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Gaming Mice Round Up
Punit Lodaya, Aug 18, 2006 1200 hrs ISTWhat type of mouse actually qualifies as a gaming mouse? All this and direct comparision in today's article.
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Logitech G1 Gaming Mouse
The Logitech G1 Gaming mouse is an ambidextrous mouse and has a reflective black and dark blue colored body. The shape is almost similar to many of the Logitech's previous designs and the last mouse with the same shape was the Logitech MX 300.
Now, the G1 mouse uses the second generation MX optical sensor, which delivers up to 800 CPI resolution image processing rate of 5.8 mega pixels/sec and is able to track up to 15 Gs of acceleration. Before we continue on the round up, it's important to clear some misconceptions.
The first generation MX optical sensor had an image processing rate of 4.7 mega pixels/sec and around 10 Gs of acceleration limit. This sensor was first introduced in the Logitech MX 300, MX 500, and MX 700. The second generation MX optical sensor, whose specifications are mentioned above, was present only in the Logitech MX 510. The Logitech MX 310 was also released simultaneously, but it had the first generation MX optical sensor. Only the shape of the mouse changed as compared to MX 300. The third and the final MX optical sensor supporting up to 1600 CPI was released sometime ago and was present in the Logitech MX 518. After that, Logitech has now started concentrating on Laser Sensors. The Logitech G5 and G7 are based on the latest laser sensor, supporting up to 2000 CPI and many more features. Now, don't confuse the Logitech G1 Gaming mouse for having the same laser sensor.
Logitech is at least 2 steps down as regards to the technology used in G1 mouse. The reason is still unknown as to why laser sensor was not selected for this model? So, don't get confused with the 'G' in the name; this is not a laser mouse. But there has been one significant upgrade to it. The Logitech MX 510 had 8 bit USB connection, whereas the G1 has up to 12 bit USB connection.
This mouse weighs 80 grams only, which makes it one of the lightest gaming mice around. As I mentioned before, the body of the mouse is a mix of the smooth reflective black and the rough dark blue coating. Well, the smooth reflective black coating is very much prone to finger prints and will require regular cleaning. It has 4 Teflon feet at the bottom, which makes it glide on majority of the surfaces. Ergonomics-wise, it was very comfortable for my medium sized hands and can be used by both right and left handers.
The buttons are not too soft, nor are they very hard and require right amount of pressure to click them. The scroll wheel has a stepper movement, where you can actually feel it move and thus there is a very little chance of accidental scrolling.
By default, this mouse runs at 125 rps on the USB interface. However, there's also a freely available application that allows you to enable 1000 reports per second on USB port with any USB mouse. But, it can also damage your mouse. So, make sure of what you are doing before you try any stunts. This mouse was able to handle 500 rps without any hiccups.
The SetPoint software gives access to all the features and adjustments. It also allows you to configure the programmable keys, adjust sensitivity and cpi, and also make different profiles for different games. The software has a nice appeal but it works only on Windows XP.
Pros: Lightweight, 12 bit USB Connection, Ambidextrous.
Cons: Older generation sensor.
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