Nordic-powered 2.4GHz wireless mouse supports very low-latency PC gaming

Nordic Semiconductor today announces that Glorious, a Dallas, TX-based gaming technology company, has selected Nordic’s nRF52840 Bluetooth® 5.2/Bluetooth Low Energy (Bluetooth LE) advanced multiprotocol System-on-Chip (SoC) and nRF52820 SoC to enable low-latency data transfer between its ‘Model O Wireless’ mouse and the user’s PC for gaming applications requiring reliable and fast response. Glorious claims the Model O Wireless has among the lowest wireless latency of any mouse in its class. 

Model O Wireless is an ultra-lightweight (69g +/-1.5g) wireless gaming solution featuring an ergonomic design for right-handed users, six programmable buttons, and a proprietary “BAMF” sensor. The company’s newly developed pro-grade wireless sensor is made in collaboration with Pixart and optimized for high performance (400 inches per second (IPS) tracking speed, 19,000 programmable dots per inch (DPI)) and low power consumption. 

Ample processing power

The nRF52840 SoC’s 64MHz, 32-bit Arm® Cortex® M4 processor with floating point unit (FPU) provides ample processing power for the Model O Wireless to support highly-responsive advanced gaming applications. The nRF52840 combines the Arm Cortex M4 processor with a 2.4GHz multiprotocol radio (supporting Bluetooth 5.2, ANT™, Thread, Zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4, and proprietary 2.4GHz RF protocol software) and a generous 1MB Flash and 256kB RAM memory allocation. A new radio architecture with on-chip PA features 8dBm output (TX) power -95dBm RX sensitivity for a link budget of 103dBm. 

The Model O Wireless mouse connects to a user’s PC via a USB adapter and a 2.4GHz dongle integrating Nordic’s nRF52820 multiprotocol SoC as the data receiver. The nRF52820 features a 64MHz 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4 processor. The user plugs the dongle into the PC enabling the wireless gaming mouse to communicate with the PC using Nordic’s low-latency 2.4GHz proprietary wireless connectivity. This functionality enables 1,000Hz (1ms) polling rate – the frequency with which the mouse reports its position to a computer. The solution’s dual connectivity feature enables users to play in either wireless or wired mode. 

Model O Wireless uses a 450mAh Li-Ion battery providing up to 71 hours of play time in optimal configuration (measured with RGB off) before recharge, thanks in part to the ultra low power operating characteristics of the Nordic SoC. The nRF52840 has been engineered to minimize power consumption with a fully-automatic power management system that reduces power consumption by up to 80 percent compared with the nRF51 Series.

The nRF52840 SoC’s Dynamic Multiprotocol feature uniquely supports concurrent wireless connectivity of Bluetooth LE, proprietary 2.4GHz RF, and other protocols. The nRF52840 incorporates the Arm CryptoCell-310 cryptographic accelerator offering best-in-class security for Cortex-M based SoCs. The Full Speed (12Mbps) USB operation is a key feature of the nRF52840 and the nRF52820. USB is a popular connectivity interface that enables low-latency and high-bandwidth communication with a range of host devices including PCs and smartphones. 

Nordic’s nRF52820 SoC brings a lower end option with built in USB and a fully featured multiprotocol radio. The nRF52820 combines a 64MHz 32-bit Arm Cortex-M4 processor with 2.4GHz multiprotocol radio (supporting Bluetooth 5.2, Bluetooth Direction Finding, Long Range, Bluetooth mesh, ANT™, Thread, Zigbee, IEEE 802.15.4, and proprietary 2.4GHz RF protocol software) and 256kB Flash memory plus 32kB RAM. The SoC’s 2.4GHz radio features 8dBm TX power and -95dBm sensitivity (Bluetooth LE at 1Mbps) for a link budget of +103dBm.

The nRF Connect SDK [Software Development Kit] is recommended for nRF52840 and nRF52820 software development. The nRF Connect SDK integrates the Zephyr RTOS, supports applications using Bluetooth LE, Bluetooth mesh and Thread, and includes examples, Bluetooth LE profiles and driver support for all peripherals.

Battery longevity and low-latency operation

“Two of the most important features gamers look for in a wireless mouse are battery longevity and reliable low-latency operation,” says Shazim Mohammad, CEO & Founder, Glorious. “Nordic’s nRF52840 SoC and nRF52820 SoC facilitate the Model O Wireless mouse’s wireless and PC-pairing functionality. Our product development and engineering teams recognized both chips as providing exceptionally efficient energy consumption while maintaining top wireless performance. 

“In addition, Nordic has an excellent reputation within the industry, making the company our first choice to partner with for these critical components. The detailed documentation and engineering support was essential to completing the development of this project.” 

The Model O Wireless gaming mouse is available for purchase worldwide. 

• About Model O Wireless
• About Glorious
• About nRF52840
• About nRF52820
• About Nordic Semiconductor