Asus’ new Strix Evolve mouse offers a new take on ambidexterity by offering four panels-- two each for the left and right click buttons--that you can easily swap out to get a slightly different feel, whether you’re a lefty or a righty. Therefore, it’s an ambidextrous mouse because you can configure it to different hands, not because it’s a one-size-fits-all design.
Mice are one of the most notoriously difficult products to craft and market, because arguably more than any other piece of a PC enthusiast’s kit, every single person has different wants and needs. In addition to the wide range of aesthetic preferences, every hand is a different size and shape, and that issue is multiplied by different grip styles (fingertip, claw, and palm).
Companies deal with those challenges in a few different ways. Some create a huge lineup of mice in an effort to have a product for everyone. Others go basic, offering ambidextrous mice with simple designs, hoping for a lowest-common-denominator approach. Still others will build a forcefully curvaceous, very particular mouse with lots of bells and whistles that ideally has strong appeal to a smaller but more enthusiastic segment of the market.
Yet another approach is to build lots of customization into a mouse. This is the approach of less well-known entities such as Epic Gear and James Donkey, but Asus is playing in that sandbox as well.
In addition to the Strix Evolve, Asus outed the Gladius II, which lets you swap out different Omron switches for the left and right click buttons and also features a removable cable. We don’t have many details on the new mouse, but it’s the next iteration of the original Gladius, so you can extrapolate a bit from that.
The GX970 (which seems to be mostly an iteration of the GX950) boasts an adjustable weight system as well as swappable left-side panels; there’s a “Normal” panel that has two forward/back navigation buttons and a ”Gaming” panel that has 10 (10!) buttons you can configure with the included software.
Thus, again, there’s a certain level of customization you can get with these mice without having to buy a different one.
Asus also teased the Strix Impact, which is an ambidextrous mouse in the more traditional sense.
Asus was light on specifications for all four of its new mice, so we only know so much about them. We also don’t know how much they will cost nor when they will be available. What we do know is in the table below.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | ROG Gladius II | ROG Strix Evolve | ROG Strix Impact | GX970 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sensor | 12,000DPI optical | 7,500DPI optical | 5,000DPI optical | 12,000DPI optical |
| Ambidextrous | No | Yes | -- | |
| Switches | Omron, 50M clicks | -- | ||
| Onboard Storage | Yes | -- | -- | Yes |
| Polling Rate | 1,000Hz | -- | ||
| Lighting | RGB | -- | RGB | |
| Buttons | -- | -- | -- | -L/R click-2x left nav buttons (Normal panel)-10x side buttons (Gaming panel)-2x DPI switch-1x Profile switch-Scroll wheel |
| Software | Asus Aura Sync | Yes | ||
| Cable | -2M, braided, USB-1M, braided, USB | Wired USB | 2M, gold-plated USB | 1.8M |
| Dimensions | -- | -- | -- | 12.2 x 8.2 x 4.3cm (LxWxH) |
| Weight | -- | -- | -- | 125g |
| Misc. | -Extra Japanese-made Omron D2F-01F included | -Changeable top cover design enabling four ergonomic shapes | -- | -Win8/10 only-Detachable two-button side panel, and one MMORPG/MOBA 10-button side panel -Removable weight system-Up to three profiles-Adjustable 50-12,000DPI (four level switching) |
