Game-spectrum

Written by James Pikover
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
For most people, the mouse they use is of little concern. “So long as it isn’t a ball mouse,” they’ll say nowadays. “I can’t stand those.” They have a point: laser mice are certainly better, but the market is flooded with them. Which one should you get?

Once again, most people will just stick with whatever their computer comes with, the standard insert-company-name-here two button mouse. Completely functional, utterly boring.

That’s where companies like Logitech step in, to remind you that not only is life not meant to be based around those extra tidbits that come with that important something, but that everything should be that something. And that’s exactly what the G9 mouse is, a superior, superb machine that out-straps every typical mouse ever to come to existence.

At the same time, it’s meant for gamers, typically for fans of the FPS genre. Don’t worry, the G9 is a monster compared to most gaming mice as well. A monster in every way.

What it does require is a little patience and some time to get used to it. The G9 is smaller than most mice, with a thin top and a wide base, and it doesn’t fit most people’s palms for a full grasp. It’s not meant to; it’s meant for quick wrist movements instead of flailing arms, which are slower. There are also nine buttons, an unprecedented number, eight of which are programmable.

Two of the buttons sit on the undercarriage, one which operates the profile settings and the other which commands the scroll wheel lock. The former can be based around the default settings, with three different profiles are available and can be set to different resolutions (dpi, or how much the mouse reads while moving; the higher the dpi, the less physical movement required for ‘virtual’ movement on-screen), and more can be added with Logitech’s downloadable software. However, it isn’t required and the mouse will work on most machines as a plug and play with all it’s default settings intact.

The latter is pretty neat, especially if you never had the function on a mouse. Most mice have scroll wheels that click. By click, I mean that they have a stopper that keeps them from spinning rambunctiously to ensure scrolling is smooth and clean. But sometimes that clicking is just too slow, or perhaps annoying because of its insensitivity. Even with changing the proper Windows settings, you may never get it the way you like. Click the wheel lock, and that clicking mechanism goes away and suddenly the scroll wheel spins (practically) without friction. It may seem like a somewhat useless achievement, since it allows the scroll wheel to effectively have little to no control, those with nimble fingers and a sensitive touch will be able to control it adeptly, both with simple applications and serious games.

The other two buttons are the sensitivity setting, which sits directly below the left mouse button. It’s proximity to our favorite of buttons means changing sensitivity settings is easy and affordable. If you’re selecting an area of files to delete and there is a large acreage of display to cover, up the sensitivity and let the mouse fly. If precision is required for photo editing, just hit the “-” button and draw away. With a top sensitivity of 3200dpi, the G9 spans across the typical desktop with ease and comfort.

Considering how well it performs in standard, boring non-gaming applications, imagine our excitement when testing it on games such as Bioshock, Crysis, Supreme Commander and Portal. Having to test it against something, we had the Razer Deathadder in hand and the Creative HD7600L, which came with one of the assorted parts of my custom PC. Suffice to say, the order or mice given is also the order of performance they gave.

In Bioshock and Crysis, there were an assortment of weapons to go through, though both games have limited weapons to carry or use altogether, so there was little need to take off the scroll lock. Crysis called for a medium-high setting, since there was an abundance of camouflaging used while Bioshock ranged higher up. Being dark and scary at times, a higher sensitivity to turn around was much appreciated.

Portal performed wonderfully, and I was able to successfully do several tricks previously unattainable because of the changeable sensitivity. Quickly changing portal placement, turning a corner and doing it all over again at the speed of light worked wonderfully, and kept the flow clean because changing back to my regular settings was so very easy.

SupCom also benefited, mainly due to how much land could be covered. While RTS’s aren’t really the type of game that the G9 was made for, it still found a suitor in it. Selecting individual units versus whole groups was remarkably easy, and navigating from one section of the map to another was unprecedented. There was almost no comparison. While the Deathadder did feel more comfortable than the G9, it was outperformed in every way. The HD7600L just felt very tacky compared to both.

Along with all these wonderful features is an exquisite cable made of low-friction weaved material so it rarely, if ever, gets stuck in knots; a kit of weights to really customize the feel while moving the mouse to and fro; two different grips, one widegrip seen on many newer mice and one “Drygrip” which, true to its name, stays dry and helps against sweaty palms; and on-board memory that can save up to five different profiles directly on the mouse. With the exception of the G9 being made exclusively for right handed people and the small form-factor, it resembles everything we expect to see in a high-end mouse. The whole package retails at approximately $100, which is quite a bit for a mouse. However, with the functionality and usefulness the G9 has to offer, it’s a deal. Still, a quick search showed that finding a deal for it is pretty easy, and as of press time Amazon is selling it for nearly half off at $55. That’s not a bargain, it’s a steal. A mouse this good isn’t something to cherish or praise; it’s something to truly appreciate.

Score: 9.5/10