HERE AT Maximum PC, we are big fans
of Asus’s moonlight white aesthetic. It
falls somewhere between being not too
in your face but not too minimal either, so
it’s nice to see it appear on the ROG Strix
Impact II mouse. We recently reviewed
Marsback’s Zephyr Pro mouse and it's
fair to say that this ROG Strix Impact II is
quite the opposite. It’s still a mouse, just
without some of the gimmicky features,
such as holes in the main body.
Asus’s ROG division has been around
since 2006 and so it knows what it's doing
with gaming peripherals. Mice are a
key element of its arsenal and this Strix
Impact II is the same price as the ROG
Gladius II with one less programmable
button. So, is this Strix Impact II a good
companion for your setup and does its
performance match the looks?
These days, technology is advancing
so rapidly that regular items get over-
engineered to a point where it just
becomes gimmicky. With a mouse,
there is no need to reinvent the wheel
and that’s where this ROG Strix Impact
II comes in. On first impression, it's a
clean-looking mouse with nothing too
crazy going on. It features Asus Aura
Sync RGB (customizable via the Armory
Crate software), which is found in the
wheel itself, the logo, and towards the
front of the mouse. With the right color
scheme, it can contrast nicely against the
white and grey aesthetic of the Impact II.
It's a reasonably small mouse, not
enough to put it in the mini category,
but those with big hands might want to
consider something a little larger. With
no rubber on the sides, the Impact II
has a grooved plastic texture instead as
a substitute. It is fairly grippy but with
some lengthy usage in heavy gaming
sessions, it can get a little slippy over
time. The finish is a soft matte plastic
that doesn’t appear to pick up too many
fingerprints, but a white mouse isn’t the
easiest to keep clean.
This mouse looks crisp
in Asus’s moonlight white
Asus ROG
Strix Impact II
Moonlight White
7VERDICT Asus ROG Strix Impact II
Moonlight White
FULL MOON Clean design;
decent lightweight build; minimal RGB;
swappable switches
LUNAR ECLIPSE Not enough buttons
for MMORPG players; fixed cable;
plastic grips
$49.99, http://www.shop.asus.comSPECIFICATIONS
Sensor PixArt PAW3327 Optical
Resolution 6200dpi
Speed 220 IPS
Polling Rate 1000Hz
Weight 0.17lbs^ (with^ cable)The ROG Strix Impact II has five
configurable buttons. Compared with the
original Impact I, that means two extra
thumb buttons. It’s an ambidextrous
mouse, yet these two extra buttons are
on the left-hand side, making it slightly
easier for right-handed people. It’s
not necessarily the best format for the
MMORPG fans out there either, as it
doesn’t feature 101 buttons to be mapped
but this mouse will have enough buttons
for the general gamer. Its main right and
left buttons feature Omron 5 0M switches
and are super-light and easy to actuate
with minimal pressure, but they also give
a satisfying click.
It’s important to note that they aren’t
light enough to accidentally click, but
are great for gaming as it gives you a
quicker response time. We all know how
important this is and the shorter the
input delay, the better chance you have in
competitive gameplay scenarios.REINVENTING THE WHEEL
Another solid part of this mouse is its
scroll wheel. This translucent rubberized
wheel feels great to the touch and
provides a quiet and accurately smooth
scroll. The wheel's button is strong and
it can’t be easily pressed. It’s always
frustrating when you are flying down a
page and accidentally hit the scroll button
to disturb your procrastination. The
mouse also glides pretty well due to its
lightweight nature, so you can certainly
get some quick flicks out of it, which is
perfect for competitive gameplay.
Below the mouse is where you will
find the DPI button. Most competitive
players will benefit from having this here
as you can’t accidentally switch DPIs
mid-game. By default, it provides four
different levels of sensitivity; red, pink,
blue, and green, with the latter being the
most sensitive. Each time the DPI button
is pressed, it will briefly indicate a color
to let you know the sensitivity.The performance of the mouse feels
pretty tactile and accurate. Of course,
this alters depending on your sensitivity
but there is lots of tuning potential in the
Armory Crate software that allows you to
get your specific desired results.
The 6 ,200 DPI sensory tracks at up
to 220 inches per second. In addition to
its 100 0Hz polling rate, that means this
mouse will provide you with a decent
response and precision, but still maintain
accurate control in exactly the way you
would want a mouse to do.
The Impact II is priced at just under
$50, which makes it an enticing choice
for many gamers. The new moonlight
white color scheme looks pretty neat
and seeing as it has the performance to
match, it could be a good budget gaming
peripheral to add to your rig. – SAM LEWIS