If you often find yourself playing the latest and greatest games on your PC instead of a console, you’ve probably also found yourself wondering whether or not you should buy a dedicated gaming mouse. Such was my situation just a couple months ago. Luckily, the opportunity to review the Logitech G500s presented itself. Compared to its predecessor, not all that much has changed regarding the design, and most upgrades are internal and probably won’t noticeably affect your how you play. But if you’re looking to get into the scene this is probably a good place to start.
At first glance you may write off the mouse simply because it isn’t wireless. Here’s a hint for you: don’t. Not only can you save yourself a good amount of money by going wired, but the braided cord is of the highest quality and can take a good amount of abuse. Besides, the mouse’s quality continues to impress elsewhere. The surface materials are high grade with a “hydrophobic” palm surface, dry-grip side panels, and fingerprint-resistant button coatings. Clammy hand owners can rejoice, as the combination of these materials does wonders to keep an active gamer’s hands from covering the mouse with slippery perspiration.
Priced decently at $69.99, you’ll find in the G500s a pretty robust feature set that includes on-the-fly DPI adjustment, weight and balancing tuning, a dual-mode scroll wheel, and ten programmable buttons. While the number of buttons may not seem like a lot to the most hardcore of gamers, the mouse presents plenty for those of us who don’t venture too deep into the realm of MMOs.
More technically speaking, the G500s can boast some impressive numbers:
- Resolution: 200 – 5700 dpi
- Image processing:12 megapixels/second
- Max. acceleration: 30G
- Max. speed: up to 165 inches(4.19 m)/second
- USB data format: 16 bits/axis
- USB report rate: Up to 1000 reports/second
- Sleep mode: Disabled
- Tuning weight: Up to 27 grams
- Laser sensor
- Buttons (Left / Right): 8 million clicks
- Feet: 250 kilometers
As an avid League of Legends player, I’ve found this to be one of the best mice for the job. The only issue arises if you happen to be left handed. The mouse itself isn’t exactly ambidextrous, and presents a huge challenge to those who don’t like to manipulate their cursor with their right hand. On the left side of the mouse, a slot for your thumb is clearly indented into the design, making left-handed play virtually untenable. (Note: If you’re looking for a cheap ambidextrous mouse check out our G100 review)
If you’re ready to step up your gaming, the G500s is a great place to start. The combination of great features, quality, and design is sure to please any gamer, from casual to hardcore. If you’re looking for something to improve your MMO performance, you may want to look toward the G700s instead, which comes with programmable macros. Otherwise, I can’t help but recommend the G500s.
A review unit of the G500s was provided by Logitech for review purposes.