Roccat Burst Pro Air Review
A stylish and vibrant gaming mouse
Verdict
The Roccat Burst Pro Air is a great wireless gaming mouse that limits the number of buttons and customisation options, but with no loss to performance. It has an steep price, but understandably so. If you consider too many buttons a headache and need a mouse that’s ergonomically designed and aesthetically pleasing, then this is a great option worth considering.
Pros
- Long battery life
- Wireless with Bluetooth and USB connectivity options
- Water- and dust-resistant shell
- Super-fast actuation
Cons
- Relatively expensive
Availability
- UKRRP: £89.99
- USARRP: $99.99
- EuropeRRP: €99.99
- CanadaRRP: CA$129.99
- AustraliaRRP: AU$169.99
Key Features
- WirelessThe Burst Pro Air is wireless, with the option to connect via Bluetooth or the USB-C dongle.
- 19,000 DPI Optical SensorEasily one of the best sensors on the market, the Roccat Owl-Eye DPI optical sensor gives you optimum mouse movements with 1:1 accuracy.
- Extremely LightweightThe Burst Pro Air weighs in at a super-light 81g, due to its water- and dust-resistant honeycomb shell.
Introduction
The Roccat Burst Pro Air is a stylish, lightweight wireless gaming mouse perfect for beginner, intermediate or expert gamers. It boasts a long battery life, gorgeous RGB lighting and great software to support it.
Excelling at performance, customisability, and battery life, the Burst Pro Air is a leading option for those who want a simple wireless mouse that covers all the basics.
However, it’s very expensive, with its sister model (the Burst Core) costing a quarter of the price. So, is it worth the extra expense? Here are my thoughts.
Design
- Lightweight at just 81g
- Stylish and symmetrical design
- Bionic honeycomb-style shell
I’m a sucker for RGB lighting. Normally I’m easily pleased in that area, but the design of the Roccat Burst Pro Air has raised my standards. The way the lighting illuminates the honeycomb bionic shell is stunning.
As if that wasn’t enough, the charming accents on its side grips (embossed honeycomb design) add extra dimension and style to its aesthetics. They’re not just for show, as they do provide some grip.
There are 6 programmable buttons: two side buttons, a DPI button, the scroll wheel (infused with even more RGB lighting) and the usual left and right clickers.
The detachable braided “PhantomFlex” USB-C charging cable is a good length (1.8m) and of good quality. On the Pro Air’s base is a space to store the USB-C dongle, as well as a wireless switch that can flick between Bluetooth and 2.4GHz connections.
The Burst Pro Air is ergonomically designed. It’s lightweight thanks to a honeycomb structure beneath its translucent shell, and didn’t cause me to have to twist and flex my wrists from feeling the strain.
It fitted snugly around my palm regardless of how I gripped it. Due to its symmetrical design, the Burst Pro Air will fit all grip styles, but may be better suited for small to medium hands. Unfortunately, it isn’t designed for left-handers.
Performance and software
- Programmable macros
- Onboard memory for up to 5 profiles
- 19,000 DPI Owl-Eye sensor
The Roccat Burst Pro Air is a wireless gaming mouse with the option to connect via Bluetooth or the bundled USB-C dongle. Roccat claims it lasts for up to 100 hours on one charge. This seems to hold up, since I only charged it once in a week’s worth of use, and it took a mere ten minutes to fully charge.
Its Roccat Owl-Eye optical sensor (based on PixArt’s PAW3370) is responsive and provides smooth and accurate movements. It has a max DPI of 19,000 and a 400 IPS tracking speed. It tracked well on my mouse mat, as well as wood.
I don’t always use my mouse mat (I know, sacrilege!) and I find that mice with poor-quality feet are a nightmare to move around, especially when I’m playing fast-paced games like Warframe. But the Burst Pro Air worked a dream – it has heat-treated PTFE feet which provide a nicer glide than the usual PTFE skates.
While I mostly leave my macro settings to my keyboard, I did set some profiles on the Burst Pro Air to see how well it functioned and whether it had a positive or negative effect on my gameplay. I used up all 5 profiles it offers on Valheim, Warframe, Bloodhunt, Age of Empires 3 DE, and League of Legends.
I was able to see more of the Burst Pro Air’s DPI capabilities when I played Bloodhunt and Warframe (although it didn’t save me from losing a few games). While I can’t say I could see its full 19k glory, I will say that the mouse tracked perfectly, and was able to keep up with my rapid movements and attacks.
Valheim and Age of Empires 3 DE are, obviously, less about the DPI performance. I found it useful with AOE3, because of the millions (mild exaggeration) of actions the game lets you bind. I bound my barracks and market to the side buttons, which was simple to do using Roccat’s Swarm software, but found using the bindings weakened my grip on the mouse.
For switches, the Burst Pro Air uses the Titan Switch Opticals, which Roccat claims last 100 million clicks. I’m a few million clicks away from proving that assertion, but having experienced Roccat’s switches in the Burst Core, Kone XP, and now the Burst Pro Air, I can confirm they may well be better than any switch out right now. They offer what I like in switches, a satisfying click and a snappy feel.
The DPI button cycles through five default values, 400, 800, 1200, 1800 and 3200, but you can adjust each up to the overkill max DPI of 19,000 using Roccat’s Windows-only Swarm software.
In addition to customising the DPI, Roccat’s Swarm Software lets you program macros, and rebind buttons. There is onboard memory with up to five profiles.
In terms of RGB lighting, you can choose between 6 effects and change the colour. All of these settings can be grouped into profiles: AIMO intelligent lighting, wave, breathing, blinking, heartbeat and fully lit.
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
If you want a wireless mouse with a great battery life:
The Roccat Burst Pro Air has a claimed battery life of 100 hours, ensuring it has one of the best stamina we’ve seen in a gaming mouse.
If you want a cheap gaming mouse:
With an RRP of £89.99, this is a relatively expensive gaming mouse. If you’re on a strict budget, you can find more affordable options, especially if you’re happy to settle for a wired mouse.
Final Thoughts
The Roccat Burst Pro Air is an excellent gaming mouse. The visual design is simple, but due to its honeycomb shell, symmetrical design and RGB lighting, it’s a beautiful addition to any gaming setup.
It also features a really smooth glide, and Its Roccat Titan Switch Optical switches are snappy and satisfying to use and perform very well. The PhantomFlex charging cable is great, being light and floppy enough that you’ll forget about it when it’s plugged in. Of course, you won’t need to use it often, because the Burst Pro Air’s battery life is fantastic.
It’s expensive, but not overpriced. Its sister mouse, the Burst Core, is nearly as good, except wired and lacking some of the Burst Pro Air’s key features, but it’s only a quarter of its price. So, if you are on a tight budget, you might want to consider going with that instead.
How we test
Every mouse we test is used for at least a week. During that time, we’ll check for ease of use and put it through its paces by playing a range of genres, including FPS, MOBAs and strategy.
Used as a main mouse for over a week.
Games tested: Valheim, League of Legends, Age of Empires 3 DE, Warframe and Vampire: the Masquerade- Bloodhunt.
You might like…
FAQs
Yes, because it’s wireless, and lightweight too. So it won’t add too much weight to your load, and the battery life is long enough to last long or short distances.
Yes, there is onboard memory for up to 5 profiles, and you can program them in Roccat’s Swarm software.
While it’s not an ergonomic mouse, it is ergonomically designed, at least so say ROCCAT. I did find it to be comfortable to use and felt no wrist strain.
Full specs
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
