Glorious Model O Gaming Mouse Review

Before the Glorious Model O came about, CEO Shazim Mohammad had noticed there was hardly any innovation going on with the top players in the mouse design sector, and the few who were innovating "were going the wrong way." So, he set his team on a path to create the lightest RGB gaming mouse of all time. 

And with this, the Model O, the Glorious 'Legion' has taken the crown. For now.

Inspired by the niche ideas of online mouse modification enthusiasts who were printing their own shells with hex designs, as well as some (absolute heathens) who were just flat out drilling holes in their mice, Glorious also decided to adopt the perforated approach.

Hence, the Model O was born at a mere 2.4oz (67g), with the model O- weighing in at an even more impressive 2oz (58g). To put that into perspective, that's two grams less than the Razer Viper Ultralight, and 13 grams less than the Logitech G Pro Wireless. So, if weight is your number one concern, Glorious is setting the bar.

The Model O has a standard 6 buttons, so, although this obviously has a fantastic bearing on the weight factor, it's not the greatest mouse for MMO players who need quick access to their hotbar. The buttons that are there are all individually programmable, however, even the DPI button, so you have full control over what you have at your disposal.

While MMO isn't it's strong suit, the Model O really shines when it comes to quick-clicking hack & slash, and FPS games. Pro esports player Vini of Furia Gaming can attest to this, as it was the Model O he used when the team won second at the ECS CSGO Season 7 final. So you can see the Pixart PMW-3360 optical sensor has been serving the pros well. Another aid for those who play games built on old game engines, the Model O has a variable polling rate that can be reduced all the way to 125Hz. This is great for those old games that aren't optimized for higher polling rates, and it maxes out at 1000Hz for use with more modern games—essentially it will report its position to the CPU up 1,000 times every second.

Image 1 of 4

Further to this, it's said that the Model O is one of the best mice around for 'butterfly clicking'. From what I gather, this is a totally non-cheaty way to win at minecraft. In other words, the Model O, with it’s durable Omron switches, is fully optimised for (and resilient to) the intense button mashing of hack and slash style games that require superfast clicks per second. By reducing wait time between clicks (debounce time) all the way from 16 milliseconds down to 4, a player can supposedly achieve higher CPS. I still can't butterfly click to save my life, so it hasn't really made a difference to me.

What has made a difference in my case, is the braided 'Ascend' cable. It's beautifully light, and highly flexible, so there’s no fighting with it. I tend to forget it’s there, actually. On top of that, the G-Skates feet are smooth as anything so you never hit a snag, but replacements will cost you $7, so try not to scratch them up. I’m on the edge about the shape, it’s okay for my palm/fingertip grip, even with these little hands (6.7 inches), but it may not be the most ergonomic mouse out there. 

You can fling it around to your heart's content however, so to make up for all your wrist flicking, Glorious boasts a lift off distance of -0.7mm. Strangely, however, in the software it’s only adjustable between 2-3mm and I’m not enamored with the lift-off detection. My aim tends to wiggle even at the lowest setting, as I pick up the mouse a lot (it's not an excuse, I swear). I am using a relatively shiny mouse mat, though, and my DPI usually sits at around 2600, which I've been told is slightly overkill. Using a lower DPI, as a lot of the pros do, actually does make a big difference to lift off wiggle, without you having to use the old tape trick.

When it comes to the optional software, Glorious has gone with a simple and straightforward route, allowing the featherlight simplicity of the mouse to speak for itself. It is easy to navigate and has the option to create profiles. The macros are easy to set, and there are two lighting zones and few fancy light shows—including Rave mode, which frankly should come with an epilepsy warning. 

The software also presents you with a full RGB wheel but there’s certainly not an accurate range of 16.8 million color RGBs available. This is another of those instances where colour accuracy is way off. "Um, I asked for cerise pink and I got lilac… Hello?" *snaps fingers*

Sass aside, we at PCG have serious reservations about the use of the phrase "PC master race," or any such derivative. You can stick that phrase in the bin, honestly. And there are other aspects of the Glorious branding that are somewhat disturbing, including the obsession with ascension—feels like I'm being indoctrinated into some kind of peripheral possessed cult.

If you would also care to "join the legion" and "ascend your game", the Glorious O retails for $50 on the Glorious store, a price that manages to make the Model O worth its weight in gold—well, maybe more than its weight in gold, it's basically like clicking a feather. The Model O comes in standard black or white, with gloss versions of each costing $10 more, as well as weighing a fraction of an ounce more than their matte counterparts, for some reason. Heavier paint, maybe? There’s even a matte pink version floating around, but these were a limited run, so it'll cost you extra. 

A small price to pay for being glorious, darling.

All in all, the Model O is a sturdy rodent which deserves the crown of lightest RGB gaming mouse, however few RGB colour options it presents. A lot of the minor issues I have, such as the minimal amount of buttons, are the tradeoff you should expect when buying an ultra-light gaming mouse. Considering this is currently the lightest, I'm amazed at the sturdiness and quality of the thing.

Expect more of the larger companies to be following suit soon, with esports becoming such a renowned force, there's going to be a lot of marketing that targets those who prefer lighter mice, like this one. But, I doubt they'll beat the fantastic price point of the Model O, an esports grade mouse for the everyman.