So, let’s dig into the detail!

The Package Appearance

Package Front

Package Back

Package Sides

The internal packaging
The black and red colour scheme is still covered in Mayan patterns, complemented by the ROG logo that can be seen everywhere

The design of the opposite door is still the flagship, with the product placed in the middle

The space in the middle of the headset body is made with a monument-like design, on which players are welcomed into the elite community, full of ceremony

The contents of the accessories – includes 2 x D-shape lightweight earmuffs, a 3.5mm detachable microphone, a Type-c extension cable, an instruction manual and a warranty card

The main body of ROG Theta 7.1
The overall design combines the previous flagship ROG Centurion and ROG Delta

Front of the headset with microphone

Two sides of the headset with microphone

The headset weighs 604g, about twice as much as the Delta and 1/3 as much as the Centurion

The Left and right symmetrical design

5-levels Headband expansion arm

The rotating structure of the headset and its extension length

The extra-soft headband inside is a padded foam mesh fabric similar to the ROG Hybrid ear cups, which breaths well

The famous ROG logo on the headband

The headset is complemented by a cooling grid on both sides

At the bottom of the right side of the headset, there is a slider for switching between PC and phone and a 2-in-1 microphone volume potentiometer

On the bottom left side of the headset, there is a separate microphone jack

The D-shape earmuffs have a ROG logo integrated

The ROG logo with RGB translucency design

Software Analysis

Asus has integrated their peripheral controls into the ROG Armoury II software, if users are using an Asus motherboard, they can also use the Armoury Crate directly to control.

The main page of the control panel
Users can utilise this software to adjust almost all functions including Sampling options, EQ adjustment, bass boost, sound selection, virtual surround, channel selection and microphone AI noise reduction options

The RGB settings of the headset can also be adjusted under the Lightning tab

The AURA Sync settings

Disassembling Analysis

The greatest selling point of these headphones is the true 7.1 + separate DAC design. To see what’s inside, we decided to take it apart

The headphone unit part has to be disassembled from the inside of the rotating structure

Snap-in construction of the headset section, locked by a Phillips screw

The headband part

The extra pair of lightweight D-shape earmuffs

The body of the headphones, with the 8 units clearly visible. These are 40mm front units, 30mm centre units, 30mm left and right units and 30mm rear surround units. As all units are independently driven, the subwoofer section could be simulated by an algorithm, meaning that it is also sounded by these units

Remove the headset casing to reveal the motherboard components. The headset is a semi-modular design with relatively neat internal routing

Disassembly of the right half part includes rotating structure, motherboard and housing

Disassembly of the left half part

The motherboard model name and version number

The AURA 82UA0 RGB controller chip

Potentiometers and diverter switches side

The SupremeFX CODECs S1220 conroller chip, Realtek ALC4042H QFN Audio CODEC IC and Wolfson WM8960G stereo audio codec driver chip

ESS Sabre 9601K amps

The Hearing Analysis

Test premise: EPIC PC does not compare the listening experience of PC peripheral headphones with Hi-Fi/Hi-End or Monitor-grade headphones. All comparative terms used in the test are comparisons between PC peripherals.

Compatability
This headset has excellent support and compatibility with the new generation of gaming consoles and mobile devices due to its Type-c interface.

On the Android platform, we tested with the ROG Phone 3. Because they are Asus’ own products, Theta 7.1 can be directly recognised by the ROG Phone 3 and automatically optimised to the game. Although PUBG Mobile does not support a 7.1 soundtrack, in-game footsteps are slightly amplified, making it easy to determine the location of enemies, and the reverberation of gunfire is great in terms of distance and proximity. And in ‘Genshin Impact’, players can enjoy the game’s high-quality music, vocals and effects. Theta 7.1 performs impeccably in both ‘Deemo’ and ‘Cytus II’, as well as ‘Lanota’.

The apple platform lives up to its nobility. To hear quality music on the iPhone with Theta 7.1, we not only need an expensive Hub with a Lightning connector that comes with a chip and has Apple certification, but we also need to purchase Apple’s hi-res lossless music service. With all these front-end items taken care of, we finally got a taste of the quality of these headphones on the iPhone, which actually doesn’t sound much different from the Android platform. Incidentally, the iPad Pro, which comes with a Type-c port, is also directly compatible with this headphone.

Listening experience
The audition tracks include popular male/female voices, rock music, small compilation strings, and large-scale symphonies. All Hi-Res quality 88200Hz 24bit, around 4kbps. This headphone is very well tuned to music, the high frequencies are not sharp and harsh but slightly softer, the sense of transparency is perfect, no EQ adjustment, the mid-range is rich and the resolution is very strong; the low frequencies are simulated but surprisingly thick and layered, good sinking, and no sense of passage and fading. Without EQ on, the vocals are relatively forward and the nasal resonance is very well reproduced; for pop songs, the vocals are slightly overshadowed by the instruments and seem underpowered; in classical music, the beautiful vocal performance in opera is outstanding, especially in the baritone, tenor and florid soprano, and in Mozart’s “der höllerache”(from “die zauberflöte” K. 620 II), Diana Damrau’s florid part brought me goosebumps, very stunning!

On Desktop/Laptop during gaming
To know that the ROG Centurion is already outstanding. Keep in mind that the ROG Centurion was already very good, while the Theta 7.1 upgraded the rear and side speakers to 30mm, but neutered the original 40mm subwoofer and changed it to a virtual approach, making the bass, while present, underpowered by its shorter duration. In the FPS genre, the headset reinforces the weighting of footsteps and players can reinforce their judgement with the ability to adjust the position of the surround points in the software, while the AI noise-cancelled microphone does filter out the noise of keyboard taps to ensure efficient communication between players. This is equally suitable for RTS and MOBA games. In theory, larger units can improve the quality of fine sound, but in games, it actually has very little impact, as the sound is calculated by simulation and is a collaboration between several units, the difference is actually minimal when distributed evenly. To sum up, if you already have a true 7.1 headset like the ROG Centurion or Razer Tiamat, the relative improvement of the Theta 7.1 is considerably limited.

Overall

Overall, Theta 7.1 doesn’t bring a quantum leap in the gaming experience because its predecessor, the ROG Delta, was already quite good and because most current competitive games don’t support 7.1 surround sound. Since Virtual 7.1 was already at the top of its game a few years ago, the upgrade to Theta 7.1’s DAC is only icing on the cake. The relatively heavy weight also reduces the player’s immersion, increases fatigue, and puts pressure on the cervical spine. It also means that Theta 7.1 will not be chosen by true gaming players at all.

When it comes to the price, the AU$549 “price tag” will dissuade the majority of consumers, and perhaps the quality of this extreme material build-up will be perfectly unleashed in a AAA gaming masterpiece. Even though Theta 7.1 has great compatibility and can be used across multiple platforms, it is still a wired product. As the quality of this headset is already top of the line in the PC peripheral world, with luxurious materials, multiple device support, a high price tag and ROG’s faith added, limiting the users to high-end gamers with deep wallets. Asus has rarely innovated in terms of peripherals anymore, will such a ROG series continue to capture the hearts of all gamers or will it gradually fall by the wayside with the brand premium? It’s up to the gamer to choose in the future.

EPIC PC RATE SCORE: 92/100

EPIC REWARD: EPIC DESIGN AWARD, EXTREME POWER AWARD

 
 
 

ASUS ROG THETA 7.1 OFFICIAL WEBSITE: HERE

This time, the Keris mouse focuses on a lightweight design, with no external holes but honeycomb support inside to reduce the weight, and a sensor fitted with a maximum of 16,000 dpi and a 1000Hz polling rate. It also inherits the same interchangeable Micro switch design(push-fit switch sockets) as the Gladius II series, and the interchangeable magnetic side buttons allow for more personalisation of the mouse. The mouse comes with RGB lighting effects and supports Asus AURA Sync. The included cable uses a Type-C connector and the Asus’ own ultra-soft ‘Paracord'(similar to Razer’s SpeedFlex cable).

So, let’s dig into the detail!

Package Appearance
The outside packaging
New mouse features are printed on the back of the packaging

The inside packaging

The mouse, connection cable and the replacement side buttons

Instructions menu, ROG stickers, replacement feet pads and Omron switches

Product Analysis
In terms of size, this mouse is a medium-small, mid-rear bulge setting and is only suitable for right-handed grips, which will take some time to get used to in larger hands

In terms of materials, the mouse has a zoned setting, with a matte finish on the PBT polymer buttons and left/right side grips and a smooth surface on the rest of the mouse

The scroll wheel is made of translucent plastic and the RGB light effect can be projected directly through the wheel

The ROG logo on the back has the same effect and brightness is guaranteed

The mouse feet pads have a novel design, with a triangular design spread over the four corners, the reflective prism is in the middle, the DPI toggle button on the upper left and the pairing button is next to it; the switch on the right is responsible for switching between wireless and Bluetooth modes, at the bottom is the USB receiver storage slot, a very thoughtful design

The front looking – Cable connection with Type-C connector

The back looking

The side-looking
The included side keys have a black translucent design and are magnetically replaceable. But the keys feel very loose in the hand

The interchangeable side keys are available in two colours: grey and pink

The weight of the mouse is 115g with cable, the weight of the mouse itself is only 81g

Software Analysis
The ROG products are now managed by Armoury Crate
Button settings

Performance settings
Users can change the 4 DPIs up to 16000, Polling rate, Button response time and turn Angle snapping on/off

Lightning settings
The mouse supports ASUS AURA SYNC and the brightness can be adjusted here

Calibration settings
This setting allows users to calibrate the lift gap between mouse and mousepad

Power settings
This allows users to monitor the battery level and set up the power saving profile

Firmware update
this allows users to keep the latest firmware of this mouse

Performance Test
The Teflon footpad provides an ultra-smooth feeling, but they are not as comfortable to use as the larger ones, and had it not been for the included set of replacements, we would have thought for a moment that this was the result of Asus saving cost.

We have tested the mouse on the most popular mouse pads: Fine coated pad, aluminium, soft silicone pad, fine fabric cloths thin/thick pad and coarse fabric cloths thin pad.

The tests are based on the mouse’s start, Smoothness, Brake, and Transparency.

Fine coated pad
Start: Medium level on both Static friction and dynamic friction
Smoothness: Very smooth
Brake: Very easy to brake and good positioning accuracy
Transparency: Very good contact, no heightened sense of passage that results in misalignment on the Z-axis

Aluminium pad
Start: Very low level on both Static friction and dynamic friction
Smoothness: Extremely smooth, but the maintenance is relatively difficult. The Teflon feet skates will be frayed quickly by the aluminium surface
Brake: Very easy to brake and good positioning accuracy
Transparency: Very good contact, no heightened sense of passage that results in misalignment on the Z-axis

Soft silicone pad
Start: This textured pad makes the higher static and dynamic friction feeling
Smoothness: Very smooth
Brake: Very easy to brake and good positioning accuracy
Transparency: a relatively thin thickness of the cushion, the material is quite solid and the permeability is good

Fine fabric cloths thin pad
Start: Low static friction and very high dynamic friction
Smoothness: Extremely smooth
Brake: Very easy to brake and good positioning accuracy
Transparency: A thin pad with soft material and good permeability

Fine fabric cloths thick pad
Start: Very low level on both Static friction and dynamic friction
Smoothness: Very smooth
Brake: Easy to brake, positioning is accurate after calibration, the resistance is light. Muscle memory is easier to form and more friendly for novices
Transparency: A thick pad with soft material and good permeability

Coarse fabric cloths thin pad
Start: Very low level on both Static friction and dynamic friction
Smoothness: Extremely smooth
Brake: Easy to brake and relatively accurate positioning
Transparency: A thin pad with soft material and good permeability

This mouse is powered by the PAW3335 optical engine, still one of the mainstream solutions in wireless gaming mouse today, and it also has the ability to compete with Logitech’s HERO 12K. Some may question why the PAW3399 was not used, after all, Logitech’s HERO and Razer’s FOCUS+ series use the PAW3399 as a custom engine with 20,000 ultra-high DPI which is not that particularly practical.

Disassembling Analysis
The backplate is locked with only two screws to reduce weight, under the round rubber plugs on each side

The inside looking of this mouse

The mouse bottom case & inside after decomposition

The main left/right button switch board

Microswitch
The two main buttons are using the ROG Micro Switch which has a 70 million click lifespan with a gold-coated mechanical structure, this micro switch comes in a cool red translucent case with the ROG logo on it. The sound is crisp and clean with a clear sense of passage and great feedback from the switch bounce.

The interchangeable design

The complimentary interchangeable microswitch from Omron

The mainboard with side button micro switches
The 2 blue-dots microswitches used by the side buttons are from Kailh, the model is ‘CMI126603D09’ with 30 million click lifespan and 60 ± 15 gf operation force

The roller encoder comes from Kailh’s 12mm series (CEN981212R01), 10-25 gf.cm, 800,000 lifecycles

The roller

The sensor is PAW3335 from PixArt, which has 16000 cpi, 400 IPS and 40 G acceleration speed

The ultra-low-power microcontroller chip STM32L412 from STI

The CC2640 SimpleLink Bluetooth Wireless MCU from Texas Instruments

Usability Analysis
To test the line correction, frame loss, and smoothness, we are using the mouse test from Areson

This mouse without line correction function enabled

This mouse with line correction function enabled

The Frame loss control and the smoothness control are also quite good

Enotus Mouse Test

Finally, we are using the powerful MouseTester v1.5
By using its powerful plot function, we are tested several mouse performances

xCounts vs Time
While the average line is smoother, which means it’s more linear on the mouse track movement; while the points of the counts are much closer to the line, which means the jitter of the engine is lower. As the graph shows, the result of this performance is acceptable in different CPIs

1600 cpi is under a normal use level, jitter is not large and relatively stable

800 cpi, jitter is low

800 cpi, jitter is low

1600 cpi, jitter is a little bit unstable

3200 cpi, jitter is average

6400 cpi, jitter is under control

12800 cpi, jitter is surprisingly under control

16000 cpi, jitter is still under control

X vs Y
This function is to detect mouse frame loss, As the graph shows, the result of this performance is good

xyVelocity vs Time
The unit of velocity is m/s. This test is mainly to look at the acceleration of the mouse. As the graph shows, the point of ROG Aeris is better for curve fitting, which means the jumped-like rapid acceleration rarely appears, The line of fit is coherent and also has a dense distribution

If there is a good device that allows the mouse to move at a constant speed, in this case, the speed line is straight, if the engine has acceleration, it will fluctuate, so this is the most ideal test method. The result of this performance is quite good

Summary
As a mid-sized wireless gaming mouse, the Keris Wireless is more suitable for FPS design type games. The lightweight design and excellent hardware quality bring players a very smooth and comfortable experience, and the interchangeable micro-action design can meet the different needs of users. The Bluetooth and wireless connections are responsive and stable, and the battery life, while slightly lower than the official claims, is still reasonable.

Pricing is a little on the expensive side for a mid-sized mouse at AU$139 – after all, the Glorious Model O Wireless is only AU$129 in Australia at 69g – and gamers may prefer to spend a little more on a larger, two-handed mouse like the Logitech G Pro wireless or Razer Viper Ultimate.

In terms of overall quality, the Keris wireless has improved the internal structure of the buttons to avoid the springing sound caused by reverse vibration, removed the non-slip rubber pads like the Gladius II which were very prone to ageing and breaking on the left and right sides, and replaced them with a frosted PBT design to reduce the likelihood of oiling. These details really bring this mouse to the next level of quality.

For a more detailed hands-on experience with this mouse, check out our review video below

EPIC PC RATE SCORE: 91.5/100

EPIC REWARD: EPIC DESIGN AWARD

ASUS ROG AERIS WIRELESS GAMING MOUSE OFFICIAL WEBSITE: HERE

We’ve got the latest wireless gaming mouse — The ROG Keris from Asus, what new features does this mouse bring to the table? Let’s check out the video below! Please ‘like’ and subscribe to my channel, and don’t forget to click the ‘bell’ icon to get the latest video updates.

Today, in 2020, The new Razer DeathAdder v2 has been released for some time. Razer has successfully reduced the weight of this classic mouse to 82g, and upgraded the sensor to Pixart’s flagship PAW3399 that been implemented already in their other flagship wireless mouse Viper Ultimate and Basilisk Ultimate.

After more than a month of testing in our workshop, what exactly does this Razer DeathAdder v2 bring us?

Let dig it in!

Package Appearance
The outside packaging

New mouse features is printed on the side of the packaging

Everything inside the box

Product Analysis

In terms of design, there is not much change compared with the elite version of the previous generation. The decoration of the wheel area uses a cover plate similar to the piano-painted material. The matte surface feels more granular and also has anti-oil and anti-fingerprint design

The side panel has a half bottom area of dot-matrix design

The Razer DeathAdder V2 is a little bit higher than the Razer Viper Ultimate

Compared with the previous model, the wire of this V2 version has upgraded to the ultra-soft SpeedFlex cable. In the process of playing games, it is more conducive to rapid movement and reduces the friction. The cable length is about 2.1 meters.

The mouse 4-sides looking

The bottom footpad has the similar design as the Razer Viper, but the material has been upgraded to “PTFE” Teflon.
The default CPI switch button of this mouse is designed at the bottom. A total of 5 profiles can be set from 400, 800, 1600, 2400 and 3200

The weight of the mouse is 113g with cable, the weight of mouse itself is only 82g

Software Analysis
New Razer products are now managed by Razer Synapse 3
Razer Synapse 3 Dashboard

Razer DeathAdder V2 buttons customise panel
Because the mouse has an asymmetrical design, it is easily mapped and fully customisable, the ‘Hypershift’ function also enables the ‘Shift’ function on the mouse to enable more combination keys

Razer DeathAdder V2 Performance control panel
The CPI of this mouse can be asynchronously customised for XY axes, up to 20000 cpi and Polling Rate up to 1000 Hz

Razer DeathAdder V2 Chroma settings

Razer DeathAdder V2 Mouse mat surface calibration
This mouse supports the Razer Asymmetric Cut-off technology, this function allows user to setup the different Lift-off distance separately, then avoid the mouse corsour suddenly stop when user lifting their mouse frequently

Macro setting

Profile binding with games

Performance Test
The Teflon footpad provides an ultra smooth feeling. Only 82g light-weighted and ergonomic design will help player to achieve a super-fast response and received an extremely comfortable grip.

We have tested the mouse on the most popular mouse pads: Fine coated pad, aluminium, soft silicone pad, fine fabric cloths thin/thick pad and coarse fabric cloths thin pad.

The tests are based on the mouse’s start, Smoothness, Brake, and Transparency.

Fine coated pad
Start: Medium feeling on both Static friction and dynamic friction
Smoothness: Extremely smooth
Brake: Easy to brake and good positioning accuracy
Transparency: Very good contact, no heightened sense of passage that results in misalignment on the Z-axis

Aluminum pad
Start: Very low felling on both Static friction and dynamic friction
Smoothness: Extremely smooth, but the maintenance is relatively difficult. The Teflon feet skates will be frayed quickly by the aluminium surface
Brake: Easy to brake and good positioning accuracy
Transparency: Very good contact, no heightened sense of passage that results in misalignment on the Z-axis

Soft silicone pad
Start: This textured pad makes the higher static and dynamic friction feeling
Smoothness: Very smooth
Brake: Easy to brake and relatively accurate positioning
Transparency: a relatively thin thickness of the cushion, the material is quite solid and the permeability is good

Fine fabric cloths thin pad
Start: Low static friction and very high dynamic friction
Smoothness: Extremely smooth
Brake: Easy to brake, positioning is accurate, the resistance is light. Muscle memory is easier to form and more friendly for novices
Transparency: A thin pad with soft material and good permeability

Fine fabric cloths thick pad
Start: Low static friction and very high dynamic friction
Smoothness: Extremely smooth
Brake: Easy to brake, positioning is accurate, the resistance is light. Muscle memory is easier to form and more friendly for novices
Transparency: A thick pad with soft material and good permeability

Coarse fabric cloths thin pad
Start: Medium static friction, low dynamic friction
Smoothness: Extremely smooth
Brake: Easy to brake and relatively accurate positioning
Transparency: A thin pad with soft material and good permeability

Because of the similar manufacture process and the use of the same sensor and foot pad, the sliding feel of DeathAdder V2 is very similar compared to Viper Ultimate.

The optical engine, PAW3399 improves the highest CPI on the basis of the old PMW3389. Now the highest CPI can reach to 20,000, even this number is not suitable for all user, it is indeed a symbol of the sensor’s hard power, because it means the higher tracking accuracy. A higher maximum movement speed can provide a better tracking experience in games that require rapid mouse movements.

Disassembling Analysis
The Backplate has 3 screws that hidden under the mouse feet’s

The Top case

The mouse bottom case & inside

Microswitch
The two main buttons are using the Razer Optical Mouse Switch which has a superfast 0.2 milliseconds response. Since the electrical signal can be transmitted without mechanical contact, the Razer optical mouse micro switch is difficult to wear under heavy usage. As a result, this microswitch has a durability of up to 70 million clicks, which has a 40% better than the most durable microswitches in the market.

The side button board
The four black-dots microswitches used by the side buttons are from Changfeng, the model is ‘MS11.257B.P5B60A’, 5 million button life and 60 ± 15 gf

The roller encoder comes from Kailh’s EN97 series (CEN979012R31), 30 ± 10 gf.cm, 300,000 lifespan

The mainboard for this mouse

The bottom side of the main board

The roller

The sensor is PAW3399 from PixArt, which has 20000 cpi, 650 IPS and 50 G acceleration speed

The controller chip is LPC51U68 from NXP

The RGB LED chip

Usability Analysis
To test the line correction, frame loss, and the smoothness, we are using the mousetest from Areson

This mouse doesn’t have the line correction function

The Frame loss control and the smoothness control are also quite good

Enotus Mouse Test

Finally, we are using the powerful MouseTester v1.5
By using its powerful plot function, we are tested several mouse performances

xCounts vs Time
While the average line is smoother, which means it’s more liner on the mouse track movement; while the points of the counts are much closer to the line, which means the jitter of the engine is lower. As the graph shows, the result of this performance is quite good in different CPIs

1800 cpi is under a normal use level, jitter is not large and relatively stable

800 cpi, jitter is a bit low

1600 cpi, jitter still low

2400 cpi, jitter still low

3200 cpi, jitter still low

6400 cpi, jitter still low

12800 cpi, jitter still low

16000 cpi, jitter is still under control

20000 cpi, jitter is surprisingly under control

X vs Y
This function is to detect mouse frame loss, As the graph shows, the result of this performance is quite good

xyVelocity vs Time
The unit of velocity is m/s. This test is mainly to look at the acceleration of the mouse. As the graph shows, the point of Razer Viper is better for curve fitting, that means the jumped-like rapid acceleration rarely appears, The line of fit is coherent and also has a dense distribution

If there is a good device that allows the mouse to move at a constant speed, in this case, the speed line is a straight line, if the engine has acceleration, it will fluctuate, so this is the most ideal test method. The result of this performance is quite good

Summary
The Razer DeathAdder V2, as an upgraded version of previous model, maintains the original ergonomic design, and has been modified and upgraded in more subtle ways to match the grip. It has integrated the flagship PAW3399 optical sensor and the new Razer optical micro switch to ensure the accuracy of the trigger, the use of Speedflex cable has the overall light-weight design. It also support the Razer Synapse 3 driver to enabled the RGB lighting effects. The technology decentralisation of Razer’s flagship product makes the DeathAdder V2 a flagship mouse configuration but only the price of a mid-range product.

If you are an previous DeathAdder user, there is no need to explain more. If you have large or medium-sized hands who is still hesitating in various products, the Razer DeathAdder V2 may a good choice.

In terms of price, it’s AU$139 and a great value for money.

EPIC PC RATE SCORE: 91.5/100

EPIC REWARD: EPIC RECOMMENDED，EDITOR’S CHOICE

RAZER DEATHADDER V2 GAMING MOUSE OFFICIAL WEBSITE:
https://www2.razer.com/au-en/gaming-mice/razer-deathadder-v2