Logitech G400s review

[Thalandros]

G400s Mouse Review
by Mart Siemerink


 

-Introduction
-Specifications
-Design/Aesthetics
-Features
-Comfort
-Verdict

Introduction
Before I start this review, I’d like to link you to my Steelseries Sensei review here: http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/149052-review-steelseries-sensei/ that speaks about the errors and problems I have with the Sensei, and what I’m looking for in a mouse. This might differ from someone else, so always keep that in mind. I use a fingertip/claw grip for my mice and mainly play StarCraft II which is what my mouse is most important for. 

Specifications
Durability:
Buttons: 20 Million clicks
Feet: 250 KM

Tracking:
Resolution: 200-4000 dpi
Image processing: 5,8 megapixels/s
Max. acceleration: 25G
Max. speed: up to 4,06M/s

Weight:
Total: 133G
Cord: 15G
Mouse: 118G

Design/Aesthetics
[Photo here]
As you can see the G400s has a bit of an interesting look. It’s dark but has no real lights adding to the look of the actual mouse itself. This of course helps keep the price point of the mouse lower but I myself actually like it. There’s a certain different texture on the mouse buttons. These are black and add to the nice aesthetic of the mouse but are also quite handy (more about this in the Features/Comfort part). The whole mouse is kind of covered with these ‘stripes’ of texture but you can especially feel it at the right and left mouse button. You really have to try and feel it yourself before you decide you like it.

The back side of the mouse is very wide and bulky, a bit hard to fingertip grip at first because of the size. It feels quite soft and is made of the same material as the rest of the mouse like expected, but is certainly a lot bigger and makes it easy for you to rest your hand on.
There is also a nice shiny (non-lit, however) Logitech logo on the middle of the mouse.
This is definitely purely made for aesthetics though as it gives a more premium look to the mouse. Of course it Logitech’s way to brand their G series nicely and even though it does look a bit outstanding, that is a good thing as it’s certainly not too obnoxious. Besides, you won’t see it when you use the mouse.

The side of the mouse is made of very comfortable rubber-like feel like we’re kind of used to from Logitech. It looks very slick and clean, making you want to grip it. This kind of texture is apparent on both sides of the mouse, al though a bit wider on the left side as this is a right-handed mouse, and they are there to put your thumb on the left pad, and pinky on the right pad.  

 

The bottom of the mouse is kind of the standard Logitech mouse look: black, wide and big with large mouse feet.


Camera: Google LG Nexus 4
Features

The mouse’s performance is discussed here as well as all the little gimmicks that this mouse might have.


Let’s start at all the mouse buttons. The left and right mouse button feel quite light and are very easy to touch. Especially coming from a SteelSeries Sensei it took some time of getting used to, but I really like it. Its not as light as the Razer Deathadder 2013 but it’s still very easily touchable and touches feel rewarding and good to touch  

The left side of the mouse has two quite heavy buttons. I personally never press them but I do want to, just to go back and forth on web pages without having to touch my keyboard. I mainly play Starcraft II: Heart Of The Swarm so I don’t use them for gaming, but I can see them being useful. I never touch them accidently which was a complaint on the SteelSeries Sensei and they’re above the ‘thumb-area’ so definitely easy to press and use. I’m still experimenting with it quite a bit.

If we go over to the scrolling wheel this is actually very similar to the SteelSeries Sensei It has a lot of resistance per ‘tick’, so ideal for gaming but less comfortable for browsing the internet for instance. The resistance is quite nice though. It’s not like you have to push very hard to scroll but you can’t do it as freely as other mice out there. Pressing the mouse button has given me more of a challenge and considering I used to play World of Warcraft and strafe using the mouse wheel button. I’d have to experiment with it more, but it’s not ideal if you actually PRESS the middle mouse button a lot.

The mouse is specified to go 250KM long and I can certainly see it do that. It feels very sturdy and high quality to use and won’t break very fast like other brands might, so it gives you a nice feel right off the bat. The switches sound good and not as cheap as a lot of other mice might do so it has a very nice feel to it.

As for performance, here goes:

The mouse goes up to 4K DPI which is quite high for an optical mouse. I think Logitech is the only company who has these switches in their mice. (Just the G400s for now) The mouse is rated to basically have a perfect sensor, which is what I am personally really looking for. No jitter, prediction, native acceleration or unstable DPI settings, and as far as I know right now that’s correct. The drivers have acceleration on by default so you’ll need to download those and change the setting to no acceleration, but once you’ve done that you are holding the most precise mouse in the world. I doubt anyone who sympathises with their wrist will want to go over 2K DPI anyway (Unless you’d play on 3x 4K or something CRAZY, and even then 4K DPI should be okay.)

So the sensor is really good. How about drivers?

The SteelSeries Sensei, (check my review here) had really horrible drivers. The program wouldn’t respond half the time and when it did it would work and make changes to the mouse very slowly. This is not the case with the Logitech G400s. As with other ‘high-end’ gaming mice, you can change any button to any other key on your keyboard or mouse. (So theoretically, you can make the mouse left-handed! Even though it wouldn’t be very ergonomic that way.)
Aside from that, you can set a number of settings like acceleration on and off (Turn it off!) but the thing that I really love is the DPI setting.

 

 

As you can see, there are three different extra ‘keys’ behind and in front of the middle button.
The + and - buttons lower your DPI setting that you change within the driver. You can have up to 5 different ‘settings’ that you change on the fly with those buttons. The very far back button is a ‘reset to default DPI’ button, which you can also set within the software.
You can even select all your games as specific profiles for games. So for example I could have 1000 DPI in StarCraft 2 while I have just 450 in CS:GO by just booting up the program. No need to do a single thing. Very handy if you play multiple competitive games.  



Camera: Google LG Nexus 4
So the cable is one of the few negative points about this mouse, even though it’s not too big of a deal usually, it could be a dealbreaker to some.

The mice I’ve had for a long time so far had braided cables (Razer Naga Molten, SteelSeries Sensei) and I really loved it, because it was harder to get them cut. Apart from that it gave a sturdy feel overall and it tangled less than normal cords, which is a big plus in general, but especially for gaming. The G400s does NOT have this kind of ‘braided’ cable, but has a standard, normal texture cable and is therefore more prone to breaking. It does of course have the three year Logitech warranty, so don’t expect it to be costing you more money, but it’s just a small, but quite annoying complaint. It’s not too strange though because this mouse is placed at a lower price tag than most good gaming mice, so some corner cutting is to be expected, but it’s obviously still something worth mentioning.

                

As slightly discussed before there is a certain texture over the body of the mouse.This is made for anti-sweat and extra grip and it’s one of the first mice I’ve used that actually actively helps against sweat. Especially in games of CS:GO my hands can get kind of sweaty and I could use the mouse just the same, no need for tissues or water (even though that’s still probably the best). I really like this addition. It feels a bit strange at first but you get adjusted quickly and it’s just so much better than anything else I’ve tried so far.

Camera: Google LG Nexus 4

Comfort
So we’ve arrived at ‘comfort’, which is one of the mouse’s strongest points.

The mouse looks comfortable, but is it? It took a while of getting used to from using a Sensei, a mouse that basically has zero support for the rest of your hand.
The first thing I noticed is that your thumb falls very easily into the black rubber side of the mouse, and it feels comfortable instantaneously. You won’t want to move much. I’d even go as far as saying the mouse is okay for all grips, even though claw and palm grips are very favored and I’m probably going to adjust to more of a claw grip to use it completely, but it’s ‘alright’ with a fingertip grip. the back of your hand rests nicely on the tail of the mouse (unless you use a fingertip grip, of course!) and also feels kind of soft and comfortable. This mouse gets a 10/10 for comfort, if you have the right hand size.

Verdict
It took a while to get used to but overall the mouse is just a big improvement over my 2-year-old SteelSeries Sensei.
Considering that the Sensei is about €70,- while the G400s costs somewhere in between €40-50. It’s just an amazing price for a mouse quite ‘basic’ but amazing at what it does and a good choice for a competitor. It’s comfortable, has enough options for most users, very durable with a long warranty (3 years), and extremely cheap compared to comparable options from other brands. Especially if you like the look of this big, sturdy mouse, you’ll find this a bargain. The mouse is a considerable improvement over a lot of things other gaming mice do wrong, but it actually is an ‘upgrade’ from the old G400 and the even ‘golden oldie’ MX 518 that I still see many people use to this day. It’s basically a better G400 with an updated sensor, texture and aesthetic.
Therefore, my verdict is the following:

I really like the G400s. Apart from the fact that it’s not optimal for fingertip gripping and the cable looks and feels kind of weak, (especially for someone who travels quite a bit) make it stray away from perfect. But make no mistake, it is an amazing mouse. As it is a ‘better version of the MX 518 and G400,’ it’s probably not worth upgrading if you have a G400, but if you’re coming from any other mouse, give this thing a shot because it is really good for the asked price. I absolutely love it. 

Camera: Google LG Nexus 4


@martsiemerink
 

[Unhelpful]

I love my G400s. My only regret is that it isn't a braided cable.

 

Really nice review.

[ZetZet]

mx518's master race.