When I first tried out a honeycomb cutout mouse I was pleasantly surprised. The holes created a weirdly comfortable feel in the palm, as well as the other obvious benefits such as airing out your nasty sweaty palms and less plastic means the device is lighter. This time I get to try out the Steelseries wired honeycomb mouse with the Aerox 3 and I am … on the fence.
First things first, the comfort.
The shape of the mouse is interesting. It isn’t the tallest or longest mouse I have used which means it didn’t hold the shape of my palm the way other mice do. Fortunately I am mostly a claw grip user and it was great for that. If you are a claw or fingertip gripper then the shape should be sweet as. If you are a palm gripper then you will want to double check that size because it was too small for my large hands.
The other thing that people will love or hate when it comes to comfort is that honeycomb body style. I mentioned it in the intro but there are a few benefits like airing out those sweaty palms, I mean you could take a break, I think people do that. Even better through, get holes in your mouse and no break required. It also adds a comfortable texture to the touch that is going to gel with some people, but maybe not everyone.
Fortunately it is IP54 rated, so the dust and your nasty sweat won’t drip inside the mouse and wreck the components.
But how does it move on the desk? I hear you ask
Well my friend, phoooo boy. Having used the Steelseries Prime for a bit I have discovered that Steelseries makes some seriously good glide skates. Those are the sexy pads on the bottom of the mouse that determine how easy it is to move across your desk. The ones on the Aerox 3 are no exception. The thing slides across the desk so damn easily and so damn smoothly.
Adding those sweet glide skates with the lightness to the mouse makes for a match made in heaven when it comes to performance. Coming in at a tiny 59g this thing is seriously light. The wireless edition adds a few grams if that is your preference, but this thing is light as hell.
Unfortunately it is held back a little by the cable.
Is there a negative?
The weirdest part of the mouse is that it is a wired mouse, with a detachable cable. When I first opened the mouse I had a brief pause before realizing that the mouse was indeed cabled. This was because out of the box, it doesn’t have a cable plugged in. Instead the mouse has a USB-C port at the top just like its wireless brethren would. It, you know, needs it to be plugged in to work.
Now this part has its pros and cons. I quite like the USB-C cables that come with a Steelseries mouse. I find the material they are housed in is quite nice and sits comfortably enough on a desk and has a generous length. But with a wireless mouse this is only temporary, and any time it isn’t convenient, you switch back to wireless and use whatever juice you have left. When forced to use it permanently I found the cable was slightly more annoying. The detachable cable has a longer stiff section than an inbuilt one would and I found that it pulled the weight off a bit. This minor inconvenience is a permanent minor inconvenience in a cabled mouse. How much this annoys you will likely depend on your desk configuration and how much space you have.
There is also a big benefit to it being a detachable cable. That is of course if you can literally grab a USB-C cable that works on your desk or in your environment better, and plug it in. Being able to customize that is definitely a big plus.
Ok now that I have grumbled about a thing, let’s talk about lights.
Another benefit to the honeycomb style, other than the feel and comfort, is there is more holes for lights. Now RGB lighting may not be the most important aspect of a mouse, it sure can look purdy. Steelseries has taken this one to the next level. It has a sexy bar along the base at the rear of the mouse that looks amazing under your palm. Then the lights coming up through the honeycomb around your fingers looks dope as hell.
Yes I am an old man so I say old man things like dope, ‘tis what ‘tis.
The whole mouse is an incredibly good looking design. The buttons overhanging the front slightly covers the connector and gives the whole unit a nice elongated look. Added to this is the Steelseries pattern rigged into the clicking wheel which adds style, and comfort. Once you have installed the software and played with the RGB settings this mouse can be the centerpiece of your gaming setup. If anything it reminds me I need to upgrade my keyboard.
On the whole
The Aerox 3 is a pretty damn good mouse. Almost all of the negatives come back to it being the cabled variant. I haven’t used the wireless version but if all else holds true, then the Aerox 3 Wireless is probably a peak ass mouse. Given the price range, deciding between the Aerox 3 and the Pulsefire Haste will likely be the shape of the mouse. That being said, it is a solid, great performing, amazing looking bit of mouse.
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