To the editorial board of the portal Gamemag.ru the test got a fresh computer mouse from ASUS – model Asus ROG Gladius III Wireless… This is the company’s most advanced gaming mouse with a high-sensitivity sensor and maximum functionality. The cost of the manipulator in the online stores of the Russian Federation at the time of this writing began with 9500 rubles…
COMPLETE SET, APPEARANCE AND BUTTONS
The device is delivered in a cardboard box in black and red with logos and product image. The box has a magnetic door that wraps around the right side and front. Inside, the mouse is packed in a formatted black foam polyethylene, which protects it from damage.
In addition to the mouse itself, the kit includes a pair of Omron D2FP-FN optical switches with metal tongs for easy installation, interchangeable triangular-shaped glides (4 pcs), a USB-C to USB-A cable, a USB-C (F) to USB-A adapter (F), Republic of Gamers sticker pack, warranty card, and quick start guide.
The device measures 123 x 66 x 44 mm and weighs 89 grams. Another 2 grams weighs a radio transmitter for connection via a 2.4 GHz channel, which the manufacturer placed at the bottom of the mouse in a special compartment. It contains a magnet that attracts the transmitter when you return it to the compartment. The bundled cable for charging the device weighs only 33 grams. The length of the cable is 2 meters, and the braid of the cord is made of a rigid fabric material, comparable to the laces on the boots. It connects to the USB Type-C connector in a special recess in front of the mouse. The cable in combination with the adapter can be used as a USB extension cable to place the USB receiver closer to the mouse and eliminate the possibility of interference during signal processing.
The mouse has an asymmetrical shape, designed for right-handed use. The shape of the mouse is quite large, and the hand fits well, and thanks to the embossed sidewalls with hollows for the fingers, the Asus ROG Gladius III Wireless lies like a glove and does not try to escape from under the hand.
The Asus ROG Gladius III Wireless is only available in black. The main body is made of smooth plastic, which collects greasy fingerprints well. Only the bottom and front parts of the case are made of matte plastic. Four Teflon glides around the edges and one around the sensor allow the boom to float above the surface for a pleasant user experience.
In addition, ROG and Republic of Gamers are engraved vertically on the left side, backlit by built-in RGB lighting. Although the inscriptions do not glow brightly, they still immediately catch the eye the first time the device is turned on. On top of the case there is also a transparent logo in the form of an eye, which also glows, but already brighter than the inscriptions on the side.
All the main buttons are conveniently located under the fingers and squeezed quite easily without any effort or double action. Between RMB and LMB there is a scroll wheel with built-in RGB lighting. The translucent rubber texture allows the entire running surface of the wheel to be illuminated. The embossed surface is quite pleasant to the touch and does not irritate the skin of the fingers with long scrolling.
Just below the wheel, the manufacturer has placed a button for changing saved DPI profiles, which changes the backlight color depending on the selected profile. It is made in the shape of an asymmetric triangle, which resembles a play button. By default, four preset profiles are available on the mouse. You just need to successively press the DPI button to select one of them: 400, 800, 1600 and 3200. If you hold down the DPI button for 3 seconds, then using the wheel you can adjust the selected sensitivity profile without having to resort to adjusting through the application. The color of the wheel will change from cool (low DPI) tones to hot (high) tones in 100 dpi increments, and pressing the button again will save the adjusted setting for the profile.
As for the side buttons, they are all made of matte plastic with a rough surface, so they should also be resistant to wear and tear.
At the bottom of the mouse, between the front glides, there is a switch for selecting the operating mode. There are three positions in total. By default, it is in the middle position, that is, off. If you move the switch to the right, you can activate the 2.4 GHz radio connection mode, which works in tandem with the connected transmitter. If you slide the switch to the left, the mouse enters the Bluetooth LE connection mode. The Pair button, located below the switch, allows you to put the mouse in the search mode for devices for Bluetooth connection. In this case, the mouse can be charged and used via the wire in any of the switch positions.
There is also a Profile button between the sensor and the radio transmitter compartment, which allows you to alternate between the five mouse profiles stored in the internal memory. By default, the profiles only change the color effect between rainbow, color cycle, breath, reactive and comet.
SPECIFICATIONS, INTERNAL DEVICE, BATTERY AND SOFTWARE
The Asus ROG Gladius III Wireless uses a PixArt PAW3370 optical sensor with a native resolution of up to 19000 dpi, which the manufacturer was able to programmatically overclock to 26000. The sensor supports a polling rate of 1000 Hz, and can also withstand acceleration up to 50G. The sensor works out even the sharpest movements as perfectly as possible and it is impossible to disrupt it.
At the bottom of the mouse, under the rubber caps, there are two screws that quickly and easily allow you to disassemble the case and get to the insides for home replacement of switches. By default, the manufacturer has installed ROG red mechanical micro-switches with three contacts, the resource of which is designed for 70 million clicks. They are easy and simple to pull out using the supplied pliers and replace them with spare white optical Omron F2FP-FN with five contacts and a more resonant click than the red ROG. If desired, you can purchase any other switches with three or five suitable contacts. Thanks to such simple manipulations, the mouse should live for a very long time. The manufacturer uses a Kailh encoder and switches to operate the wheel and side buttons.
The installed lithium battery is located exactly in the middle of the case above the sensor. When used via a 2.4 GHz receiver, this battery should last up to 55 hours at maximum polling rate, or up to 90 hours with a Bluetooth connection. True, with the latter, the mouse is limited to a polling frequency of 125 Hz and there is nothing you can do about it. A full charge of the mouse takes two hours, and the built-in backlight is able to signal a particularly low charge level with a blinking red color, and the proprietary application allows you to set an effect signaling the approximate charge level in three different colors (green – more than 75%, blue – from 25 to 75 % and red – less than 25%).
Fine-tuning the Gladius III Wireless, like other ROG or TUF devices, is available through the proprietary Armory Crate app. A full-fledged toolkit opens to the user when connected via a radio channel or a wire, and in Bluetooth mode there is no setting of the polling frequency and the ability to synchronize the backlight with other devices that support ASUS AURA. The application allows you to reassign all buttons with the exception of the LMB for the desired functions (keyboard keys, Windows commands or multimedia, etc.) or recorded macros. In the “Performance” section, you can configure the resolution profiles, the sampling rate and enable the angular snapping function of the cursor if you plan to use the mouse in graphic editors or for office work. The Lighting tab will allow you to adjust the brightness and glow effects, as well as synchronize the product with other devices of the company. The “Calibration” section allows you to calibrate the mouse for a specific mat, but naturally only from ASUS, and choose the distance from the surface between 1 and 2 mm. The “Power” tab displays the current approximate charge of the mouse in increments of 25%, and also allows you to configure its transition to sleep and power saving mode.
The application also allows you to update the software of the mouse and USB transmitter and save five profiles, which are then sent to the internal memory of the device.
TOTAL
ASUS ROG Gladius II Wireless – an excellent mouse that justifies its price in the region of 10,000 rubles. For this money, you get a high-sensitivity sensor with an incredible resolution, three connection options, the ability to replace the main switches from mechanical to optical and vice versa, convenient software with a lot of settings and a large ergonomic body that is convenient to use not only with a normal palm grip, but also with more specific finger and “claw”. ASUS has turned out to be an almost perfect gaming rodent. If it were not for the soiled material of the case on top …
Author: Sergey Dyakonenko (Madnfs)
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