Logitech G710+ Mechanical Keyboard and G600 MMO Mouse Review
by Dustin Sklavos on October 9, 2012 12:01 AM ESTIntroducing the Logitech G600 MMO Mouse
While the G710+ mechanical keyboard is a respectable entry into Logitech's canon of peripherals and certainly notable as their first mechanical keyboard, the G600 MMO gaming mouse is a pretty impressive piece of kit unto itself as well.
What characterizes an MMO mouse is, essentially, a massive cluster of programmable buttons under the thumb. I think the existing entrants on the market have reached varying degrees of success with their designs, but the G600 is, like the G710+, an unusually and impressively intuitive piece of kit. While I think Corsair's first keyboards and mice were very strong options out of the gate, Logitech has more experience in designing peripherals, and their patient study of the competition with both the keyboard and this mouse is evident.
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The G600's design is remarkably simple. They use a soft-touch plastic that's in my opinion more pleasing to use than the material Razer uses on their mice; Razer mice have always made my hand clammy, while the surface of the G600 (and my personal favorite, the mainstay G500) seems to let my skin breathe just a little more.
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Where the G600 excels is in its overall layout, though. The top surface of the mouse actually sports three distinct buttons (as opposed to the usual two and the mouse-wheel button) along with the mouse-wheel button and two buttons beneath it. The third and rightmost button is for your ring finger, and can be configured however you wish, although Logitech has a clear plan for it. Meanwhile, the array of twelve buttons under the thumb is freakishly intuitive. These buttons are essentially designed as two nests of six, raised at the edges; the rep said it was rare for individuals to use all twelve buttons, but that the two nests of six allowed people with varying sizes of hands to pick a set that was comfortable to them and go.
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It gets better. The side button array is also backlit, and the backlighting is not only color and pulse configurable but corresponds to whatever programmed set of buttons you're using. The G600 can be programmed with a staggering 48 sets of functions on these buttons; three profiles to switch between, plus what Logitech calls their "G-Shift" profile, enabled by holding the third surface button under the index finger.
If the G600's design has any major flaws, it's that it's frankly just a large mouse and in some ways feels a bit stripped down. The buttons are fantastic and the third surface mouse button seems like such an obvious inclusion that I'm surprised nobody else is doing it; the last time we saw this with any kind of frequency was decades ago. Yet I miss their switchable freewheel for the mouse wheel, and while adjustable weight might not be strictly necessary for a mouse this large it would still be appreciated.
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Impulses - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Yeah, that's what I'm saying, the brown switches on my Rosewill RK-9000 just don't feel very different from my K90... If I sit there and poke the key slowly (or stab it repeatedly, i.e. gaming) then I'll be much more aware of the feedback... During fast typing I don't really notice it much though.I'm sure if I spent some time with it maybe I could get accustomed to feeling it out, but I'm not really alone in this, I've seen lots of people express the same sentiment over at the keyboard & mouse sub forum at Hardforums. Other people swear by their brown boards though, maybe they're more sensitive to the subtle feedback. It's a very subjective thing. Amazon has a good return policy if you don't have any local options and you wanna order different keyboards to try out.
The Rosewill board I have should be fairly representative of other keyboards with browns too (perhaps unlike the Logitech in the review, the comments about dampening and pressure required make it sound weird), AFAIK they're actually Filco rebrands.
ol1bit - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I like the rubber kind of key feedback. No clicky stuff for me. Never liked the old IBM keyboards. Modern/lite feel is for me.2kfire - Tuesday, July 7, 2015 - link
Just thought I'd mention for others reading these posts, mechanical switches are actually quite "lite" compared to most membrane switches.I went from a standard Dell to a keyboard with blues. I had never noticed until I made the switch (pun intended), but with the Dell I had to mash the keys, whereas with the blues, I just need to softly, EVER so lightly tap them :)
Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Thanks for responding. I've been a little reluctant to commit to a purchase and your input certainly isn't making me feel more confident. :-P I tend to hit the keyboard pretty hard; something tells me I'd plow right past the "tactile bump" without even noticing. Maybe I should just get a Unicomp for day-to-day typing and see how I feel about it for gaming. I mean, I can circle-strafe just fine with this worn-out old Dell, so...Impulses - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Do note that reds (and any Cherry key switch) will exhibit the same bottom out feedback tho, so if you tend to bottom out you'll still get that sharp clack that's signature of mechanical boards (those with plate mounted switches anyway)...What's missing (and less accentuated on browns) is that mid travel click that lets you know the switch has been depressed.
If you get used to not bottoming out you get nothing, and technically that mid way click is there to let you know when you've pressed far enough... Some people get used to it even without that feedback, others never do and always bottom out. That's part of what makes switch types a personal choice.
When gaming oost
Impulses - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Blah, pressed post too soon...When gaming you'll invariably bottom out. Either way a Cherry switch still feels very different from a rubber dome. Some people don't seem to get that, all Cherry switches provide mostly even pressure all thru their travel. Rubber domes never give you that. Rubber domes always end in a mushy bottom and always require bottoming out.
MrSpadge - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I do. In fact, I already have a "brownie" keyboard. Feels much better to me than blacks (couldn't lay my hands on reds yet, though).karasaj - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I like Browns and Blues a lot more actually for RTS games. I'm a fan.Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
From everything I've read, I'm looking to get a brown keyboard, too...still rocking a crappy Dell I got free from my last job. At this price, though, I'd rather get a fully customized WASD with preinstalled O-rings. Maybe I can type on this a little in a Best Buy somewhere to get a better sense of the brown feel.piroroadkill - Wednesday, October 10, 2012 - link
Me, definitely. I paid a lot of money for a fully custom WASD with browns.