Reviewed by Barry Little - January 25, 2008

Manufacturer: Logitech

Model Number: 910-000173

Price: Check Amazon.com or Shopping.com

Lately, it seems that gaming mice are following the lead of processors back in the day when “More MHz” was marketed as the answer to everything. Manufacturers are locked in their own version of the arms race as they crank out mice with the emphasis on speed, speed, and more speed. Higher resolutions. Faster image processing, acceleration and USB polling rates. While it’s debatable whether or not all of this speed brings any real-world benefits to the table—unless you’re a member of a professional gaming league or your point of origin is the planet Krypton—one company has focused on both performance and features that brings more than eye-popping specs and a few tangible benefits to the gaming experience. So let’s take a look at Logitech’s latest flagship gaming mouse that not only is fast, but allows you to “Tune For The Way You Play”—the Logitech G9 Laser Mouse.

About Logitech

Founded in 1981, Logitech designs, manufactures and markets personal peripherals that enable people to effectively work, play and communicate in the digital world. The company's products combine essential core technologies, continuing innovation, award-winning industrial design and excellent price performance…

…Logitech continues to broaden its product offering and its presence in the retail sector. This is fueled by a trend among consumers to enhance their basic PC systems with more fully featured personal peripherals that add functionality and cordless freedom to their desktops.

They are also purchasing supplementary devices designed for new applications and specific purposes such as gaming, multimedia, or audio and visual communication over the Internet. Further, Logitech’s retail business includes personal peripherals for platforms beyond the PC, such as gaming consoles, portable music players, mobile phones and home-entertainment systems.

Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and in the U.S. on the Nasdaq National Market System (LOGI).

Feature Overview

Performance

● Interchangeable Grips: Use the included Wide Load and Precision grips to get a fit and feel that’s best for your playing style. The satin texture and fuller shape of Wide Load add extra comfort while the DryGrip technology plus compact shape of the Precision grip give you unmatched fingertip control.

 

● 3200 dpi laser engine with Full-Speed USB: Get uncompromising speed and accuracy from a high-performance Gaming-Grade laser engine—plus instant cursor response with Full-Speed USB (up to 1000 reports/second).

 

● Game settings to go: Take your personal mouse preferences with you. The G9 saves mouse settings in onboard memory—store up to 5 profiles (including keyboard macros, dpi settings, and LED color) on the mouse and play your way—without additional software installation*—on other PCs**.

Control

● MicroGear™ Precision Scroll Wheel: Use Logitech’s exclusive MicroGear™ scrolling technology for precise, click-to-click scrolling—perfect for quick weapon selection. Or switch modes for frictionless, hyper-fast scrolling.

 

● Adjustable sensitivity: Shift from pixel-precise targeting to lightning-fast maneuvers without pausing the action. The G9 gives you instant access to multiple sensitivity levels between 200 and 3200 dpi, without driver installation.

 

● Weight tuning system: Prefer a heavier or lighter mouse? Use the weight cartridge and up to 28 grams of metal weights to customize your G9 for just the right feel.

 

● Polytetrafluoroethylene feet: Super-slick feet glide effortlessly across almost any surface.

Comfort and Convenience

● Custom-color LEDs: A color LED display indicates the current sensitivity level and profile settings. Personalize the color LED display by choosing from hundreds of colors.

 

● More grip styles: Swap out your grip for a new look and feel. In addition to the provided Wide Load and Precision grips, other grip styles are available for purchase.

 

 

*SetPoint required for initial setup

 

**Some profile settings require SetPoint to be enabled and are not supported on Macintosh, Linux and earlier Windows-based operating systems.

Packaging

As with all their premier products, the Logitech G9 Laser Mouse ships in their signature high tech green and orange packaging. "Gaming," and "Tuned for the way you play,” icons of the mouse’s gaming-oriented features, pictures of its swappable grips on the front of the box, and the G9 itself displayed prominently through the large blister pack bubble, leaves no doubt. The primary mission of the Logitech G9is to help you maximize on and dominate your games, by providing you with an unprecedented level of customization to help make your gaming experience a more personalized one. Features, specifications, package contents and system requirements are summarized on the sides of the box. Open front flap of the box, and you’ll find photo-illustrated diagram of the Logitech G9's and its features. The extra mouse grip is displayed in an “alcove” behind a contoured plastic bubble on the opposite side. To leave no doubt in what you're getting, the features of the G9 are summarized on the back of the box accompanied by dramatic and informative illustrations.

Once you've opened the box and unpacked everything you'll find the Logitech G9 with the Wide Load Mouse Grip installed; the Precision Gaming Grip; an aluminum storage case containing the Tuning Weights for the mouse, and a CD-sized cardboard envelope containing the Installation Guide, and the prerequisite multilingual guide on using your new Logitech G9 Laser Mouse safely. What you won't find, is the usual installation CD, containing drivers and control panel software which is usually outdated by the time you actually purchase the mouse. Instead, you have to download the latest drivers and software directly from Logitech's website—a practice that you should follow anyway, to get the most out of your hardware. I'd like to see more PC hardware vendors do the same. It would help the environment by cutting back on millions of unused CD discs tossed in the trash (to say nothing of the amount of useless clutter it would reduce in almost as many desk drawers across the nation). And the money hardware vendors would save by not having to print them up and include them with their products in the first place, could be passed on to consumers.

The Mouse

It might be assumed that the Logitech G9 Laser Mouse is the replacement for the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse (which has gone through a revision of the original model, including a special Battlefield 2142 Edition). However, the G9 is positioned as the company's flagship gaming mouse for gamers looking for the ultimate in flexibility and customization. Shorter in length and height than the G5, the Logitech G9 Laser Mouse almost resembles some of Logitech's earlier mice. One feature that the G9 shares with the G5, is a 7-foot long braided nylon mouse cord. The flexibility of the cord won't cramp your style compared to other mice with stiffer vinyl cords. Its longer-than-average length ensures that you won't come up short whether plugging your Logitech G9 into a rig sitting on or under a desk. However, unlike most mice aimed at gamers, the G9 does not have a gold-plated USB connector. It has always been debatable whether a gold-plated USB connector actually "improves" data transmission and mouse performance. I suspect that until someone comes up with some type of benchmark that actually proves otherwise, gold-plated USB connectors will continue to come under question as little more than a marketing gimmick to help justify the higher costs of gaming mice.

The problem in designing a mouse—especially one for the demands and rigorous of gaming—is that when it comes to ergonomics, one size does not fit all, or every situation. Everyone's hand and mousing style is different. Throw games that demand varying degrees of speed, precision and accuracy plus an increasing number of commands that require more buttons into the mix, and the challenge of creating a mouse that works well for all types of games and gamers becomes even more difficult. Fortunately, Logitech has gone to great lengths in addressing these challenges in their design of the G9 Laser Mouse.

Since performance plays a major role in gaming mice, Logitech made sure that there was plenty on tap for the Logitech G9. Its user-selectable resolution can be adjusted from 200 DPI all the way up to 3200 DPI—1200 DPI higher than the G5. The G9’s USB polling rate has also been upped over the G5—from 500 to 1000ms. The G9’s image processing power of 6.4 megapixels/second, its maximum speed of 45-65 inches/second, and 20g maximum acceleration specs however, are identical to its older brother, the G5. Logitech is obviously confident that the G9 Laser Mouse is more than capable of keeping up with any games you can throw at it.

The two large primary buttons flank Logitech's patented MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel, which can be switched from precise, click-to-click scrolling, to detent-free ‘hyper-scrolling.” The scroll wheel also supports side scrolling—a handy feature for navigating through spreadsheets, web browsers in full-screen mode, and so on. Although this feature has been available on Logitech and other mice for quite some time, unfortunately, you can probably count all of the games on your right hand that actually support it.

Just below the left mouse button you'll find a smaller rocker switch labeled with a "+" and "-" symbol. This is the button for selecting In-game Sensitivity (DPI) and Profile Switching--which is indicated on the customizable color LED Display directly beneath it.  On the left-hand side of the mouse, you'll find the Back and Forward Thumb Buttons. Directly behind it, is the Grip Release Button.

Turning the Logitech G9 Laser Mouse over, you'll find a large pair of Polytetrafluoroethylene (otherwise known as Teflon) feet on the front and back, plus one on the bottom of the grip, which ensures silky-smooth gliding over almost any surface. Sitting off-center is the heart of the Logitech G9—the 3200 DPI Gaming Grade Laser Engine. Just above it, is the MicroGear Scroll Wheel Mouse Switch Button, which allows you to switch scrolling modes on the G9’s scroll wheel. To the left, is the Profile Button, which allows you to manually toggle through profiles stored in the mouse’s-board memory.

Because the shape and weight of the mouse plays a major role in user comfort, the G9 comes with two swappable mouse grips. The Wide Load Mouse Grip is installed on the mouse out of the box. With a satin rubberized finish and a generous, sculptured thumb rest, the Wide Load Grip is suitable for individuals with medium to large-sized hands who are more comfortable using the mouse with their palm—that is to say, by resting the bulk of their hand’s weight on top of the mouse through their palm, while using it. The Precision Grip has a narrower profile and thumb rest. As a result also lacks a Teflon foot on the bottom, though this doesn't affect how smoothly it glides across a surface. Users with small, narrow hands looking for a mouse with better fingertip control, or tend to use the mouse primarily with their fingertips, will probably prefer to use the Precision Grip. Designed to absorb perspiration, Logitech’s DryGrip coating on the Precision Grip makes it ideal for those long and intense gaming sessions at home or at LAN parties. Swapping out the grips on the Logitech G9 is as easy as pressing the Grip Release Button on the back of the mouse, popping off one grip, and snapping on the other. The metal pins and grooves inside the grips that they latch onto, are designed well enough so that you don’t have to worry about premature wear or breakage no matter how frequently you swap the grips around.

Removing the grip is also the only way to access the Weight Tuning Cartridge inside the Logitech G9. The ability to adjust the weight and feel of the mouse was made popular on the G5 several years ago. Logitech has made a few changes and enhancements to the feature for the G9.

The Logitech G9 Laser Mouse comes with a set of eight weights—four 4g, and four 7g—compared to the sixteen weights of the G5 (eight 1.7g and eight 4.5g). As you might have guessed, the G9 holds half as many weights as the G5. With all four 7g weights installed, the Logitech G9 can put on an additional 28g of weight, compared to 36 g of the Logitech G5 with its eight 4.5g weights installed, technically making the G9 lighter than its predecessor—though the additional weight of the interchangeable grips may balance things out. One improvement over the G5 is the shape of the G9’s tuning weights. Their square shape makes it easier to swap them in and out of the redesigned weight cartridge than the Logitech G5, whose weights used rubber "O-rings" to help secure them inside the G5 weight cartridge. As a result, they had a tendency of being difficult to remove from the cartridge without the help of a pen or similar object.

Installation and Testing

Naturally, if you want to maximize on all the features of your Logitech, G9 Laser Mouse, you’ll need to install the SetPoint software to do so (again, SetPoint is not required to use the stored profiles in the G9’s onboard memory if you plug it into another PC or laptop). As of this writing, Build 175 is the latest version of SetPoint 5.0 available on Logitech's website. Weighing in at 19MB, there are separate executables for Windows XP and Vista 32-bit, and Windows XP and Vista 64-bit, that will install SetPoint 5.0 and the necessary drivers for the Logitech G9, to your system (users of earlier versions of Windows are out of luck).

After you’ve downloaded the drivers, simply plug the G9 into an available USB port, run the SetPoint executable you downloaded from Logitech, and in less than a minute, the little SetPoint icon should appear in the system tray. Double-click on the icon, launch SetPoint, and you’re ready to start creating profiles and customizing your mouse. Unlike Razer’s gaming mice, if you unplug the G9 and plug it into a different USB port than the one you used when you installed the SetPoint software and drivers, you won’t have to uninstall and re-install SetPoint again to recognize the mouse on the new port. To this day, I never could figure out what’s up with that, with Razer’s mice. Score one for Logitech…

Logitech’s SetPoint Version 5.0 software gets a long overdue and major facelift over previous versions. In addition, SetPoint 5.0 supports the Logitech G9 Laser Mouse exclusively, and is not compatible with other Logitech mice. The redesigned interface is much cleaner and easier to navigate with an Explorer-style tool bar, and an Outlook-style sidebar menu dressed up at the same orange, high-tech aurora design used on the boxes of Logitech's gaming products. Overall, it's an improvement, and it looks pretty good, if not a bit “Microsoft centric.”