Reviewer Tryouts: Logitech G9 Review

[arekieh]

The new Logitech G9 gaming mouse was definitely worth the long wait. It may have taken 2 years for it to be released after the G5, but the wait was well worth it. Overall the mouse looks great, feels great, and performs amazingly well. When looking for a new gaming mouse the Logitech G9 should definitely be at the top of the list.
Specifications:
System Requirements

• • Windows® XP, Windows Vista™
  • USB port

Technical Specifications
Tracking

• • Resolution: 200–3200 dpi (user-selectable)
  • Image processing: 6.4 megapixels/second
  • Maximum acceleration: 20 G
  • Maximum speed: 45–65 inches/second (depending on surface)

Responsiveness

• • USB data format: 16 bits/axis
  • USB report rate: Up to 1000 reports/second
  • Sleep mode: Disabled

Glide

• • Dynamic coefficient of friction (μk): .09**
  • Static coefficient of friction (μs): .14**
  • Tuning weight: Up to 28 grams

Durability

• • Mouse buttons (left/right): 8 million clicks
  • Mouse feet: 250 kilometers

Packaging and Accessories:The Logitech G9 packaging follows mostly along the lines of all of Logitech products. The coloring is very similar and being able to see the mouse with the box closed follows along the same lines as almost every other Logitech product.

Overall the packaging is fairly appealing, and quite easy to open. The mouse comes with an interchangeable grip, a weighting system, and obviously manuals and a driver disc.

A Closer look at the G9:
Purely aesthetics, the G9 is truly a beautiful mouse. It has a large amount of the “wow” factor if impressing your friends is important to you. But it’s not all looks, it performs exceptionally well, and is one of the comfiest mice I have used to date, and that’s comparing it to a Logitech MX Revolution.
The Logitech G9 comes with 2 outside shells, a “comfort” shell, and “gaming” shell. The comfort shell is exactly like it sounds and is extremely comfortable. However, the gaming shell is supposed to stop your hands from sweating, however, I found the opposite was the case, the more I used it the more I sweated. Also, the rough exterior of the gaming shell is really uncomfortable and makes the mouse feel very small in your hand. Below is a comparison of the 2 shell’s.

General Impressions:
Overall, the mouse is great. For everyday use it works fine. The choice of changing the scroll wheel is very useful if you like having a smooth wheel. Truthfully, there is not much to say, as this mouse is not made for everyday use, if the mouse is good for gaming (which you will see soon) it is obviously comfortable while being used normally. Also, I know to many people a wireless mouse is a must, however, the G9 is not. As a plus to people that dont mind having a wire, the wire has a braided cloth covering over the actual wire to protect it. The wire feels very durable and feels like it could take alot of abuse.

Gaming Impressions:
A: Weighting System:
The weighting system is extremely useful, before i got the Logitech G9 i had been using a Microsoft optical mouse which weighed nearly a ton. The G9 on its own is a feather compared to it, so after fiddling with the weighting system for a bit, it weighed very close to the same as the Microsoft mouse, which made it more comfortable fore me.

B: Scroll Mode Button:
The ability to switch the scroll mode from coarse to smooth is extremely useful. I really like having a smooth scroll wheel when im surfing the net, but a smooth scroll wheel in games is a definite no-no. So the button that allows you to switch the modes is extremely useful

C: DPI Switching and Buttons:
The on the fly DPI switching is extremely useful, while playing Counterstrike 1.6 i like have a higher sensitivity when using automatic weapons, so switching to a higher setting is extremely quick and hassle free. The G9 has no lack of buttons, if your a mouse maniac like myself and like binding keys to every possible button, youll be hard pressed to find enough commands to bind to buttons. The buttons are also in easily reachable places and are very easy to accustom yourself to pressing. Furthermore, the feel of the left and right click buttons is great, and the grooves in them feel awesome.


Conclusion:
Overall the mouse is great, it has great gaming and everyday performance, and has extremely high DPI settings for those of you that like high sensitivty's. It feels very durable and feels like a tank. It also includes almost every feature a gamer could wish for. After testing the G9, Habu, Razer Lachesis, and a few other gaming mice, to me, the Logitech G9 definitely comes out on top, however, the high price tag is obvisouly a large part of the buying process.
Pros:
Aesthetics
Comfort
High DPI Settings

Cons:
Price
Not Wireless

Review By:
-arekieh

Please leave any constructive criticism or remarks. :D

P.S. To all people that right reviews and are going to criticize me for this. The reason i did not include a part on the logitech Setpoint driver's of the mouse, is because i no longer have the mouse, this review was planned for 4 months ago, but the site i was doing it for dropped me after i worked hard for them for quite some time :(. Anyways, basically this is a 3/4 review as i dont have the mouse any more and was trying to remember everything, so please be a bit easy on me :D

[SKYMTL]

Can you increase the size of the font a bit?

Here is one question for you: on the review sample I received, the DPI information is displayed in red but yours seems to display in green. Any ideas?

[arekieh]

The DPI information color can be changed using the driver controls in Logitech Setpoint

[Squeetard]

What about the software? The G9 takes a different setpoint install than all other Logitech mice. What about one of the best features of the G9, the onboard memory? I have 5 different OS's on this machine and once I set it up for 1 OS mouse works in all the others with my settings.

[arekieh]

As i said, please read the whole thread before commenting on that. That would have all been a part of the Driver review but if you read the post script you would know that.

P.S. To all people that right reviews and are going to criticize me for this. The reason i did not include a part on the logitech Setpoint driver's of the mouse, is because i no longer have the mouse, this review was planned for 4 months ago, but the site i was doing it for dropped me after i worked hard for them for quite some time :(. Anyways, basically this is a 3/4 review as i dont have the mouse any more and was trying to remember everything, so please be a bit easy on me :D

[MpG]

Originally Posted by arekieh

The DPI information color can be changed using the driver controls in Logitech Setpoint

Yup. It's got a decent variety of colour options, actually.

[SKYMTL]

Ah, thanks. I haven't got to the point of the drivers yet so I will keep my eyes open for the settings.

[arekieh]

So, any tips or pointers on writing reviews? Anything you guys think i should change in the future?

[AkG]

Nice review. Only real comment is: Photos can make or break a review.

Some general tips for everyone trying out (not necessarily directed at you arekieh):

Tip 1:
If you don't have a light box, you can use cardboard. Tape one sheet on the wall behind it, and have another underneath the item CURVING up and beyond the bottom of the wall sheet. Tape the two together and that will get rid of the hard edge and give a nice infinite horizon look to the background of your shots. (think of it as a big C w/ the item in the center of it.

Tip 2:
Get 5000-6000K cfl bulbs from wallle world/crappy tire/home despot /etc
You can never have too much INDIRECT lighting!!

Tip 3:
Ask yourself what are people who are going to buy this be looking for? Responsiveness? Ergonomics? How does it feel in your hands? Does "uber options" work for this mouse (or any3rdparty software/ firmware/ hacks/ etc.) What surfaces does it "like"? Dislike? Things like that.

Tip 4:
Have fun! Think of ways users will abuse it and then incorporate it into your review. :)

Tip 5:
Get Photoshop Cs2/cs3. Learn it, love it :)~

Good luck!

[Eldonko]

I agree on all those points and two more tips. For the close shots do macros and use +1 exposure to allow more light through the lens for the far away shots.