ROG Chakram Core

Overview

However, the design will be instantly familiar to anyone who has already handled the original Chakram. In addition to the two main mouse buttons and scroll wheel, there are two thumb buttons and a tiny flat ‘joystick’ above a thumb rest with a textured plastic surface. On initial inspection, we like the ROG Chakram Core just as much as the original.

Key Feature

The thumbstick is obviously the main attraction here, and it’s largely unchanged from the previous iteration. To recap, it’s a flat sliding ‘nub’ that can be used for analogue stick-style input or as four extra buttons using directional digital input. It comes with an alternative head should you wish to adjust the size, as well as a plastic cap cover that effectively removes it from the mouse.

Another returning feature here is the push-socket switch housing under the two main mouse buttons, which allows you to easily remove and replace the switches should they become damaged (or if you want to install custom switches of your own).

The optical sensor in the Chakram Core is a powerful PixArt gaming sensor, with up to 16,000 DPI and a max acceleration of 40g. There’s no change in baseline performance here from the original model though, despite the significant price difference.