Up until a few days back, I was under the impression that a mouse is probably the simplest device essentially used with a computer. There’s nothing much to it anyway – it’s supposed to be a pointing device with two or three buttons on it. I still fairly remember the day my dad introduced me to the different mice in his office, and I spent close to an hour playing with one of them. Yes, we’re still talking about the computer peripheral here, relax.
However, gone are the days when the mouse was ‘just’ a pointing device. No sire, the beloved mouse has evolved through all these generations where precision, accuracy, light-weight, multiple buttons are features that, if absent, make sure the mouse isn’t too popular. With the advancement in technology, Gaming has taken generation leaps to become what we see today. And the mouse is the primary weapon of the gamer. So much so, that it is extremely important for the gamer to settle down and be comfortable with mouse he’s going to use. In fact, almost every gamer I know carries his own choice of mouse to any competition he competes in.
Logitech is, undoubtedly, the pioneer when it comes to mouse technology. The company name has almost become synonymous with mice. Over the years, they have catered to the customers’ need, coming up with newer and newer technologies and feature sets. I still remember my first mouse – a two-button, mechanical, no scroll-wheel mouse and I still have it lying in the loft along with the remaining computer junk. All these years, most of the mice I’ve purchased have been Logitech. My primary mouse, even today, is the Logitech MX518 which I purchased a few months back. So when it was time to review their limelight product, I jumped right up in excitement.
The Product
Released as a much awaited update to the previous models – G5 and G7, the Logitech G9 was announced with scores of updates over the previous generations. A part of the much coveted G-series of mice from Logitech, the G9 too was marketed to target hardcore gamers. Most of the features carried on by the G9 facilitate what gamers have been demanding for long. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the mouse caters only to the gamers. It has features that increase your productivity in your day-to-day life too. Let’s take a look at the features offered by the Logitech G9:
- Interchangeable Grips
- 3200 dpi laser engine with Full-Speed USB
- Game settings to go (Profiles)
- MicroGear™ Precision Scroll Wheel
- Adjustable sensitivity
- Weight tuning system
- Polytetrafluoroethylene feet
- Custom-color LEDs
- More grip styles
We shall shed more light on these features further into this review.
The Packaging (and Contents)
The packaging for the Logitech G9 looks almost exactly similar to the Logitech MX518 I recently purchased. The familiar military green packaging, feature set strewn all over the packing and a cut out section with the mouse nicely in the center inside a hard plastic gripping its body. The box I received was untidy enough not to be photographed, so I’m sourcing the following image from techgage.com
It’s only when you open the packaging further that you realize that there’s more to it than meets the eye. Inside, Logitech provides you with a second grip which can be swapped with the one that the mouse comes fitted with. The G9 comes equipped with two different grips – each customized for different sets of people. The first one is a slightly fat grip with a satin finish that feels just right when you place your hand on it. If you have large hands, your palm will rest firmly over this grip and you don’t need to look at the second grip, which is like a toned down version of the first one. This slimmer grip has a different feel to it and is coated with a “DryGrip” material. This is something that I really got used to, as it helps reduce the feel of a sweaty palm in long gaming sessions and gives you a more firm grip compared to the satin-ish feel of the fat grip.
The package also includes weights – 4 x 4g and 4 x 7g, which can be inserted into a tray built into the G9. These weights help you adjust the weight of the mouse, making you adjust the mouse according to your needs. These weights come inside a nice little box.
As it is with most Logitech mice, the G9 also has ‘polytetrafluoroethylene’ (Teflon) feet on the bottom which provide much easier and smoother sliding.
Design
Every mouse that I’ve come across in my 10 years of computing has been oval or kidney shaped, with the MX Revolution mouse being a slight exception. The G9 breaks away from this century old tradition. The mouse has a very odd ergonomic design – more because of the two grips. This also means that if you’ve gotten used to the ‘kidney bean‘ shape of mice, this design may not necessarily go well with you.
The buttons on the G9 are well designed too. Unlike the buttons found on most mice, the buttons on G9 are concave in nature, so your fingers rest easily on them and you are in better control of your clicks. Even the scroll-wheel comes with a rubber lined grip, so scrolling is very matured. The G9 also comes with a long cable that, again, unlike the usual mice, is braided to reduce friction on the desk.
Special Features
The Scroll-Wheel
The scroll wheel that the G9 comes equipped with is the same that is found on the Logitech MX Revolution. Known as the ‘MicroGear‘, the scroll-wheel is capable of scrolling in two different modes. The first, is the step-by-step scrolling that we’re used to, on our regular mice. However, this method is usually annoying when you’re scrolling through a really long web-page or a document containing multiple pages. Here, you can change the mode to the second, fast-scrolling type. With this, just a small flick of the wheel sends it into an long extremely fast rotation that will take you to the bottom of the page in a matter of seconds. Of course, you can stop it when you wish to. The only thing I find annoying about this is the fact that you have to lift the mouse and press a button located at the bottom of the mouse to change the mode. Not a very good way to use it practically.
3200dpi laser engine
This is some wholesome goodness. The 3200dpi laser engine coupled with the on-the-fly sensitivity settings change buttons make gaming a sheer pleasure.
Multiple Profiles
You can set upto 5 different profiles with different settings aboard the onboard memory of the G9. Three profiles come pre-configured and you can use the bundled SetPoint software to change them. As it is with most Logitech mice, the software is Windows only so I wasn’t able to test it out.
Custom Color LEDs
Yes, you can set any color to the LEDs on the mouse. Even pink.
Final Thoughts
The Logitech G9 is a remarkable device, specially if you’re a gamer. The 3200dpi laser engine and the custom grips with weight adjustment make the G9 way more advanced than its competition. However, the Logitech G9 is no alien when it comes to the pricing. As it is with most electronic goods in India, the G9 is priced at a whopping Rs. 6000.
Note: A complete gallery of pictures of the G9 have been uploaded to my Flickr stream here.
Anybody wanna gift me one?