What are gamers in the market for when it comes to mice? If you’re like me and only upgrade your clicky firearm when it’s finally ready for retirement, you might have come from the generation of adjustable weights and more programmable thumb buttons that were practical. In this collaboration with Aim Lab, the application of choice for many refining their first-person shooter accuracy, the ASUS ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition offers an ultra-lightweight chassis capable of weightless glide across your desk as the key to success. Like the humble trainers, but for your hand…
Coming in at a not-too-hefty $189 for a wireless gaming mouse and barely leaving an impression on your desk with its brisk 50 grams and change, this slick, small package is an unusually pared back and humble device in ASUS’s eye-catching ROG peripheral range.
When left asleep at the desk, our black review unit looked not dissimilar to your classic Microsoft or Logitech optical office mouse from (oh god) 15 years ago. That’s not to imply that the featherweight, matte black plastic doesn’t have some nostalgic charm for the recovering white-collar worker. The Aim Lab baby blue accents on the thumb buttons and scroll wheel certainly sets this mouse apart from that dusty crowd of semi-retired work stock.
The wireless dongle is stowed discreetly underneath
As far as additional buttons that feature on this device, I was surprised that ASUS kept things so… economical. With nothing but the essential two programmable thumb buttons that have been the standard of gaming mice for a couple of decades now, there is naught but a mouse wheel with adjustable RGB lighting. I thought perhaps there might have been a scroll wheel speed adjustment or additional programmable inputs, but it’s all pretty rudimentary here. No frills, just a deadset commitment to keeping this mouse as unburdened as possible. This means that potential buyers will need to consider how important shaving off those extra few grams is over extra utility or input options on the mouse. Especially for folks like me who enjoy having additional options for input-heavy mil-sims and MMOs.
Getting the Harpe Ace fired up and ready for your next competitive shooter of choice is a piece of cake, courtesy of the excellent braided cable and wireless receiver nestled in the undercarriage. I’ve been putting this mouse through its paces with first-person shooters Cyberpunk 2077 and The Finals. Other than a brief period of wireless interference when both the mouse and the keyboard I tested with (the ASUS ROG Strix Scope II 96) were on the same channel, there were only a few minor occasions of input lag. It is appreciated that both of these ASUS peripherals easily connect to the same receiver. If interference occurs, you can simply flick the slider on either device to a different channel (wifi or Bluetooth) seamlessly. If you’ve already got one ASUS device paired to the receiver, connecting this mouse for the first time is as easy as pressing the discreet pair button on the underside, next to the DPI.
The aesthetic certainly won’t clash with most keyboards
I do have to lament that DPI button placement, though. It seems weird to me that a mouse with Aim Lab branding would inhibit the user from switching DPI on the fly courtesy of a button on the topside of the mouse. I like having the option to switch DPI on the move, especially when transitioning from on-foot to flying vehicles in Battlefield 2042 or having particular sensitivity settings tied to certain weapon scopes. For me, this alone is the one compromise that will keep this mouse out of my long-term rotation. If you’ve not switched DPI on your mouse in the past month, then this concern is easily written off. On the upside, the four pre-programmed DPI profiles run the broad spectrum, and most should find their comfortable cursor speed among them.
On the battery side of things, there were no big complaints. Despite the sacrifices made in service to keep this unit weightless, I found the battery would charge in under 30 minutes and go strong for a fortnight with solid use.
Final Thoughts
Imagine a gaming mouse so light. Free of any excess baggage. The essential gaming mouse. The ASUS ROG Harpe Ace gets the basics down with hardly any issues in one of the lightest, standard-size gaming mice on the market. The Aim Lab flair helps give some personality to what is otherwise a pretty uninteresting aesthetic for the ultralight wireless mouse. If you can forgo the bells and whistles of the heavier alternatives on the market, even at this price point, then this is a reliable if unspectacular little performer.
Review unit supplied by publisher
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