Page 3 - Subjective Performance Tests
The mouse came pre-charged with around 60% remaining battery life. After giving it a top up, updating and setting up the mouse through the Swarm II software, I put the mouse through its paces. I tested it through our series of standard tracking performance tests. This includes normal office usage in the Windows environment as well as gaming. Office tasks include word processing, spreadsheets, video editing in Davinci Resolve, and photo editing in Adobe Photoshop. The games included an aim trainer and League of Legends. All testing was completed on a 4mm-thick giant mousepad. Please note these are subjective tests, but we will attempt to make it as objective as possible with our cross-reference testing methods.
Coming from a Logitech G502x, MX Master 3, and Glorious Model D Wireless, the Turtle Beach Burst II Air is much lighter. The weight took a little bit of getting used to. The buttons were also a tad stiffer. It did not take long to get comfortable with the mouse as muscle memory kicked in. The texture of the mouse is also very smooth and pleasant due to the satin finish. For some people, it might feel slippery, but it did not give me any issues. I tried the mouse with the grip tape for a week, and while it did improve grip, it added about 1.8 grams of weight. The grip tape was quite durable in testing and had no adhesion issues as I cleaned my mouse with alcohol before applying. I found myself using a claw grip on the Burst II Air, and the bulbous back arch supported my palm very well. It is an average-sized mouse that should fit most hand sizes and grip styles. Perhaps some larger hands may find the mouse on the small side. The mouse is also well-balanced. The center of mass appears to be right in the middle. All the typically used buttons are placed in ergonomic positions, and not once did I accidentally make a keypress I did not intend to. There is nothing awkward or weird when using the mouse, and is an easy pick up for any old mouse user.
For tracking, it is very accurate and responsive to inputs. On the 2.4GHz wireless mode, there was no perceivable latency. Once I switched to Bluetooth 5.2, I did notice slight increase in latency, but still decent enough to game with. However, if battery life and productivity is prioritized, having Bluetooth is a welcome feature. The mouse can also be used in wired mode without the 2.4GHz dongle. The Burst II Air can go as low as 50 DPI or up to 26000 DPI, which is a huge range for users to select their most comfortable setting. One might find a use for such high mousing resolution with multiple 8K displays. Setting the DPI to 2500 is my sweet spot for 1080p dual monitor use from my experience. I maintain this setting even while gaming, and found tracking to be consistent with no spin-out. At 26000 DPI, the mouse was very hard to control due to how sensitive it was, and some jitter may be present, or perhaps it is my own shaky hand. Dropping it down to 6000 DPI, it was much easier to draw a straight line with no noticeable jitter. There was no connection drop out that I experienced during testing. The only hiccup I felt was whenever it turned back on from standby mode, there was about a half second delay before it tracks smoothly again. This did not bother me during continuous use. Minimum liftoff distance on DCU calibration on the "Very Low" setting is about 1mm, or less than a CD. On the "Low" setting, it is about 2mm, or less than two CDs. I did not experience any unexpected inputs such as double clicking or slam clicking even with a debounce time of 0ms. Angle snapping was not present unless explicitly turned on in software. The Burst II Air is also compatible with NVIDIA Reflex, which in conjunction to supported games and monitors, will additionally enhance latency.
Despite the Burst II Air being designed for gaming enthusiasts, particularly the first-person shooter crowd who are the biggest proponents of ultra-lightweight mice, I found it very nice to use as a daily driver. The light weight made it a breeze for daily computing tasks. This mouse may be light enough that it could even help people who might have some wrist injury or weakness. Whenever I switched back to heavier mice, they felt more effortful to use. The standard buttons are present, and despite being an ultra-light mouse, the extra side buttons provide more options. The Easy Shift adds a lot of utility to the mouse, and macros can be programmed onto it. There is no tilt scrolling nor an infinite scroll wheel, but those would add significant weight and potential durability concerns. The only tradeoff to this mouse is the battery life. At a rated 40 hours of continuous use, it is one of the lower ones. It is long enough that it does not make charging a nuisance, but short enough that it is noticeably less than the competition. However, this is understandable to keep the mouse as light as possible.
For such a light mouse, the Burst II Air is a mouse that has minimal compromises on performance. Whether it is the high-end sensor, use of optical switches, button feel, or tracking latency, it performs excellently on par with many other lightweight gaming mice. The main drawback for such a light mouse is that the battery life was sacrificed, but at half the price, it undercuts the closest competition by 7g. Most wireless mice in the same price range weigh 60g or more. Despite being lighter, it features Bluetooth connectivity, Easy Shift button layer, and five onboard memory profiles for additional use cases.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware and Software
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
