A mouse is a mouse, right? Well, it is if you’re messing about in spreadsheets or doing some of that surfing the Intertubes stuff. But when it comes to gaming it’s the mouse that’s your interface, and finding something that feels right is a hard task.
I have used loads of the little blighters over the years, most recently and probably for the longest period of time the wired Razer Death Adder. In fact, I’m on my second of these at the moment. I have generally steered away from wireless mice but Elly in the office here uses a Logitech wireless mouse which has its own rechargeable docking station which I have to say it is pretty nifty. It’s a nice mouse but for a super elite gamer such as myself *cough* I want something pro.
Enter the Logitech G602, a wireless battery powered mouse aimed squarely at the gamer. This offering from Logitech is actually quite a decent looking mouse, though what it looks like is probably a secondary concern for most. It’s all about how it feels in the hand, performance, and in the case of all wireless peripherals, the battery life.
The first noticeable thing about the G602 is the weight. The mouse takes two AA batteries and when these are both inserted the mouse does feel a little on the heavy side. Logitech have a trick up their sleeves though as one of the batteries can be removed to reduce the weight. Cunning. Compared to a wired mouse it may still feel a little on the heavy side, even with just the one battery, but that’s down to personal preference.
Let’s talk battery life. If you have a wireless mouse you’ll know that it’s a right pain when the batteries die right in the middle of some serious gaming action. The G602 claims to offer up to 250 hours of use when switched to ‘Performance’ mode, which you will want active for better response times when gaming. When switched to what Logitech call ‘Endurance’ mode, the batteries will apparently last up to 1400 hours which is not at all shoddy. And rather difficult to test.
When looking at the other wireless Logitech mouse across the office nestling in its nice charging station I can’t help but think that something similar for the G602 would be handy. There has to be some technological reason for the lack of charge station, probably something to do with the pixel-precise targeting that’s one of the main features of the G602. Perhaps there’s a trade off that has to be made to make this a gaming mouse with all its precision. I’m no mouse engineer but the Logitech boffins presumably know what they’re doing. I hope.
Let’s look at the tech behind this mouse. For anyone really concerned about the response times, the magic numbers range from 250 DPI up to 2500 DPI thanks to the sensitivity switches on the top left of the device. These can be instantly toggled higher or lower depending on what you’re doing with small blue lights indicating the current sensitivity setting. The positioning of these buttons next to the main left mouse button make them easy to toggle, which could be useful with a bit of practice in-game.
No gaming mouse would be complete without 8 billion programmable buttons and the G602 certainly has enough to be getting on with. Tucked next to the thumb are six buttons which can all be assigned different jobs. They’re not the most attractive looking buttons but they have been designed in such a way to stick out as ridges so the thumb can easily feel each one. Again, it will take some practice to make the best use of these, but they are quite recognisable by feel when resting the thumb on the thumb rest.
The mouse also comes with an extension cable which the very small USB receiver can be slotted into. The receiver can then be positioned closer to the mouse so there’s no interference. It basically means it’s up to you where you place the receiver for the best performance. The USB receiver is really small and could be easily lost so my advice would be to leave it firmly attached to the cable anyway. Unless you have an absurdly clean desk at all times. The mouse utilises all the bandwidth on a USB port too, which brings improved latency.
The G602 is a little longer than I’m used to but it is actually a near perfect fit in my hand. The top of the mouse also features a matt finish in an effort to minimise slippage when moving it frantically in a fire fight. Again, it’s actually quite an attractive looking device overall when you compare it to other gaming specific mice on the market. More importantly, it feels comfortable.
Price wise the G602 is not the cheapest mouse on the market with a RRP of around £69.99 but if you hunt around they can be picked up for around the £60 mark. Then again, when have specialist gaming mice ever been cheap?
After clicking away frantically with the G602 for the past few weeks in games such as Battlefield 4 and Diablo 3: Reaper of Souls, I’m impressed with the feel and performance. It’s certainly one of the better gaming mice I’ve used recently. If the idea of a wireless battery powered mouse puts you off then perhaps this isn’t for you, but it is a decent piece of kit and worth a look if you don’t mind charging and replacing batteries. Still wish it had that charging station though.
Now let’s hope those batteries last as long as they claim and don’t fail just as I’m about to pull the trigger on a sniper rifle.
