[Special feature] Try Logitech's high-end mouse "Wireless Mouse G700" --PC Watch

Logitech Co., Ltd. announced the high-end mouse "Wireless Mouse G700" that claims to be "creative professional specifications". Prior to the launch, I had the opportunity to try out the product, so I would like to deliver an impression while comparing it with the company's "Performance Mouse M950," which I usually use.

● Compatible with both wired and wireless

This product has some major features. First, it supports both wired and wireless. Earlier I wrote that this product is a creative professional specification. In other words, it is aimed at users who perform detailed work with a mouse such as photo retouching, 3D modeling, and CAD. However, in the United States, where the product was announced before Japan, this product is positioned as a gaming mouse under the product name "Wireless Gaming Mouse G700". It seems that the difference in positioning is due to marketing reasons, but in any case, there is no doubt that this product is also intended for game use.

The wireless communication of this product has a polling rate of 1,000Hz.

In that sense, wireless mice tend to be shunned by core gamers. The main reason for this is that wireless polling rates are generally low, making it unsuitable for action games that require agile operation. Therefore, this product has developed a dedicated wireless adapter and realized a high polling rate of up to 1,000Hz, which is the same as wired, to dispel this anxiety.

Also, of course, even if you move the mouse a lot, the cable will not block the movement, which will be an appealing point regardless of whether you are a gamer or not.

On the other hand, wireless mice have the restriction that they must be charged. It's also a problem that the battery runs out during work and the work is interrupted, but for gamers this is a life-and-death problem to put it exaggeratedly.

With that in mind, the number of products that can be charged while using them by connecting a USB cable has increased recently. When citing the company's product, "MX Revolution" can not be charged unless it leans against the charging stand, and the mouse could not be used while charging, but with Performance Mouse M950, it becomes a cable type charging and work is interrupted. Never.

The Wireless Mouse G700 can also be charged at any time with a cable. However, unlike the Performance Mouse M950, if you connect a USB cable, this product will also communicate via the USB cable. Even if it is wired, the polling rate does not change at a maximum of 1,000Hz. As far as I confirmed with the company, there is no difference in communication performance between the two, such as latency.

The battery is not required when connected by wire, so it will work even if it is removed. This product comes with an eneloop that weighs 26g, and the body weight including the battery is 151g, so if you feel this is a little heavy (limited to wired connections), you can reduce the body weight to 125g.

The included USB cable not only charges but also communicates	When the cable is connected to the main body
The attached battery is AA eneloop	Works even if the battery is removed when connected by wire

As a digression, the former is prioritized between wired and wireless. So, for example, the wireless adapter is so small that you can always leave it on your laptop, use it on the go, and connect it to a USB cable connected to your desktop PC at work or at home, and it will instantly become a desktop mouse. Although it is a rare case, it can be used for the time being.

In addition, although the USB cable connection terminal of the mouse is micro USB, it exists in a slightly recessed place inside the main body, so if the cable is lost or damaged, the width of the connector may interfere with the general-purpose cable and it may not be possible to connect properly. (Of course, even if it is connected, the operation is not guaranteed).

● Equipped with 13 buttons

The second feature is the number of buttons, which is 13. In addition to the left and right buttons, there are wheels (three for pushing + left and right tilt), one in front of the wheel, three near the left button, and four buttons on the thumb.

3 buttons next to the left button	4 on the thumb	There is also one in front of the wheel.Another similar button is dedicated to wheel mode switching

I haven't looked into it, but I think there are few gaming mice with so many buttons. Rather, even if you prepare so many buttons, it can be useless because there are almost no assignments to that extent on the game side.

Rather, this point would be suitable for creative work. For example, by assigning frequently used functions such as copy, paste, and enlargement / reduction, you can work with one touch without opening the software menu. Of course, keystrokes can also be assigned, so the range of applications is wide.

Up to 5 allocations can be saved in the internal memory as a profile. Saved profiles can be switched automatically by detecting active applications, as well as manually switching by pressing the assigned button. This not only allows you to switch profiles instantly according to the situation, but also allows you to use the same settings by connecting to another PC. Using Macro Manager, you can register and assign fairly complicated keystrokes.

Make various assignments and changes using the SetPoint utility	Button function assignment screen
Up to 5 profiles can be saved in memory in the mouse	A macro manager for registering macros is also prepared.

The wheel has a high-speed scroll function, which is familiar to the company's high-end products. Normally, there is a click feeling when rotating, which is indispensable for enlargement / reduction and switching weapons in the game, but when you press the button in front, the click feeling disappears and it rotates smoothly. In this mode, if you turn it so that you play it strongly, it will rotate at high speed and for a long time due to inertia, so it is effective for viewing vertically long documents.

● Can be set from 200 to 5,700 dpi in 100 dpi increments

This point is not unique to this product, but the high performance of the optical sensor is not ashamed of the name of professional specifications. The resolution is 200-5,700dpi, the maximum acceleration is 30G, the maximum speed is 165 inches / sec, and the image process is 12 million pixels / sec, which is the same performance as the company's "G9x".

Pointer settings can be done in great detail.Polling rate can also be changed

You can specify up to 5 resolutions in 100dpi increments. It can be said that the design is strongly conscious of gamers that the resolution switching stage can be specified to less than 5 and different resolutions can be assigned to the X-axis and Y-axis. In addition, the time to go to sleep can be switched in 3 stages.

[Apology and correction] It was said that the transition to sleep could be disabled when it first appeared, but it cannot actually be done. We apologize for the correction.

In addition to this, you can switch between speed, acceleration, and the presence or absence of correction called angle snap. The angle snap is a correction that makes the human hand shake a little even if the mouse is moved straight, but it corrects this and draws a straight trajectory, but it can be disabled if it is unnecessary.

As for the polling rate, 125/200/250/333 / 500Hz can be selected in addition to 1,000Hz. The higher the value, the higher the followability, but at the same time, the CPU load also increases. PCs that use this mouse seem to be relatively high-performance, but a wide range of settings is welcome. However, as far as we verified this time, even if the polling rate was lowered, the MouseTest described later always detected a value of around 1,000Hz. Apparently there is a problem with the software.

● How is the actual usability?

Let's see the actual usability. First the button. For a user like me who has a very small hand and holds the front, the button at the front near the left button cannot be reached without a little effort and stretching the finger. Also, there are two thumbs on the top and two on the bottom, but the shape of the button has a sharp tip, and I personally don't feel good when I press it.

The left and right buttons don't feel great, but they're not frustrating and should be easy for many users to press. I personally want the wheel to be a little more clicky, but it definitely comes in handy for creative work.

It has a good hold when gripped, and it fits comfortably in the palm of your hand no matter where you place your hand. However, the sides are made of a rough plastic material, and I feel that the rubber Performance Mouse M950 is more comfortable in this regard.

Top surface of the main body	Left side of the main body	Front of the main body
Right side of the main body	The back of the main unit	Bottom of the main body
Wireless adapter can be stored in the battery cover	Comparison with Performance Mouse M950
The LED on the left side shows various states.Green is battery level, red is resolution, orange is profile

The battery life has not been investigated this time due to time constraints. The exact time is unknown because it is not listed in the manufacturer's specifications. But as mentioned earlier, it can be recharged at any time, so even if it's short, it won't be a big problem.

The response of the sensor is generally good, and there is no problem even on a glossy tabletop. As expected, unlike the Performance Mouse M950's "Darkfield" sensor, it didn't work on glass or mirrors, but that's not a drawback.

The position of the sensor is around the tip on the center line of the main body. Personally, I didn't feel that this greatly improved the operability, but in general, this arrangement is preferred by gamers in terms of accuracy and ease of movement.

Regarding the response, I used MouseTest provided by Sigma APO System Sales to check the accuracy. As a result, we were able to confirm communication at almost 1,000Hz, both wired and wireless. For reference, I also tested it with the Performance Mouse M950, and I can see that there is a clear difference. However, as mentioned earlier, MouseTest always detected a value close to 1,000Hz even if the polling rate was lowered.

Results of wireless mouse G700 in wireless mode

Results of Wireless Mouse G700 in Wired Mode

Results with Performance Mouse M950

● Products that support a wide range of people from creative to gamers

As described above, this product achieves a high level of customizability with a large number of buttons, communication performance that can be used both wired and wireless, and sensor performance. As the company sings, it will be able to handle a wide range of professional creative work and gaming applications.

Somewhat over-engineered points, such as 13 buttons, may discourage users. However, as far as I've tried, I don't see any particular overwhelming points where these specifications hinder normal use, and I don't see any major drawbacks like this. If I force you to mention it, the point that the polling rate setting does not go well and the point that it is a little difficult to understand how to set SetPoint.

The price is about 10,000 yen, which is expensive for a mouse. The Performance Mouse M950, which was 12,800 yen when it was first released, now sells for less than 9,000 yen. Unless you're doing fast mouse handling in your game, you might be wondering if the Performance Mouse M950 is fine.

Regarding this point, there are differences in the feel depending on the material, so it cannot be said which is better, and it will be the level of preference. In fact, I prefer the rubber feel. However, it is evaluated that the wireless mouse G700 still has more performance than the difference of about 1,000 yen. Also, in the future, if not right now, the benefits of this performance may come. It wouldn't be a bad choice to choose this product with the expectation of its potential.