Finally, a correct ambidextrous gaming mouse. After the sort-of-but-not-really symmetrical designs of the Steelseries Rival 110 and the HyperX Pulsefire FPS, the Asus ROG Pugio is the actual deal, providing proper and left-handed consolation in equal measure.
It’s fairly costly as gaming mice go, coming in at £62 within the UK and $90 within the US, however very similar to the Asus ROG Gladius II, the Pugio comes with plenty of useful extras to assist make up for it. There’s no second USB cable, sadly, however you do get two spare Omron switches and a pair of aspect button covers. If you’re left-handed and in want of a brand new mouse, learn on.
The Pugio feels fairly small after the Gladius II, even for my tiddly digits, so these with bigger arms might not discover it significantly comfy. Indeed, standing simply 37mm off the bottom, it’s nearly a whole centimetre shorter than its Gladius sibling, which makes the entire mouse really feel fairly low and flat. It’s nonetheless dimension for me personally, nevertheless it’s borderline to say the least.
Then once more, I’d fairly have a barely smaller mouse than a large jumbo one just like the Roccat Kone Aimo, because it makes reaching any potential aspect buttons a heck of so much simpler. Happily, the Pugio is sort of excellent on this regard, as each pairs sat naturally below my thumb and little finger.
You in all probability gained’t find yourself utilizing all 4 of them, thoughts, except you will have a very adept and acrobatic little finger. If you do, then all of the extra buttons for you. Most folks, nonetheless, will in all probability simply use the 2 that fall below their thumb, no matter aspect that occurs to be on.
By default, each pairs are set to from side to side clicks for while you’re shopping the online, however you’ll be able to assign all types of various instructions to them by downloading Asus’ Armoury software program. These vary from multimedia features and keyboard buttons to Windows OS shortcuts and your individual recorded macros.
You also can use Armoury to disable any buttons you aren’t utilizing, however a comfier and barely much less annoying different would possibly simply be to pop them off altogether and swap them for one in all Asus’ bundled aspect button covers. Just dig in your nails below every button, and hey presto, their magnetic attachments enable them to come back clear off. A tad worrisome for the heavy-handed mouse proprietor, maybe, particularly given the propensity for small bits of plastic to inevitably go lacking the second they’re not connected to one thing, however at the very least Asus additionally present a useful little carry case to maintain them protected (offered that, too, doesn’t additionally get misplaced, in fact).
Admittedly, I’m not significantly fussed in regards to the aspect covers. They’re a pleasant concession for anybody with a specific aversion for pointless mouse clicks, however I’m positive most individuals could be completely completely happy merely disabling them in Armoury. I’d a lot fairly have a spare USB cable just like the Gladius II as an alternative, as an illustration, however at the very least you continue to get a spare pair of Omron switches for the proper and left click on buttons.
The Omron switches already within the mouse ought to nonetheless final you a good period of time earlier than it is advisable swap them out – they’re each assured for 50 million clicks, in accordance with Asus – however simply in case they do occur to interrupt, Asus have made it extraordinarily straightforward to get the Pugio again up and working. Like the Gladius II, all it is advisable do is prise off the 4 little rubber covers on the Pugio’s underbelly, unscrew it and raise away the highest. You’ll have to be a bit cautious, as there’s nonetheless a string of wires connecting every half of the mouse, however swapping the switches themselves is an absolute doodle. Just raise them out and slot the others in. Easy.
Elsewhere in Asus’ Armoury software program you’ll discover loads of customisation choices. Most of them you gained’t want to the touch with a barge pole, as I discovered the Pugio’s default setup to be completely good straight out of the field. For those who care about such issues, nonetheless, you’ll be happy to listen to you’ve obtained acceleration and deceleration choices to regulate the mouse’s DPI or sensitivity settings as much as twice or half its regular velocity relying on how briskly or gradual you want to maneuver your mouse, polling charge settings from 125Hz all the way in which as much as 1000Hz, response time settings from 4ms as much as 32ms and angle snapping. You also can create as much as three distinct profiles for the Pugio, which you’ll entry by urgent the central DPI button on prime of the mouse and both its aspect buttons or scroll wheel.
Speaking of that central DPI button, this allows you to swap between two completely different DPI settings on the fly. Out of the field, it’s set to 1600 DPI and 400 DPI, however Armoury helps you to choose any mixture from a deathly gradual 50 DPI all the way in which as much as a much-too-fast 7200 DPI. For most individuals, 1600 DPI ought to be greater than sufficient for on a regular basis use, each in the case of workplace work and gaming alike, however having a second, slower one can generally be useful for video games the place you’re trailing enemies down the top of a sniper sights.
Admittedly, I’ve by no means discovered these sorts of DPI buttons very straightforward to succeed in within the warmth of the second, and it made me miss the particular DPI button by your thumb on the Gladius II. Still, whereas the Pugio’s DPI vary isn’t as extensive a spread because the Gladius II, it does afford a smidge extra flexibility. Whereas the Gladius II solely allow you to regulate the DPI in blocks of 100, the Pugio helps you to regulate it in increments of 50. Again, you in all probability gained’t want to regulate it to that type of insane diploma, nevertheless it’s at all times good to have the choice.
Download Asus’ Armoury software and you’ll customise the colors, brightness and lighting results of every RGB zone on the bottom, scroll wheel and ROG brand.
Since that is an RGB mouse, Armoury homes the Pugio’s lighting controls as effectively. You can at all times flip all the things off for those who so want, however for these of you who can’t get sufficient of multi-coloured rainbow highlights, you’ll be happy to listen to you get all the identical choices because the Gladius II. This contains with the ability to customise every of its three particular person zones with completely different color schemes and brightness ranges, in addition to with the ability to sync your favorite results throughout all of your different Asus gadgets.
Overall, the Asus ROG Pugio is a good little mouse, albeit with a good quantity of emphasis on the ‘little’ half. It’s extremely customisable, each by way of its total look and common button structure, and people further switches make it higher worth for cash than lots of its rivals. As a right-handed particular person, I’d in all probability favor spending just a bit bit extra on one thing just like the £70 / $95 Gladius II to get that further USB cable and barely fuller match below my palm (to not point out its useful DPI thumb button), however for lefties who battle to search out comfortable gaming mice, it’s nonetheless a wonderful choose.
