In the world of mice, there are all kinds and for all tastes. Wireless, wired, light or heavy, adjustable weights or even perforated, finally for everyone, all hands, and all uses. But who gamers war the most is not against gaming opponents (though) but rather by the weight of peripherals.
SteelSeries found a solution to win this battle, to make a perforated gaming mouse, to reduce the weight without necessarily reducing the size. It can quickly be difficult to find a mouse that combines low weight and maximum size. In its rather large size than small format, SteelSeries brings us their new toy, the SteelSeries Aerox 3.
The Xtrfy M42 RGB retro edition aims to bring lightness to the world of increasingly heavy gaming mice with a retro design. And to do this, the manufacturer has taken the solution of the Xtrfy M4, i.e., making holes in the mouse to remove material and thus make it lighter. The retro side of the mouse is really successful; the question to ask is, what does it give on our desks more and more adepts of RGB?
Pros and Cons
| SteelSeries Aerox 3 | TRFY M42 Retro |
| Elegant design | Very good grip |
| Lightweight | 2 shells provided |
| Pretty RGB lighting | Low click latency |
| Spongy side buttons | No dedicated software |
Specification
| SteelSeries Aerox 3 | TRFY M42 Retro | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE | CHECK PRICE |
| Frequency | 1000 Hz | 1000 Hz |
| Number of buttons | 6 programmable buttons | – |
| Sensor | TrueMove Core SteelSeries | Pixart PMW 3389 |
| Acceleration | 35 G | 50 G |
| Skates | PTFE | – |
| Lighting | RGB, 16.8 million colors | RGB LED illumination |
| Colors | Black | Black, White, Retro, Miami Blue, Pink |
| Cable | USB-Type C, 1.80 Meters | USB |
| Cable texture | Super Mesh, Microfiber | Xtrfy EZcord |
| Weight | 57 G | 69 grams |
| Supported OS | Mac OS, Microsoft Windows 7,8,10 | Win XP/Mac OSX 10.1 or later |
Design
SteelSeries Aerox 3- This mouse is dedicated to gamers in a classic shape, but more precisely to right-handed people; the SteelSeries Aerox 3 is a mouse designed especially for right-handed people (sorry left-handed people).
On the front of the mouse, we immediately notice an incalculable number of holes, well yes, 132 to be precise. There is also a button located between the left and right-click buttons to change the sensor’s sensitivity as quickly as possible and, of course, like any mouse with a wheel, but I won’t teach you that. The latter is also clickable, as on the vast majority of mice.
On the backside we find, still holes with the numbers of 95. Below the holes, we find a transparent plastic plate to diffuse the RGB to the maximum, and above all, it has the advantage of not allowing dust to become embedded in the mouse. However, nothing above it blocks their passage and can become embedded there. It is, however, quite light, and the risks are not very great, do not worry. There are also 4 PTFE plastic pads for smoother glide and movements.
On the left part of the mouse, two buttons are allowing to offer new fast functions; these are configurable in the software developed by the manufacturer. It is, therefore, possible to assign customizable functions as desired.
The concept of making holes makes it possible to have a high-performance gaming mouse while maintaining minimal weight. Certainly, we remove fairly light plastic, which leaves a certain mass to the mouse; however, the aesthetic aspect is there in addition to the lightness that this gives it.
The Xtrfy M42 RGB retro edition- has more than 270 holes (and yes, for this one too, we have counted), and once again, just like its little sister, it gives it a neat aesthetic appearance and original. These allow the registered and backlit brand logo to appear inside the mouse. We love this little attention to detail.
Below the mouse, there are two white pads, fortunately for us, changeable by two other pads provided in the box when the first ones are damaged. We appreciate the fact that we can replace them easily. Under the mouse, there is also a button to adjust the DPI, an LED indicating the sensitivity level of the sensor, and a selector to choose the frequency you want.
Then we find holes and more holes. Except that putting holes under a gaming mouse, which rubs on a mouse pad sometimes with a little inevitable dust on it, necessarily brings dust into the mouse. Certainly, but the quantities are quite small, and if you wipe it from time to time over it, you will not have any problems of this kind.
In terms of weight, the mouse weighs 59 grams without the cable, which is very light! With the cable, it comes down to 69 grams. Does that allow better, smoother, and more pleasant movements? We will see it in a few lines.
In terms of materials, we are on a matted plastic on the blue version sent to us. We find backlighting everywhere, namely:
Performance
The Steelseries Aerox 3 has a “TrueMove Core SteelSeries” sensor. It allows you to go up to 8,500 DPI and go down to 200, which is a good compromise at this price. The optical sensor can withstand accelerations of up to 35g, and I never managed to get the mouse off the hook. Finally, if you want to make it unhook, you can, but you rarely make your mouse undergo 35G acceleration in classic uses.
As for the polling range, the mouse can go up to 1000 Hz and remains graduated by various slices:
- 125 Hz
- 250 Hz
- 500 Hz
- 1000 Hz
For better fluidity, of course, you can switch the mouse to 1000 Hz, as it is configured by default. Speaking of smoothness, however, the SteelSeries Aerox 3 can only display up to 300 FPS, which is a good thing for screens above 144Hz.
TRFY M42 Retro- The change in sensitivity of the sensor is done below the mouse. For the frequency, we put it on 1000 Hz, as on the software of certain competitors; here, it is done directly on the mouse. It is configurable on 125 Hz, 500 Hz, and 1000 Hz.
To control the sensitivity of this Pixart PMW 3389 sensor, it is also done under the mouse. Accompanied by a notification LED to indicate the level of sensitivity on which the sensor is set. On the Xtrfy M42 RGB retro edition, there are by default several pre-configured sensitivity levels with an assigned color. We have :
- 400 DPI: Red
- 800 DPI: Yellow
- 1200 DPI: Orange
- 1600 DPI: Blue
- 3200 DPI: Purple
- 4000 DPI: Cyan
- 7200 DPI: Green
- 16,000 DPI: White
Where the manufacturer had a good idea to configure a lot of different sensitivities, we cannot, however, change them. The small handicap of the mouse but must recognize the manufacturer has been able to respond well. The Xtrfy M42 does not have dedicated software to control its functionalities. It’s a shame because we would have appreciated having software like Razer Synapse, for example. But this is not the case, and it is quite a shame. However, this is why there are so many buttons on the mouse, and this makes us say that the manufacturer has done well indeed.
Back lighting
The SteelSeries Aerox 3 is backlit virtually everywhere. We appreciate this generally well-diffused lighting. Various modes are available in the “SteelSeries Engine” application.
It is also possible to turn off the LEDs if you wish. By default, it is a rainbow effect, but it is possible to modify it in the software provided for this purpose. The backlight of the SteelSeries uses LEDs placed under a transparent plastic shell diffusing the light of these LEDs very well, without making it harsh on the eyes.
TRFY M42 Retro- To modify the RGB lighting effects of the mouse, you must use the button behind the mouse wheel. We have different light effects with a few different effects and colors that can change but be careful to change the colors; it’s technical!
To keep a light effect but change the color, you will need to press the button behind the wheel, keep it pressed and change the colors with the main clicks of the mouse. The same goes for the speed of effects. We warned you that it was technical, but at least Xtrfy brings this possibility, where others do nothing and put a single backlight effect.
Besides, to change the brightness of the mouse, it is possible on the others, and here? It’s very “simple” once again; you just have to hold the button behind the dial and press one of the two side buttons. The button directed towards your screen increases the brightness while the one directed towards you decreases it.
Conclusion!
The SteelSeries Aerox 3 in wired version is a perfect mouse. However, we do not always understand the interest of having made a wired version and a wireless one. Despite everything, the wired version remains very efficient and pleasant to use.
The Xtrfy M42 is a great retro-looking gaming mouse! Its two shells allow it to be adapted to all hands, and this is appreciable. The backlighting is omnipresent, and we appreciate the presence of charging pads and the look and the handling of the mouse, pleasent.
