For the briefest of moments rumors sprung forth that Logitech was planning to abandon their successful commitment to gaming and cease production of their sought-after gaming line of PC peripherals. Thankfully such blasphemy never came to pass. The truth seemed more akin to a re-envisioning. This is probably why the G Line of peripherals appeared soon after the rumor mill died down. Read on to see what we think about it and how it fares against the best gaming mouse.
We’ve looked at mice, keyboards and headphones from this line. Yet the company has unleashed another rodent. Off the tether is the new Logitech G602 Wireless Gaming Mouse touting 250hours of battery life and 11 programmable buttons. Using the company’s convergence of sensor tech, the highly ergonomic G602 gaming mouse also boasts superior precision over both optical and laser sensor tech. This is the same Delta Zero proprietary sensor used in the G700 wireless mouse. The Logitech G700s is capable of 4000dpi. The G602 on hand today, is nearly half of that. Yet the performance is surprising at only 2500dpi. It does position this one more for RTS and MMO games than it does for faster paced first-person shooter games. But we’ll get to that in a bit.
Related: Also check out our Logitech G502 Gaming Mouse review.
The Logitech G602 package contains the G602 gaming mouse, wireless USB receiver dongle, receiver extender cable, 2 pre-installed AA batteries and user manual. I’ve always appreciated Logitech’s commitment to ergonomics in their mouse designs. It alienates left handed users while granting right-handed gamers added comfort. However, a left-handed version could arise if the initial launch continues to do well. Just plug the USB dongle into an available USB port on your PC or laptop. I chose to plug the dongle into the included extender cable. This allows the mouse to function closer to the receiving dongle and eliminates unwanted signal interference.
So far so good. The G602 is a formidable rodent with nearly as many functions as the more anchored Tt Esports VOLOS MMO gaming mouse we reviewed last week. The left side of the mouse features 6 programmable buttons. Although they appear more like slivers of buttons than full-fledged inputs. They are closed positioned and stacked in two layers of 3. You may be surprised (I was) but they are all very easy to reach with little fumbling and mistake-pressing. In front of these is an DPI LED indicator. It lights up blue to denote your current DPI setting. The DPI up and down switches are to the right of this and just left of the left-click button on the top of the mouse. There is a switch just below the mouse wheel. This is used to change the battery and performance state. Blue is the Performance setting and will extend the battery life of the dual AA batteries to a whopping 250. It’s recommended for gaming and more precision-demanding applications. Green is the Endurance mode, this is great for more casual use and web browsing. While in this state you will get an amazing 1440 hours of battery life.
Related: If you are looking for a comfortable mouse, our Mad Catz Rat 7 Steath Edition review is a must read.
Creative detail-oriented minds were at the helm in creating the G602 gaming mouse. The fit is amazing. I do wish it was a bit thicker for my wider hands as my pinky is left with little to do. There are no buttons on the right side like we found on the VOLOS. But the ergonomic well where you thumb rest is a very comfortable and makes hitting the button slivers above a simple and intuitive for tactile discernment. The right-click button is even made longer than the left-click. Makes sense–your middle finger is longer than your index finger.
It’s a well-designed mouse currently receiving much critical acclaim. Yet some have knocked it for its heavier design. It’s true, using AA batteries makes the G602 heavier than some wireless mice using a Li- solution. There is also no weigh adjustment system. However few realize, the G602 offers a single battery option to reduce weight and increase control. It does reduce the unit’s overall battery life by roughly half. But it functions without a single problem and significantly reduces the weight.
The mouse works just fine out of the box. But you will need to download the Logitech Gaming Software if you wish to adjust DPI settings for the mouse or assign a keyboard function to a specific button. You can add a moderator function. But there is no macro writing support. With the software you can set 5 different DPI settings between 250-2500. One of these is a “Shift” setting more commonly known as a “low DPI sniper” button on many other mice. Set this for super slow and precise movements. Polling rate ranges are 125, 250 and 500. I keep it at 500. I also never found the need for 2500dpi–1600 to 2250 was fine for me in all games ranging in genre from FPS games like CoD and Battlefield 4 BETA to 3rd person shooter games like Warframe and MOBA games like SMITE and DOTA. This is the most well-rounded wireless mouse I have ever tested. The Delta Zero sensor runs circles around the Twin-Eye sensor used on older MadCatz and Razer wireless mice.
Bottom Line: The Logitech G602 is an all around surprise. The company deserves massive kudos for the advancements in battery life and sensor precision. It’s not quite as precise as an Avago 9800 laser sensor. Yet it comes damn close. So much so, I can easily recommend this mouse for first-person shooter games. It makes up for any lack of precision or lag (of which I noticed none) by being completely wireless. The cord on a wired mouse can get in the way or resist movement if caught on or near another object. The comfort, freedom and precision of the G602 is amazing. The button layout is smart if a bit constrained and the software is marvelously easy to use, albeit a bit limiting by comparison.
