The ASUS ROG Gladius II Origin is an interesting mouse with many great features and only a few negative things I can mention after a few days of testing and general use.

I loved the materials; the surface feels nice and pleasant to the touch. Even with a sweaty palm, you probably won't have any slipping issues (or if you will, some grip tape can always do the job). The top coating is pretty much a transition between a matte and glossy finish, and it doesn't seem to collect any fingerprints. The side panels are rubberized and have a cool Mayan pattern too. Even though the Gladius II Origin is a big mouse, I still think its weight could be a tad lower as it feels quite heavy in my hand with its mass of around 114 grams. There were no outrageous issues with the build quality, but there are some annoying bits, such as the slightly rattling scroll wheel and side buttons. Everything else feels on point; there are no creaks or squeaks elsewhere.

The PixArt PMW3360 performed brilliantly once again; the implementiation is great. There is some smoothing on and above 2100 CPI, so I would suggest staying below that value if you want to maximize performance. Everything else here is top notch; no malfunctions, no errors, no cursor flying out of the screen accidentally. It doesn't really care about the surface used either, be it a plain black or colored mousepad, or even my wooden desk (I would suggest using it on a mousepad for a consinstent glide, though).

The main buttons are great. Both the stock and extra set of switches felt really nice to use. I went with the D2F-01Fs in the end instead of the D2FC-F-Ks, though. The unique socket switches are a feature all mice should have. Really, it makes your life easier if you don't have to go through the RMA process only because of a faulty switch, or if you simply want to try one with different characteristics. The scroll wheel uses arguably the best encoder around, and it is made by Alps. It is good for browsing through long pages and great for tactile feedback in-game as well. The wheel itself feels nice and doesn't have a slippery surface, so you should not have any issues with it. The side buttons could be improved upon as both their quality control and design should be refined somewhat in my opinion. The CPI switcher is not in the way, so no accidental clicks should occur, and I could still use it comfortably.

I had some issues with the cables, one being too stiff and the other being too short. I really hope ASUS will look into this in the future, and the next Gladius model will have it fixed. The mousefeet are good; their glide is smooth and consistent, and the friction is quite low. Replacements should be easy to find if these wear out because they use a very common design. Thankfully, the screws that hold the mouse together are not beneath these feet, but under some small, easily removable rubber plugs. That way, if you disassemble the product, you won't have to worry about getting a set of replacement skates right away, which are unfortunately not provided with the mouse.

The software isn't very lightweight, but I don't think ~145 MB of disk space should be very determining in 2018. On the other hand, it's pretty self explanatory and the settings are straightforward. Macros, profiles and profile settings are all there. Did I mention the lighting? It's great! I am not a fan of eye candy, I like raw performance and I am fun at parties. So the lighting stuff can't really blow my mind, but from an objective point of view, it does look very cool. There are three different lighting zones, and all of them can be set up separately, synced, or turned off. There are many different effects to choose from, too, and if you have other ASUS ROG products that have Aura Sync, you can synchronize the lighting options with those.

The pricing of the ASUS ROG Gladius II Origin is premium. The mouse itself is almost premium, but not entirely. The play on the rear side button, the rattling of the scroll wheel, and the cable shenanigans make me not give it an Editor's Choice award. Would I recommend it, though? Absolutely. All other features are just absolutely great. There are quite a few mice out there that have a similar shape and design, with similar specifications. Which one should you buy then? Well, let comfort, the need of certain features, and the price be the determining factors. I am hyped to see more ASUS ROG peripherials in the future, that's for sure, because I liked the Gladius II Origin a lot. There are some things that made me frown, but most of them made me smile.