In partnership with the popular aim training softwareAim Lab, Asus has launched theAsus ROG Harpe AceAim Lab Editionwireless gaming mouse.Asushas spent considerable time developing this mouse, gathering feedback from eSports pros, partnering with the biggest aim trainer on the market, and developing next-gen sensors to make this mouse worth its high price. The end result paid off, because Asus firmly has a winner with the Harpe Ace.
Sporting a super lightweight build, a comfortable shape and size, and one of the best DPI sensors in any gaming mouse, the Asus ROG Harpe Ace is superb if users can stomach the price. At $150, the Asus ROG Harpe Ace competes with theLogitech G Pro X Superlightand the Razer Viper V2 Pro for a spot on the desk of FPS gamers serious about competing in games likeOverwatchorCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. After putting this mouse through extended use and against its competition, the ROG Harpe Ace leaves little to complain about besides a few occasional software issues and hiccups.
RELATED:Asus Reveals Aim Lab Edition Gaming Mouse, Mousepad
Asus ROG Harpe Ace: Build Quality and Ergonomics
The first thing users will notice upon picking up the ROG Harpe Ace is how remarkably light it is. This mouse is stunningly airy, even compared to other lightweight gaming mice, at a feathery 54 grams. The Harpe Ace accomplishes this weight by opting for a lightweight plastic casing instead of the honeycomb hard plastic approach that is growing in popularity among mouse manufacturers. The brittle feeling plastic can certainly feel cheap in some regards, but so far, it has held up well for daily use. Aesthetics are a subjective matter, but it is nice to see an ultra-lightweight gaming mouse that isn’t opting for a perforated design over a traditional closed-case design in the wake of the former’s popularity.
When in the user’s hand, the Asus ROG Harpe Ace feels comfortable and should feel decently ergonomic for most users. Compared to similarly shaped mice, the Harpe Ace has a slightly more pronounced hump in the handrest but still offers a sleek symmetrical form factor that looks great and feels correct in the hand. Those with larger hands may find the ROG Harpe Ace’s slim design, paired with its feathery weight, to be a bit weak and toy-like, but it is perfect for average/small hands. Additionally, its small footprint and muted “gamer” aesthetic look great on any desk and hardly draws attention to itself.
RELATED:Asus ROG Azoth Wireless Gaming Keyboard Review
On the desk, the ROG Harpe Ace is built well for all surfaces, offering high-quality PTFE feet at the bottom of the mouse and even including a set of replacement feet, so users never have to go long without a smooth mouse experience. For those who may find themselves losing grip during gaming, the Harpe Ace also includes grip tape as an added bonus; however, we found the mouse decently grippy enough already, thanks to its slightly coarse plastic finish and ridged sides. The mouse also features Asus’s proprietary mechanical micro switches, which are deeper, louder, and heavier than most othermice on the market. How users tolerate these switches is up to user preference, but through our testing, it felt nice to have such a weighty set of switches. It feels like clicking with a purpose. In some cases, these switches could also be preferable for those who find themselves accidentally getting trigger-happy due to shallow optical switches.
Asus ROG Harpe Ace: Battery and Wireless
For such a lightweight mouse, the ROG Harpe Ace certainly packs a lot of tech inside. The mouse features Asus’ proprietary 2.4GHz SpeedNova wireless solution, a USB-C port for charging and connectivity, and integrated Bluetooth connectivity. For those with multiple devices like aSteam Deckor a Mac, switching between all three of these connection options on the fly is a great bonus. Response-wise, the mouse’s latency hasn’t been an issue during use; however, the Harpe Ace does take a split second to come online when waking from a sleep state, which is something its competitors hardly do. It’s mostly a small annoyance.
The Asus ROG Harpe Ace also has a fantastic battery life, one of the best among high-end mice. With the RGB scroll wheel turned on, we found the Harpe Ace to last around 90 hours, while with the light on it, the mouse lasted roughly 80 hours. To put it more practically, the ROG Harpe Ace only ever required a charge once every week and a half to two weeks, depending on the use case. Moreover, the Harpe Ace charged very quickly, generally going from empty to full in about an hour. In combination, the Harpe Ace’s wireless options and great battery life make this mouse a workflow staple for multi-device users.
RELATED:The Best Gaming Mouse Deals in March 2023
Asus ROG Harpe Ace: Excellent for Competitive Gamers
For gaming, the ROG Harpe Ace is a champion. At its heart is a next-gen 36,000 DPI optical sensor, which is a whole 10,000 DPI over the Logitech G Pro X Superlight and 6,000 DPI over the Razer V2 Pro. There is very little to complain about in regard to accuracy with the Harpe Ace, and it’s all thanks to its monstrous sensor. In everyday use, the mouse was never perceptibly off in any capacity, and it always properly reflected the user’s intended aiming throughout sessions ofCounter StrikeandValorant. As an added bonus, the Harpe Ace can store up to 4 separate DPI profiles, which is great for switching between games, but unfortunately, the mouse lacks any type of DPI switch at the top. This isn’t as much a deal-breaker as it is a nice-to-have, but it does take the quality-of-life aspects of the mouse down a notch.
Asus’s secret weapon for making ROG Harpe Ace truly great is its approach to customization and user experience. Thanks to itspartnership withAim Lab, Asus has created a special tool suite that lets users customize everything from polling rate, DPI, angle tuning, and even lift-off distance, among other features like RBG and macros. The Harpe Ace can even be calibrated according to the type of mouse pad fabric the player uses with an included calibration tool. There is enough to fine-tune here for even the pickiest gamer who needs as many settings as possible. Asus’s performance tool set is leagues above what most other mouse manufacturers provide and hopefully becomes the catalyst for similar products in the future.
RELATED:Corsair Voyager a1600 Origin Edition Gaming Laptop Review
The end result is a mouse that is extraordinarily responsive, comfortable, and tailored specifically for the player. In use, the Harpe Ace does feel like it gives some added benefits to competitive FPS gamers, mostly in responsiveness and smoothness. While nothing can replace years of aiming practice and muscle memory, this mouse does a lot to reduce drag, respond to the user, and fit into any playstyle or game type. The Harpe Ace feels like it can compete equally in fast-paced shooters likeCall of Duty: Modern Warfare 2as it can compete in slower, more calculated shooters likeValorant, and that comes down to its robust toolset and smart design. Going back to a heavier mouse with fewer tools certainly feels awkward after extended use of the Harpe Ace.
The ROG Harpe Ace’s only downside is its reliance on Asus Armoury Crate. Asus’s custom software isn’t the most intuitive program and often has more issues than are worth dealing with. The custom-madeAim Labperformance tools all go through Armoury Crate, and users will have to launch the software repeatedly in order to do things like switch DPI profiles. This is one of the reasons a DPI switch would have been nice. However, once users have their mouse configured with their preferred DPI,RGB, lift-off distance, and everything else the Harpe Ace offers, they can completely shut down the program and forget about it. Everything saves to the mouse’s built-in memory.
For fans of FPS games who want to take their game to the next level, the Asus ROG Harpe Ace is a great choice. This is one stellar mouse that packs in a ton of great features in a nice form factor, and for the price, it should. The ROG Harpe Ace starts at a hefty $150, but for everything that it can do, this mouse definitely earns its price tag. Asus’ careful attention to detail and partnership withAim Labresulted in a mouse with a monstrous 36,000 DPI sensor, a lightweight shell, versatile connectivity options, a fantastic battery, and one of the most robust performance-tuning tool sets in the high-end market. It’s the mouse to beat.
TheAsus ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Editionis available now. Game Rant was provided a retail unit for the purposes of this review.
