TECH ONE REVIEW: ROG Armoury

It looks like we'll have new peripherals from Asus as they have announced their latest addition to the ROG family on September 19, 2017. All in all, there will be 4 peripherals, the ROG Pugio, ROG Strix Evolve, Cerberus RGB Mech Keyboard and Cerberus V2 Green.

All of them are priced competitively, I will indicate it as the article goes along, but warranty for the four products is at 24-months.

ROG Pugio

The ROG Pugio is an ambidextrous mouse featuring Aura RGB lighting across three zones, including angular light channels on the rear. Current ASUS Aura RGB lighting users will be able to sync the palette of millions of colors and lighting effects with the Pugio and the rest of their gaming setup.

Quick lighting synchronisation between Pugio and the ROG Claymore keyboard is also available and easily achieved with a press of the ROG Sync hotkey and pairing it with the ROG Armoury software will enable users take full advantage of performance adjustments and surface calibration settings, program, map buttons, create profiles and more.

The Pugio will be priced at RM439 MSRP

ROG Strix Evolve

The ROG STRIX Evolve mouse is a different story, featuring a changeable-shape design along with Aura Sync RGB lighting. The top cover is easily swap-able between four different ergonomic designs, to achieve equal comfort levels for both left and right-handed gamers. The mouse also features the classic and durable Omron switches rated for 50-million-clicks.

The ROG Strix Evolve is priced at RM369 MSRP.

Cerberus Mech RGB gaming keyboard

Cerberus Mech RGB features the use of mechanical Kaihua RGB switches with a choice between Red, Blue, Brown and Black switch variants, that provide tactile, lightning-fast response and an ultra-durable lifespan of up to 70-million keystrokes. The keys have full anti-ghosting, N-key rollover (NKRO) and individually programmable back-light with seven built-in lighting effects.

Cerberus Mech RGB Keyboard is priced at RM529 MSRP.

Cerberus V2 gaming headset

The Cerberus V2 headset promises to deliver pristine, high-fidelity audio, taking games to immersive new heights with impactful, lifelike sound effects and cinematic music.

Featuring refined 53mm Asus Essence drivers, larger sound chambers, and wide frequency response, the Cerberus V2 is able to deliver hard-hitting bass as well as clear, detailed mid and high frequencies making it great for gaming and listening to music. Dual microphone system is present on the Cerberus V2, a detachable boom design with unidirectional pickup and also an in-line design with omni-directional pickup. This gives the users more flexibility and control of their communication between teammates.

Cerberus V2 is built with a newly designed tough stainless-steel outer headband along with a comfortable padded inner headband and soft, wrap-around ear cushions. The ear cushions are 30 percent larger than the original Cerberus and provide 50-percent-better sound insulation for better immersion and long gaming or music-listening sessions. It is available in a choice of three colours (red, green and blue), however, only the green version is available in Malaysia until further notice.

Cerberus V2 Headset (Green) is priced at RM309 MSRP.

No indication on when these peripherals will hit the market but we're hoping that we'll be reviewing them soon.

About ROG

Republic of Gamers (ROG) is an ASUS sub-brand dedicated to creating the world’s best gaming hardware and software. Formed in 2006, ROG offers a complete line of innovative products known for performance and quality, including motherboards, graphics cards, laptops, desktops, monitors, audio equipment, routers and peripherals. ROG participates in and sponsors major international gaming events. ROG gear has been used to set hundreds of overclocking records and it continues to be the preferred choice of gamers and enthusiasts around the world. Learn more about the choice of champions at http://rog.asus.com.

ASUS introduced its ROG Gladius last year, the first gaming mouse that offers a quick and easy solder-free solution to replace a faulty switch. While it is a great idea, the ROG Gladius isn't as budget friendly as many hoped it would be. Enters the ROG Sica, ASUS' 2nd gaming mouse to offer the very same soldering free switch replacement feature at almost half of the price of the ROG Gladius. Many thanks to ASUS Malaysia in making this review possible!

(The ASUS ROG Sica retails at RM149.00)

Specifications

Unboxing

ASUS has taken the usual approach to keep things as simple as possible without losing the premium and elegant touch of ROG.

Prominent features and specifications of the mouse can be found on the back of the box.

Unlike the packaging of the ROG Gladius, ASUS has decided to include more useful information on the lid of the box.

Content

The content is rather simple, what's included is the ROG Sica gaming mouse, 2 pieces of ROG sticker and a user's guide. We're quite surprise to find out that there are no extra Omron micro switches is provided, given that the most common used D2FC-F-7N switch are obtainable for less than $1 each if taken in large quantity.

The ROG Sica

The size and ambidextrous design of the ROG Sica did somewhat reminded us of the Razer Abyssus at first glance. It's good to know that ASUS never adapted the rubber coating for the the Sica, as rubber coating is often followed by the infamous disastrous stickiness if not taken care properly.

Many claimed that gold plated USB connector has better polling rate /refresh rate compared to the ordinary USB connector, but those were all false claims and marketing gimmicks. The only fact you should know here is that gold plated USB connectors has better resistance against corrosion compared to an ordinary USB connector.

Although we're not really a big fan of small sized gaming mouse, the ROG Sica turns out to be pretty comfortable to hold on to for a gaming mouse despite its size.

The ROG logo that gives the similar pulsating glow on the ROG Gladius and can be customized in the ROG Armoury software.

While it comes in at a lower price, there are quite a few features that has been sacrificed in order to keep the price down. DPI toggle buttons being one of the "must have feature" for a gaming mouse, is absent from the Sica.

The Avago 3310 optical sensor used here is capable of up to 5000 dpi.

ASUS did a wise decision in having the screws hidden under easily removable rubber caps so you don't have to tear off the mouse skates every time when you wanted to replace the switches.

Once the screws are removed, the top cover slides off easily without any additional prying needed.

The very same approach used on the ROG Gladius to make replacement work for the switches a whole lot easier.

Software: ROG Armoury

Simple and comprehensive approach on the software interface allows us to breeze through the configuration with ease.

Clicking on the label of each button allows you to configure the behavior of the button - make it a Windows shortcut, multimedia function, assign recorded macro, keyboard function.

Macros can be recorded and assigned to the mouse button easily.

Customization option in the 'Performance' tab seems to be lesser for the ROG Sica. Significant changes - no angle snapping adjustment, sensitivity adjustment is limited to a drag bar due to the fact that the Sica doesn't comes with any DPI toggle button.

The 'Lighting' tab allows you to customize the lighting effect on the ROG Sica.

User Experience

We've tested the ROG Sica on one of our favorite FPS game, Far Cry 4 and here's what we think about it, tip to the end:

Glide: There's nothing much we can complain here, the ROG Sica glides smoothly on both cloth mat and hard mat.
Grip: The grip is pretty good in overall but it's more preferable for claw grip users compared to palm grip users, due to its smaller size.
Weight: We consider the ROG Sica as a lightweight gaming mouse and it'll do well for users who requires fast movements and doesn't want any hindrance from the additional weight of the mouse itself.

Verdict
Build quality is good overall, the surface of the ROG Sica isn't rubber coated, which makes it less prone to wearing out / turns sticky overtime.

Performance wise, the ROG Sica is able to fulfill most of our needs with a wide range of selection in terms of DPI preferences, all thanks to the Avago 3310 optical sensor used. While we're not really a big fan of small sized ambidextrous gaming mouse, the solder-free switch replacement design makes it a gaming mouse worthy to consider for the long run.

The ROG Armory is a pretty decent software that is very easy to use, but there's still something that bothers us - we're a little picky when it comes to the software. While using the ROG Armory, we've noticed that some windows always stays on a fixed position and cannot be re-positioned no matter how hard you try. Not entirely mind boggling but ASUS might want to look into this matter as it does affect the overall user experience in a negative way.

So here's the question: is the ASUS ROG Sica worth the money? Well, it's not that often for one to pay RM149 for a budget gaming mouse that allows you to replace broken switch this easily. While there are quite some features that we think shouldn't be left out in the first place, but the ASUS ROG Sica is still a budget gaming mouse that is worthy to consider for the long run.

Pros