Test of the wireless MMO mouse Steelseries Aerox 9

SteelSeries is a brand that has stood for innovation for years. Since the early days, the goal of developing innovative, functional peripherals for gamers has been an integral part of the company. I still pine for the discontinued Merc Stealth keyboard as it was such a functional and unique board (seriously SteelSeries, it needs a comeback tour).

Their latest innovation project takes the form of the Aerox 9 wireless MMO mouse. Equipped with 18 programmable buttons, a proven software suite, and no added weight, this mouse fights for the championship. Compared to other mice in its class, the Aerox 9 aims to be slimmer and meaner than the competition, giving MMO players a new peripheral to consider for their setup. But how well does the Aerox 9 live up to the hype? Grab a coffee, sit back and find out in our review of the Aerox 9 Wireless MMO Mouse, kindly provided by the good folks at SteelSeries.

specifications

• Current Price: $149.99 (https://amzn.to/3w7anZf)
• Sensor: SteelSeries TrueMove Air
• CPI: 100-18,000 in 100 CPI increments
• Acceleration: 40G
• Polling Rate: 1000Hz/1ms
• Grip style: palm
• Number of buttons: 18
• Switch Type: SteelSeries mechanical switches rated for 80 million clicks
• Lighting: 3 RGB zones
• Weight: 89g
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz/Bluetooth 5.0
• Battery life: Up to 80 hours 2.4GHz / Up to 180 hours via Bluetooth

Intelligent design

The Aerox 9 Wireless is a snazzy looking mouse. This MMO mouse follows the same design philosophy as the rest of the Aerox range and features the iconic grille design that the series is known for. Its long, narrow body and palm grip make it exceptionally comfortable to hold. With a slim profile, the Aerox 9’s side buttons also adopt an elongated horizontal design, allowing everything to nestle nicely on the side of the mouse.

Because of their slim profile, you won’t find any sort of ring finger rest, which might feel a bit odd on modern MMO mice, but doesn’t detract from the overall comfort of the mouse. Both the left and right mouse buttons feel quick and responsive, and have a very satisfying click when engaged. The scroll wheels have a rubberized finish and are easy to use with a firm, tactile response when in use. A single DPI button sits just behind the scroll wheel and allows you to easily toggle between settings.

The Aerox has 3 zones of 16.8 million RGB colors to work with, all customized by GG Engine software (more on that in a moment). What is most impressive, however, is the actual weight of the Aerox 9. At just 89g, it’s actually the lightest MMO mouse I’ve ever worked with. The overall quality and feel of the Aerox 9 Wireless is on par with any SteelSeries product I’ve used. It’s solid, intelligently designed, and manages to strike a good balance between function and features.

function and properties

The Aerox 9 Wireless comes with a pretty impressive list of features. There are 18 programmable buttons available, all fully customizable to your needs. Profile saving makes it easy to quickly swap settings between games, making it easy for the mouse to adapt to your needs. The DPI button can also be programmed to switch between pre-saved profiles (or configurations), meaning you can essentially swap out your profile on the fly.

As much as I appreciate the look and design of the side buttons, I did find that I struggled a bit with their placement. As mentioned, the Aerox 9 has a long, slim body that looks good and feels good in my hand. The price to pay for this design, however, is that the side buttons themselves are also extended, making the range from button one to ten an awkward stretch, even for my long thumbs. It’s by far the furthest I’ve had to go with an MMO mouse. It’s something I’ve learned to adapt to and it doesn’t feel overly awkward now, but it’s not as comfortable as some of the other MMO mice I’ve tested and used.

The Aerox 9 is also protected to IP54. That means things like dust, dirt, and last night’s pizza grease don’t mess up your perfect K/D ratio in Apex. It also makes wiping the mouse easier if you happen to get dirt on your one to six buttons. I’ve noticed that despite the last three weeks, the Aerox 9 still looks shiny and new with no major stains or dust build-up.

The battery life also convinced me. The Aerox 9 can connect wirelessly via both 2.4 GHz via USB receiver and Bluetooth 5.0. When operating over standard 2.4GHz WiFi, you can expect around 80 hours of active use before recharging. Bluetooth more than doubles this time at around 180 hours.

Despite my best efforts, I still haven’t completely drained the battery. After three weeks of use as my main driver both at home on my gaming PC (connected via 2.4GHz) and at work (connected via Bluetooth 5.0), I still have 15 percent battery life. This ability to switch between wireless and Bluetooth on the fly really eliminates the need for multiple mice, which I’ve traditionally struggled with.

I use it as my main mouse throughout the day and into the evening and was impressed with how smoothly the 9 glides across different surfaces. The bottom of the Aerox is 100% PTFE Gliding skates with which everything moves as smoothly as butter. This material excels at creating a low-friction contact point that improves not only movement, but the smoothness of that movement. It sounds great on paper and I’m actually amazed at how well it works in real life.

The Aerox 9 also features Steelseries’ new TrueMove Air Sensor, which aims to produce the most accurate reproduction of hand movement possible. Every movement is registered and transmitted to the screen, creating a very natural flowing movement. In practice it works great. Compared to another top brand MMO mouse I have here for testing, I noticed a difference in translated motion response. Essentially, the TrueMove Air Sensor was more responsive to my hand movement, meaning I actually had to move my hand less to get the same result as the other mouse.

This presents a bit of a learning curve for gamers, but once I dialed into the sensitivity it became surprisingly natural to use. For those worried about the sensor being too eager, all of these settings, along with a host of others, can be tweaked and tweaked to your desired feel.

GG … GG engine

I’m pretty critical of software for gaming peripherals. There really only seems to be two philosophies when it comes to their design. It’s either a copy of a generic software package or the most robust, feature-rich software suite you can install. Luckily, GG Engine leans toward the latter, offering exceptional control over what you can customize and save on the wireless Aerox 9.

GG Engine has no problem picking up a new SteelSeries peripheral that supports it. With the Aerox 9 Wireless, I just plugged in the wireless adapter and turned it on. Within seconds, I was navigating the Aerox’s settings with no additional setup. It was so easy and made it a breeze to get everything up and running.

Each button is fully editable, allowing for some serious customization. With what SteelSeries calls Configs (Profiles), you really can customize to your heart’s content. However, customization goes beyond customizing buttons. Everything from CPI (counts per inch) adjustments to survey scoring can be tweaked. It really is an impressive set of virtual buttons and dials that make the mouse feel personal.

Despite the number of options available, GG Engine doesn’t feel overwhelming as you can customize as much or as little as you like. The only interesting clue I had while testing the DPI switching was that there was a small synchronization issue between the instant DPI switching and the RGB color change. In all my tests, the color change was delayed by about a second. This has absolutely no impact on gameplay, but can get a bit confusing if you have a lot of DPI profiles saved and are switching quickly. Overall, however, GG Engine is one of the best software suites I’ve used to customize a mouse.

Final Thoughts

The Aerox 9 Wireless stays true to the Steelseries standard for innovative, creative peripheral design. It’s packed with features and functions that make it a strong contender for those looking at MMO mice. From excellent software support to intelligent design, the Aerox 9 has a lot going for it. Some minor design decisions like extended side buttons and no ring finger rest might be a minor downside for some. However, compared to everything the Aerox 9 has to offer, it’s hard to find many other mice that can compete against it. Not to mention that it’s cheap ($149.99 MSRP), compared to other MMO mice with the same features and functions. Without a doubt, the Aerox 9 Wireless MMO Mouse is one of the best mice in its class.

The product described in this article was provided by the manufacturer for evaluation purposes. Items purchased through our affiliate links result in a small commission to support the site.