Logitech have been in the gaming mouse market for some time. While the MX-510 was the first major “hit” they released upon the unsuspecting masses, they've since released a staggering number of mice which have gradually improved on previous models.

The latest of these is the G9x, which takes 2007's G9, and ups the ante with a 5000 DPI “next generation gaming laser”, on board memory, a weight tuning system (which has evolved greatly since the G5 introduced this feature), the ability to pick what colour you'd like the pretty lights to be, and of course, the trademark “MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel” found on many newer Logitech mice.

All up, the G9x presents quite a formidable and fully featured package, topping it all off with two interchangeable and highly different grips. It is a wired mouse, and is capable of a 1000Hz polling rate, much like the offerings from Razer. The mouse uses a braided cable, which helps to alleviate cable clutter behind your PC, and is a welcome addition to any peripheral that gets moved about or used a lot, such as headphones and mice.

First impressions after removing the mouse from the package: It’s tiny. This is no G5 or Mamba, and initially gives you little space to rest the entire weight of your hand on the mouse. Initially, the first reaction is to “claw” the mouse, giving you little accuracy and a fast way to get hand cramps. After adapting to the mouse's size (and adjusting my grip accordingly) the mouse becomes quite comfortable, with the two side buttons within easy reach during both normal usage and gaming.

Before testing actually began, of course, there was the issue of software and drivers. Like other Logitech mice, the G9x uses the Setpoint software to look after macros, profiles, and on the fly DPI changes, along with LED colour selection for controlling the aesthetics. LED lighting can be chosen from the same pool of 16 colours as the G13 and the G19, allowing you match the peripheral to your personal colour preferences. The macro software functions as it is supposed to, and you can even store five macro and DPI profiles on the mouse itself using the built in memory.

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

The profiles can be recalled at a PC without the Setpoint software installed by pressing a button found on the base of the mouse, allowing you to take your mouse with you wherever you go along with the macros and DPI settings just as you like them. Another button on the base of the mouse controls the behaviour of the scroll wheel, allowing you to switch from frictionless scrolling to navigate long documents, or traditional, tactile, gear based scrolling that is present on most other mice.

You can enter Macros of any acceptable length, and most users shouldn't encounter any instances that cause macros to be clipped by potential software limitations. There is the ability to assign macros delays, keystrokes, combinations of keystrokes and pretty much every mouse / keyboard input you can think of to the G9x buttons.

The sensitivity of the mouse can be set in stages, which is fully user-configurable within the Setpoint software. The sensitivity stages can then be changed on the fly via two small but clearly marked toggle buttons that are found at the bottom of the left mouse button. Near them reside the LEDs, which can be configured to change colours depending on the profile you're using, and change to indicate how high (or low) the current mouse sensitivity is. The software and hardware work well together, and are easy to configure and use. The software will automatically switch profiles based on what application you've currently got running, and is, as expected, instant.

F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin

The review was conducted using mainly the grey “Wide Load” grip, as I personally found it more ergonomic than the black “Precision” grip. Testing of the G9x took place over the period of around a fortnight, and encompassed general windows usage, gaming, and some light (but not particularly intensive) work within Photoshop. Games used in the review process included my usual line up for more recent mouse reviews – Dawn of War II, F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, and World in Conflict. This time I added something new to the fray – Sacred 2 – Fallen Angel, replacing the click-fest RPGs that I've used in the past (and played to death) with something I haven't played so much.

So now, we get on to the results of the actual testing, which like all peripherals, can be considered to be subjective.

The first game used in the testing was Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II. The battles the mouse helped me fight were mainly online ranked games, 3v3. The mouse tracked very well during play, and did not seem to show any issues. Spamming clicks everywhere to control my units was responsive, and the tiny grooves on both the left and right mouse buttons helped to keep my fingers in place during play. The scroll wheel didn't see much use in-game, (bar zooming out the camera slightly at the beginning of each skirmish) and was “fun” to play with (on frictionless mode) while waiting for match making. I don't use any macros in Dawn of War II, so the macro functionality of the mouse was reserved for other games.

World in Conflict

The next game that was tested with the mouse was F.E.A.R 2: Project Origin. In game, I found the buttons that allow you to change the sensitivity of the mouse on the fly to be slightly “out of the way” in the middle of a fire fight, forcing me to either miss a shot, or change sensitivity before an engagement. This is a minor issue, and not deal-breaking, as the mouse remains very accurate even at higher sensitivity levels. The side buttons were used for grenades, and they remained within easy reach while fighting enemies. The risk of accidentally triggering the side buttons is minimal, which is a good thing, given that a live grenade at your feet isn't a good thing should your hand slip. The side buttons offer a little bit of resistance to prevent accidental triggering, but not enough to make even the weak and feeble to actually press them.

Next up in the testing was World in Conflict, which formed the basis of macro testing for the G9x. Like my previous mouse and peripheral reviews, I created a set of macros for each role that I play, and switched between them in the middle of a game with absolutely no issues. The side buttons were used excessively, and after a few short tests, I re-mapped the sensitivity buttons to allow for even more macros after finding the sensitivity that felt “right” for the game. While the macro functionality is easy to use and can considerably improve your game, I found myself playing the way I normally do – simply using keyboard shortcuts.

Sacred II

The final game test was Sacred 2 – Fallen Angel – a hack ‘n’slash RPG executed in the style of Diablo. Both left click and right click are the main buttons used in the game, along with the scroll wheel to control the game's camera. The frictionless scroll wheel was nice in Sacred 2, as it allowed for a quick flick to get a broader overview of the surrounding environment and likewise to move into a more closely cropped perspective of a battle to target the highest priority monster within a mob. It is a feature that makes the mouse very enticing, at first you think “Yay! Fun gimmick!” but once you stop using the G9x and go back to another mouse without frictionless scrolling, it is a feature that at times, you'll miss. The mouse performed in the same manner in Sacred II as it did in other games, that is to say - accurately, even at higher DPI settings.

While games did form the majority of testing, regular desktop use, browsing and e-mail were also considered in the final review score. General windows usage felt nice, and the scroll wheel helped trawling through large e-mail inboxes, and multi-page PDF documents with ease, definitely improving my personal productivity. At times, the scroll wheel (in frictionless mode, at least) can be a bit of a pain, as it is easy to apply too much force to the wheel, and it spins for a long time before stopping, unless you manually interrupt it.

In light Photoshop work (which mainly involved cropping images and organising some batch processing of photographs) the mouse behaved well, and the ability to drop down as low as 200 DPI allows you to achieve pixel-perfect cropping. Again, the frictionless scroll wheel rears its head once more (especially if you use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in Photoshop), and is a feature that is missed when using other mice.

The key selling point of the G9x is that appeals to people looking for a completely new mouse. Those who already own a G9 probably won't be enticed to make the upgrade, but those who are still loyal to their G5, MX-510 or similar may want to sustain their brand loyalty with an upgrade to the G9x.

It is a competent mouse, and comfortable after getting used to its quirks. If you've got a larger hand, you'll probably find yourself using the “Wide Load” grip, which also provides support for your thumb. It is still a right handed mouse, but, it can be used somewhat comfortably with the left hand with the exception of the side buttons.

While the G9x can't go as far as the Razer Mamba in terms of raw DPI, (with a maximum of 5000 vs 5600 DPI), in the real world, anything over 3600 is pretty unmanageable (unless you've got a giant monitor). If you don't need the mouse to be wireless, the G9x is a reasonable mouse for the price (ignoring the AU$199.95 RRP) as it can be picked up far cheaper than RRP. While it is still a little bit on the expensive side, it does everything it says it does with competence, and doesn't really have any outstanding flaws.

9 / 10