Asus ROG Gladius II Core gaming mouse review: the lights fantastic

The Asus ROG Gladius II Core gaming mouse is more evidence for just how seriously Asus takes its Republic of Gamers brand – alongside its gaming laptops and gaming keyboards, Asus makes gaming mice as well, and the ROG Gladius II Core is clearly one of the best.

Not to be confused with the similarly named Asus ROG Gladius II mouse, the Core variant is a newer version of the mouse: it's a little bit lighter, though you don't get as high a resolution (this is 6200dpi compared with the 12000dpi on the original Gladius II mouse).

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Despite that drop in resolution, this is still a very capable gaming mouse that's going to give you all the accuracy and responsiveness that you'll need for playing top-tier titles (and maybe some less than top-tier ones too – it doesn't really matter to this mouse).

In our Asus ROG Gladius II Core gaming mouse review we'll lay out everything that matters when it comes to this mouse, from the design and the setup process, to how it actually works when you've got it under your palm and fingers – we've got all you need to know.

Asus ROG Gladius II Core gaming mouse review: design and setup

As gaming mice go, the Asus ROG Gladius II Core isn't the flashiest we've ever seen, and it's ideal if you're looking for a reasonably subtle setup in terms of overall aesthetics. The left and right mouse buttons are slightly oversized, but the device as a whole is relatively compact and easy to grip. The overall dimensions are 126 mm by 67 mm by 45 mm, and connection is via a well-made braided cable (with a USB-A plug at the end). There's no wireless option on this mouse.

Besides the two main buttons, you've got the scroll wheel and two extra buttons on the left of the mouse – these can be customised through the software that accompanies the mouse, more of which in a moment. All you need to do to get the mouse set up is to plug it in, and then you can make any colour and customisation changes by downloading the appropriate software for free from the Asus website.

All these colour-changing options do of course mean that you'll be able to get the Asus ROG Gladius II Core gaming mouse to fit in with the look of whatever setup you've already got in place. For best results, get everything to match the same Asus ROG brand, as then you can sync colours and other settings across everything in one go.

It's a winner in the design department then, though it probably won't win any actual awards in hardware design – it's not that good. We think you could just about get away with using this as a general purpose computing mouse as well, though you'd probably want to turn down the brightness on the mouse if you're taking it to the office (something the desktop software lets you do).

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Asus ROG Gladius II Core gaming mouse review: features and performance

In the hand, the Asus ROG Gladius II Core gaming mouse feels wonderfully responsive and accurate – even if you're just clicking links on the web, never mind trying to nudge your way carefully through dense forest, deep space or the American West. Movements and clicks are registered instantly, it feels like, and there's no doubt this input device offers plenty of precision.

The Asus ROG Gladius II Core also stands up well to long gaming sessions – it never gets hot or uncomfortable to hold (your mileage may vary depending on the heat and humidity in your room of course). We were happily using the mouse for hours without noticing any sign of weariness or cramp in our fingers.

As for the software that you get with the Asus ROG Gladius II Core (which just takes a few minutes to download from the Asus website), it gives you full control over lighting for the device and custom shortcuts, and on the whole we found it to work well. It fits in with the Aura RGB LED lighting system that Asus has developed, if you have other compatible gaming gear and you want to keep it all in sync in terms of colours.

In terms of lighting, there are options for colour cycle, reactive and breathing effects as well as the simple static colour option, and LED brightness and shade is easily adjusted – you can even set the effects and colours for the scroll wheel and the ROG logo separately, if you need to. Other settings such as sensitivity and precision can be edited as well, so it's a comprehensive package of options.

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Asus ROG Gladius II Core gaming mouse review: price and verdict

The Asus ROG Gladius II Core gaming mouse is definitely worth a look if you're thinking about upgrading your computer setup. It ticks just about all the boxes you could want ticking – it's from a reputable brand, it's comfortable to use, it's speedy and its accurate, and it offers plenty of customisation options too, if you need them.

It's perhaps not the best-looking gaming mouse we've ever come across, but it's certainly not ugly – and mouse beauty is mostly a matter of subjective opinion anyway. Thanks to the many different tweaks you can make to the colours, you can get it looking pretty much the way you need it to.

A wireless option would be nice to have here, but wired is fine, and saves you the trouble of having to keep recharging the mouse (or having it die on you in the middle of an important gaming session). Other mice are bigger and bring with them more in the way of button shortcuts, but we like the balance that's struck here.

From scrolling to clicking to moving, we've been impressed with everything the Asus ROG Gladius II Core gaming mouse has done while we've been using it. It's going to appeal even more if you've got other bits of Asus ROG hardware in your setup, and you want everything to work together as seamlessly as possible.

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