Following Logitech’s announcement about the availability of their G line of products, they offered a G500s Laser Gaming Mouse to test and review. Until the G500s arrived, I have been using the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse for the past six years. It is durable, precise, corded, and works great. That actually set the benchmark higher for the G500s Laser Gaming Mouse in order for it to impress me.
The Logitech G5 set the bar to a point where going from a laser mouse to an optical one would be a difficult transition. The G500s improves everything about the G5. It offers a wider range of sensitivity (400 DPI to 4000 DPI), programmable controls, and the new surface.
The Logitech G line introduced the G700s rechargeable gaming mouse, the G500s Laser gaming mouse, the G400s Optical gaming mouse, and the G100s Optical gaming mouse. Now many of these are refreshes of their previous models but it will be interesting to see where Logitech pushes their G line in the future.
The main thing about the G line has been the push for science-based improvements. Another sign of life in the new line is the support for Mac OS X with the Logitech Gaming Software. Now, the only people missing out are Linux users and the left-handed.
Back to the Logitech G500s, the mouse continues Logitech’s excellent track record. The mouse is durable, solid-feeling, comfortable, and precise. It also retains the ability to tune the weight with the provided cartridge and various weights. You can also change the sensitivity using the on-mouse buttons in the middle of a game. The mouse still has the braided cable which just adds a little bit of polish to the finished product.
New features include the surface, which is smooth and will make easier to clean than the gritty, somewhat abrasive feel of the G5. You can also change the scroll wheel functionality from a smooth scroll to a click-by-click operation. The mouse features on-board memory so you can configure it once and move it to different PCs easily.
The Logitech G500s packaging is also well done. It has an aesthetic appeal to it and secure packaging while remaining pretty easy to unpack.
The Logitech G500s keeps a good thing going that I enjoyed with the G5. With slight improvements, it’s an easy recommendation for a corded, laser mouse. See the G500s product page for full technical specifications.
If you already have the Logitech G500 or Logitech G5 and they are working well, I think it would be hard to justify spending the money. Instead, you might check out the Logitech G700s to see a cordless laser mouse that can be recharged and connected at the same high data report speed.