A Mouse With A Friend
The Aivia Uranium is one of Gigabyte’s latest entries into the strongly-contested gaming mouse market. It has enough unique features to set it apart from the many similar gaming mice already vying for attention.
Some might love and some might hate Gigabyte’s concept, but it'll at least evoke a strong reaction one way or the other. That's definitely preferable to the average response that most lookalike peripherals elicit when they're first introduced.

Gigabyte’s package consists of a wireless mouse that employs replaceable, rechargeable batteries. In a pinch, normal alkaline batteries can be used as well. The charging station features a display that conveys important information, while bundled Ghost software enables a solution akin to Roccat's Grid to make the Aivia Uranium more flexible through profiles.
So, there's the mouse, the charging station, rechargeable batteries, and replacement feet found in the box. That's a fairly standard package accompanying a gaming mouse.
Let’s have a look at the technical specifications in a handy table before we move on.
| Technical Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Sensor | Philips PLN 2032 Twin-Eye Laser |
| Resolution | 100 to 5600 DPI (Can be set) |
| Polling/Report Rate | 125 to 1000 Hz (Can be set) |
| Maximum Speed | 5.1 m/s |
| Maximum Acceleration | 50 G |
| DPI Switch | Present (Four settings) |
| Mouse Wheel | 4D mouse wheel |
| Side Buttons | 4 (Fully configurable) |
| Mouse Buttons | Omron (10 million clicks) |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 13.0 x 7.8 x 4.0 cm |
| Weight | 114 g without batteries About 170 g with batteries |
| Cable Length | Cable to display: 1.8 m Charging cable: 0.5 m |
| Available Colors | Matte black |
| In The Box | Display dock with two-color OLED display 2 x AA rechargeable batteries 1 x set of replacement feet Cleaning cloth Manual |
| Software | Ghost Engine |
| Wireless Frequency | 2.4 GHz |
| Price | $120 |
Look and Feel
The Aivia Uranium is on the heavy side due its two AA rechargeable batteries. Although Gigabyte crams those two batteries into the mouse body, it still sports a nice-looking shape. Only when you compare the Aivia Uranium to other mice does this peripheral's size become apparent.
So long as you're right-handed, the Aivia Uranium should fit well. Unfortunately, lefties need not apply. The surface texture is quite rough. In fact, it feels like fine sandpaper on the side, which lends to a very secure grip.
The following images are of the Aivia Uranium from all sides. Click on the preview pictures to view them at full size.
The drawback of Gigabyte's matte surface is that it attracts fingerprints, which you can see in the picture on the two mouse buttons. Gigabyte tries to alleviate this problem by providing a cloth to wipe away unsightly oils.
The extra buttons feature a silver metal-looking finish and an angular shape, which complement the mouse nicely. They also provide a good grip, which makes them ergonomically sound as well. Anyone with smaller hands will be at a disadvantage due the mouse’s large size, though. Larger hands are required to really have fun with it.
Details and Features
Enough with the overview; let’s take a closer look. The 4D mouse wheel has a smooth texture, leaving the soft rubber material to provide the grip. This works fairly well in practice. You don't get a lot of feedback when scrolling, which subjectively feels wobbly and imprecise.
The side buttons and mouse wheel button are better, offering good feedback. The same goes for the left and right mouse buttons, which have a clear actuation point after a sufficient amount of travel.
The DPI switch is the only two-way switch on the mouse; it works well in practice. Right below it are the lock switch that halts the mouse and the profile switch.
There are a total of four side buttons that can all be freely configured separately for each of the five profiles. They’re easy enough to reach for medium-size to very large hands. This is another place where Gigabyte's Aivia Uranium offers good ergonomics.
On the bottom of the mouse, there’s an on/off button (which is important for wireless mice) and a connect button. The gliding feet are fairly large and made from PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene). This material is better known as Teflon.
There’s a micro-USB connector on the back of the mouse, which can be connected to the charging station’s cable. However, any other micro-USB cable will fit as well, which means that the mouse can be directly connected to a PC or charged with a smartphone charger.
Either way, the use of a non-proprietary connector makes life easier.
Charging/Docking Station
Calling the charging unit a docking station would be a misnomer, since the Aivia Uranium doesn’t actually dock with it. It features a monochrome OLED display and a rolled-up charging cable for the mouse. There are two buttons on the top of the station to change display brightness.
The display’s resolution is rather low, but it’s good enough for text. It'll keep you informed about the currently-active profile, the sensor's current resolution, the polling rate, and remaining charge in the batteries. You get a warning when the mouse needs to be recharged with a power plug symbol, as you can see in the image below.
According to the label on the bottom of the charging station, power draw is 200 mA. That's a bit misleading though, since it only accounts for the display. Actually charging the mouse draws significantly more power, which is why it makes sense that the charging station’s cable features a Y-split to accommodate a second USB connector.
Rechargeable Batteries and Charging
The Aivia Uranium’s design has a big advantage in that any standard rechargeable battery can be used. Even normal (non-rechargeable) batteries work, even though you have to remember never to try charging them. The two included generic rechargeable batteries are decent, but they should be charged completely before using them with an external charger, not a rapid charger.
Running the rechargeable batteries all the way down on a regular basis should be avoided. You can discharge Gigabyte's bundled nickel–metal hydride batteries once a month to fight the memory effect. Another unique feature of this particular type of rechargeable battery is the optimization for a constant power supply over long periods of time. Unfortunately, they also lose a lot of their capacity after about 400 charge cycles, whereas lithium-ion rechargeable batteries last 20 to 30 percent longer.
Connecting the mouse to its charging station is as easy as it gets, especially since the cable adjusts itself due to a spring-loaded mechanism in the station.
The charging cable is 50 cm-long, and very thin and flexible. In a pinch, you can use the Aivia Uranium hardwired. It's both well thought-out and practical. But bear in mind that the USB connection only charges the mouse; it isn't used for data transmission.
The charging process is generally fast thanks to rapid charging technology, but it’s also very dependent on the rechargeable batteries you use. Gigabyte's Aivia Uranium doesn’t draw much power, which is to say that it runs more than a day on one charge without turning it off. This is a big advantage compared to most mice that use smaller proprietary batteries. If you want to make sure that the batteries don't run out of power, you can always buy your own higher-capacity lithium-ion rechargeable batteries, which also don’t need any maintenance.
Sensor
Like some other premium-priced mice, the Aivia Uranium uses Philips' Twin Eye PLN 2032 sensor with a maximum DPI of 5600. Gigabyte opted against the current crop of Avago products with their insanely high maximum DPI ratings. A resolution of 5600 is more than enough, since the target audience of low- and medium-sensitivity gamers typically don't need more. This mouse is too heavy for professional high-sensitivity gamers anyway.
This sensor's much-lamented z-axis bug (random mouse pointer movements when lifting the mouse) has been taken care of by now, and Gigabyte's Aivia Uranium has no problem with being lifted and set back down. It can also be used on rough textile surfaces without pausing or jumping. The mouse’s sensor technology is as current and modern as it gets, especially since there is no acceleration add-on to spoil its performance.
You'll want to set the sensor's DPI to 800, 1600, 3200, or 5600 to avoid interpolation errors. It’s a real dual-lens sensor; those lenses are positioned next to each other, which differs from the Avago sensors that have them situated behind each other and colored slightly yellow to compensate for the effects of light scattering.
Software and Configuration
The included software features the Ghost macro engine and is self-explanatory for automating certain tasks. Consequently, we’ll just present a number of screenshots. The main menu for the profile-independent settings is first.
All settings can be reached from this main menu, including the options to update the software online, which we like a lot, and the option to reset the memory.
It’s easy to change the sensor’s resolution, the mouse wheel’s sensitivity, the DPI levels, the polling rate, and the more unique functions like setting one’s own logo for the display’s screen saver.
Profile Management and Button Configuration
A total of five different button profiles are available and can be activated through the click of a button.
On this page, the functions of each button are freely configured. Profiles can be set up independently and can thus be completely different.
Overall, the software behaves both maturely and stably.
An Award-Worthy Offering from Gigabyte
Paying $120 dollars is a lot for a mouse. But the price tag looks more reasonable when you take the Aivia Uranium’s feature set and accessories into account. It’s really a pretty good deal compared to the direct competition, particularly since the peripheral is technically quite solid. Then there's the charging station to consider, which is unique, nicely executed, and certainly adds some value.
Given the package as a whole, we're satisfied with the performance Gigabyte delivers for what it charges. An integrated Philips sensor, which does its job effectively, makes this mouse a good option for low- and medium-sensitivity gamers who won’t be bothered by its extra heft. If you like a more solid-feeling mouse, the Aivia Uranium is that to a tee.
The Aivia Uranium features good ergonomics, providing your hand is large enough, and the feel of the mouse harmonizes with its clean and appealing design. Three things about this component really stood out for us when we asked ourselves if it deserves award recognition, despite of the mouse wheel's rather lackluster feedback.
First, it’s nice to have the option of using your own rechargeable batteries, if you want. Second, the charging station and its display are practical. Third, the software is both mature and stable, despite its youth. It includes an automatic update function that makes searching on Gigabyte's website for a new version a practice of the past. There are a lot of small things the company does right, without introducing any major problems.
If you're looking for a heavier wireless mouse that fits well into larger hands, Gigabyte's Aivia Uranium is certainly a contender. Compared to Razer’s mice, some of which have used or are still using the same sensor, it's particularly nice that you don't have to register your information with Gigabyte. That extra nod to privacy, which we shouldn't have to take for granted, is appreciated.































