CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Excellent
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 09/20/2005
- Released on: 08/11/2005
If you're a gamer with a particularly sensitive trigger finger, the $70 Logitech G5 Laser Mouse may be exactly what you need to improve your game. Even if you don't play games or aren't that picky about how your mouse feels in your hand, the G5 has some useful customization options and performs better than most.
Like last year's Logitech MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse, the G5 Laser Mouse features Agilent's LaserStream laser sensor. However, the G5's sensor is newer and twice as sensitive as the MX1000's (2,000 dots per inch (dpi) compared to 800dpi). Logitech's exclusive deal with Agilent expired this year, so expect to see plenty of other laser mice hit the market soon. Still, few will be designed as well as the G5.
The G5 Laser Mouse is the first mouse we've seen that includes a customizable weighting system, though two others are due out this year: Razer's Copperhead and a Fatal1ty mouse (named for a Johnathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel, a professional gamer) from Creative. The G5 Laser Mouse comes with a small tin that contains eight 1.7-gram weights and eight 4.5-gram weights. The mouse itself weighs 4.5 ounces (with the empty weight cartridge inserted), which is half an ounce heavier than the G5's predecessor, Logitech's MX518 gaming-grade optical mouse. By popping the weights into the cartridge, you can tailor the feel of the G5 to your exact preference. Image editors and virtual snipers might appreciate a heavier, more deliberate feel, while a lighter mouse might be better suited to gamers looking for quicker running and gunning.
The weighting system isn't the only customizable feature of the G5 Laser Mouse--thanks to two buttons under the scrollwheel, you can adjust the resolution of the sensor on the fly, without installing any software. Though playing a game or editing an image might lend itself to the slow, careful movement of the 400dpi setting or the lightning-quick 2,000dpi, most users will feel more comfortable at the standard 800dpi setting for day-to-day use. Logitech's included SetPoint utility lets you program two additional dpi settings.
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