Glorious Model I 2 Wireless

Let's face it, we are all getting older, and marathon gaming sessions affect our bodies differently than when we were teenagers. Backs get tweaked, and wrists get sore; that's why my gaming chair has a built-in back massager, and I ditched my gaming mouse in favor of a vertical one. The Glorious Model I 2 Wireless, though, hopes to offer a blend of ergonomics, style, and performance for just $100. 

The Model I 2 Wireless is the cordless update for the $60 Model I. For $100, you get all the same ergonomic features and extra buttons without being tethered to your PC. The I 2 Wireless takes advantage of the Glorious silly-named BAMF Sensor, giving you a max DPI 19000. 

It's identical to the wired version of the Model I, which isn't surprising, minus the cable. What I like most about the I 2 is what Glorious calls its "Action Button," a large button that sits around the tip of your right thumb on the side of the mouse. 

It's perfect for binding a melee attack in a shooter and doesn't require you to move your thumb (assuming you have average-sized hands). The Action Button can also be used as a layer shift which acts like a Function key giving you access to a second layer of remappable keys. 

It takes a little getting used to, but it works well in MMOs. I messed around with my Sith Imperial Agent in Star Wars: The Old Republic, and I could map almost everything I needed to survive PvP and kill some Jedi. It's not a feature I'd often use since I'm comfortable with how I set things on my keyboard, but from an accessibility standpoint, it's great to have. 

The other three side buttons, though, I could do without. Two is fine, but adding a third makes that whole row crowded, making you prone to misclick, mainly if you use a palm grip like I do.

Moving the trio of buttons towards the front of the mouse a few millimeters might solve that issue. Those side buttons are also swappable, which didn't solve the problem but felt nicer.  So, that's something, I guess. 

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Aside from that, the Model I 2 wireless feels great in my hand. At 75g, it's not super heavy and glides pretty quickly across the surface of my glass-top standing desk. I'm getting to the point where I no longer use a mouse without a thumb rest, and I could see myself using this long-term without any discomfort. 

Compared to the ambidextrous Glorious Model O I reviewed earlier this year, I definitely prefer the Model I 2, thanks to the ergonomic design and extra side buttons. I would have liked the package to include the same nifty carrying case as it did with the Model O. Though for the same price, you're still getting a better deal on Mode I 2.

However, like the Model O, the I 2 runs into the same battery life issue when the RGB is turned on. It dramatically saps the life of the battery a whole quicker than the advertised 210 hours Glorious claims. It's strange because this issue is not exclusive to Glorious rodents; we've seen the same battery life problem on other $100 wireless mice with intense RGB lighting, the Razer Cobra Pro being just the most recent example. The RGB looks rad, but it doesn't feel worth having it on at the cost of battery life.  

Right now, the only remedy is to go into the Glorious Core app and turn off the RGB (or lower the brightness by a lot) to maximize battery life. In my testing, the I 2 lasted only a few days of use (around 24 hours) when RGB was on. Once it was turned off, on the other hand, I've yet to have to charge the mouse since, so I can easily see this thing lasting around the 200-hour mark. 

You'll see that our favorite wireless gaming mouse, the Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, and some of the best wireless gaming mice tend not to have a whiff of RGB for pretty much that reason, I'd imagine, to conserve battery life. Though as much as I love the DeathAdder V3, it is a pricey investment at $150.

The Glorious Model I 2 Wireless is a great, comfy mouse at an affordable price. Unfortunately, you can't use the RGB if you want to make the most out of the battery life. If you need one that's more kind to your wrists and plays games well, this mouse is worth trying.