I’ve been living the ROCCAT life for a while with my Vulcan II Max keyboard and Kone XP Air mouse, all powered by Swarm software. Well, Turtle Beach has taken over ROCCAT, and although there is some new branding, I am happy to report that I am JUST as happy with my Turtle Beach Burst II Air mouse as I have been with anything previously branded ROCCAT. Boasting ultra-light precision, it is safe to say that the Burst II Air delivers on its promises.
Right out of the box, I was genuinely surprised with how light the Burst II Air mouse is. It weighs in at 47 grams, which is way below my Orochi V2 at 68 grams, the Aerox 5 at 74 grams and even lower than the Cooler Master MM720 at 49 grams. It is even lighter than the new Razer Viper V3 Pro at 54 grams. I remember a time when more weight meant better quality, but times have changed, and more companies are opting for ultra-light models. As a girl who games and has some wrist issues, I am here for it!
Something that the Burst II Air does not sacrifice for weight is its size. I am fairly small, but even my large-handed partner said that the device felt comfortable in his hand, whereas other light mice tend to be a bit shorter or thinner. For instance, the Orochi V2 is a lighter mouse and sits at 4.26 x 1.52 x 2.47 inches, whereas the Naga Pro, which would be a bit more standard, is 4.69 x 2.93 x 1.69 inches. The Burst II Air is longer than the Naga Pro but a bit narrower, making it sit perfectly in your palm. However, there is no indented grip like in the Naga or the Kone XP Air.
“Turtle Beach promises a one million-click lifespan, and though we can’t test this in such a short time, I can say that the Burst II Air feels great in my hand.”
The Burst II Air comes in white or black. I am giving the white version a go since I already have the white Vulcan II, and they match pretty seamlessly, aside from the palm tree Turtle Beach logo instead of the old ROCCAT logo. The shade of white is quite brilliant, and though it is stunning out of the box, I don’t doubt that there will be some wear and tear on that brilliant white over time.
Lucky, Turtle Beach included grip stickers you can place on the mouse for those high-touch areas to help prevent this—I just like the added texture. This mouse really takes the “feel” and the sound into account, with the pre-tensioned clicks and Titan Optical switches. Turtle Beach promises a one million-click lifespan, and though we can’t test this in such a short time, I can say that the Burst II Air feels great in my hand.
The nitty gritty details of the mouse include the Burst II Air’s upgraded Owl-Eye optical sensor with up to 26k DPI and a tracking speed of 650 IPS (inches per second). I will be honest: I can’t seem to control my mouse cursor, so I live comfortably in the 800-1200 DPI range. Anything more than that feels like overkill for my needs, but I know it can come in clutch for gaming and precision movements.
There is also a DPI Calibration in the Swarm II software, but for me, it didn’t do much. It was calibrated in whichever setting you were already on, and then at the end of a point-and-click test, a setting was recommended. For me, it just recommended whatever setting I was already on each time, aside from recommending a 3150 DPI when I tested in 3200.
What I actually like the most about the Burst II Air in regards to DPI is the small dot on the top of the mouse below the scroll wheel. This small light changes when you press the dedicated DPI switcher on the front left of the mouse to tell you which DPI setting you’re on rather than trying to guess. You can customize the colour of the light and select five DPI settings you’d like to cycle through.
The light does not stay coloured while using it; it is only to let you know it has switched or is charging. Outside of that, there is nothing RGB or otherwise flashing for this mouse. The Burst II Air keeps a very sleek and subtle design, letting it blend in perfectly with any black or white setup. Even the Turtle Beach branding on the back and side is a very light grey that isn’t in your face.
“The Burst II Air keeps a very sleek and subtle design, letting it blend in perfectly with any black or white setup.”
Programming the Burst II Air was a breeze. Using it via the included braided USB cable, 2.4 GHz dongle, or Bluetooth came with no issues, and it could switch between devices with ease. After switching to the Swarm II software, it found all my previous devices and moved them over seamlessly, with their settings intact. From there, you could control up to five saved profiles for the Burst II Air based on whatever needs you might have.
Within the Swarm II app, you can also customize the Burst II Air’s Debounce Time, DCU Calibration, enable Angle Snapping and Motion Sync, and monitor your drivers, battery status and connection type all in one spot. You can also customize seven different buttons across your five profiles: right-click, left-click, and two left-side buttons, scroll up, scroll down, and scroll click. This is quick and painless, and Swarm II even has built-in macros for your devices if you should need them.
I would like to say that I have been able to kill the battery, but leaving it on and in use for days only brought it to around 88%, and then during an update, I needed to plug it in and accidentally charged it to full because it charges very quickly. That is a pretty good problem to have, really. Turtle Beach boasts 120 hours of battery in Bluetooth mode, and through a combination of both Bluetook and 2.4 Ghz, I saw the battery drop very slowly during all my tests.
This mouse will live on my desk for the foreseeable future, and though I usually keep separate devices for at-home and on-the-go, I may even consider bringing this one on the road with me. The Turtle Beach Burst II Air mouse is lighter than even the smallest mouse I own, has a battery that can last a whole trip and then some, and pairs easily with any device I need. What more can I ask for for $99.99 USD?
- Ultra-lightweight, ergonomic design at best-in-class 47g
- Dynamic accuracy with 26k DPI/650 IPS (16.5m/s) optical sensor
