A Brief History Lesson

The original MX500 is the sliced bread of mousing ergonomics: The form factor is so good Logitech won't fuck with it more than six years and countless iterations later. The perfectly balanced ergonomic arch and thumb groove precisely straddle the line between suggestive and aggressive, so it feels just right, like Zach Morris.

The MX500 evolved into gamier, glossiers variants with boosted tracking engines, the MX 510 and still available MX518. That, in turn, gave us the original laser-based G5, which saw the loss of a thumb button through leprosy, and had a janky scroll wheel. Logitech fixed it with another take on the G5, adding back the missing thumb button and giving us a scroll wheel that worked, making the mouse great again. That brings us to the G500.

Let's Start with the Good

Like I said, there's a reason Logitech has kept the basic MX500 silhouette around for so long, through at least six other mice: It just works. There are some minor tweaks with the G500, which actually feels slightly more symmetrical, with a wider but less pronounced thumb groove that flows more smoothly into the body of the mouse, but it's basically the same. It's a little more texturally vivid than I'd prefer, with sides that feel like rubberized sandpaper for gripping, but I got used to it fast enough.

The laser engine inside now pushes 5700dpi, or exactly 100dpi more than Razer's latest laser engine. Logitech peeing on the pissing match, in other words. It also polls at 1000Hz, the same speed as Razer's sytem. (FWIW, I couldn't discern any difference between Microsoft's 500Hz polling and Razer's 1000Hz in actual gaming sessions.) The G500's tracking and accuracy is excellent, both on cloth pads and my fake wood desk.

Crippling Flaws

The reason I dragged you through a brief tour of Logitech mouse history is because Logitech repeats it with the G500. The original G5 screwed up on the thumb buttons and scroll wheel, and the G500 manages to screw that up spectacularly too.

It's the first gaming mouse MX500 descendant Logitech has graced with the hyper-scroll tech that's been in its high-end consumer mice for a while—it's got a toggle button that lets you pick between regular clicky (but still speedy) scrolling or the hyper-infinite scroll, where one flick of your finger spins the scroll wheel almost forever, shooting you down a million lines in Excel in half a second. Which is great, if you spend a lot of time in Excel or zipping through web pages—not so great if you're flicking through a handful of weapons in Left 4 Dead. Even when it's not in hyper mode, the scroll wheel's still pretty fast and loose—though that's something that you can mitigate with careful scrolling.

What really murders the scroll wheel, though, is that middle-clicking is an act requiring damn near surgical skill. Half the time you attempt to middle click, and you think you have, you've actually just left- or right-scroll clicked. Which is not the same command. Meaning, if you've mapped middle click as a lightning fast shortcut to get back to your main gun after you've tossed out a proxy mine, you're gonna get shot in the face trying to pull out your gun.

The thumb buttons are almost as bad. Instead of two clearly distinguishable buttons, we've now got a nearly seamless button strip that actually contains three buttons for you to press. And, just like the scroll wheel, you'll go to click one button, and wind up hitting a different one, particularly the new "middle" thumb button. You don't know how many people got backstabbed by Spies in Team Fortress 2 after I tried to hit the forward button to yell at them via voice chat but tapped the wrong button.

Don't Buy

Gaming gear, in theory, should be all about precision. That's why Logitech tells us the dots per inch the mouse's sensor can handle and how fast and how often the mouse gets data from the laser sensor. That's why I can adjust the dpi rating on the fly. That's why Logitech includes weights with the mouse, so you can even adjust how much it weighs, down to the gram. Yet two buttons that people use a lot are huge failures in precision. Whole buttons. That negates basically everything else that's good about the mouse, which is a lot, like the heavy braided cable, or built-in profile storage, so you don't have to redo your settings everytime you take it to a different computer.

So, my advice? If you're dedicated to Logitech, wait for the next G500, or the surely inevitable wireless variant. Logitech will probably fix the problems in the revision, just like they did before. Or, just stick with the actually good G5, which is $20 cheaper, at $50. You don't really need 5700dpi anyway. If you're open to other mousemakers, in the same price range, I'd suggest Razer's DeathAdder, which recently got beefed up with Razer's newer tracking engine and a less flimsy cable, Microsoft's wireless SideWinder X8, or SteelSeries' relatively frill-free Ikari.

Classic Logitech ergonomics still great

Crazy fast sensor tracks really well

Scroll wheel design is not great for games

Thumb buttons completely screwed up

The Gaming Mouse G500 has a "battle worn finish" and dual-mode scroll wheel that either can click through weapon selection, or be made frictionless when scrolling Web pages. Like the G5, you can also add extra weight (up to 27 grams). The G500 will cost $70 when it ships in September.

For its part, the Gaming Headset G330 has a behind-the-head design, volume control on its cord, and provides basic noise canceling for $50. Though it can connect to your PC via 3.5mm mini-jack, using it over USB enables optimized EQ. [Logitech]

Logitech Gaming Mouse G500 Refreshes Popular Logitech G5 Laser Mouse with Latest Gaming-Grade Laser Engine, Logitech Gaming Headset G330 Delivers Comfort That Won't Quit

FREMONT, Calif. - Aug. 6, 2009 - When there's sweat on your brow, and it's way too late to turn back, it's time to choose wisely. To help you make the right choice when victory is on the line, Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) today unveiled extensions to its award-winning G-series line of gaming peripherals: the Logitech® Gaming Mouse G500 and the Logitech® Gaming Headset G330. The Gaming Mouse G500 refreshes the popular Logitech® G5 Laser Mouse with the latest gaming-grade laser engine and a battle-worn appearance, while the Gaming Headset G330 delivers comfort that won't quit – even after long hours of battle.

"As more and more people make gaming with family and friends the new night out, Logitech continues to push the envelope with the Logitech G-series." said Ruben Mookerjee, Logitech's director of product marketing for gaming. "If you're getting serious about gaming – or have already seen the light – then the best way to dive ever deeper into the game is by putting the G500 mouse in your good hand and the G330 headset on your head. Victory is up to you."

For gamers, especially the more than 11 million people playing World of Warcraft® or the millions on a tour of Call of Duty®, the Gaming Mouse G500 and the Gaming Headset G330 help ensure that every late-night gaming session is victorious.

Logitech Gaming Mouse G500
The successor to the classic Logitech® G5 Laser Mouse, the Logitech Gaming Mouse G500 delivers game-changing precision at any hand speed. With its gaming-grade laser engine you can rev up your intensity – reaching a maximum hand speed of 165 inches per second (ips) and a maximum acceleration force of 30 gs. An on-the-fly adjustable-dpi gives you the right level of precision – from pixel-precise targeting (200 dpi) to lightning-fast maneuvers (up to 5700 dpi) – for whatever game you're playing. (The dpi can be adjusted, after installing the Logitech® Gaming Software, in increments of 100 dpi). Plus, full-speed USB helps ensure that the G500 mouse is smooth and responsive.

But the G500 mouse offers much more than precision. A rugged finish offers a battle-worn accent to your gear. And an updated shape – with a broader thumb rest and a smoothed-out pinkie ledge – makes the new Logitech gaming mouse more comfortable when you're in the heat of competition.

When you're ready to battle, the onboard memory lets you save and take the settings for your favorite title with you – no software required. If you're sensitive to weight, the G500 mouse offers weight tuning, including up to 27 grams of extra weight for personalized feel and control. The additional weights fit into a removable chassis and, when not in use, can be stored in the accompanying case. A dual-mode scroll wheel – with hyper-fast scrolling for those times that you have to work – provides click-to-click scrolling that's perfect for weapon selection. And ten programmable buttons put valuable macros in your hand (software required).

Logitech Gaming Headset G330
Even when gaming casualties are heavy, your Logitech Gaming Headset G330 isn't. The lightweight G330 headset combats fatigue with its adjustable, behind-the-head design – the first of its kind for gaming headsets – that slides for a personalized fit. To further relieve common pressure points on your head, the G330 headset features a soft silicone-lined headband and pivoting ear pads. And with durable steel spring at its core, the flexible headband is designed to withstand the wear and tear of furious battle.

A noise-canceling microphone reduces annoying background noise and rotates out of the way when you're not using it. The in-line audio controls let you adjust the volume or mute the microphone without pausing the action. An included USB adapter lets you choose to connect digitally to any USB port for enhanced audio or directly to your PC sound card via 3.5 mm jacks.

Pricing and Availability
The Logitech Gaming Mouse G500 is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe in September for a suggested retail price of $69.99 (U.S.). The Logitech Gaming Headset G330 is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe in August for a suggested retail price of $49.99 (U.S.).

The only things MobileTechReview docked points for were the lack of EDGE or other high speed mobile data protocol, and the low battery life when using the GPS. If you're going to be using this as your navigation unit in your car, you'll have to use the included car adapter to power it past the 2.5 hours of usage E-TEN claims.

The estimated price is $550.

E-TEN G500 GSM Windows Mobile Phone with GPS [MobileTechReview]

E-TEN says to expect the G500 in all markets this month for an as-yet-unannounced price. The last of high-speed connectivity options will lessen its gleam for some, but for many the good-sized, 2.8-inch display and built-in GPS functions will let it kill two birds with one Tron-like stone.

Download Press Release [450K PDF]