Review: Logitech G600 MMO Gaming Mouse

While we certainly love a good first person shooter, there’s immense value and achievement to be garnered from MMO type games. The only problem with gaming accessories such as mice is that most are designed with FPS in mind meaning all of those extra actions require using keyboard shortcuts, slowing you down and making the overall enjoyment of said game less than optimal. That’s where Logitech hopes to win you over with their G600 MMO gaming mouse, complete with 18 buttons (3 main buttons on top + slide wheel + dpi up/down + 12 thumb).

Hardware

In terms of hardware, we’re really liking the G600. Compared to the most obvious competitor, the Razer Naga, the G600 excels in some ways. For starters, we like the soft touch feel as it is smooth yet resistant to hand clamminess.

The top index finger buttons aren’t a pair as is standard in the mouse world, but instead a trio. It caught us off guard and was a bit odd to use at first but after a few days we grew use to it and actually enjoyed the added utility it brought. Speaking of which, by default the far right button which rests under your ring finger (for most anyway) is a G-shift button which toggles between a 1/2 mode for the 12-button cluster on the side meaning you essentially have 24 custom actions at your thumb’s disposal.

Situated where one would expect it is the scrolling and clicking scroll wheel. Though, unlike other higher-end Logitech mice, the click-to-activate/deactivate feature that allows the scroll wheel to freely spin or granularly rotate isn’t present on the G600. We don’t feel it is a make or break situation for most. That said, we still miss it immensely, especially for internet browsing sessions where free scrolling is much more useful than granular functionality.

The 12-button cluster on the side of the G600 is the real meat of this mouse. And we’re proud to say that Logitech has done their research. The 3 x 4 layout features raised edges that help your thumb pick out and identify individual buttons far easier than one would expect, and actually makes it a bit faster in our opinion than the Razer Naga. That said, the actual click feel of the buttons is a bit off. It’s slightly spongy at first with an odd resistance that finally results in a healthy click. While it’s hard to find the right way to describe it, we’ll say that it does feel a tad “cheap”, more-so than the Naga’s buttons. Aside from that, it’s also worth pointing out that the 12-button cluster on the side features complete, multi-color backlit functionality that can be customized by Logitech’s software. Options for the G600′s lighting include constant and pulsating color among others. As noted above, the G-shift middle index button allows the 12-button cluster to operate as 24 individual buttons.

One last gripe we have revolves around DPI, or more importantly, the inability to adjust it on the fly on the mouse alone; it requires setting the levels on the PC software. So if you want custom DPI settings in the 3 available profiles, you’ll need to use the software – a problem for some. But truth be told, DPI switching isn’t nearly as important in MMO type games as it is in FPS. Still, the option to change it without the software would have been nice.

Software

Logitech’s software has never been particularly well done. And over the years in which have seen various iterations and re-brandings, that same feeling remains. The current G600 software isn’t the best in terms of UI, layout or actual use. And as we’ve seen from other users online (support forums in particular), the software can sometimes be buggy when programming keys, in particular, DPI settings. That said, *most* of the time, programming the various buttons isn’t the worst experience we’ve encountered and is in fact rather hassle free.

Potentially making matters frustrating for some users is that even though the G600 can run off of stored profiles on the mouse (negating the need for the Logitech software to be installed), it does so in a reduced functionality mode. Things like context switching of button profiles isn’t supported when running in onboard mode.

Verdict

For gamers wanting more functionality from their mouse, the G600 is definitely worth a solid look. The 12-button cluster while feeling slightly cheap to the touch, is better laid out than its most closest competitor, the Razer Naga. On top of that, the additional G-shift button next to the normal left/right mouse buttons up top and the additional button mappings it allows is highly appreciated.

Outside of hardware, the software is a bit problematic for reasons noted above. But once you get your initial profile(s) set up, diving into the software isn’t really needed, lessening the stinging factor of the software. Overall a good buy for the more die-hard MMO gamers out there.

More: Logitech – G600 ($79.99)