Written by Jeff Buckland, 5/4/2007
Played on:
Windows
It's been almost two years since Logitech introduced their G-series of gaming peripherals. The first release was the G5, and it had a new version of the laser technology (first seen in their MX1000 model) that would soon be used in many new models. Since 2005 companies like Razer, Microsoft, and others have jumped on the laser mouse bandwagon, but Logitech still has the widest range of mice that use the super-accurate technology. Now they've gone back and updated the G5 (some are calling it the "2007 Edition") by giving it a new look, but the most important new feature is in the second thumb button.
Yes, that's right, both Forward and Back are, well, back. Logitech's previous gaming mouse models, the MX510 and MX518, had two thumb buttons which were very handy for quick web browser shortcuts or special binds in games. For some reason, someone high-up must have complained to Logitech about their placement or something, as the G5 was introduced in 2005 with only a single thumb button. Gamers and web junkies like me loved the mouse but could never really get used to the lack of that second side button, and the tilt wheel never seemed to be much consolation to many people.
But it's back, along with all the features that make the G5 unique. The braided cord reduces its friction on your desk, although it seems the cord is no different here than with the previous G5 mice, and I can say with I think pretty good authority that if you're rough on the cord at all, the braid will come apart at places and leave strange kinks in the cord. It doesn't break the mouse or anything, but it's something you should be aware of.
Yep, the weight cartridge is back as well. The G5 comes with a nice metal tin with these little 1.7g and 4.5g weights - on the underside of the G5 there's a removable plastic casing which you can insert these weights into. Fill it up entirely for a heavy mouse, put them on one side if you like that (for some reason), or go like I did and just skip it altogether. I never thought that putting weights in your mouse were going to make you a better gamer, but I guess since Logitech was making the G5 and G7 out of the same shell (the wireless G7 had a battery that would go into that same slot on the underside of the mouse), they had to come up with something to put there.
Other new features on the G5 are a new blue/black paint job with a design thatsort of resembles dried and cracked mud. Well, other than the brown color of mud. But there's also a new textured surface on both sides of the mouse that give excellent grip while keeping a rough surface that lets your skin "breathe" a bit. Of course, the sensitivity buttons under the wheel as well as the tilt-wheel itself are all the same as before, and we still get the little LED that shows which of the 3 (expandable to 5 with Setpoint software) sensitivity settings you've chosen. You can now set the mouse to update 1000 times a second instead of the original G5's 500 times, but I honestly can't tell the difference. Doing the math, I figure that you could gain 1 millisecond in reaction speed with this update. I suppose that some gamers who absolutely have to have the best gear possible to feel like they're gaming at their peak ability would appreciate this, but I can't tell any difference.
Logitech's Setpoint software has been around for a couple of years now, and while it hasn't really changed much, I think that's probably a good thing. It uses up a decent-sized chunk of memory in Windows which could be bad if you're running on a low-RAM system, but it shouldn't make any real difference if you've got 1GB or more. Setpoint allows you to reassign buttons and set up application profiles which automatically load when certain programs start up. For example, you can set the thumb buttons to Forward and Back and the tilt actions on the wheel to Next and Previous Tab in a web browser, but then those functions can be hotkeyed to various actions in World of Warcraft whenever it's loaded up. If you set up the application profiles correctly, it's a seamless thing that works even when you start alt-tabbing between programs.
For the G-series mice, a separate feature opens up in Setpoint that allows you to set up sensitivity profiles. You can use the sensitivity buttons already assigned, or you can re-bind those buttons and put the feature somewhere else on the mouse if you want. While the G5 starts off with three sensitivity settings, they're pretty useless as the low setting is way too slow and the fast one's way too fast. But with some fine-tuning in Setpoint, you can get a nice compromise with up to 5 unique sensitivity points that are all custom-made by you.
All this sensitivity stuff might sound like total overkill for a casual gamer or someone who just wants a nice mouse to use for general Windows tasks, but it does have uses outside of hardcore gamers. You could set up low sensitivity options for pixel-by-pixel work in Photoshop, or switch to a lower setting for sniping or a high setting for driving a tank in Battlefield 2.
Even without Setpoint the G5 works in pretty much any operating system that a normal USB mouse works in, and the sensitivity buttons do work but you're stuck with the three default settings (the mouse doesn't "remember", on its own, anything you configured in Setpoint). And the laser tracking is incredibly accurate no matter where you use the G5, allowing you to sweep it across the table as fast as you can without it losing track of where it is. Wood-grain surfaces have tripped up some optical mice in the past, but they are no problem for today's generation of laser mice. Overall, there isn't a more accurate mouse that I know of on the market. Granted, other Logitech and Razer models use the same laser system for the same accuracy, and some of them are cheaper than the G5, but I think the features you get here are definitely worth the money.
There are a few smaller changes between the original G5 and this model, but most of them don't really amount to much. There have been a couple of minor adjustments to the weights and the cartridge, and the useless LED lighting up some of the bottom of the mouse, which wasn't even visible with normal use, is gone. The slick Polytetrafluoroethylene "feet" are the same as the original version, but there wasn't really a need for a change: the original G5 moved very smoothly on a good mouse pad, and so does this one.
Logitech didn't change much with their update on the G5, but they didn't really need to. It's got a great feature set and the most annoying thing about the original model, the single thumb button, has been fixed. Many retailers and online shops are still selling only the first G5 with its orange/rust color pattern, so make sure that if you buy, you're getting the new one with the black and blue design. The MSRP on this mouse is an oppressive $69.99, but if you search around you can find it for a lot less. A quick glance showed that many of the more popular sites still don't have it in stock, but as of this writing Amazon does have it for a little over $50.
Pros:
Excellent accuracy
Braided cord is unique
Setpoint works great
Sensitivity settings
Two thumb buttons!
Cons:
MSRP is discouraging
Goofy weight cartridge
Braided cord can unravel
