Among other things, Asus presented a new gaming mouse at this year’s CES. The ROG Gladius III is planned to be both wired and wireless and should be available in April.
Optical Omron switch selectable
The highlight of the new gaming mouse is the included Omron optical switches, which have yet to be used on any other gaming mouse. Asus thus presents itself as an absolute pioneer in this respect. The biggest advantage of optical switches is their long durability. Their mechanical counterparts wear out relatively quickly and often double-trigger unintentionally after longer use, which makes them largely unusable in gaming. Since optical switches lack mechanical contacts, there is no risk of wear here.
It is also interesting that Asus does not solder the buttons, but installs them in sockets. Users benefit from this design in that they can replace the buttons themselves without much effort, which would not be the case with soldering.
However, the scope of delivery also includes mechanical switches, which also come from Omron, in addition to the optical Omron switches. This gives users the choice between both variants at any time.
Other hardware
The other hardware used in the ROG Gladius III does not consist of world firsts. The sensor used is PixART’s relatively new PMW-3370, which resolves at a maximum of 19,000 cpi, with resolution adjustable in five steps between 100 and said 19,000 cpi. The maximum acceleration is 490 meters per second, and the maximum speed is 10.2 meters per second.
The wired version of the mouse is equipped with a wrapped USB-A cable. The optionally usable USB-A-to-C cable of the wirelessly usable mouse is also wrapped. Together with the gliding feet and the low weight of 79 grams (wired) or 89 grams (wireless), the wrapping is supposed to ensure particularly good gliding properties.
In the wireless variant, connections can be made via 2.4 GHz network as well as Bluetooth. The battery life of the mouse is not yet known. Since the mouse has a total of three lighting zones, it can be assumed that the battery should not last sensationally long.
Prices and availability
Both variants of the new ROG Gladius III are scheduled to hit the market in April. Asus states a recommended retail price of 109 euros for the wireless variant. The price of the wired variant is not yet known.
