Gaming Mouse Final Thoughts

A heavier mouse is often a symbol of good build quality. The magnesium alloy chassis on the ROG Spatha promotes durability, but it does add weight to the mouse. Along with the internal 1000mAh battery, the mouse weighs in at 175g. Computer users who need a mouse for competitive gaming may have a lot of trouble with the ROG Spatha. The heavier weight does not help with grip since the shape of the mouse is not the most comfortable either.

The ROG Spatha looks great with its aggressive body design and RGB lighting effects. I do admire the looks, the swappable left and right OMRON switches, and the ability to use this mouse in wireless mode. But let’s be realistic here. I do not see many people using this mouse for any competitive gaming since the body shape is not comfortable. The mouse looks great, but the curves and angles make it difficult for many people to adjust to, especially people with small to medium sized hands. The longer body design is fine, but it falls short since the wider body design causes difficulty with gripping the mouse even with my medium sized hands.

The Avago 9800 8200 DPI laser sensor is one of the best laser sensors for gaming. It tracks well and shows minor acceleration and deceleration on a hard surface. I would much rather prefer something like the PWM3360, PWM3310, or the Avago 3988 optical sensor with the ROG Spatha. Laser sensors are capable of tracking on a wide variety of surfaces, including glass. The ROG Spatha supports wireless mode, so a laser sensor does make sense for the people who want to game on the go. But gaming grade optical sensors typically show no acceleration or deceleration, making it easier for your muscle memory.

Optical sensors generally have a lower maximum DPI sensitivity than laser sensors, making them better suited for low DPI gaming. Sensors with a ridiculously high DPI sensitivity may look good on paper, but they can have trouble tracking at a low DPI as they are not optimized for low DPI usage. It would have been nice if the ROG Spatha had a swappable sensor, similar to what the SteelSeries Rival 700 offers. This would have made it truly modular in my opinion.

The most updated software version is 2.107, 1.45 for the mouse firmware version, and 1.20 for the dock firmware version at the time of this review. There are wireless performance and DPI sensitivity problems during wireless mode. The DPI sensitivity in wireless mode is actually more sensitive compared to wired mode even at the same DPI. When in wired mode, the mouse performs just fine. I hope to see a firmware update that can fix these wireless performance issues in the near future.

ASUS ROG Spatha Conclusion

The ROG Spatha does well when it comes to performance. ASUS’s Avago 9800 laser sensor implementation worked just as well as other Avago 9800 laser sensors in other mice. It tracks accurately, but does suffer from minor acceleration and deceleration as expected. At the time of this review, wireless performance needs a lot of improvement. This mouse should have been great from the get go. I am giving ASUS a chance to see if they can make this happen. Once an update fixes these issues, I will come back and change my ratings.

In terms of just appearance, the ROG Spatha looks great with its aggressive body design. The three RGB LED lighting zones give the mouse some life and character. The sharp edges and angled side buttons give the mouse a modernized look and feel. RGB lighting is mostly accurate and the transitioning between different colors is very smooth.

The ROG Spatha has a durable magnesium alloy chassis with a sparkly steel-gray non-stick coating for the top cover. This should prevent the finish from wearing off after many years. The OMRON D2FC-F-7N and D2F-01F switches are rated at 20 million clicks, making this mouse well obsolete once the switches fail.

Even though it looks great and feels sturdy with its aggressive body design and magnesium alloy chassis, the shape of the ROG Spatha is not comfortable as there are too many curves and angles. With more curves and angles, the mouse becomes more difficult to grip. The ROG Spatha is just that, to be honest. It looks great, feels sturdy, has wireless capabilities, and has the option to swap out the OMRON switches. The charging station makes a very nice display of the mouse, too. But the mouse also comes with an uncomfortable shape, heavier body, and some performance problems when using the mouse in wireless mode.

As of August 2016, the ASUS ROG Spatha Wired/ Wireless gaming mouse is currently available online for $159.99 (Newegg | Amazon). To many people, this is a pretty hefty price. But remember, we need to think realistically about this. If you are looking at replacing your $60 gaming mouse with the ROG Spatha so you can get a better kill/ death ratio in a game, you may want to look for a cheaper alternative. Also note that a few mice under $60 do use the Avago 9800 laser sensor. If you want only the looks and the extra features not found in a $60 mouse, then give the ROG Spatha a go.

Pros:

+ Good laser sensor
+ Five separate profiles
+ Excellent build quality
+ Good RGB color accuracy
+ Lots of buttons for customization
+ Swappable left and right switches
+ Looks great especially on the charging station

Cons:

– Limited lighting options
– Expensive mousing product
– Uncomfortable body shape
– Performance issues in wireless mode
– Much heavier than most mice at 175g (although this can be a pro for some)

Ratings:

• Performance: 6.50
• Appearance: 9.00
• Construction: 9.25
• Functionality: 6.00
• Value: 6.75

Final Score: 7.5 out of 10.0

COMMENT QUESTION: What makes the perfect gaming mouse?