Category: Mice
Manufacturer: Logitech
Product: The G3
Gallery: Click Here
Price: $59.99

Logitech has been in the peripheral industry since the beginning. Their ability to design comfortable, yet functional products has made them the leader in this industry. With the refining of laser technology, comes the march of this technology into the mainstream. Leading this march is Logitech's latest gaming mouse: The G3.

The G3 comes packaged in the standard Logitech packaging: a plastic display encasing the mouse package in a turquoise and white box. The box is, however, scaled down and resembles the small software boxes. Included in the package are the mouse, a CD, and your standard manuals and paperwork. The G3 is sharp right from the get go. From the marble-like top to the DryGrip coating on the rest of the mouse, this is sleek looking mouse. More and more mice today are being built with lights galore and the G3 is a nice break from the decorative gimmick. One nice feature I noticed was the feet on the bottom. My main complaint over the years has been that Logitech needed to make the feet bigger and better. It seems they heard my cry.


I admit I am a 5-button gamer. I find it difficult to use a mouse without all 5-buttons. In a previous review, I marked down a couple of Microsoft mice based on personal preference for having the two side buttons on opposite sides rather than the same. The G3 places these side buttons on opposite sides, but the implementation is much better. The buttons are large and responsive, so they actually feel comfortable to use in this configuration.
Specifications:
System Requirements

• IBM® or compatible PC
• Windows Vista™ (requires Internet connection)
• Windows® XP or 2000
• USB port
  

Technical Specifications

• Tracking Resolution: 2000
• Image Processing: 6.4 megapixels/second
• Max. Acceleration: 20G
• Max. Speed: 45—65 inches/second (depending on surface)
• USB Data Format: 16 bits/axis
• USB Report Rate: 500 reports/second
• Sleep Mode: Disabled
• Dynamic Coefficient of friction - Mu (k): 0.09 (tested on wood-veneer desktop)
• Static Coefficient of friction - Mu (s): 0.15 (tested on wood-veneer desktop)
• Buttons (Left/Right): 8 million clicks
• Feet: 250 kilometers

The specs are promising. Resolution, maximum acceleration, and maximum speed are all high. You'll notice sleep mode is disabled. What we look for in a gaming mouse is three-fold: responsiveness, tracking, and friction. Sleep mode is disabled so that you won't lose a fraction of a second from the time you move the mouse to the time you see your crosshairs move. With sleep mode enabled, your mouse would go into "power-save" while you were playing. This would happen a lot while sniping and waiting for an opponent. When the mouse went to move it would have to power up the optical or laser engine before it could respond. Thus, gamers will love the fact that sleep mode is disabled. Let's take a look at the other factors I mentioned.