Something to look forward to: SteelSeries is a well-known figure in the PC gaming peripheral market. Over the years, they've developed a stellar reputation for producing high-quality mice, headsets, and more -- just look at the SteelSeries Sensei, one of the industry's most popular and long-lasting mice. Today, the company hopes to continue this trend with the new Aerox 3: a "breakthrough" ultralight gaming mouse.
The word "breakthrough" might be a bit of an exaggeration here, but the Aerox 3 is undoubtedly a sleek piece of tech. The mouse weighs in at just 66 grams, which is under 2/10 of a pound for those of us using the imperial system, and it comes in two variants: a Wireless model and a standard version.
The Aerox's feather-like lightness alone would be a solid marketing point, but there's far more to it than that. For starters, it's SteelSery's first-ever gaming mouse to feature USB-C connectivity. For a company founded almost 20 years ago, that's a pretty giant leap forward, and it finally paves the way for fast-charging.
Indeed, for the Aerox 3 wireless, you can get over 40 hours of use on a single 15-minute charge, which is going to be more than enough for many people. However, if you decide to charge it up entirely, you can expect 200 hours of battery life in Bluetooth mode or over 80 hours of usage in high-speed 2.4GHz mode.
Both variants of the Aerox 3 have uniquely-designed bottom and top plates: instead of being solid metal or plastic, the plates have dozens of diamond-shaped cut-outs, which likely contributed to the devices' low weight.
Since both gadgets feature fully-customizable RGB lighting, this design will probably be quite attractive in the right lighting, as the glow of the LEDs emits through the holes.
As far as performance goes, SteelSeries' new "TrueMove Air" sensor promises "true 1-to-1 tracking" for the wireless Aerox 3. This sensor has 18,000 CPI, a tracking speed of 400IPS, and an acceleration of 40G, while retaining "incredible power efficiency."
The wired Aerox 3 uses a different sensor, known as the TrueMove Core. It has a CPI of 8,500, 300 IPS, and 35G acceleration, so it's not quite as robust here.
However, since the device is wired, SteelSeries reduced its weight even further, knocking it down from 66 grams to a mere 57 grams. Aside from the different sensors and the inclusion of a hardwired cable, this device is identical to its wireless counterpart.
The final feature of note shared by both mice is official IP54 dust and water resistance. This means the devices can withstand splashes of water from "any angle," which could be quite handy if you tend to set your drinks down on your desk.
Both the Aerox 3 and the Aerox 3 Wireless are launching on November 10 globally, available for purchase on SteelSeries.com and at Best Buy. The former mouse will run you about $60, whereas the latter comes in at $100.
