We seem to be spoilt for choice with our desk rodents these days, I’m back again with another gaming mouse review. Asus continue to be a dominant presence in the PC component and peripheral world. Their Republic Of Gamers branded products command quite a bit of respect in the community. Under the ROG brand, ASUS have sent us their Gladius II Origin mouse to review, lets get stuck in.
ASUS ROG Gladius II Origin Mouse Specifications & Features
- Connectivity Technology – Wired
- Tracking – Optical
- OS Support – Windows® 10,Windows® 7
- Dimensions – L 126 x W 67 x H 45 mm
- Weight – 110 g without cable
- Resolution – 12000dpi
- Interface available – Mouse : USB
- Contents –
1 x 2-meter braided USB cable
1 x 1-meter regular rubber USB cable
2 x Japanese-made Omron switches
1 x ROG pouch
1 x ROG logo sticker - Note –
Compatible switch list for ROG switch socket:
-Omron D2F Series switches: D2F, D2F-F, D2F-01, D2F-01F
-Omron D2FC Series switches: D2FC-3M, D2FC-F-7N, D2FC-F-7N(10M), D2FC-F-7N(20M)
ASUS ROG Gladius II Origin Mouse Closer Look
The mouse arrived housed within a sturdy box, the front features a large image of the mouse with some branding and a little AURA sync sticker.
Over on the back of the box we have more detail along with another image of the mouse with features identified. Another AURA sync sticker features.
ASUS have provided a door to see the actual mouse inside along with some detail on the mouse along with details in various languages. Opening the door reveals a plastic bubble, while in the past this sort of ‘unboxing experience’ has been lauded we have to consider the wastage here, a box would have sufficed.
The box contents are quite interesting, you get:
- a carry pouch for the mouse which is a nice addition,
- two cables, one braided one standard,
- the mouse itself,
- a manual
- two further plastic pouches with a rather sturdy looking ROG badge to stick somewhere prominent and two Omron switches.
The inclusion of extra switches highlights the bonus this mouse offers over much of the competition by way of being able to replace the main switches.
Getting in closer to the mouse itself and we can see it’s quite the looker. The top of the mouse shows a shape biased for right handed use, in fact side switches only feature on the left. The arching of the mouse should tilt a palm grip for extra comfort. There is a translucent area at the back for the ROG logo which of course will light up with RGB once powered on.
The front of the mouse offers an aggressive design with a lower grille around the Micro-USB port, it’s great to see a standard port used for the removable cable. The texture on the scroll wheel rather than being notched follows the ASUS Whetstone design, fitting in with mousepads and other peripherals. Behind the scroll wheel we have the DPI switching button then flanking either side are individual mouse buttons going all the way to the edge, ASUS have chosen to keep them separate from the main body.
Flipping over to the underside we are met with a plastic cover, I encountered this recently with a Corsair mouse, this might only be a little piece of plastic but it is unnecessary. Lets peel this off.
Around the edges of the underside there are four smaller Teflon pads which should allow the mouse to glide effortlessly, inside there are four more pads, these cover up user-removable screws for the ability to swap out the main mouse switches, this is a great feature and will add to the lifespan of the mouse providing the shell can keep up. In the middle we have the sensor with mouse and regulatory information covering most of the base. Near the top there is a lock lever for the mouse cable.
The two included cables lock into place and the lock has to be release to pull the cable out, this is helpful to prevent accidental unplugging during use. It is possible to fit a normal Micro-USB cable however with standard connectors the locking mechanism won’t work.
Having replaceable switches can really extend the lifespan of the mouse, the rubbery stuck-on pads on the sides however may wear away, so that is to be considered. The left side of the mouse has two well placed forward and back buttons and no other intrusions, the rubberised grip should prevent any slippage, as the top shell is just smooth plastic.
As previously mentioned, the right hand side features no extra buttons, the Whetstone embossed grip features again to ensure a solid mousing experience.
Those of you that like to take your machines out and about will be happy to know that both cables fit in the pouch with the mouse, the cables themselves offer no great difference and ASUS suggest one can be left with the main machine at home while the other one is out on the road.
While replacement switches can be purchased for this mouse, ASUS have been kind enough to include a pair for your first swap out.
Once plugged in the mouse comes to life immediately with a splash of colour and light, a strong RGB skirt around the bottom separately configurable from the scroll wheel and ROG logo. This is a great looking mouse.
Software
ASUS Armoury II software follows the consolidated centralised configuration method many other manufacturers have adopted, so if you stick to one brand all your peripherals should be controllable from one software suite. On the main page you can immediately select profiles and assign button functions without delving through other menus.
Going through the upper tabs we land on the Macro setup screen first, this allows macros to be created for any functions you may need – great for repetitive sequences.
The Sync screen provides the ability to sync your RGB with other device profiles you have providing they are also AURA sync compatible, as we can see I do not have anything to test this with.
Here is something I am seeing appear more and more often and that is a stats recording screen, here the software records mouse actions and movement for analysis. I can imagine e-sports teams and experienced gamers checking into this to measure and tweak performance.
Moving to the lower row of tabs, we move on from the buttons to the Performance tab. Here each profile can have two DPI settings assigned, switchable with the button on the mouse. Angle Snapping, Polling Rate and other tweaks can be performed on this page.
The lighting tab brings us individual control over the RGB features of the Gladius II, this feature operates outside the AURA Sync system so there is no need for other compatible components.
Finally we get to the Calibration tab, having previously seen surface calibration on a mouse I find it intriguing, its really neat but does it really make a difference? In my testing I struggled to see anything significant as previously experienced I believe the out of the box configuration is excellent. ASUS have gone one step further beyond mousepad calibration by including presets for their range of gaming surfaces.
The ASUS ROG Gladius II Origin Mouse Review: The Verdict
ASUS are hitting the upper mid-range market hard with this mouse, offering extra longevity with replaceable switches is almost unique and a neat addition in this price range.
Tuning in 1600 DPI for my usual general use, the mouse performed with excellence, I had zero issues instantly taking it to my apps and getting on with general desktop use. The mouse is very comfortable to use, with the tilt helping reduce strains on the wrist. It’s great to see ergonomics being highlighted, this does mean however that left handed users are left out in the cold with this one, I couldn’t find a left handed equivalent. The build quality is sturdy and the materials feel like they will hold out for a prolonged period of use.
Gaming with the Gladius II Origin is a great pleasure, the sensor gave me no cause for concern tracking my every move be it slow or quick. Apex felt best when I kept the DPI to 1000, for CS:GO I built a new profile since there are only two presets per profile to select between. CS:GO played great at my usual 600 DPI and I experienced no fatigue after multiple gaming sessions. A very well designed mouse.
What’s hot:
- Performance and build is excellent
- Software is useful and can configure multiple devices
- Comfortable grip
- Replaceable main button switches
What’s not:
- Too much packaging for the ‘unboxing experience’
- No left handed version
- Price is at the top end for mid-range products
ASUS provide a very strong mid-range offering coming in with the well known ROG premium on the price-tag it can be found as low as £69.95 at the time of writing, which is around £15 more than the Corsair Ironclaw which offers a similar experience. If you dig around and don’t mind having different branding on the mouse however you can get the Black Ops 4 edition on offer at £53 so there are some great offers out there which would give the ASUS the edge.
Great build quality as usual, using a great sensor combined with the replaceable cable and switches means this mouse has quite a lot going for it. The ASUS ROG Gladius II Origin would be perfect if ASUS also took care of left-handers and toned down the plastic packaging, however even these cannot take away from the Platinum Award this mouse deserves. I would be more than happy to feature this mouse on my desk at home or at a LAN.
Thanks to ASUS for sending a sample of the ROG Gladius II Origin Mouse in for review.
