“For gamers, by gamers” may be Razer’s tagline, but
it’s the approach taken by literally every gaming hardware company out
there. The surest route to earning the respect of gaming enthusiasts is
to earn (or buy) the endorsement of professional gamers. Logitech’s
latest mouse hews close to this tradition, though with a special new
accolade: before it’s even been released, the Logitech G Pro Wireless
mouse has already won an e-sports tournament. London Spitfire, the
triumphant team at the inaugural Overwatch League championship, was using Logitech’s unannounced mouse all the way to the final.
Logitech positions the Pro Wireless as a mouse designed
by gamers themselves, and the company collaborated with more than 50 pro
gamers in shaping the new mouse. The designers went through more than a
dozen designs, taking over two years to come up with something that
looks remarkably uncomplicated, especially for gaming gear. The Pro
Wireless is ambidextrous and it has detachable side buttons — so you can
have them on the interior of your grip, no matter which hand you’re
using the mouse with. By request, the DPI toggle adjustment has been
moved to the bottom of the mouse to eliminate the chance of it being hit
accidentally during a particularly intense digital battle.
I’ve had one of these Pro Wireless mice for a couple of
days, and my initial impression is overwhelmingly positive. The matte
exterior has a nice and grippy surface, the hump of the mouse fits my
palm perfectly, and the absence of physical clutter means there’s no
adjustment period necessary. At 80g, the Pro Wireless is very light,
perhaps too light for some, and it doesn’t include any additional
weights to let you adjust it like other Logitech mice have done
previously. The magnetic latch at its bottom has a silo for the mouse’s
wireless receiver USB nub (it’s so tiny that I can hardly call it a
dongle), and I’m encouraged to report that the Pro Wireless works with
my Mac instantly and without any setup grievances. That’s not always the
case with peripherals intended for Windows gaming.
I’ve
long been a believer that gaming mice provide the best ergonomics for
all desktop PC use, not just gaming, but they’ve typically looked more
like Logitech’s Lambo-inspired G502
(which, according to Logitech, is the world’s best selling gaming mouse
ever). The Logitech Pro Wireless shows that serious gamers can survive
even without the ostentatiously angular designs, and I can imagine it
residing on an office desk just as easily as it did by the side of
London Spitfire’s Profit, the MVP of the Overwatch League Grand Finals.
Profit has given Logitech a glowing endorsement, calling the Pro
Wireless “a god mouse” that “helped [him] win the MVP.” He’s probably
contractually bound to be so effusive, but the fact he chose to use this
new wireless mouse for a game as hectic as Overwatch does speak to its responsiveness and reliability.
In terms of hard specs, Logitech is introducing a new
Hero 16K sensor, which, as usual, is claimed to be the company’s finest
ever. It goes from 100 to 16,000 DPI and can track movements at a rate
of more than 400 inches per second (IPS). The previous high mark for
Logitech was 384 IPS, and apparently the company’s measuring rig can
only test up to 400 IPS, so the speed and responsiveness of this sensor
are literally off the charts. Logitech also claims a 10x improvement in
energy efficiency with this new wireless mouse, rating the battery
inside the Pro Wireless to last for 48 hours on a charge. When that runs
out, you can use the provided cable to tether and charge the mouse, or,
alternatively, you can pair this mouse with one of Logitech’s excellent
wireless-charging mouse pads and never worry about charging it again.
Other neat touches about the Pro Wireless design that I
appreciate: The mouse feet on the bottom are positioned in the areas
that typically get the most wear and tear from users that lift their
mouse off the mat often (primarily FPS players). The battery is placed
directly at the center of the mouse, balancing the weight nicely. The
mouse buttons have been upgraded to a more durable set that is rated to
withstand 50 million clicks (putting Logitech in line with Razer and
other competitors who’ve hit the same figure). And the mouse wheel has a
spoked design, which is just pretty to look at.
Logitech is today also upgrading its wired Pro Gaming mouse
by putting the new Hero 16K sensor inside it along with the same
50-million-clicks mouse buttons as can be found in the Pro Wireless. The
Pro Gaming cord is also being changed from braided to a more flexible
plastic sheathing, which is something gamers had been asking for,
according to Logitech. The two-year-old Logitech Pro Gaming keeps its
price of $69.99, while the new Logitech Pro Wireless mouse gets a
sticker of $149.99, with both available to buy immediately.
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