While there are a lot of options for button configurations, lighting, and shape, gaming mice typically only go one of two ways when it comes to weight: with optional weight bearings or not. The Model O Wireless from Glorious Gaming goes down another path: Extreme weight reduction.
The Model O Wireless is a gaming mouse with paired down form, but full function
Parts of a mouse that are typically non-controversial are completely stripped away from the Model O Wireless. The back of the Model O Wireless is drilled through with honeycomb holes as is the bottom, resulting in a super lightweight mouse that leaves the hand feeling cool. These holes lead directly into the mouse compartment, where you can see chips and prongs that make it function. Cheeto fingers and the Model O Wireless do not mix.
However, don’t expect to come to the Model O Wireless and get a gaming mouse without typical functionality. The Model O Wireless has an advanced DPI control feature, stylish RGB customization, and customizable buttons. That being said, you shouldn’t go into it expecting a mini keyboard for your thumb with over a dozen customizable keys lining its body and side. Instead, the Model O Wireless is for gamers that respect wrist health, want style, and desire customization to a reasonable degree. While the frame is paired down, the integral working parts are not.
Glorious Model O Gaming Mouse
The Glorious Model O Gaming Mouse combines the best of aesthetics and performance. The mouse is ambidextrous and super lightweight, which makes it a perfect performer for both right and left-handed gamers. While lightweight, the build doesn’t compromise in terms of durability or rigidity, thanks to quality materials and a unique honeycomb design. The braided “Ascended” Cord is light and provides drag-free gaming. The Glorious Skates, made from 100% pure Virgin PTFE, offer superb glides no matter the surface.
In the two weeks leading up to this review, the Model O Wireless was used as the primary mouse in both a work and gaming setting.
- Super Auto Pets
Contents Of Package
Unboxing is simple, and the package comes with few unnecessary parts. Setup is very quick and only requires taking stickers off of the Model O Wireless’s G-Skates mouse feet.
69 g +/-1.5
128 mm
59 mm (middle)
Height (Official)
37.5 mm
The Model O Wireless is a lightweight mouse withfour interactive buttons,RGB lights, and aninteresting physical shape. Both the top and bottom havehoneycomb-shaped cutoutsthat reveal the insides of the Model O Wireless, visually and physically. Important parts of the mouse are contained inside this caging withno additional protection. While it will make the mouse lighter, this form factor decision by the designers brings the ultimate debate to this mouse:
Is less weight and a bit of cool style worth poking holes in a gaming mouse’s exterior?
It’s a question that cannot be answered simply but also doesn’t deserve a simple, “It depends.” Part mouse, part art project, the Model O Wireless’s form will require potential owners to answer some hard questions about themselves. Particularly, “Am I amessygamer?” While nothing got in the mouse during the ~10 days I’ve been reviewing it, it was a constant worry. Nervous eaters and the like are not guaranteed to fare as well.
For their part,Glorioushas preemptively assuaged the majority of these initial fears via their warranty.Gloriousprovides Model O Wireless owners with a “2-year limited Manufacturer Warranty” with a specification that the warranty “does not cover damages as a result of opening the mouse.” Among the bullet points explaining the warranty is the helpful advice to “Keep out of reach of children below the age of 10.” As per the manufacturer, this isnot a gaming mouse for small children.
DPI Button
Yes, Single
The Model O Wireless has six buttons (including the clickable scroll wheel) and an on/off switch for wireless mode. All the buttons are customizable via the downloadableGlorious Coreapp but come ready to use if you wish toplug’n’playyour way to victory. Besides the standard top-of-the-mouse buttons, there are two side buttons accessible by the thumb. The default settings are intuitive and comfortable right away. TheDots Per Inch (DPI)changing button is of the single button variety, not two. By default, a tap will rotate through the available options, but you can program other buttons (perhaps the two side buttons) to do this instead. This comes withlimited visual feedback, as the DPI setting light is located on the bottom of the mouse.
On the contrary, the Model O Wireless’s main right and left mouse buttons have fantasticauditory feedback. The response is a quick, briefclickthat times itself well with the action on the screen. It feels good to use and is extremely responsive.
Box references to the Model O Wireless’s “ambidextrous frame” are correct when only shape is taken into account. The onlyauxiliary buttonsare on the left side of the mouse, making them difficult to use when wielded in the left hand (unless the pinky finger happens to be ambidextrous, too).
Comfort
Glorious recommends their Model O Wireless gaming mouse to those withmedium to large hands, which seems about right. In the pictures above you’ll see it inmyhand (I, indeed, wear medium-sized lab gloves) as well as a size comparison to a genericStaplesbrand wireless mouse. The Model O Glorious was easy to grasp and promoted a relaxed wrist andlow hand tensionduring use.
The effect might be slight, but the porous nature of the Model O Wireless’s frame does keep the hand cool. No sweating, stickiness, or other unpleasantness was observed during usage.
It should go without saying at this point that the Model O Wireless is alightweight mouse, weighing in at just 69 grams. Coming from a preferred mouse with weighted bearings, I expected to have issues with precision movements, DPI button notwithstanding. Instead, I experienced a mouse thatflowed smoothlyacross the mousepad, quite possibly due to the G-Skates mouse feet. When the Model O Wireless moves, themousepad stays completely stationary, not tugging it perceptibly in any direction. At the same time, I’ve noticedwrist tension decreasedduring my trial period using the mouse.
The Model O Wireless is a lightweight mouse that gives the same precision feel of a weighted mouse and might possibly reduce your wrist tension.
Portability & Wireless
It might come as a shock, but the Model O Wireless has awired mode. This is achieved by inserting a standard USB-A connector into your computer and a slightly unusual USB-C connector into your mouse front. Notice the hexagon symbol on the top of the insert, which must be facing upwards when inserted. This piece gives a special connection to the front of the Model O Wireless, does not wiggle, and provides someliftto prevent dragging along the mousepad. You cannot insert the USB-C with the hexagon shape pointing down andGloriousspecifically warns against using other cords.
The provided cord is long enough to fit most setups. Here, it travels behind two monitors and still has enough leeway to move about freely. The cord itself is made with a proprietary exterior, which issoft but durable. It certainly feels of a higher quality than traditional nylon weave coatings and has suffered no damages during the ~10 days of testing it has received at this point.
When used in wired mode there is no perceivable latency or any other issues with the mouse.
Since wired mode is also how the Model O Wireless is charged, you can alternatively consider itcharging mode. The cord is long enough to keep frustrations with using it to a minimum, so the mouse can be used while charging without interfering with your usage.
Using the Model O Wireless in a way that is more in line with the name requires a USB-A dongle. The dongle is very sturdy. Itdoes not wigglewhen inserted, suggesting that it will provide a long lifespan for it and not contribute highly to the wear and tear of the port it is plugged into. Having the dongle in while the Model O Wireless is in corded mode is highly encouraged, as this allowsseamless changing between wired and wirelessusage.
According toGlorious, the max battery life is 71 hours. In practice, you should expect less unless you go through the hassle of turning off the RGB lights. During the testing period, the Model O Wireless’s battery lasted for two full days for working, gaming, and internet browsing on my main computer. When not in use, the Model O Wireless was turned off, but not plugged back into the wire. The “glorious” RGB settings were used (see below for RGB styles) during the entirety of this time.
When the Model O Wireless reaches the end of its battery life, the RGB lights will turn off and a “breathing” red light will flash from inside the scroll wheel. When this begins, the Model O Wireless is about 30 minutes to an hour away from losing power. Plugging in the USB-C cord and using it in wired mode (charging mode) is encouraged at this point.
100 - 19,000
400
Polling Rates
125Hz, 250Hz, 500Hz, 1000Hz
The Model O Wireless uses theGlorious BAMF Sensor, whichGloriouscalls “the most advanced wireless mouse sensor ever engineered.”
From a standpoint of user noticeability, the two primary factors that stand out areDPI stagesandlift-off distance. The default DPI stages are 400, 800, 1,600, and 3,200, though they can be manually adjusted via a slider and can go anywhere from 100 DPI to 19,000 DPI. The lift-off distance, defined as the distance from the mouse pad the sensor must be before tracking is stopped, has a default measurement of 1mm. It can alternatively be set to 2mm, with no in-between. While the difference between these modes is noticeable when an effort is applied to tracking them, they feel negligible in my standard mouse usage.
One curious aspect of the Model O Wireless’s customization is the DPI indicator light on the bottom. Each of the DPI settings has a corresponding color code (see above picture) that can be changed. This DPI indicator light ison the bottomof the mouse. It cannot be seen during normal operation, but itcanbe color coded to your favorite colors.
Software
The Model O Wireless usesGlorious Corewhich can be downloaded from the product’s page on theGlorioussite. This software is available forWindows only. The interface is very intuitive, offers multiple profiles, and provides tool tips
for most options. There is an appealing amount of white space on each screen and the interface easily avoids information overload. You don’t need to be a tech wizard to use — and get the most out of — theGlorious Coresoftware package.
The core functionality for the Model O Wireless viaGlorious Corecomes from theLighting, Key Binding,andPerformancetabs.
Lighting
This section controls the RGB effects of the Model O Wireless, including the rate at which the lights change colors and their brightness. To save battery, there is an additional mode to choose separate brightnesses of the RGB lights in wired and wireless modes.
Thepossible RGB effectsare as follows:
When customizing light colors, they will not translate 1:1 from what the image on your screen says. While the color selector on screen will allow you to pick precise colors and a lighter/darker version of them, you’ll find that only the color selection is properly reflected. To make the colors darker (or brighter) in color, it is far more effective to use thebrightnessslider.
Key Binding
TheKey Bindingtab lets you customize your inputs. The process is a relatively straightforward selection of which button you want to bind and what you want it to do. The options range from keyboard buttons to mouse functions. Other inputs includemacrosandshortcuts, so you can link directly to theGameRanthomepage and get there with a single click of a button if you like! While the scroll wheel’sclickis bindable, scrolling up and scrolling down are not bindable themselves.
It is inKey Bindingthat you may change yourDPI scrollingsettings. (DPIlevelsare covered in the next section “Performance” which is detailed more below.) So, if you aren’t happy with how the single DPI button works, you can switch the two side buttons toDPI stage upandDPI stage downto recover that two-button feel.
One quirk of theKey Bindingsection is how the “Left button” is selected by default when you enter the section. Even when you enter the DPI binding menu, it will stay selected. If you make the mistake that I did in the image above, you’ll temporarilylose left buttonfunctionality. Right-clicking will not allow you to change key bindings in this menu. It will also not allow you to use thereset to defaultfunctionality. Instead, you will beforced to use another mouseto correct this issue orreset to factory settingsand start over again with your key binding. Once you loseLeft buttonfunctionality, you’re in trouble andGloriousgivesno warningthat you are about to lose it.
Conclusion
For the person the Model O Wireless is marketed to — aWindowsuser that wants a lightweight gaming mouse — it will function wonderfully. While it is not without problems, issues such as losing left mouse button functionality will be forgotten quickly once customization is complete and the default plug’n’play functionality is great as is. A seamless transition from wired to wireless, reduced wrist strain, and a cool look are the Model O Wireless’s key pros. Being limited to Windows products for theGlorious Coreapp and a single DPI button are the most noticeable cons at this point. What time can only tell is how this mouse will fare in 6 months, after the inevitable sneeze in its direction, the drop of condensation from the bottom of a glass bottle, the inevitable lint, crumb, or other bit of matter getting inside it. Still, the mouse is very enjoyable in its pristine state. In an ideal world, this review would be revisited in 6 to 10 months to reevaluate the continued aging of the mouse.
Similar Products
Alternative wireless mice with similar buttons keys that might interest you are as follows:
FAQ
Q: How do we test gaming mice?
The chosen mouse is used as the reviewer’s main peripheral for an extended period of time prior to the creation of the review. It is tested in an office, casual, and gaming setting.
Q: Is a lightweight mouse good for gaming?
Whether a lightweight mouse is good for gaming depends on your personal preferences and what kind of gaming you are doing. Some people simply prefer slightly weighted mice with a touch of heft and — especially if they are turn-based strategy gamers — should go with their preferences. Twitch-style gamers looking for quick headshots and other quick action taps should try a lightweight gaming mouse at least once.
