Roccat Sense AIMO XXL Review

The mousepad is something I imagine you spend very little time thinking about—I know I don't. Resting gently under that mechanical rodent on your desk, a good mousepad should fade into the background. A good one will merely help your playtime. How does this work when the mousepad is the size of your workspace? Turns out it's pretty good.

The Roccat Sense AIMO XXL is about as big as it is wordy, that is to say: "very". Arriving bundled up in a cardboard tube like a scroll, unfurling it showed just how soft that top layer of the mousepad was. It made a nice addition to the cold sterile glass of my desk prior. Let's start with its design, shall we? 

How does it look?

The Sense AIMO XXL is a long black mousepad stretching 900mm across and 400mm of height. This is something worth checking before a potential purchase. Mine was slightly too high for the desk and not quite wide enough to fit over it comfortably but it takes up enough surface area to really see the benefit. 

The top of this mousepad is made of a soft cloth that works very well with slick mouse feet of the Roccat Burst Pro. There's just something rather comfortable about the AIMO XXL. Covering almost the whole desk means, often, your forearms and hands will rest against it when not typing or gaming. Compared to the sterile desk underneath it, the mousepad is just generally rather nice to lounge your hands on. 

For this reason, I'm rather glad that it stays on the desk so consistently. This is due to the rubber bottom stopping any slips. Even with both hands on the desk, you are more likely to move the whole thing than the mousepad. This is a needed addition for a mousepad that takes up such a huge surface area. 

What other features does it have? 

One of the central visual gimmicks of the Sense AIMO XXL is the RGB illuminated sides. Seemingly stitched onto the side with threads, the RGB follows the entire mousepad around the side until you get to the power box at the top. This attaches to the PC itself with a detachable braided USB. This is a good move as it means you can effectively use the mousepad without any colors if you want a more toned-down look. Without the RGB active, it's not too flashy and works well to cover your desk. 

The greatest thing the Sense AIMO XXL has going for it is the built-in Swarm technology. This is, essentially, an application on your PC that allows you to customize the presentation of the RGB in your mousepad. This means you can create custom profiles and choose to have it repeat certain actions. This could mean mimicking a breathing pattern, pulsing or customizing the colors yourself. There are two central strips of RGB that obey different controls meaning you can split up your mousepad into two separate colors. 

The Swarm technology gets even cooler when paired with the right hardware. Both this and my Roccat Burst Pro were set up in the same profile which means they change color together. You can have a consistent layout with all your gear showing the same color or you can choose to pulse through the different colors at the same time. It all comes together to make your desk look quite striking. 

The Roccat Sense AIMO XXL has a lot of good qualities. The top feels smooth to the touch and works well with the mouse to provide a fast feel, the sheer size of it makes the desk itself rather comfortable and the Swarm system brings the presentation together nicely. This being said, at almost double the price of the standard Roccat Sense AIMO, this might be hard for many to justify. It won't revolutionize the way you game but it will make it a little more comfortable and will make your RGB more consistent.

If you weren't all that interested in purchasing it before reading this review, I can't think of anything that will change your mind, but if you're looking for reassurance to buy the mousepad you already wanted, I'll say one thing. For what you're expecting, the Roccat Sense AIMO XXL delivers on the promise well.