Recently, Logitech sent me their G500 Gaming Mouse. The new mouse appears to be a refinement on the original G5 mouse. The old G5 is still the favorite of many a gamer, including Joel Durham. The G5 was Logitech’s first attempt at building a “competition” gaming mouse, complete with adjustable weights, which slide into a small compartment. Later, Logitech shipped the G9, a smaller mouse offering greater precision. I never really warmed up to it, though.
I used the G5 for almost two years. I loved the G5, returning to it after brief flings with the G9 and Razer’s Deathadder. So in theory, I should love the G500. But I don’t, and I no longer use the G5 either. Here’s why.
What happened between the G5 and the G500 was Logitech’s MX1100 wireless mouse.
Earlier this year, I acquired a Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave Pro keyboard and mouse combo. I’ve always been a fan of ergonomic, split keyboards. The Wave Pro isn’t exactly a split keyboard, but offers a good compromise in it’s curved layout with the slight rise at the center of the keyboard.
Included with the Wave Pro kit was the MX1100 mouse.
As a gamer, I’ve never been particularly fond of wireless mice. Older generations of wireless mice introduced slight latencies into mouse movements and button presses. Most users would never notice these, but gamers do. There’s nothing quite as annoying as pressing the left mouse button to fire a weapon, then dying from enemy fire before your weapon actually fires.
I am exaggerating a bit, but only a bit.
As I used the MX1100, though, I become hooked on it. It uses a single battery, rechargeable NiMH AA battery, and isn’t too heavy, unlike past cordless mice I’ve used. The bulky charger stand is gone, replaced by a USB cable attachment that charges off USB power. But I don’t use that, since I’ve got a ton of AA NiMH batteries that are constantly kept charged for some of my camera gear.
Most of all, though, I love the feel of the MX1100. It fits my hand like no other mouse I’ve used. Mouse tracking and button presses seem precise, too. And maybe I’m getting older and notice these things less, but I don’t notice much in the way of lag, as I used to notice with other cordless mice.
When the G500 arrived, I plugged it in and used it for a good couple of weeks, for desktop apps and games. I played a fair amount of Demigod (RTS) and Section 8 (first person shooter) with the G500.
Pages: 1 2
Loading tweets...
20 comments
Michael Hughes says:
September 15, 2009 at 9:10 pm (UTC -7 )
I use the MX Revolution, and it is hands down the best mouse I’ve ever used. I’m still as terrible as ever at COD4, but the real selling point is it’s ergonomic feel and Logitech’s Set Point software is really quite cool. I have different presets for different programs, and the software has an option to automatically recognize when a game is playing, and let you fiddle with settings within the game’s control settings. At every turn, Logitech gets it right.
YS says:
September 15, 2009 at 9:11 pm (UTC -7 )
The MX1100 is a great mouse. I bought it at full retail price no less, but am happy I got it. The previous mouse, an MX610, did not deal with interference as well as the MX1100. My problem now is that since Logitech likes to change their mice layouts every year, I’m going to have a hard time replacing the MX1100.
A neat trick is that with uberOptions it is possible to reprogram the DPI rocker on the MX1100; giving it 8 programmable buttons to use for games (good for MMOs).
Also, mine uses 2 batteries; maybe that’s the difference between the standalone model and the bundled version?
Chris Nahr says:
September 16, 2009 at 12:27 am (UTC -7 )
An ergonomic mouse that’s good for gaming would be great. I’m still using my trusty old G9 which is great in almost every respect, but there’s no denying the shape is… weird. I’ll have to give the MX 1100 a try.
Chris Nahr says:
September 16, 2009 at 6:44 am (UTC -7 )
Okay, I got my new MX 1100.
Really nice shape, acceptable resolution (1600 dpi), and the hidden thumb button is pretty clever.
Like YS said, though, the mouse uses two batteries (AA), and does not come with any kind of charger. Is this a difference between European and American versions or something?
Loyd Case says:
September 16, 2009 at 7:01 am (UTC -7 )
That’s odd. The MX1100 I have isn’t the standalone version, but the one that comes with the Wave Pro keyboard / mouse kit. It has a mini-USB port in the front prow of the mouse, which is used to charge the NiMH battery.
Maybe it’s a newer version? Except I’ve had it for four months now.
Chris Nahr says:
September 16, 2009 at 11:20 am (UTC -7 )
Must be a different version, I got a pair of standard non-rechargeable batteries and there’s no USB connection for charging either.
Unfortunately I won’t be able to keep the mouse after all. Every couple of minutes, the mouse pointer stops dead for a second or so, often repeatedly. The Internets tell me it’s because Logitech’s new 2.4 GHz receiver operates on the same frequency as cell phones and wireless routers… and is extremely prone to interference from such devices. I found quite a few user reviews pointing out this problem, although others didn’t notice it.
Too bad — I like everything else about the design, but a freezing pointer obviously makes the mouse useless. Loyd, are you using the mouse with no cell phone or wireless router around?
Loyd Case says:
September 16, 2009 at 11:33 am (UTC -7 )
Yes, I’ve got my iPhone nearby most of the time. No mouse interference that I can detect. And I’ve got a D-Link Wireless N router nearby, which is also using 802.11g to some of the laptops in the house. Maybe the receiver is different on the keyboard / mouse kit?
Hmm. Now this makes me want to get hold of a standalone MX1100 to test.
Tim Verry says:
September 16, 2009 at 12:49 pm (UTC -7 )
I am also using a wireless Logitech Mouse. Aside from the batteries dying at the worst possible moments, lol, it’s a great mouse. Even the batteries dying situation could be looked at in a positive way… It’s an excuse to remember keyboard shortcuts! haha. Chris: No wireless router, but I do have a cellphone nearby, and I have never noticed the interference problem. Where did you position the wireless receiver? Maybe try moving it closer to the mouse.
Joey says:
September 16, 2009 at 3:10 pm (UTC -7 )
Your all talking about hte mouse that you got recently, and I’m still using (and loving) my G5
Chris Nahr says:
September 16, 2009 at 11:16 pm (UTC -7 )
Tim: The wireless receiver that came with my MX 1100 cannot be repositioned — it’s just a small plug that fits in a USB port, with no cable whatsoever.
Loyd Case says:
September 16, 2009 at 11:45 pm (UTC -7 )
Now that’s doubly odd. The Wave Pro keyboard / mouse combo came with a USB cable extender. You can plug the wireless dongle directly into the USB port, or into the extender, which plugs into the USB port. I’ve had several Logitech cordless mice that came with the cable extender.
Tim Verry says:
September 17, 2009 at 2:44 am (UTC -7 )
Chris: You can buy USB cable extenders pretty cheap, being able to reposition the reciever might help you get a better/consistent connection. My Logitech mouse came with a extender and a little cradle, but any USB extender should work fine.
Chris Nahr says:
September 17, 2009 at 3:16 am (UTC -7 )
I recall that the MX Revolution came with a cable extender plus cradle. Not this one, though — Logitech probably figured they could save the cable since there’s no recharger anyway!
Anyway, I already returned the mouse for a refund and went back to my trusty old G5 v2 (since the G9 was slowly falling apart).
Tim Verry says:
September 17, 2009 at 6:26 am (UTC -7 )
ah ic, well the G5 is certainly a good option! Maybe by the time the G5 starts wearing down, a new wireless mouse will be out that uses a better frequency that won’t get as much interference from cell phones and such.
YS says:
September 17, 2009 at 6:59 pm (UTC -7 )
Chris, where is your dongle located? I found that it should be within the line-of-sight of the mouse as much as possible.
Compared to the MX610 though, the MX1100 is much better. With the dongles in similar locations the MX610 skipped way more than the MX1100.
Transmitthis says:
September 18, 2009 at 4:58 pm (UTC -7 )
I got the Wave pro desktop combo with the MX1100 as you did Loyd, but found that I prefer the MX Revolution and my old Di novo keyboard.
Reasons are this, The Typing on the Dinovo is so smooth and quite compared to the wave’s clunky key presses. You seem to have to hit the keys in the centre otherwise they stick on the way down, anyway just an opinion.
As for the mouse, I really wanted to like the 1100 and loved the hidden thumb button, however it was really high and didn’t feel comfortable and at the time had software issues that kept reassigning defaults to the buttons. so in the end I am just keeping my old Kboard and mouse and putting a lid on my urge to upgrade when not needed.
Even managed not to be swayed by the new Logitech Performance MX
Loyd Case says:
September 18, 2009 at 5:13 pm (UTC -7 )
Hmm. I don’t have that issue with the Wave Pro keyboard all. I can type 70+ WPM when I need to, and don’t detect any issues. OTOH, my fingers always seem “centered” on the keys, so maybe I’m the kind of typist who naturally wouldn’t run into those sorts of problems.
Andrew says:
September 20, 2009 at 3:05 pm (UTC -7 )
I just bought the g500 and i have to say i love it, but i think logitech could have done better. The g500 is nice and all but the software for logitech mice are horrible. I used 850 dpi on my old g5. With the software on the g500, you can’t use 850, u can only use dpi in increments of 100. Another dissapointing thing is the extra button below the forward and back buttons. It does nothing and most games do not recognize it, so it is useless. The finish on the g500 is nice but i noticed that in some parts of the mouse it is darker than the rest (left click area, logo area, and bottom left area). Besides from those, I think it is a nice upgrade from the g5.
Dan McCoy says:
September 21, 2009 at 10:49 am (UTC -7 )
I’m wondering if the mouse that comes in the combo is really the Performance MX and not a 1100. The Performance MX comes with a single rechargeable battery that can be charged either by the included USB cable that plugs into the front of the mouse or by the included AC adapter that charges with the mouse in very close proximity. What’s different with the Performance MX you can get standalone is that the standalone model comes with a micro-receiver. I bought a Performance MX and was using it up until my Gefen 4 port DVI-DL kvm would need rebooting now and then to regain mouse control. It does that once in a blue moon with my MX Revolution. For my hands, the MX Revolution feels better only in that my pinky isn’t resting on the edge before the taper heads inward to the bottom of the mouse.
The MX1100 is tempting me. I just hope I don’t have the same problems with the KVM as I do the Performance MX.
YS says:
September 23, 2009 at 12:24 am (UTC -7 )
It’s definitely not the new Performance MX; the layout etc is different.