Asus ROG Pugio II

A worthy successor to the previous best ambidextrous gaming mouse

- CHRISTIAN GUYTON

THE FIRST ROG PUGIO was a pretty standard affair, a wired gaming mouse with a 7,200dpi optical sensor, RGB lighting, and an ambidextrous design that allowed both left and right-handed users to enjoy an ergonomic mouse experience. It was a decent mouse, although it didn’t set the world on fire. Now, Asus is back with a new Republic of Gamers mouse, the ROG Pugio II, a wireless sequel to the original Pugio.

Now, calling this a wireless mouse is doing it something of a disservice. The Pugio II uses tri-mode connectivity, consisting of a 2.4GHz wireless USB dongle, Bluetooth 5.0, and wired connections using the included USB cable. The 2.4GHz connection means ultrafast wireless, with zero noticeable input latency in our tests.

The dongle in question can be concealed inside the mouse for portability, as the plastic rear cover of the mouse is held in place magnetically and can be easily lifted off. This also allows access to the screws that hold the two main buttons in place, because the Omron switches beneath can be swapped out (or replaced) using an included tool.

Externally, the design is clean and simple, with a symmetrical button layout that consists of two small buttons on either side of the mouse. These can be deactivated using the ROG Armory software, or removed entirely thanks to snap-off magnetic button caps, making it easy to avoid accidental clicks.