The Asus ROG Gladius, now entering its third iteration, is a legacy mouse line at this point. This well-made but basic gaming mouse has always been good, but never great. The Gladius III Wireless ($119.99) is probably the best iteration to date, a comfortable workhorse with reasonable battery life. And yet, there’s nothing about this mouse that will make you want it over others (particularly when you factor in its high price). It maintains the Gladius’ reputation as a perfectly acceptable option but not the shiniest or most appealing one.
One for the Traditionalists
The Gladius III Wireless is the very model of a standard wireless gaming mouse. It features a right-handed six-button design, with two clicks, a scroll wheel, and a DPI cycling button in the center column on top, plus two side buttons. On the underside of the mouse are a profile-swap button and a pairing button for Bluetooth mode. There’s also a power switch down there that lets you swap between wireless connection modes.
Like its predecessors, the Gladius III Wireless allows you to replace its proprietary mechanical mouse switches with ROG or Omron mouse switches, theoretically extending the mouse’s life well beyond the original switches’ 70-million-click rating. Removing the switches is a bit involved—you have to unscrew the top panel—but it’s very doable. And, besides, you’ll only ever do it once, if you do it at all.
The chassis is made entirely of black plastic, with RGB lighting elements in the wheel, a light-up logo in the palm, and some text along the thumb-side groove that lets just a tiny bit of light through. In addition to the RGB text, there are some rectangular etchings that add a bit of texture for grip but are mostly aesthetic. (The pinky side has a more traditional and grippy textured surface).
You’ll immediately notice that this is a comfortable mouse. Measuring 1.91 by 2.63 by 4.94 inches (HWD), it has a high ergonomic hump that summits at the base of your pointer finger, which allows your hand to naturally drape into a comfortable position. And it’s tall enough to let your thumb hang without dragging, which minimizes the added stress of firmly gripping the mouse.
It doesn’t do so well in the weight department. At 3.14 ounces, it’s a bit heavier than your average gaming mouse in 2021. In fairness, Asus hasn’t positioned the Gladius III Wireless as an esports mouse, so there’s no expectation that it will be ultralight. That said, given the Gladius III’s lack of distinguishing features and $120 price tag, it’s hard to avoid comparing it to high-end wireless esports mice like the Logitech Pro X Superlight ($149.99) and the Roccat Kone Pro Air ($129.99), both of which managed to achieve similar specs in a lighter package without sacrificing shape.
Fans of wireless mice will appreciate that the Gladius III Wireless has options to connect via either 2.4GHz, a more stable connection that’s better for gaming, or Bluetooth, which draws less power and makes the mouse compatible with more devices, including phones and tablets. Both connections stayed perfectly stable in my tests, even in crowded wireless airspace. The mouse features a small slot for storing its USB wireless dongle when it isn’t in use.
According to Asus, the Gladius III Wireless gets up to 85 hours of battery life in Bluetooth mode and 55 hours when using the 2.4GHz connection. As always, these numbers are only achievable when you turn off the RGB lighting. I found the mouse lasted three to five days in 2.4GHz mode with the RGB lighting on, which is pretty good, though nothing to get especially excited about. When the battery runs out, you can plug the USB charging cable into your PC and keep using it wired while it charges.
Configuration in a Snap
The Gladius III Wireless gets software support on Windows from Armoury Crate, Asus’ configuration software for gaming peripherals. Armoury Crate is a very polished app that makes it easy to adjust DPI presets, power-saver settings, and RGB lighting patterns. You can also remap the core six inputs and save custom mouse profiles. The Gladius III Wireless can store up to five profiles in onboard memory, and save as many as you want locally. (The profile switch button on the bottom of the mouse only cycles through the onboard profiles.)
When minimized, Armoury Crate provides quick access to your battery status (as a percentage). It’s a useful way to check your battery life at a glance, which is important here given how frequently the mouse needs to be charged. Truth be told, I don’t understand why this isn’t a standard feature on all configuration apps, but it still isn’t.
Useful and Reliable…But Not Elite
The Asus ROG Gladius III Wireless is undeniably a good mouse, but in the intensely competitive field of gaming mice, “good” only gets you so far. There’s no element of the Gladius III Wireless that’s obviously lacking. The weight is fine as long as you aren’t gearing up for tournament play. The shape is comfy, it looks pretty, and the battery lasts a few days. But if you’re investing over $100 in your mouse, you can go for an elite esports mouse, like the aforementioned Logitech Pro X Superlight, or a top gaming mouse, like the Razer Basilisk Ultimate ($169.99), and get a lot more functionality. At this price, the Gladius III Wireless goes from perfectly fine to merely acceptable. A solid and reliable design counts for a lot, but these days, it’s just not enough.
