Reviewing a mouse should be simple. It moves the mouse pointer, it has right and left clicks and a scroll wheel and it is comfortable to use. Easy right? Well not so much. These days a mouse is as unique and customisable as you want it to be. It hasn’t got to the custom keyboard level yet - you know the thousand plus dollar keyboards that you build yourself - but I am sure it will get there soon enough.

A mouse can be as unique as the person using it. Do you need it for productivity or gaming or both? Do you need to a thousand buttons so that you can map every MMO command to the mouse or do you need a lightweight and nearly frictionless mouse to ensure that you get on target that microsecond faster than your opponent? Are your hands large, small, medium? Do you prefer claw grip or palm? Wireless or wired? The list is almost endless. Luckily ASUS has a range of mouses to suit your needs and wants.

Both the ROG Keris and Gladius III wireless mouses come with the following items in the box:

Braided cable

USB dongle

USB Extender

Mouse grip tape

Additional feet

Additional Omron switches

The Gladius III came with a switch puller, but the Keris did not strangely as both mouses boast the ability for the user to replace switches with ones of their own choosing.

*Pictured: ASUS ROG Keris

First impressions of the Keris Aimpoint out the box is that this is a small mouse suited for medium and small hands and palm grip. My hands are what I would say is medium-sized and trying claw grip was just not comfortable. Other than this, in the hand the mouse is comfortable and the smooth finish feels good against your palm.

The Gladius III Aimpoint is slightly wider at the base but overall feels as if it is made for a similar handsize and grip style as the Keris.


*Pictured: ASUS Gladius III

Aesthetically neither black mouse screams GAMING MOUSE and is somewhat understated. Once you plug it in to charge or switch it to wireless or Bluetooth mode, the ROG logo at the base of the mouse lights up and in all its RGB glory – the only hint that this is a gaming mouse.

To get the full use of the mouses you have to install ASUS’ Armory Crate software. I will admit to hating most companies proprietary input device software to program their devices and Armory Crate is no different. Most of these types of software are invasive, resource hogs that tend to be used mainly to change RGB lighting. They have their uses; if you use a 15 button mouse, the software is useful to remap the keys and associate it with the relevant applications.

In game, remapping the side buttons to useful commands such as reload and melee in an FPS can only be done in the software.

In the case of these mouses I find the software less useful than the actual hardware, however they are necessary to use the mouse to its fullest. In game, remapping the side buttons to useful commands such as reload and melee in an FPS can only be done in the software. For the most part you will use the software on installation of the mouse and when you want to associate a profile with a game.



Both mouses use the same sensor so performance comes down to your individual impression. Playing through a couple of levels of Modern Warfare 2 as well as Baldur’s Gate 3 I felt no difference between the two mouses. The prevailing wisdom is that wireless and Bluetooth modes increase latency over wired, but honestly I think that in the modern era these are holdovers from the first generation or two of wireless mouses as I can never tell the difference in input lag between the three modes.

The same thing applies to the weight difference with the Keris coming in at 75grams and the Gladius III at about 88grams. For a non-competitive gamer like me, the weight difference means very little, but I can understand that for competitive and online gamers the lower weight means a faster on-target time.

The feel of the Omron switches is very satisfying and the actuation points feel suitably accurate and “clicky” enough to satisfy any mechanical switch snob.

The mechanical switches in a mouse seem like such an obvious upgrade for a gaming mouse and it is. And that’s why I find it odd that ASUS is the only company to offer the capability to switch the switches. The feel of the Omron switches is very satisfying and the actuation points feel suitably accurate and “clicky” enough to satisfy any mechanical switch snob.



Along with the switches, ASUS has added an accessory that seems so obvious that it is surprising that no one has added one to their mouses until now. The USB extender is a simple dongle that you clip to your mousepad and plug the USB cable in the one end and the wireless dongle in the other. It’s a great way to ensure that the wireless signal isn’t blocked by something or that the dongle doesn’t get lost on the back of your system or takes up a precious USB port on the front IO.

Finally, battery life on both mouses is very impressive with a claimed 119 hours on wireless and Bluetooth with the RGB switched on.

If you are in the market for a compact six-button mouse you can’t go wrong with either the ROG Keris or Gladius III. ASUS has continued to produce a good product that will serve you well on both the battlefield and in the boardroom.