Logitech G9

It’s difficult to improve on something that’s already damn near perfect. That’s the problem Logitech faced when designing the follow-up to the kick-ass G5 gaming mouse. The new G9 features an innovative, but not necessarily improved, design.

Sporting changeable shells, the mouse accommodates all hand sizes. The petite “ladyhands” shell is perfect for people with finer fingers, while the “meathooks” shell is big enough to accommodate everyone but the largest of giants. We continue to dig Logitech’s weighting system, which lets you adjust the heft of your mouse. With room for four weights, you can add as much as 28g of mass to your rodent—not as much as the G5 allows but still more than enough to elicit a gliding action.

Logitech also added the MicroGear scroll wheel, which uses haptic technology to switch back and forth between super-speedy smooth scrolling and traditional detent-style scrolling. Unlike the Logitech MX Revolution, the G9 allows you to swap scroll modes by pressing a button on the bottom of the mouse, so switching modes won’t cause problems in games that use mouse3 (the Revolution’s toggle button).

That’s what we like. We don’t, however, like this mouse’s physical design. The G9 is designed for gamers who hold the mouse with the tips of their fingers—Fatal1ty-style. The problem is that mice designed specifically for such claw-style players aren’t particularly comfortable for day-to-day mousing, and they’re not good for gamers who use a standard grip; the thumb buttons and sensitivity-adjustment buttons are located inconveniently for people who use a conventional grip.

The G9’s sensor, like the G5’s, is precise and perfect. The only real flaw that this mouse exhibits is its claw-friendly design. We just don’t think that this grip-style is very popular. In a decidedly unscientific poll of 15 gaming editors of all ages, not one used the Fatal1ty-style grip. Maybe the G9 should be labeled “For Professional Use Only.”