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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Nexos - Sunday, March 31, 2013 - link
Just want to add a few things about the G700: the LED display can show the battery level in green, the DPI in red and the selected on-board profile in orange. I would also like to add that although it is wireless, this is not a portable mouse. Its not designed for battery life, but for performance instead. in my experience the best you can expect on battery power is about 6-8 hrs of gaming (double that for light desktop use), which is enough for me personally, but not really comparable to standard wireless mice.piiman - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
I think he was referring to the fact that there isn't a LED always on so all you had to do is glance at the mouse. With the 700 you have to push the button to have the led light up. Probably because they do double duty with the same set of LEDs used to show DPI and profilesmeacupla - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
It would be nice to give size comparisons. I use G300 and orochi after disliking all these larger mice.If Anandtech is going to review any more mice, I'd suggest bluetooth mice, especially notebook bluetooth mice. I think the orochi is the only one.
Beenthere - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
I gave up on Logitech mice and keyboards a few years ago as they have become totally unreliable. Even the replacment mice fail in a few months. Logitech has lost their way IME.kmmatney - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
Are you buying the cheap $10 Logitech mice from Walmart or something? Even those last a long time for me. I'm still using my G500 mouse from 2009, working as good as ever.Friendly0Fire - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
My G7 lasted me about 6 or 7 years before the mouse buttons started acting erratically. I'm pretty sure that had I wanted, I could've cleaned it and it would've worked fine, but by then the coating was gone in places from excessive use so I just went ahead and replaced it. I'd say that considering the kind of usage I made out of it, it was an excellent purchase.piiman - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
So what do you buy instead?I keep hearing people complain but never tell what they buy that is so much better. So what out there is better?
apudapus - Saturday, March 30, 2013 - link
I just picked up a G700 mouse from Best Buy for $50. I also own a G300 and a G500 and I like the G300 the best. The G300 is the cheapest one but has the most tactile buttons. It's lack of a laser sensor is the only drawback. The G500 is okay but the extra buttons are small and there's only one on-mouse profile. The G700's buttons are the mushiest of the 3. The button labeled G10 (top left button) is useless for gaming and was broken on the first G700 I bought.Asmodian - Wednesday, April 3, 2013 - link
I have a G700 and the G10 button is one of my most used extra buttons, I hit it twice every 20 seconds during a boss fight in my current MMO. Just goes to show it is hard to design a single mouse for everyone.What changed between the G700 and the G700s besides the paint job?
piiman - Wednesday, March 19, 2014 - link
switches and the laser and yes the paint job.The 700 was still wireless even when it was plugged in so that's also different as the 700s turns into a wired mouse when plugged in.