The business world has always been fascinating. It has developed into one of the more impressive PC accessory manufacturers in recent years, displaying cool equipment like its modular GMMK 2 keyboards and cool streetwear (opens in new tab). After a few years, Glorious is giving its Model O lightweight gaming mice another go with some significant improvements for the Model O 2.
The Glorious Model O 2 is a super-compact gaming mouse that is available in both wireless and wired versions. For the purposes of this evaluation, I will focus on the wireless version.
It has a brand-new BAMF 2.0 optical sensor with a 26K maximum DPI and 650 IPS maximum speed. In terms of appearance and comfort, it’s an improvement over the Model O (opens in new browser), which debuted in 2020. It has a cleaner, less toy-like appearance. It does away with the honeycomb-style air holes in favor of rounded ones that sit just on the mouse’s body rather than on half of the buttons, which I assume would have made it feel strange to press a mouse button with tiny holes on it. Although I don’t dislike the perforated design, I know many people for whom it is a deal-breaker.
Although the mouse has lighting strips on both sides, the Model O 2’s mouse wheel is no longer RGB like that of its forerunner. Better-looking, particularly in black (also available in white).
The Glorious Core app manages all lighting and speed customization. Setting up a unique mouse profile is pretty simple. The greatest aspect of any PC hardware customization software is its lack of intrusiveness, which the app also has. You have my attention, Razer Synapse.
The cordless Model O 2 weighs 68g, compared to the 59g of the wired Model O 2. The little G-skates feet on the bottom of the mouse help it manage well on a variety of surfaces, including a glass-topped desk and soft and hard mousepads.
If you frequently play games like MOBAs or twitch shooters, which demand pixel-perfect accuracy, this is a fantastic mouse for you. I’ve been intermittently playing a lot of Call of Duty: Warzone, and I felt at ease with the mouse controls, particularly when you have to rely on hip firing in confined spaces.
I’m still playing Marauders, a science fiction Tarkov-style game that requires more accurate aiming and depends on headshots from down long hallways for its gunplay. The Model O 2 should fit in just fine for you claw-gripping iron sighters if your game is Valorant or CS:GO.
The O 2 wireless’s price of only $100/£100 ($65 for the wired version) sets it apart from other wireless gaming mice like the $150 Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro or the $130 SteelSeries Prime Wireless Pro Series mouse(opens in new tab), which are comparable in terms of total specs. It’s safe to say that you’re receiving top performance at a lower cost.
Since the two additional programmable buttons are on the left side of the mouse, only right-handed people can use their thumbs to push them, this mouse is not truly ambidextrous in its design. Fair enough, we lefties have always carried this burden.
All the additional mouse parts are neatly stored in a carrying case. As a result, if you’re a tournament-going competitive player, you won’t have to worry about the bulky items in your bag crushing your lightweight mouse.
Another small feature I like is how the mouse’s USB-C charging cable almost locks itself into position at the top end. This means that even if you use particularly forceful mouse movements, the likelihood of the cable coming loose is very low.
But the Model O 2’s inconsistent battery life is its greatest flaw. Although it was significantly less than that from my use, Marvelous claims that you can get about 110 hours of life in 2.4GHz mode and over 200 hours in Bluetooth mode. In reality, since I’ve had this mouse for a week or so, the battery has completely discharged twice.
More than I anticipated, the brightness of the always-on RGB illumination has an impact on battery life. I contacted the Glorious staff, who advised me to disable the RGB or reduce the luminance to 0%. When you install the software, that option is off by default, so be sure to turn it on to save battery life. You can set the RGB to turn off after a certain amount of inactivity. Fair enough, perhaps this explains why the finest wireless gaming mice don’t have much RGB (opens in new tab).
The battery consumption has changed significantly since I turned it off. The O 2’s battery is at about 97% after two days of use with the lights off, which is a significant increase. It’s unfortunate because I really like the RGB’s appearance on the O 2, and I now hesitate to switch it on.
The mouse can be used successfully while wired, but if it’s plugged in, that negates the point of a competitive wireless gaming mouse. The O 2 wireless mouse charges completely from 1% in just under two hours when being charged.
The business’s old “Glorious PC Gaming Race” marketing ploy was never really my cup of tea, but the company and the product have grown up. The Model O 2’s more subdued design and less overt branding indicate that performance and design are given more attention than silly memes, which makes this mouse stick out.
The Glorious Model O2 is an excellent wireless gaming mouse for competitive players that costs $100. Aside from odd battery behaviors, this mouse offers excellent value and can easily contend with more expensive alternatives.
