Logitech G700 mouse and G930 headset review

Logitech\’s been making quality peripherals for provided that many folks had been computing, introducing some of us to our first wheel, wireless and infrared mice within the process. But in terms of the most recent in gaming peripherals, the company\’s not always sooner than the curve. Razer and Microsoft have had high-end hybrid wireless mice for over a year now, and the 2.4GHz wireless headset isn\’t exactly a new concept. That said, the company\’s reputation is robust for a reason, and we were pleasantly surprised in finding that Logitech\’s created a mouse and headset that leapfrog — instead of just catch up to — what competitors have offered. See what we mean in our review after the break.

Logitech Wireless Gaming Headset G930

On the skin nigh-clone of Logitech\’s G35 headset from last year, the $160 Wireless Gaming Headset G930 has plenty more happening under the hood. Besides Dolby Pro Logic II 7.1 surround sound that kicks in at the flick of a switch and a noise-canceling microphone, the cans can dynamically hop between frequencies because of a pair of embedded 2.4GHz radio antennas, and receive uncompressed 48kHz audio from a USB dongle. The dongle itself slots right into a sensible circular disc that doubles as a wrap for the headset\’s microUSB charge cord. There have also been some minor but important tweaks to the headset\’s general design, with longer steel adjustment bands (that go to 15, in case you know what we mean), rotating earcups, a larger volume dial on the now-concave outer plates, and a handy red mute LED light embedded right into the tip of the flexible boom mic. In practice, the wireless connection worked surprisingly well, letting us take our music all around a WiFi-laden house with no less than static or noise, and when the connection did cease it was unexpectedly, and always as a result of wandering outside the unit\’s range.

Needless to say, in the event you\’ve never worn a G35, the diversities between that headset and this one won\’t truly allow you to decide, so let us explain further that the G930 is probably the most superb PC headsets — gaming or no — that we\’ve ever tried. We were perfectly audible spychecking in Team Fortress 2 while running a fan at full blast due to the noise-canceling mic, and the audio quality from the 40mm drivers was as rich and nuanced as those our favorite Grado SR-60s may provide. The 7.1 Dolby is actually more novelty than reality, as there are only two drivers and game support for this particular brand of virtual surround remains limited, but flicking the surround switch does add a undeniable illusion of depth to even two-channel audio. Besides, it\’s something of a nitpick when the headset\’s stereo separation and isolation in two-channel mode let us hear every raindrop in Hero\’s guqin courtyard fight scene. They\’re comfortable too, and exerted only at the very least vice grip on our head, although the burden was noticeable after extended periods. The best true issues we found were with general build quality — as the arms holding either earcup are manufactured from cheap plastic and are inclined to creak — and the ten-hour battery that abruptly cut our music short, other than providing some audible warning that it required a charge.

Logitech Wireless Gaming Mouse G700

Logitech\’s first wired / wireless mouse is something of an anomaly, and that\’s not just using its all-plastic shell — as opposed to appealing to Call of Duty first-person shooter fans, the $100 G700 is focused at the MMO crowd. Using the form factor (and nano receiver) of the Performance Mouse MX, the G500\’s fully-programmable buttons, 5700dpi laser sensor and dual-mode scroll wheel plus extra buttons on top, the outcome is an exceptionally versatile controller that — a minimum of for us — was not terribly comfortable to hold. The G700 trades the soft-touch plastic coatings of its predecessors for a rough, textured plastic shell that constantly made our hands feel like sweating as they tried to know around the peripheral\’s large rump, which dug into the base of our thumb after we used a palm grip. With claw or fingertip grip styles our work was easier, especially given the quality of the buttons on this mouse — more on that in a second — but tiring, given the burden of the rechargeable Eneloop AA battery and especially with the extra tension of the added data / charging cord. Excepting that tension, the mouse performed equally well in wired and wireless modes (and seamlessly swapped between the two) though we\’d suggest using either the cord or the battery for life-and-death tournament use. Speaking of the battery, it did last a couple solid days when idle, but passed away after a severe Engadget work day of very heavy use.

Now, we told you these buttons were fantastic, and we weren\’t kidding around — the site, responsiveness and suppleness impressed us at every turn. The four triggers on the left side have ridges aligned so as to press anybody one just by slightly shifting your thumb, and the foremost left and right mouse buttons require so little effort to depress so you might activate them at the apex of the mouse. With a single finger at the ideal point, which you can press any of three left mouse buttons with a single touch — with an appropriate grip, only G8, G11 and the dual-mode scroll wheel shifter require any effort to achieve. Furthermore, every single button on the device is fully programmable to be a macro, keyboard key or Windows function and you’ll store and switch between three full profiles of these programmable buttons on the mouse itself, giving a reasonably impressive (and frankly difficult to keep in mind) total of 39 different functions across three modes. We quickly whipped up a productivity mode with copy, paste, task switching, media remote buttons and web shortcuts mapped right to numerous keys on the mouse, and a gaming mode where lets switch sensitivity, instantly select weapons and reload. For sure, these could just as easily help a rogue rapidly put on a robe and wizard hat, we suppose.

Wrap-up

Polishing off a lengthy test, we went right back to our aging Logitech MX518 mouse and Grado cans, and found them just as comfortable and pleasing to exploit as before — they\’re not broken, and until they’re we wouldn\’t spend nearly what Logitech\’s inquiring for the G930 and G700. But we do already miss the extra buttons and superb wireless sound. In case you\’re due for an upgrade, only the slightly steep price, middling battery life and your-mileage-may-vary comfort concerns keep these both from being must-owns.

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This post is tagged: g, headset, logitech, mouse