review

ROCCAT Burst Pro Air Review Upgraded Gaming Mouse With 2.4Ghz + Bluetooth 5.2 + PAW3370 Sensor!

Friday, April 29, 2022

 

ROCCAT's new Burst Pro Air gaming mouse features three connection modes, which lets you connect the mouse to a device via cable, 2.4Ghz wireless or Bluetooth 5.2 connection. 



There a total of 7 buttons on the Burst Pro Air - 6 of them are programmable buttons, including the right/left click buttons, scroll wheel centre button, DPI button and two left side facing buttons (forward/back). The other button is located on the bottom of the mouse, next to the mode switch for toggling between 2.4Ghz mode, Off mode and bluetooth mode. Being programmable, you can remap the buttons using ROCCAT's Swarm software. 


The Burst Pro Air is entirely made of plastic, including the buttons which sit on top of Titan switches - similar optical switches you get on ROCCAT's Vulcan keyboard. The Titan switches are optical switches (not mechanical) but they still make a satisfying mechanical clicky sound. Another neat advantage of optical switches compared to mechanical switches is no double-clicking errors and no moving parts; hence a longer lifespan than a mechanical switch mouse.
 

The Burst Pro Air USB-C charging port is recessed into the body of the mouse, which helps create a stronger connection and prevent the cable from unplugging mid-game. Another advantage of having a recessed charging port is that it is more wear-resistant so, this will prolong the lifespan of the Burst Pro Air, which is a plus. The only minor drawback is that not all USB-C cables are likely to fit. Charging time is about 4 hours when not in use. You can use the mouse whilst charging.


The Burst Pro Air DPI button lets you change between 5 dpi levels (400dpi, 800dpi, 1200dpi, 1600dpi and 3200dpi), which can be changed (in 100 dpi steps) via ROCCAT Swarm. The software lets you remap buttons, adjust brightness and RGB speed, customize lift-off distance, change polling rate and check battery status. The ROCCAT Swarm software has a sleak user friendly interface and, it is a nice addition but, it currently only works with Windows 10 operating systems.


On the bottom of the Burst Pro Air mouse, there are two large PTFE glide feet, optical sensor opening, the profile button (non-clicky), the mode switch and a deeply recessed cutout for storing the included 2.4Ghz wireless USB-A dongle. The recessed cutout is deep enough to cover the USB dongle entirely so, it sits flush without sticking out. It is nice that the recessed cutout has been magnetized as this prevents the USB dongle from rattling inside or falling outside getting lost.


There is no dedicated RGB button so, you cannot cycle between RGB effects nor turn off the RGB lighting manually. The Burst Pro Air profile button lets you cycle between 5 profiles, which can be customized via ROCCAT's Swarm software and saved on-board the mouse. This is useful, as it means, you can access the profiles at a friend's house without having to run the Swarm software. The mode switch lets you toggle between 2.4Ghz wireless mode, bluetooth 5.2 mode and Off mode, which powers the mouse entirely (including the bluetooth signal), which is useful for preserving battery life. 


The Burst Pro Air has a semi-translucent smoke outer shell hiding a honeycomb inner frame, which can only be seen when the RGB lighting shines through. The semi translucent shell pleasantly diffuses the RGB lighting, highlighting the honeycomb frame across the right/left click buttons and hump of the mouse. 
 
The bottom of the Burst Pro Air shines too, thanks to the partially semi-translucent base. There are 4 RGB zones on the Burst Pro Air located on the scroll wheel, hump and right/left click buttons. The RGB zones are individually addressable, meaning you can have different light colors. The RGB lighting can be adjusted from dynamic color changing to single solid colors.


The newer Burst Pro Air and originally Burst Pro share a similar aesthetic construction to the Syn Pro Air headset. Both the Burst Pro Air and originally Burst Pro are very similar - same button placement, same Titan switches, same variant colorways (black and white), same ergonomic dimensions (12cm long x 6.5cm wide x 4cm high) and same ridged rubberized scroll wheel with smooth scrolling mechanism. The front width of the mouse is just as narrower too (5cm wide).


The main differences between the two are the upgrades you get with the newer Burst Pro Air. These include a detachable 1.8 meters fabric cable (shoelace style semi-stiff) and the PAW3370 optical sensor, which has lower to pixel latency than the PMW3389 sensor in the original Burst Pro. This means, the Burst Pro Air is a lot quicker at detecting movement at higher dpi (above 850 dpi), although the tracking speed and acceleration performance are the same with the Burst Pro and Burst Pro Air.

The new Burst Pro Air has Bluetooth 5.2 multipoint, which supports connectivity for up to 2 devices at the same time. This means, you can connect the Burst Pro Air to a desktop computer and laptop computer and quickly switch between without having to unplug any cables, which is super convenient for productivity. The new Burst Pro Air supports profile switching on-board the keyboard (the original Burst Pro doesn't) and customizable lift-off distance.


The new Burst Pro Air weighs 80 grams without the included cable which weighs 32 grams and has low friction so, it creates less drag than a regular rubber cable. The original Burst Pro weighs 106 grams with the cable, while the Burst Pro Air weighs 112 grams with the cable so, in wired mode, there is virtually no weight difference between the two. 


 A heavier mouse is better for accuracy in higher DPI, although for low dpi gaming, a lightweight mouse (e.g. perforated mouse) is always better than a heavier mouse. That said, both the new Burst Pro Air and ROCCAT Burst Pro are in the category of "lightweight mice" as they're under 80 grams. A standard mouse is about 100 grams. A mouse is considered heavy above 120 grams.


While there are more affordable wireless gaming mice on the market, the Burst Pro Air is well built and has a dirt resistant coating which minimizes fingerprint and oily smudges (although it also makes the hand a bit more sweaty). The Burst Pro Air also supports fast charge (most gaming mice don't) which gives you 5 hours of battery life from a 10 minute recharge. Battery life is around 4 days in wireless mode and 2 days in bluetooth mode. You can use any USB-C cable with the Burst Pro Air, although the included is a nice premium one. You can buy the Burst Pro Air from amazon. Check out the review of the ROCCAT Kova AIMO and ROCCAT Elo 7.1 Air


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