Capsule Review: Logitech's G100s, G500s, and G700s Gaming Mice
by Dustin Sklavos on March 30, 2013 12:01 AM EST- Posted in
- Mouse
- Peripherals
- Gaming
- Logitech
The Logitech G100s: For Real-Time Strategy
The simplest model in the series has a pretty familiar look to it; if you bought into the first wave of optical mice from Logitech, you'll find the G100s has essentially the same shape. That's not exactly a bad thing, since that was a very functional mouse design and was popular in my circles. So why go back to this type of design?
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As Logitech tells it, those old style mice wound up being exceedingly popular outside of the United States, specifically in South Korea, where competitive StarCraft is a serious sport. The original G100 served that market as an inexpensive but very efficient mouse for RTS play. Offered in the traditional shape with virtually the exact same surface treatment, it can seem kind of chintzy compared to its larger siblings, but looks can be deceiving.
The G100s has four buttons: left click, right click, middle click (under the scrollwheel), and a DPI switch that can be configured to be just about anything in the Logitech G Software. Unlike the other two mice in for review, the G100s has no onboard memory for storing configurations, but like the other two, it features an updated sensor and higher quality switches in the buttons. The G100s utilizes a specific optical sensor (as opposed to the lasers used in the G500s and G700s) that's supposedly extremely precise; I couldn't get any more details about it except that the product developer I spoke to was absolutely psyched about it and looking forward to deploying it in more products.
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The idea behind the G100s design is that RTS players don't need a lot of extra buttons but do need to make a lot of quick, very precise motions. They tend to drive the mouse more with their fingertips than with a full grip, so a lighter mouse would be preferable for that style of play.
I opted to test their theory by playing rounds of StarCraft II and Civilization V (yes, I know Civilization V isn't actually an RTS, but it does share some of the motions), and I found that it was basically dead on. The mouse was underwhelming for playing anything super slow paced (the undemanding Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 actually wasn't very enjoyable with this mouse, surprisingly), but I noticed that my mousing style changed and adapted to the two strategy games. I'm not entirely sure how useful the DPI switch is, but having a fourth mouse button available and basically out of the way didn't negatively affect my use of the mouse.
It's also tough to adequately articulate, but the G100s really did seem ideal for strategy gaming, more so than the other two mice, and the sensor had an incredibly fluid and smooth feel to it. Like the others, the G100s is a very responsive mouse, but the entire subjective feel in hand gradually made a believer out of me.
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Lyianx - Thursday, April 11, 2013 - link
"Unlike the G500s, there's no LED on the mouse to tell you what speed it's running at,"Um, yea there are bud. Those 3 lights on the side serve multiple functions if you bothered to read up on the mouse.
1. Default is a battery level (Green, Blinking Red when low)
2. When switching between profiles, it indicates what profile you are on (Orange)
3. When switching DPI, it tells you what DPI profile you are on (Red) {since they are not set and programmable, it uses profile number)
LifesABeta - Sunday, April 14, 2013 - link
Anandtech should do in-depth mouse reviews like GPU, CPU, Monitor, mobile phone etc etc. I see Dustin takes note of upgraded DPI levels for example for the g500s. Casually mentioning the DPI has been increased to 8200. What he didn't mention was the sensor being used. Most likely the avago-9800 laser sensor. From there he could've tested for hardware built-in acceleration. Also, tracking accuracy, i.e. how accurate the mouse will track relative to sudden burst of movement speed and also at differing level of DPI. There's a whole world of in-depthness that mouses can be put through and should be.Riddick51PB - Thursday, April 18, 2013 - link
Question: Is the laser in the G500s a "predictable" laser? I'm trying to get a mouse that doesn't have a predictable laser.boomerbsg - Saturday, May 25, 2013 - link
I registered to say. Recently getting back into pc gaming after quite a few years of console gaming. I upgraded my Xeon x3220 to an i7, and my GTX 460 to a GTX 660Ti. I dusted off my Saitek II keyboard (still works great, through 3 moves and being tossed in boxes etc), and my G500 thats years old (I think I've had it easily since its original release date, I still have my old MX518 as well.This G500 has been tossed around, fallen to the floor, kicked, swung, beaten up badly, braids on the cords have been tangled, and cut to see bare insulated wire beneath, and it STILL functions perfectly! I'm in the market now to replace it.. but not because it doesn't work like it should I just want something new, and thanks to this article the G500s will be purchased within a weeks time.
Razer products dont fit my hand well enough, and I've never liked them in general. My money will always go to Logitech for my mice, I know I paid a pretty penny for this G500 on release, and got my moneys worth out of it tenfold.
cheers
anon29929292992 - Friday, May 29, 2015 - link
Had this G700 mouse fora few years now. Good mouse contour/shape design but the wired connection port on the mouse has now gone bad from plugging and unplugging....I use it on 2 computers...1 wired 1 wireless...meaning the mouse now disconnects constantly during wired use....in overall the quality isn't 5 stars with most of their products and it's usually due to a mixture of hardware and software....I expect more for $50+ products that are priced this high.