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 G500s: For Action Games
I've been a very longtime advocate of Logitech's G500 as one of the most perfect gaming mice ever made. I never got much mileage out of changing the DPI of the sensor on the fly, and the default weight (no weights added) was perfectly fine; it was more about the coarse but breathable material used in its side grips, the toggleable freewheel, and the overall grip and response of the mouse.
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I'm not really shedding tears about the G500s being basically a carbon copy of the G500 but with a higher quality laser and a less exciting paint job. The G500 had one annoying habit that should basically be fixed in the G500s: the switches in the mouse buttons would actually eventually wear out and begin holding inconsistently. It's my understanding this wasn't an uncommon problem, so the new switches in the G500s shouldd go a long way towards ameliorating it.
The G500s sports a total of eight buttons: left click, right click, mouse wheel, DPI up and down next to the left click, and then the back and forward buttons with a third button nestled under them. Beneath the wheel is a mechanical switch that toggles Logitech's secret sauce, the freewheel. You can choose to have the wheel click one step at a time the way mouse wheels typically do, or you can take the brakes off and use it as an analog mouse wheel, controlling scrolling speed with the speed of the wheel. I have a friend with a G500 who never used this, but I get a tremendous amount of mileage out of it.
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For a brass tacks FPS mouse, the G500 and now the G500s are pretty solid, but unlike the G100s with its more timeless design, the G500s does have a little more room for improvement. A realtime DPI shift button is becoming increasingly common in gaming mice (Corsair called it their "Sniper button"), but that's not an available option in the G500s software unless you're using the software mode instead of the mouse's onboard memory. You can do DPI up or DPI down, but you can't hold one of the side buttons to temporarily lower or raise the sensitivity. That's a shame, because the functionality is available in the G600, and the G500s could really use it.
With the G500s available there's no reason to recommend the G500; the G500s sports higher quality switches in the buttons and received a slight increase in the top end of its laser's sensitivity (up to 8200 DPI.) At an MSRP of $69 it's a little pricey, but it has a fantastic grip if textures like those used on Razer's mice cause your skin to sweat, the adjustable weight is fantastic for some users, and the buttons are all in logical and easy to use places. The G500s is a workhorse if ever there were one.
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yougotkicked - Monday, April 1, 2013 - link
I'm still using my G5 and have no plans to upgrade until it breaks (no signs of that happening any time soon); but it's nice to know there's a fresh round of quality mice to pick from should the need arise.ryccoh - Tuesday, April 2, 2013 - link
I love my G700, but what's with the cheesy graphics on this revisionperry1mm - Tuesday, April 2, 2013 - link
I've been using the G700 for a bit over a year now and I love the design, layout, scroll wheel, software, and wired or wireless, but PLEASE Logitech change the texture on the next update to feel similar to the MX grips!I can overlook it because the other features outweigh one downside, but I've tried other mice simply because the texture still bothers me after a year of trying to put it out of my mind...I still go back to it though, but no reason to go to the 700S when they didn't change that.
Alexo - Tuesday, April 2, 2013 - link
Re Software:When I got a Logitech mouse, the software insisted on controlling both the mouse and the keyboard. Which meant that I could use either the programmable keys of my Microsoft Natural keyboard, or the SW capabilities of the Logitech mouse, but not both because the software would conflict.
Needless to say that the Logitech software got uninstalled pretty quickly.
This is an extremely boneheaded design, one that convinced me to stay away from Logitech mice.
Aikouka - Tuesday, April 2, 2013 - link
Dustin, if I remember correctly, you're not based in the United States, and that might be the reason why you had poor G700 availability. I don't exactly go around looking for the mouse, but I've certainly seen it in Best Buy and various online retailers. I actually own two of them! One of the more interesting aspects of the G700 is the fact that the data cable supersedes the wireless connection if it's connected (it also charges the mouse). That means that you can use it as a wired mouse if you need to, and it also allows you to easily use the mouse on more than one PC. For example, I could plug the mouse into my laptop and use it like a normal wired mouse. When I was done, I could unplug the mouse and use it on a HTPC (that has the wireless transmitter plugged in).Kopa95 - Monday, April 8, 2013 - link
So many are complaining about the quality of the G500. I've had mine for over three years, and it works just fine. Except for the middle mouse button. That doesn't work. But I think that is because I dropped a snow globe on it.Mantvis - Tuesday, April 9, 2013 - link
Good mouse review has to have:1. Mouse weight. That's it. Other reviews have the rest :)
The most difficult spec to find about any mice is weight. Try googling popular mice weight... not an easy task. Wireless mice can be very heavy. Please do a popular mice review and weight them.
Also try comparing the sound of the mouse. Click sound and the sound when you drop the mouse from one inch high. It's no secret that in some cases the mouse hits the table with a big force :)
Also very important to some - mac compatibility. My G700 could be configured only in windows. Zero mac support.
Etern205 - Tuesday, April 9, 2013 - link
I own a G700 and I don't see why you'll need separated LED indicators for DPI and profile. When you select a certain profile, the LED are orange, red or DPI settings, and green for battery, unless it needs to recharge, then it's red.The side G buttons are great as I set it for entertainment and web browsing.
MSRP was $99 but was on sale for $75 and comes with a free game: Orchestra Red Front
Etern205 - Tuesday, April 9, 2013 - link
Why can't Logitech implement their DarkField sensor to their G-series mice?I have a Anywhere MX and that sensor is awesome. It can be use on almost any surface even on glass (has to be at least 2mm thick).
yogibu - Wednesday, April 10, 2013 - link
I have G700. Unfortunately after using it for 6 months I realised that I feel pain in my palm (below/along the pinky finger). At first I ignored it but currently I can't use it anymore as the pain remains there even while I'm not using the mouse. Also mobility of my pinky finger has dicreased a lot. Because of that I hate that mouse.Really liked the placement of the side buttons though, so if not for the shape I would recommend it.
I have long hands - my hand span is 23cm.