As far as gaming mice go the Glorious Model O is definitely coming in hot. The hype levels for this release have been reaching peak levels in enthusiast communities for a while now and we understand why.
The Model O (which is the first release in Glorious’ O.D.I.N. lineup) has just about everything that gaming audiences have been getting excited about: it’s a super lightweight mouse (thanks to the Honeycomb Shell) with an extremely flexible cable, Omron switches, a flawless 3360 sensor, a safe ambidextrous shape, and RGB lighting. On paper this could be the ideal mouse for a lot of gamers, but we all know that theory isn’t the same as practice. That’s why our reviewer has been putting this particular model to the test.
Is Glorious’ first attempt at making a mouse a smash hit or is this more like the Glorious Model Oh no? Read on to find out.
At a Glance
Glorious Model O
Used by 2 players (Jun, 2023)-
DiegoGB
❝Over the past year, Glorious have been asking gamers about their ideal gaming mouse on various internet forums, and with the Model O they’ve released their first attempt at making the perfect gaming mouse after taking on that feedback.❞
Specs
| Sensor | PMW 3360 |
|---|---|
| DPI | 400-12000, in steps of 100 |
| Polling Rate | 125 / 250 / 500 / 1000 Hz |
| Button Switches | Omron |
| Button Force | 86.2g |
| Connection | Wired |
| Shape | Ambidextrous |
| Length | 12.8cm |
| Height | 3.8cm |
| Weight | 67g |
| Width | 6.3cm |
Pros
- Very lightweight
- Great cable
- Good clicks
- Good feet
Cons
- Some build quality issues
First Impressions
Disclaimer: I received multiple models to test, as Glorious offer this mouse with a glossy or matte coating. There is no difference between the matte and glossy versions though, except for the fact that the glossy mice weigh one or two grams more.
The main feature of this mouse (at least at first sight) is obviously the shell. Or rather; the lack of shell. Glorious are calling this this design their Honeycomb Shell, and while this might seem like a silly gimmick to some it does do wonders to reduce the weight of the mouse. It obviously gives the Model O a very specific look, but it’s worth mentioning that you don’t really feel the holes when you grab the mouse. More on this later, but I know that people will be wondering about whether or not the holes interfere with grip or performance so I thought I’d get this out of the way first.
The Model O is finished with two RGB strips as well as an RGB ring on the scroll wheel. On the left side of the mouse you’ll find the Glorious mascot and on the right side there’s a subtle ‘GLORIOUS’ towards the front. All of this combined definitely makes for a mouse that’ll turn heads but I don’t think that it looks gaudy or ostentatious, and you can’t really expect a mouse with holes in the shell to look subtle, can you?
As some of you may know I don’t really give a hoot about the looks of my gaming gear, but I do have to say that the RGB (especially on the white models) on the Glorious Model O is something to behold.
The Glorious Model O is a medium sized ambidextrous mouse which focuses (among other things) on being extremely lightweight, and Glorious have really impressed me on this front. The matte version of this mouse weighs a mere 65 grams (the glossy version got to 67 grams on my scale) which makes it one of the lightest gaming mice on the planet right now.
Aside from the cutting edge shell design (the only other company to produce a mouse with this type of design is FinalMouse, and those mice are hard to come by to say the least) the Model O is your basic FPS gaming mouse when it comes to functions. There’s a DPI button on top and two side buttons on the left side of the mouse, as well as a DPI indicator on the bottom.
Packaging
When you pop open the packaging you’ll immediately be greeted with the mouse. Underneath said mouse you’ll find the usual stuff: a quickstart guide, a little flyer advertising Glorious’ other products and a printed ‘thank you’ note from the CEO. There are also two stickers included which honestly look quite nice if you care about these kinds of things.
What I appreciate here is that the packaging isn’t bulky or flimsy. The box isn’t that much bigger than the actual mouse and it’s all packaged in a logical way. This might be inconsequential to most people but I’m often gaming away from my own home, so I personally do appreciate it when companies don’t build a cardboard and plastic palace around their products which takes up a lot of space in a travel bag.
Shape, Coating, and Mouse Feet
The Glorious Model O has rather safe shape. It’s an ambidextrous design with a gradual slope towards the back of the mouse. When you go from the front to the back you’ll find that base of the Model O gets thinner in the middle and then gradually gets wider the further back you go. The shape is extremely similar to the Zowie FK series, so if you want to compare it to an existing mouse that’s where you should look.
All in all there’s really nothing extreme or outrageous about this shape, and I like it. There’s plenty of room to place your fingers without the mouse forcing you to hold it a certain way, so I believe this shape will work for a lot of people, except for those who want a fully filled palm, but more on grip later.
As mentioned earlier, the Model O comes in two different coatings: glossy and matte. Regular readers will know that I’m not a fan of glossy coatings, but I obviously tested both and to me there’s nothing wrong with either. One of my main problems with glossy mice is that they start to feel ‘oily’ after a couple of hours of gaming if you’ve got sweaty hands, but that’s less of a problem with the Model O since there’s simply less skin-surface contact. That doesn’t mean that there’s less grip, by the way.
Both coatings performed absolutely fine (the glossy coating is the grippiest if you’re asking me, but I had no problems with either and I tend to use the matte one more) and as I mentioned before you don’t really feel the holes when you’re playing. They’re nicely implemented and there are no sharp or rough edges to any of the cutouts, so once you’ve grabbed hold of the mouse you kind of forget that these holes are even there. That’s nice, since it means Glorious were able to cut down the weight of their product quite significantly without having to sacrifice comfort or grip.
On the side of the mouse you’ll find, as usual, two side buttons. These are pretty thin and small, but there’s a little gap between them to help you feel the difference in hectic situations, and their placement is pretty much spot on (at least for my grip style and 18.5×10.2 cm hand size) so they do exactly what they need to do.
On the bottom of the mouse you’ll see four G-Skates mouse feet. The people at Glorious specifically emphasize these in their marketing and I have to say that the glide of the Model O is really nice. The glide itself isn’t leagues better than what some other companies are offering, but these feet do feel extremely smooth and ‘worn in’ straight out of the box, meaning that there’s very little friction when you’re starting a swipe or when you’re doing micro adjustments. This results in an extremely smooth and consistent gliding experience.
Recommended Grip Types
As I said before I believe that the Model O has a rather safe shape, so it should be fine to use for a large amount of gamers. I can imagine that some palm grippers would like there to be a bit more of a palm-filling feeling in the form of a more sudden slope but everyone else should be able to find a way to comfortably grip this mouse with little to no issues.
It’s not the smallest mouse in the world though so I’d steer clear if you’ve got smaller hands. For reference: mine are 18.5×10.2 cm and for me the size is nearly spot on.
Buttons and Scroll Wheel
Glorious have gone for the well-liked Omron switches with the Model O, and the clicks are exactly what you’d expect out of a premium gaming mouse. They are consistent and snappy, and there’s no outrageous amount of travel or mushiness either. They’re also pretty much perfect when it comes to the force required to use them if you’re asking me.
What I did notice is that there’s a bit of horizontal travel on the buttons, and on one particular test model I could sort of feel the button rub over/against (part of) the switch if I was holding it down and applying a bit of pressure horizontally. This isn’t exactly an issue that will negatively affect performance (I only really noticed it ingame when I was playing sniper since I hold right click to scope) and since this is more noticeable on one certain test model than it is on others I’d guess that this is a QC issue that needs some tightening up rather than a design flaw.
Aside from that the clicks are fantastic though. They’re snappy and responsive and you get a nice and crispy clicking sensation whenever you actuate a button.
The scroll wheel could use a bit more definition if it were up to me, but it’s quiet and easy to use and it registers each individual step without any issues at all, so I don’t really have any complaints here. Pressing the wheel is also quite easy and the whole implementation feels sturdy and reliable (which is something that can’t be said for some other gaming mice out there) so even though it’s not the most amazing wheel that I’ve ever used I can’t really see anyone having any issues with this particular scroll wheel.
The side buttons are just fine as well. There’s very little travel and the buttons provide a pleasant and tactile click when actuated. I actually use the side buttons quite a lot when gaming and I like it when companies devote some attention to making these feel like an actual part of the experience rather than some kind of afterthought, so props to Glorious for these.
Sensor and Everyday Performance
Inside the Model O you’ve got the industry standard 3360 sensor. The sensor and its implementation are flawless, meaning that every move you make will be translated to the game with pixel perfect precision. Gone are the days where you have to be worrying about mouse jittering, acceleration, or smoothing. Flawless sensors are the standard these days, so companies need to set themselves apart in different ways, and Model O obviously sets itself apart from other mice.
It is plug-and-play, so you can plug it in and get to gaming without having to install drivers or software, but if you want to you can download Glorious’ optional software. There you can adjust the lighting, LOD, polling rate, and so on. It’s a nice piece of software in my opinion. It’s not overly complicated or bloated; it just does what it has to do without you needing to read an entire manual as if you’re launching a satellite or something like that.
I’ll also address the million dollar question here: do the holes improve performance? Well, yes and no. The holes make the mouse extremely light, and for some people (myself included) this means that the mouse will be easier/more comfortable to aim with, but buying this mouse won’t make you a better aimer by default. No mouse will do that.
I will say that a mouse this light is an experience in and of itself. If you come from an average weight mouse this will definitely ‘wow’ you for the first couple of hours (which is also thanks to the fantastic cable) until you get used to it, and it might even make you a better player if lightweight mice are your jam, but I’m not gonna say ‘get Model O = be better gamer‘ since that would be an outrageous claim.
That said; I do love this design, and I personally like my mice to be as light/minimally intrusive as possible so I can only say that the holes are anything but a gimmick.
Glorious Model O Review – Conclusion
Over the past year, Glorious have been asking gamers about their ideal gaming mouse on various internet forums, and with the Model O they’ve released their first attempt at making the perfect gaming mouse after taking on that feedback.
This mouse has everything that mouse enthusiasts have been getting excited about in recent times; it’s got a super lightweight shell (with holes in it), an extremely flexible cable, responsive buttons, great stock mouse feet that offer a smooth and consistent glide, and it even has RGB elements. In a sense it’s a ‘greatest hits’ compilation of all recent exciting innovations in the mouse industry, and that’s amazing.
This will be the perfect gaming mouse for a lot of gamers out there and it’s hard (if not impossible) for me to find anything that’s objectively bad about this product. While there are some teething problems here when it comes to quality control I didn’t find those issues to be limiting my performance, and since this mouse is the first commonly available mouse to combine all of these individual aspects (namely the lightweight design, fantastic cable, and great stock feet) in one product I think it’s absolutely deserving of the Staff’s Choice award.
If you’re going for one (which I can definitely recommend) then do check it for manufacturing issues before committing to fully using it, but as a whole this is one of the greatest gaming mice that’s ever been released. I can’t wait to see what Glorious has in store for us in the future.