When choosing the right mouse, comfort and weight matter — but sensor precision and speed must also match the way you play. Mice with higher CPI (DPI) deviations can likely mess with your aiming consistency, because the sensitivity of every sensor can vary slightly, even when the same exact settings are applied. Every single ROG mouse with the AimPoint or AimPoint Pro sensor that comes out of the factory has been calibrated by proprietary equipment to ensure CPI deviation never exceeds 1%. So if you ever decided to upgrade to another mouse with the same sensor again, "wearing them in" will be quick and painless, all the time and effort spent recently on that muscle memory of yours will not go wasted.
All that training and experience lead to speed and accuracy. The AimPoint sensors were built for high-speed flicks and precision tracking, capable of sustaining up to 750 IPS and 50 G of acceleration without losing sensor tracking. Read on to find out what differences there are between the AimPoint sensors and their impact.
| AimPoint | AimPoint Pro | |
| Type | Optical | Optical |
| CPI Deviation | <1% | <1% |
| Max Sensitivity | 36,000 DPI | 42,000 DPI |
| Max Speed | 650 IPS | 750 IPS |
| Max Acceleration | 50 G | 50 G |
| Max Polling Rate | 8,000 Hz | 8,000 Hz |
| Track-on-Glass | No | Yes |
| Lift-Off Distance | Low/High | Low/High |
| Applicable Mice | Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition, Chakram X, Keris WS Aimpoint, Gladius III WS Aimpoint, Strix Impact III WS | Harpe Ace Extreme, Harpe Ace Mini, Keris II Ace |
Consistent and Precise Flick-shots
Counts per inch (CPI) or dots per inch (DPI) deviation is used to measure how precise and sensitive a mouse sensor can be. If you've been using a mouse with a DPI deviation of 3% (industry average) at 800 DPI, the actual DPI could be anywhere between 776 to 824 DPI (800±3%). This is perfectly fine once you become accustomed to your new mouse, after playing lots of games requiring tracking-style aiming. The caveat is that you probably need time to adjust when you get a new mouse to play high-speed shooters like Valorant or CS2 where flick aiming is required, especially if your playing style involves taking out prey from long distance frequently.
Where survival can depend on mere milliseconds and the game is on the line, nobody wants to relinquish their fine motor skills to perform the perfect flick time and time again. Higher CPI deviation can mess with your aim, making you overshoot or undershoot. Any margin of error could also affect speed due to second guessing, or lead to self doubt.
Much like sniper scopes that need to be calibrated for accuracy, sensor DPI deviation should ideally be kept below 1% to help you maintain consistency in your flick shots on any mouse. Considering that even the texture, color, and even a speck of dirt on your mousepad surface can affect the accuracy of the sensor, less than 1% deviation is an incredible feat.
Ideally, you want to be able to put down a weapon, be confident enough to pick up a different one, then perform just the same.
No lag, no drag – built for the need for speed
In modern shooters where enemies can come from all directions, sometimes a quick wide-angle turn is your only chance to live. This is when the AimPoint Pro, with up to 50G of acceleration and 750 IPS of mouse movement becomes more critical than ever.
A high threshold for sensor movement speed ensures responsive tracking-style aiming, while acceleration ensures reliability in high-speed flicks. Both work in tandem to cater to any aiming style the situation calls for.
The AimPoint sensors were designed to be extreme, the up to 42,000 DPI with 8000Hz polling rate kind of extreme. A mouse that can track 42,000 dots with just one inch of movement while maintaining supreme accuracy, speed, and acceleration sounds insane and perhaps unnecessary. However, there was also a time when some people thought 2GB of memory was overkill and may have been enough to predict the future. There's no harm in getting gear to give you superior confidence and future-proofing for the higher-resolution monitors which are yet to exist. Imagine trying to get accuracy while gliding the cursor (or crosshair) across an 8K or even 16K gaming monitor with fast refresh rates and a LOT more dots - perhaps this kind of extreme isn't a bad idea after all.
In survival mode, you need a mouse that can react even faster than you can to threats, because there's no telling how fast you can become. Having a mouse capable of being faster than you can possibly imagine is always better than the alternative.
Lift-Off Distance (LOD)
The shortest path between two points is obviously always the fastest, but go at your own pace and preference when it come to the adjustable lift-off distance available on the AimPoint sensors.
LOD is the height at which the sensor stops tracking once the mouse is lifted off the surface, which can impact your aim consistency depending on your mouse habits. A lower LOD (0.7mm) setting causes the sensor to only track when the mouse is making full contact with the mousepad, while a higher 2mm LOD setting causes the tracking to linger a little (cursor drift) after lifting the mouse.
Most people leave this setting on default — low, but if you find that your aim feels off, it may be due to your previous mouse having a higher LOD setting.
Regardless, it comes down to your habits and preferences.
* Helpful tip:
- Low LOD (0.7mm): clean tracking - ideal for precision aimers, especially in FPS games. Optimal on harder mousepads and surfaces that do not expand after lifting mouse.
- High LOD (2mm): continuous tracking on slight mouse tilts and lifts. Improves compatibility across different mousepads and surfaces. May introduce cursor drift when lifting mouse to reposition.
Anytime, Anywhere, Anyhow
While some surface types could affect which LOD setting you should set, there is one type of surface to watch out for and it's (ahem).... clear that not all mice will be up to the task.
Sometimes duty calls, and you’ve got to whip out your mouse to pop a few heads, and that’s fine. If you’re not home and you’ve forgotten your mousepad, Aimpoint Pro’s got your back (or your mousepad). Track-on-glass technology (ToG) lets you use your mouse on any flat surface, even glass. If you do have a choice, it's ideal to pick a tinted glass surface which is at least 4mm thick.
* Helpful tip - On glass, change the LOD to high for better compatibility. For mousepads and other surfaces, there are options for preset surfaces and manual calibration. Calibration for glass surfaces is not applicable or necessary.
For gaming, you can't go wrong with either AimPoint sensor. The new AimPoint Pro ups the ante with even more speed and the ability to track on glass. If you're thinking about upgrading from a mouse with AimPoint to one with the AimPoint Pro, feel assured that you will get adjusted in next to no time.
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