Logitech G9 Laser Mouse review

4 June 2009 16:10 GMT / By Duncan Geere

Logitech has a bit of a track record for producing serious gaming hardware. Its keyboards, gameboards and mice haven't always been top of gamers' wishlists in the performance stakes but when it comes to features, there's not much competition.

The G9 Laser Mouse is no exception. Its biggest feature is the customisation possibilities. A selection of 4 and 7 gram weights are included, giving a total of 25 different combinations that you could load it with, from 0g to 28g.

Then there's adjustable sensitivity, which has four presets, from slower than treacle to ridiculously whizzy. Perfect for those sneaky headshots. That takes the different combinations up to 100.

Then there's two different covers that you can put on the thing - an XL grip and a precision grip. The precision grip is slightly bumpy and apparently moisture resistant (which Logitech calls "DryGrip"), meaning that it's very easily handleable with sweaty paws. It has some air vents along the side too, presumably for extra ventilation of your mitts.

The XL grip is much bigger and considerably more comfortable, though it adds quite a lot of extra bulk to the mouse. A smoother finish means that it feels nicer to us, though if you're the kind of gamer who gets a bit moist in tense situations, then you might find yourself slipping a bit.

Unfortunately we're not sweaty people here at Pocket-lint, so to test the moisture resistance, we licked the precision grip instead, then tried out a bit of Left 4 Dead. Zombies seemed to be dying at just as fast a pace as normal, and we didn't slip, but did feel a bit ill half an hour later. Recommendation: don't lick your mouse.

In the software, you can set up four game profiles, which will adjust your settings automatically whenever you load that game. For example, if you want high sensitivity while playing Counter-Strike, but find the mouse whizzing about everywhere annoying while playing World of Warcraft, you can set that up. You can even set-up different colours for the LEDs on the mouse itself.

The buttons feel solid, and nicely clicky, and the scrollwheel in particular justifies plenty of praise. Compared to its predecessor, the G5, the scroll wheel on the G9 is infinitely better, moving fast when you want it to, but retaining plenty of control when you don't.

So, let's total up: 25 weight combinations, 4 sensitivity settings, 2 grips, and 4 game profiles. Multiplying those all together gives 800 different ways you can set this mouse up. Add that to 16581375 options for the colour of the LEDs, and this mouse can be configured in more than 13.2 billion ways. Not bad!

Verdict

Ultimately, mouse-users of the world can be divided into two categories. Those who need or want 13.2 billion configuration options, and those who don't. The former group are almost exclusively gamers, and for them, £40 is actually a decent price for this mouse and what it offers.

If you prefer to keep things simple, and don't want a massive great big bit of plastic on your desk, then there are other, more stripped-down, more attractive options, that offer just as much in terms of comfort and performance. But just think of all the different configurational choices you'll be missing out on.

Score

Review Recap

Made by: Logitech
Price as reviewed: £40
Latest price: Compare prices
The good: Customisable grips and weights, comfortable, great scroll wheel
The bad: Bulky and not the prettiest mouse around
Quick verdict: Fantastic for serious gamers, but not really something you'd buy your mum
Score
Winner