perfect.

The mouse doesn’t slip out of your hand thanks to the rough plastic surface and the stickers, which have a textured surface that feels a bit like rubber. However, everything should be fine without them thanks to the embossed additional notches on the sides.

The main buttons use ROG Optical Switches with a lifetime of 100 clicks. They use an optical sensor for activation instead of the traditional physical contact closure. This minimizes the delay. They have a very clear, informative, and pleasant click. Additional buttons are also well implemented: they are pressed clearly and do not wobble. But the gap between them does not feel very good.

The scroll wheel has a good rubber surface with notches and works very quietly at any speed. But the notches are not very informative. At high speeds, they are not very noticeable.

Functionality and features

ASUS ROG Keris II Ace has received a new top-of-the-line ROG AimPoint Pro optical sensor. The company does not specify this information, but it seems that this is a custom version of the flagship PixArt PAW3950, which replaced the very successful and popular PAW3395. The sensor’s specifications are impressive: the maximum resolution is 42,000 DPI, the deviation is 1%, the maximum tracking speed is 750 inches per second, and the maximum acceleration is 50g.

This performance is more than enough for any screen resolution and for any demanding user. During testing, it showed itself to be exceptionally good: stable operation, no parasitic movements, and it is almost impossible to break it.

Another feature of the mouse is the aforementioned ROG Polling Rate Booster. With it, you can get a polling rate of up to 4000 Hz in 2.4 GHz wireless mode and up to 8000 Hz in wired mode. While the standard rate is 1000 Hz. Theoretically, this should reduce latency and increase the smoothness of movements. But this rather depends on the individual perception of the person: someone will be able to notice the difference, someone will not.

ASUS ROG Keris II Ace supports three types of connection: via cable, Bluetooth (up to three devices), and 2.4 GHz radio with the included Omni USB receiver. Its important feature is that you can connect not only a mouse but also a compatible keyboard to one Omni. But in this case, the polling frequency will be limited to 1000 Hz. It is claimed that ROG’s proprietary Speednova technology provides minimal latency and a stable connection. During use, the connection was stable.

The company claims that ASUS ROG Keris II Ace can operate in 2.4 GHz mode for up to 107 hours with the backlight off and 67 hours with the backlight on. Based on my own impressions, we can say that this is about right: with active use all day, you have to charge it about once every 5-6 days. Bluetooth will last even longer: up to 134 hours with the backlight off and 89 hours with the backlight on. But the polling frequency will be limited to 250 Hz, which is only suitable for work.

Some of the mouse settings are available without the need for Armory Crate software. Using the DPI button on the bottom of the mouse, you can switch between four pre-configured resolution levels. There is also a smooth resolution adjustment. To do this, press the DPI button for three seconds and then increase or decrease the DPI level using the scroll wheel. The profiles are switched by a combination of the DPI button and the scroll wheel.

A short press on the Pair button sequentially switches one of the three Bluetooth connection channels, and a long press activates Bluetooth pairing mode. To change the current ping frequency, hold down the Pair button and press the rear side button. To change the height of detachment from the surface, hold down the Pair key and the front side button. To reset all settings to the default settings, simultaneously hold down the top three buttons (right, left, and wheel) together with the DPI button for three seconds.

For more detailed settings of ASUS ROG Keris II Ace, the familiar Armory Crate application is used. You can customize button and scroll wheel actions, four levels of resolution, polling rate, backlighting (including AURA synchronization), lift-off height, and calibrate the mouse depending on the surface you are using. There are ready-made settings for ASUS surfaces, as well as calibration for any other. It is possible to customize up to 5 profiles that are stored in the mouse’s internal memory.