Maximum_PC_June_2017

in the lab
Asus ROG
Gladius II
Completely customizable
clicker with a bright upside
Since they emerged from the damp, beige,
angular swamp of the early ’90s, mice
have—at least in comparison to the rest of
the PC peripheral market—been objects of
scant innovation. Mainly because, really,
where is there to go? A thing that fits your
hand, some buttons, a wheel, and a sensor
that determines how you’re moving the
thing. Those components are frequently
refined, but where’s the next big change?
What can make the mouse new again? Well,
if you’re Asus, you’ll find at least some
of that innovation inspiration both in the
current trend of adding RGB LED lighting
to absolutely everything, and beneath the
chassis of the most pimped-out rides.
So, let’s begin with the Gladius II’s big
shiny selling point, that RGB illumination,
an upgrade from the primo Gladius’s plain
old red wheel and palm light. It’s actually
quite fun. As much as we’d like to give it
a curmudgeonly dismissal, the LEDs—
which hook up to Asus’s Aura Sync lighting
protocol—look brilliant, the underlights
projecting a halo on to your mousing
surface in whatever color (or colors) you
choose, pulsating or breathing if you
wish, helping you pick out your mouse in
darkened locations, and generally giving
you the standard cheap thrill of RGB jollies.
That Aura Sync integration means you can,
in theory, line up your mouse’s lighting
with that of the rest of your components—
as long as you’ve bought Asus, of course.
The other step up from Gladius the
First is the addition of a thumb-seated
resolution button which, if you’re running
in high DPI mode, drops the res (thus
slowing your mouse and increasing your
accuracy) for as long as it’s depressed.
Having this function so close at hand is a
bit of a double-edged sword. It’s easy to
activate by accident, and for non-gamers,
the space might well have been better
served by a customizable button, but its
position does mean that there’s no need
to fumble around—it’s exactly where you
need it in the middle of a virtual firefight.
Above the sniper button, there’s a pair of
additional action buttons, quickly activated
by sliding your thumb upward. Waggle
your middle finger sufficiently, and you’ll
find a comfortably notched and rubberized
wheel, behind which is a DPI toggle, which
jumps between the mouse’s two modes.
Reasonably standard mouse stuff. The
sensor, at 12,000 dpi, is ridiculously
sensitive, as are the left and right buttons,
at least by default. Included in the package
is a pair of stiffer replacement Omron
microswitches, easily substituted by
unscrewing the mouse’s case, pulling out
the old ones, and push-fitting the new—the
alternatives are perfect for those of us with
heavy fingers, and more Omron switches
are available online.
Package deal
Innovation being what it is, though, nothing
here is actually brand new. Razer’s
well-regarded DeathAdder Chroma, for
example, has underlighting based on its
own RGB protocol, while thumb-mounted
DPI shifters are reasonably commonplace
in gaming mice. Easily replaceable
microswitches, at least those that don’t
require solder, are significantly rarer, but
not absolutely unknown. So we need to
assess this based on the whole package,
rather than any one of its individual
features. And, as a whole, the Gladius II is
pretty damn awesome.
It’s super-comfortable to hold in
both palm and claw grips, aided by the
pleasant textured rubberized edges. The
combination of silicon pads and rubber
bungs on the underside results in a
slippery movement feel with satisfying
bite. Everything is easy to reach, the
locking detachable cable system works
well, and despite testing it on a large
number of potential mousing surfaces,
we were unable to trip up the sensor even
slightly. Fantastic.
Is it fantastic enough to justify
an $85 MSRP, though? Well, it’s not
lefty-compatible, the aforementioned
DeathAdder Chroma can be had for a fair
chunk less, and you could easily pick up an
adequate, though not as luxurious, gaming
mouse for $30, so it depends on what price
you put on such indulgence. –Alex cox
verdict
9
Asus ROG Gladius II
Gladius Great feel; awesome
lighting; switchable switches.
Badius Rather expensive; for righthanders
only.
$85, www.asus.com
SPECIFICATIONS
sensor
sensitivity
sensor Model
Polling Rate
Programmable Buttons 2
lEds
Cable length
Weight
Optical
12,000 dpi
PixArt PMW3360
1,000Hz
RGB wheel,
palm, base
6.5ft
3.9oz
88 MAXIMUMPC jun 2017 maximumpc.com