ROG Keris - A Solid And Steady Mid-Range Gaming Mouse With Exciting Quirks
In many ways, we’ve already entered the cyborg age, with all kinds of technical utensils acting as augmentations of our bodies and minds to interact with the machine. Phones have become memory extensions, entertainment and micro satisfaction dispensers, and smartwatches are health maintenance devices and entertainment systems alike. Many other interfaces connect the flesh with the silicone and the better the devices are, the bigger the advantage is for us wannabe Robocops, halfway to Cyberpunk bonobos. Much the same, PC gamers are acutely aware of the importance of a mouse that helps bring the delicate dexterity of our hand into the virtual space, often competing in who can click on the exact right pixel the fastest with the smallest error rate to get to those happy chemicals. You want to click heads good — and gooder than the guy at the other end of the internet cable, and if it can at all be helped, at a relatively cheap price point.
In less verbose terms, a competitive market around the best gaming mice has developed for good reasons and with Republic of Gamer’s Keris, another interesting competitor has entered the market for the mid-range high-performance spectrum with flagship killer qualities. Sporting competitive specs in terms of its lightweight kit, ergonomics, mouse skates and sensor quality while adding a couple of interesting features on top. Looking specifically at the wired version (a wireless version is also available), we give our verdict on the ROG Keris.
Out of the box and into play
Keeping it simple with the packaging, but adding some nice bonus goodies on the inside.
Other than the mouse and the usual booklet of quick start guides and warranty cards, ROG also added an additional set of mouse skates and even two mouse button switches (Japan Omron switches) to the box. The addition of those makes immediate sense to the experienced gamer: Other than malfunctions of the mouse wheel, issues with the mouse buttons or mouse skates due to wear and tear are the most frequent ways in which a mouse breaks or at least becomes less fun to use. Adding an additional set thus delivers an instant “aha” moment and a sense of longevity. Moreover, it allows you to adjust the resistance of your click too, giving some neat customisation options.
Click to enlargeLifting the mouse out of its packaging, the label of “lightweight” becomes apparent. At just 62g due to its internal honeycomb structure and its smaller size, the Keris flies over the mouse pad, also avoiding friction way better than other mouses like the Logitech G305 and the G Pro Wireless. While it doesn’t feel fragile, it does take getting used to as your muscle memory has to adjust to the difference in resistance.
The wired version comes with a two-metre long paracord, which takes some convincing. Initially, the fabric not being attached to the actual cord but sliding freely up and down felt cheap, though the utility of it in how it avoids further wear and tear hazards revealed themselves, especially when hanging down a table at an angle. Moreover, the fabric didn’t seem to cause much friction on the mouse pad, keeping up with the lightweight theme and touch of the Keris. However, even after little use, the paracord felt wrinkly, which, while unlikely to cause any handling issues, may be an aesthetic hurdle for you, especially for an RGB flashing mouse which begs to be looked at.
Plugging in, the RGB lights change in true 2021 gaming fashion, and for those so inclined, are able to be synchronised with the rest of your setup via ASUS Aura Sync which the Keris comes with.
Taking the mouse for a spin, the ergonomic form feels comfortably shaped even to my fairly large hands using a claw grip. Moreover, the Keris felt like one of the most plug and play ready mice I tried in recent memory, not even necessitating the installation of software to customise. Mostly, this is due to a smart addition to its DPI switch which allows for adjustment by pressing the button located directly under the mouse and moving the scroll wheel, thus allowing the user to adjust DPI incrementally. The usual DPI switch button press to cycle through less granular DPI ranges that other mice use is also an option with the Keris.
Clicks feel decently satisfying with a noticeable difference in how the left and right-click feel and sound, with the trigger button feeling snappier and not in much need of travel time to send a signal and the right feeling a little smoother on the way down. The same difference in clickiness appears on the mouse’s thumb buttons, which also feel snappy. The mouse wheel has average resistance while scrolling and feels satisfying to press down even during regular daily use. The texture of the wheel is smooth rubber with indentations for grip placed into the rubber at an angle for better handling. It’s the only part of the mouse which uses rubber or texture, completely avoiding it on the side of the mouse like other mice as the Steelseries Rival do.
The 16000 DPI sensor at 400 IPS and 50G acceleration doesn’t cause any issues or unusual snapping or wobbling, doing what you would want it to do. One thing that I did notice was that the surrounding rubber around the sensor turned out to be a real lint collector, making me wonder if frequent cleaning was to be required to keep the sensor as sharp as it was running during initial testing.
Verdict
At a current price range of about 60-70€ (~£60), the Keris appears to keep up with its competitors well enough. The real bang for your buck status is likely to reveal itself in the longevity of the product due to its second set of mouse skates and button switches. For users who don’t require to be wooed by packaging and don’t need to be told much of a story through the attachment of a product to a gaming celebrity, the ROG Keris can be a real option for those looking for value. However, due to the aforementioned attributes of the paracord, you may want to look for the wireless version, which drives the price up another 20 quid. At that price point, you are competing against other mice in a different range, which may require you to compare further.
If you value longevity, ergonomics, snappiness, lightweight, and smaller mice which otherwise get out of the way of your gaming experience, the Keris might be a real option for those looking for a dark horse product, especially if you can find it at a discount.
