Usage & Final Thoughts
I’ve been using the Aerox 9 Wireless as my main mouse for the past couple of weeks now and I’ve really enjoyed it. Even though it is lightweight you can definitely tell it is larger and heavier if you are used to a super lightweight gaming mouse. I was switching from the Razer Viper V2 Pro (58g) so there was a slight adjustment period getting used to the heavier mouse. After a day or so I was used to the weight and the mouse felt great in my hand. It is not only heavier but larger and has a more profound “hump” than other mice I’ve used including SteelSeries own Aerox 3 Wireless. This design makes it perfect for a palm grip.
Now let’s talk about those side buttons. If you are a MOBA or MMO player the more buttons you have on your mouse the better. Typically these are easier to access and press faster than something on your keyboard. The 12 buttons on the size of the Aerox 9 Wireless feel great when pressed and are spaced out enough so you don’t end up hitting the wrong button. I do have to say it was a bit hard to reach the front column of buttons (3,2,1), it did not feel natural so I ended up not mapping those buttons out. Possibly if I had larger hands this might not have been an issue. For the most part I would have my thumb resting on the “5” button and there was never a point where I did not accidently press any of the buttons, you can put a decent amount of pressure on these buttons before they actually press down.
With all of these buttons the SteelSeries Engine software makes it extremely easy to map them and if you happen to have a completely different set of mappings for different games you can save those settings to a profile and simply change a button on the mouse to quick-switch profiles and you are good to go. The software is extremely straight-forward and easy to use as well.
I did not run into any issues with wireless connectivity using the mouse with the supplied dongle. The sensor is excellent too, I really enjoyed it on the Aerox 3 Wireless and it is nice to see that SteelSeries has brought it over to this mouse. For those worrying about battery life you’ll get about 80 hours using it in 2.4 GHz mode and around 180 hours in Bluetooth mode. If for some reason you’ve forgot to plug the mouse in, it does have a quick-charge feature that allows you to plug in the mouse for only 15 minutes and get over 40 hours of gameplay.
I think if you are looking for an MMO / MOBA mouse the Aerox 9 Wireless should be on the top of your list! It has an excellent sensor, 18 programmable buttons, and is lighter than other mice out there. Right now you can pick this mouse up at our favorite online retailer for $112.99, which is a great price! Overall ThinkComputers gives the SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless Gaming Mouse a 9 out of 10 score!
Pros:
– 18 programmable buttons
– Lightweight for an MMO mouse
– Great software
– Very comfortable in the hand
– Solid battery life
– Can easily switch between 2.4 GHz and Bluetooth modes
Cons:
– First column of side buttons are a bit hard to reach
