Posted 08/11/08 at 05:30:42 PM by Reed Porter
Logitech has been producing high end peripherals for years, but can the company’s midrange products maintain the aesthetics and functionality of its more expensive gear? We tested the Desktop Wave to find out.
Right off the bat, we loaded up Team Fortress 2 to see if this keyboard-mouse combo could gain our gamer’s stamp of approval. Throughout the game, the Wave keyboard yielded none of the registry flaws we experienced with the Alto. The experience was a bit rough, however, as the mouse lacks Teflon skates and has no on-the-fly dpi adjustment. While clearly not designed for hardcore fragging, the Wave provided an acceptable gaming experience—but we wouldn’t recommend you use it at your next LAN party.
The keyboard features a curved layout, quiet keystrokes and padded wrist support. The function keys have secondary binds programmed through the SetPoint drivers and are positioned in four groups of three. We tested every one of these extra buttons and found that all of them worked, except the zoom key. In fact, the drivers didn't even detect the key, barring us from manually configuring it.
The laser mouse is comfortable and completely symmetrical for the rare left-hand user. While this is great, it creates an annoyance for both left- and right-handed users looking to utilize both function buttons. Each identical, opposing buttons are placed to accommodate left-hand thumbs and right-hand thumbs; this leaves the left-handed thumb button awkwardly placed for right handed users who want to use it. Additionally, during testing, the wheel occasionally failed to register our scroll, leading to a double scroll (a problem akin to nearly all Logitech mice). This wasn’t a huge problem, but if you're a gamer who scrolls to switch weapons, prepare for frustration.
As advertised, the Wave is comfortable to use for extended periods of time but is really suitable only for casual use. Gamers and power users, keep looking.
Sleek ergonomics; has a ton of programmable keys and easy to use drivers.
Poor button layout on the mouse; glitchy scroll wheel.
Links:
[1] http://www.maximumpc.com/user/whisp
[2] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/laptop_stands_and_docks_field_tested
[3] http://www.showdownlan.com/
[4] http://www.maximumpc.com/files/u22018/logitech_wave_0.jpg
[5] http://www.logitech.com
[6] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/logitech_g9
[7] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/Logitech-MX518
[8] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/logitech_g51_surround_sound_speakers
[9] http://www.maximumpc.com/article/news/logitech_snaps_up_ultimate_ears
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