ASUS ROG Sica MOBA Gaming Mouse Review

Conclusion

ASUS have taken a very different approach to the norm with their release of the Sica. 

Rather than go down the route of adding plentiful buttons and customisation options with a subsequent price tag increase, the Sica is all about the sensor and the left and right mouse buttons, all wrapped up in an extremely affordable package. If you’re the type of gamer who demands something pure and simple, then the Sica unquestionably gets the job done in that department.

The objectively good elements of it are, rather obviously, the low cost. So many mice are all-singing and dancing but at £50 or more, having one that gets it done at around £20 has to be considered a good thing. It’s not a case of low cost meaning poor quality either. There is a reason that is has the Republic of Gamers logo on it after all. The plastics feel sturdy, the rubber sides are soft and when you reveal the internals it’s clear that it has been well designed. There isn’t a compromise with the sensor either as the 5000DPI optical offering that beats at the heart of the Sica is responsive and accurate throughout the range. Any misclicks will clearly be the fault of the user rather than any downfall of the mouse itself.

The ability to change out the switches is something that we’ve been needing for a long time. Our offices are replete with otherwise excellent mice that have reached their click life. Omron options cover two basic actuation weights – think the difference between a Cherry MX Red and Cherry MX Black – and a multitude of click lifespans. Why you wouldn’t just throw in the 10 million click options and be done with it we don’t know, but maybe you’re exceptionally finicky. Lastly, the LMB and RMB are separate from the body of the mouse, rather than blended into it. Now we’ve never particularly found the “all in one” approach to be either limiting or generally bad. However, if you’re a particularly demanding user then it is unquestionably another thing you can tick off the list of potential areas where you game is falling down.

The other main bits of the Sica are more subjective. It’s an extremely compact mouse, bordering on small. If you’ve ever had a laptop mouse it’s around that size. Whether you have the hands of a child or the hands of Andre The Giant will largely determine how much of an issue this is for you. Somewhat less subjective is the lack of side buttons. Yes the Sica is aimed at the minimalist brigade. Yes it’s great value. Yes it’s ambidextrous. We don’t think that any of these elements excuse the lack of side buttons. There can be an argument that without side buttons you wont misclick, but in the decade or so we’ve been using mice equipped with buttons on both sides we’ve never accidentally hit one. It might be fine for gaming but even the most hardcore person doesn’t game all the time and the moment you load your browser you have to go hunting for icons you never knew existed (or have hidden like me) just to go back a page.

The Sica has plenty of great ideas and we would love to see the ROG Switch idea that makes changing your Omron switches a cinch extended into mice with more fully rounded feature.

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