The Asus ROG Harpe ACE Extreme is Asus’ latest attempt to really make a name for itself in the gaming mouse market, and it certainly packs in some impressive features that should ensure it’s an attempt that succeeds.
Made entirely from carbon fiber, Asus‘ new best wireless gaming mouse contender is astonishingly light at just 47g and includes the latest must-have high-end features such as optional 8KHz wireless polling via a separate dongle and a ludicrous 42,000 DPI sensor.
I got hands on with the new Harpe ACE at Computex 2024 and came away very impressed.
The most striking thing about the new mouse is its carbon fiber build. Not only does it wear its fibrousness for all to see but you can feel the stiffness that this incredibly strong material provides. Where other lightweight mice – or not so lightweight ones – have flex in the button triggers or the sides of the mouse, here the whole thing feels incredibly solid.
The shape also seemed to work really well for a wide range of grip styles. It helped that the environment we were testing in made for warm, sweaty palm (gross, I know, but facts is facts) which inevitably aids grip but the shape also worked well for fingertip, claw and palm grip for my 20cm long hands (base of hand to end of middle finger).
Grooves in the sides of the mouse further help grip while the generally matte surface of the carbon fiber not doubt helps as well.
The main buttons feel very taught thanks seemingly to the stiffness of the carbon fiber. There’s no flex in the material and no gap before the microswitch engages – it’s a truly instant feel, without it feeling like it’s an overly delicate hair trigger.
Where this mouse could be more contentious is its glass feet/skates/glide pads. These offered incredibly gliding smoothness on both the soft mouse pad and the white desk top of the demo space but how it actually feels or holds up to longer term use is something we’ll have to wait to find out.
As for actual gaming performance, we weren’t able to test this, as not units were setup attached to functioning gaming PCs, but we’ve no doubt the sensor and wireless tech will deliver the goods, as few mice fail to these days.
Suffice to say, we’re excited to take this rodent for a proper test drive when it becomes available for review. We’re still waiting word on an exact release date and price, though, so in terms of value it’s too early to get any sense of how it might hold up.
The ROG Harpe ACE Extreme launches alongside the ROG Azoth Extreme aluminium and carbon fiber keyboard, so check that out if you’re interested in Asus’ full new premium peripherals lineup.