Review | ASUS ROG Pugio II Wireless Gaming Mouse

The ROG Pugio is one of the very fist ambidextrous gaming mice from ASUS. The first model came out in 2017, featuring a somewhat edgy ambidextrous design. I mean it looks like a car at certain angles – with RGB in tow.

Now, what we have here for review is the 2nd generation model, the Pugio II. This is a wireless gaming mouse, featuring the popular PMW3335 sensor with a tamer shell design. A contrast compared to the older Pugio with a wired only mode and the older PMW3330 on top of its attention seeking design.

Technical Specifications

Mouse
Size	Medium-Large
Design	Ambidextrous
Macro	Yes
Profile	Yes
Software	Yes
Interface	RF 2.4GHz, Bluetooth, USB 2.0
Polling Rate	125-1000Hz
Lighting	RGB
Switch	Omron D2FC-F-K, Omron D2F-01F (Extra)
Buttons	9 (7 programmable)
Cable Length	2m (TPE)
Feet	PTFE
Sensor
Model	Pixart PAW3335
DPI	100-16000 DPI
Speed	400IPS/40G
Dimensions
Length	126mm
Width	65mm (Max), 57mm (Grip)
Height	40mm
Weight	102g

Packaging and Accessories

ASUS packed the Pugio II Wireless inside the usual ROG mice packaging. The following items should be located inside:

• ROG Pugio II mouse
• USB Dongle
• Accessory box
• 2x Japanese-made Omron mouse switches
• 4x Swappable side button covers
• Customizable badge
• Switch tweezer
• 2-meter USB cable
• ROG logo sticker
• User documentation
• Warranty card

ASUS always has a way to impress consumers with their packaging’s contents. This one is no exception.

Design and Connectivity

As said earlier, the Pugio II is nothing like its predecessor. It is a curvier device, resembling the recently released ROG Keris but without the left side bias for its ambidextrous design. This is a medium to large mouse with a decent weight of about 102 grams. Just a gram lighter compared to the older model.

There are 9 buttons found within the mouse and 7 of them are fully customizable – minus the dedicated DPI and the pairing buttons. Pressing the main buttons felt tactile enough but it couldn’t beat the Keris on this one. Left navigation buttons on the other hand are a bit wobbly and too soft for my liking – a combination I hated the most. The middle mouse button? Good enough.

The grip area has these serrations with a modest vertical curve and a more pronounced horizontal one. ASUS also pre-installed the protruding side buttons as the default so better change these to the more flushed ones to avoid accidental clicks.

Now as for the scroll wheel, it is a detent based one. No infinity scroll support here – yet. We got USB Type-C connectivity here though which is always a nice thing to see.

Skates are proprietary and hard to replicate. In ASUS’ defense, you could use the small PTFE ones usually found on eBay. It just wont look good.

It is also worthy to note that the Pugio II comes with a 2 meter TPE data cable. Though it is not easy to mend according to your liking. This mouse makes just a bit of noise when griped really hard, but the shell doesn’t flex. No wobbling mechanical parts too when shaken.

Physical Layout, Functionality and Ergonomics

Your grip and aiming style are important things to consider when looking for a mouse. There are three basic types of grips here; the palm, claw and fingertip grip. Fingertip grip is generally preferred when aiming with the wrist, while palm grip is the choice when aiming with the arm. Claw grip is middle ground options for both aiming styles. Of course, you could go with a hybrid of any grip types and aiming styles if the combination suits you best.

Your hand size also influences what mouse you should buy on top of your grip and aiming style. For an instance, my hands measures at 76.2mm (3″) in width. This puts my hands on the medium size category. My style is finger-tip grip, so I would generally look for a mouse with a small to medium foot print.

The ROG Pugio II feature a length of roughly 126mm and a grip area of about 57mm. The highest point of the shell is at 40mm. This is a high back with a center point bias and a gradual curve to boot.

Product	Length (mm)	Width (mm)	Height (mm)	Weight (g)
ASUS ROG Pugio II Wireless	126	57	40	102
ASUS ROG Keris Wireless	118	62 (55)	39	79
Fantech HELIOS XD3 PRO Wireless	120	58 (54)	38	83
ASUS ROG Strix Impact II Wireless	120	62	38.6	93
ASUS ROG Strix Carry	101	62	36	72.9
ASUS ROG Chakram	132.7	76.6	42.8	121.6
Galax Xanova Mensa Pro	115	168	39	126
ASUS ROG Gladius II Wireless	126	67	45	130
ASUS ROG Strix Evolve	125	65	41	100
Thermaltake Nemesis Switch	111	88.5	38.9	112
ADATA XPG Infarex M20	132	69	43.5	160
HyperX Pulsefire FPS	127.6	71.1	41.9	95
Logitech G603	124	68	43	88.9

Weight is about 103 grams which is leaning towards the heavier side. While its shape and dimensions suggests that it is a medium sized mouse, this mouse is definitely built for medium to larger hands.

Product	Palm	Claw	Finger
ASUS ROG Pugio II Wireless	ML	ML	ML
ASUS ROG Keris Wireless	SML	SML	SML
Fantech HELIOS XD3 PRO Wireless	SML	SML	SML
ASUS ROG Strix Impact II Wireless	SML	SML	SML
ASUS ROG Strix Carry	SM	SM	SM
ASUS ROG Chakram	ML	ML	ML
Galax Xanova Mensa Pro	SML	SML	SML
ASUS ROG Gladius II Wireless	SML	SML	SML
ASUS ROG Strix Evolve	SML	SML	SML
Thermaltake Nemesis Switch	ML	ML	ML
ADATA XPG Infarex M20	ML	ML	ML
HyperX Pulsefire FPS	ML	ML	ML
Logitech G603	SML	SML	SML

The ASUS ROG Pugio II Wireless is perfectly suitable for the three basic grip styles if you have medium to larger hands. If you have smaller hands, chances are, you could still try palm and claw grip styles (with a bit of discomfort) but finger gripping is almost impossible due to its length.

The mouse is also great for arm aiming and is planted enough for extended arm swipes. The weight is biased around the rear at its thinnest grip area so if you’re aiming with your wrist, this should be kind of a plus.

Test Setup and Methodology

Testing a gaming mouse is not that difficult, but it is mostly subjective; similar to testing head gears in a sense. That said, no mouse is perfect and the verdict usually depends on personal preferences. With that in mind, we overhauled our testing methodology by following key pointers that should matter the most. To keep our test methodology simple and free of extra variables, please note the following software and configurations used for the review.

Test Setup
Pointer Speed	6/11, EPP Disabled
Sensitivity	800 DPI
Polling Rate	1000Hz
Software	MouseTester V1.5.3

DPI Range and Accuracy

DPI accuracy is checked with the MouseTester V1.5.3 while the mouse is rigged on a camera slider with a DPI level of 800 DPI. Anything under 3% is considered accurate.

Product	Min DPI	Max DPI	DPI Accuracy
ASUS ROG Pugio II Wireless	100	1600	2.2%
ASUS ROG Keris Wireless	100	1600	1.3%
Fantech HELIOS XD3 PRO Wireless	100	16000	1.3%
ASUS ROG Strix Impact II Wireless	100	16000	1.1%
ASUS ROG Strix Carry	50	7200	1.2%
ASUS ROG Chakram	100	16000	1.6%
Galax Xanova Mensa Pro	50	16000	1.4%
ASUS ROG Gladius II Wireless	100	16000	1.5%
ASUS ROG Strix Evolve	50	7200	1.5%
Thermaltake Nemesis Switch	400	12000	1.1%
ADATA XPG Infarex M20	400	5000	1.1%
HyperX Pulsefire FPS	200	16000	1.1%
Logitech G603	200	12000	1.6%

DPI level at the designated 800 DPI standard is actually higher than what’s written on the settings. Shouldn’t be much of an issue though since we’re still below the 3% mark. For reference, that’s 817.6 DPI at 800 DPI. You may adjust this via the ASUS Armoury Crate software.

Polling Rate Range and Performance

Polling Rate of the device is evaluated with the MouseTester V1.5.3 at the 800 DPI level. This is to check the average update rate performance at 1000Hz if possible.

Product	Min Polling (Hz)	Max Polling (Hz)	Performance
ASUS ROG Pugio II Wireless	125	1000	Average
ASUS ROG Keris Wireless	125	1000	Good
Fantech HELIOS XD3 PRO Wireless	125	1000	Average
ASUS ROG Strix Impact II Wireless	125	1000	Average
ASUS ROG Strix Carry	125	1000	Average
ASUS ROG Chakram	125	1000	Average
Galax Xanova Mensa Pro	125	1000	Good
ASUS ROG Gladius II Wireless	125	1000	Good
ASUS ROG Strix Evolve	125	1000	Average
Thermaltake Nemesis Switch	125	2000	Average
ADATA XPG Infarex M20	125	1000	Average
HyperX Pulsefire FPS	1000	1000	Great
Logitech G603	125	1000	Great

Polling performance is just average for both the wired and wireless modes. Report rate actually dips below 600Hz and at worst, 500Hz.

Sensor Quality and Performance

With a sensitivity of 800 DPI, the sensor is also checked with the MouseTester V1.5.3. Our aim is to check out the sensor’s performance – to look for reporting inconsistencies such as smoothing and unintended acceleration. The sensor quality is also taken into account based on its specifications and the general public opinion.

Product	Sensor	IPS/G	LOD (mm)	Performance
ASUS ROG Pugio II Wireless	PAW3335	400/40	1-2	Good
ASUS ROG Keris Wireless	PAW3335	400/40	1-2	Great
Fantech HELIOS XD3 PRO Wireless	PAW3335	400/20	1.5	Average
ASUS ROG Strix Impact II Wireless	PAW3335	400/40	1-2	Average
ASUS ROG Strix Carry	PMW3330	150/30	1.2	Good
ASUS ROG Chakram	PWM3360	400/40	1.2	Average
Galax Xanova Mensa Pro	PMW3389	400/50	1.2	Good
ASUS ROG Gladius II Wireless	PMW3389	400/50	1.2	Good
ASUS ROG Strix Evolve	PMW3330	150/30	1	Good
Thermaltake Nemesis Switch	PWM3360	250/40	1	Good
ADATA XPG Infarex M20	PMW3325	100/20	1.2	Great
HyperX Pulsefire FPS	PWM3310	130/20	1.2	Great
Logitech G603	HERO	400/40	1.2	Great

Sensor performance is good – except for the wired mode for unknown reasons. Report counts are all over the place here regardless of ports and settings used.

Wireless is better but report counts gets worst as you extend the range. I wouldn’t use this mouse over greater distances. 3 feet away from the dongle is the maximum I would allow personally.

Software, Lighting and Special Features

The ASUS ROG Pugio II Wireless comes with support for the ASUS Armoury Crate software. There are 6 sub menus here, starting with the Buttons menu. This one allows you to create macros, swap buttons, bind keyboard buttons, windows functions and add application shortcuts. This software is a must to get the most out of the mouse.

The Performance menu is where you could change the DPI presets along with the option to change the polling rate, button response and enable angle snapping. You could set profiles here to fit your needs. For example, a low power profile with 125Hz polling could be made if you do not wish to pair this in Bluetooth mode for energy saving.

Lighting is up next. We have basic effects here that could be optimized as well. I’m not a fan of RGB lighting so you’ll have to visit the product page for more details about these effects. I like the addition of battery mode though. Of course, the Pugio II is also ASUS AURA Sync compatible.

If you are looking for the LOD, it is located on the Calibration menu. No surface calibration here which is a bummer. Just the LOD adjustment itself with two options – Low and High. That’s 1mm and 2mm Lift Off Distance options.

Power is where you could check your device’s battery capacity. You may even set the sleep mode here. 3 minutes works best for my usage – similar to my setup with the ROG Impact II and Strix Carry.

Lighting effects are okay I guess? Definitely not as impressive as the previous model’s approach. For an instance, the translucent shell design diffuses the ROG logo’s glow so much to the point that it looks blurred. The under glow is also less noticeable compared to the older unit.

Now it is worthy to mention that the ASUS ROG Pugio II Wireless comes nice bundles. That includes the case for the extra switches, buttons and even a tweezer. There’s also a thin plastic sheet for the logo area and a thick case badge because… why not?

Removing the top shell requires zero tools but you have to remove the two screws to access the switches. Side buttons are magnetically attached so just use the tweezers to change or remove them as needed.

Battery life is modest. Maximum run time is at 58 hours. That’s with the RGB lighting disabled and at a polling rate of 1000Hz.

Final Thoughts

The ASUS ROG Pugio II Wireless is an okay mouse. Nothing’s really exceptional about it except for maybe the bundles, features and shape that is appropriate for medium to larger hands. If you also like a heavier mouse but with an ergonomic shape fit for both left and right handers then maybe this is for you.

Performance, while not concerning is just decent. Definitely use this wireless and try to figure out on your own how to stabilize its polling rate when plugged in. I really tried everything here and I still can’t point out how it managed to output such a mediocre wired performance.

Priced at around 4,990 Pesos, the ROG Pugio II Wireless is not something I would buy personally speaking. This is made for consumers who wants a medium to large ambidextrous mouse filled with features so heavy, the mouse manifested them via its weight. Kidding aside, this is still a good wireless gaming mouse with that famous ROG badge.