Logitech G710+ Mechanical Keyboard and G600 MMO Mouse Review
by Dustin Sklavos on October 9, 2012 12:01 AM ESTIntroducing the Logitech G600 MMO Mouse
While the G710+ mechanical keyboard is a respectable entry into Logitech's canon of peripherals and certainly notable as their first mechanical keyboard, the G600 MMO gaming mouse is a pretty impressive piece of kit unto itself as well.
What characterizes an MMO mouse is, essentially, a massive cluster of programmable buttons under the thumb. I think the existing entrants on the market have reached varying degrees of success with their designs, but the G600 is, like the G710+, an unusually and impressively intuitive piece of kit. While I think Corsair's first keyboards and mice were very strong options out of the gate, Logitech has more experience in designing peripherals, and their patient study of the competition with both the keyboard and this mouse is evident.
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The G600's design is remarkably simple. They use a soft-touch plastic that's in my opinion more pleasing to use than the material Razer uses on their mice; Razer mice have always made my hand clammy, while the surface of the G600 (and my personal favorite, the mainstay G500) seems to let my skin breathe just a little more.
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Where the G600 excels is in its overall layout, though. The top surface of the mouse actually sports three distinct buttons (as opposed to the usual two and the mouse-wheel button) along with the mouse-wheel button and two buttons beneath it. The third and rightmost button is for your ring finger, and can be configured however you wish, although Logitech has a clear plan for it. Meanwhile, the array of twelve buttons under the thumb is freakishly intuitive. These buttons are essentially designed as two nests of six, raised at the edges; the rep said it was rare for individuals to use all twelve buttons, but that the two nests of six allowed people with varying sizes of hands to pick a set that was comfortable to them and go.
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It gets better. The side button array is also backlit, and the backlighting is not only color and pulse configurable but corresponds to whatever programmed set of buttons you're using. The G600 can be programmed with a staggering 48 sets of functions on these buttons; three profiles to switch between, plus what Logitech calls their "G-Shift" profile, enabled by holding the third surface button under the index finger.
If the G600's design has any major flaws, it's that it's frankly just a large mouse and in some ways feels a bit stripped down. The buttons are fantastic and the third surface mouse button seems like such an obvious inclusion that I'm surprised nobody else is doing it; the last time we saw this with any kind of frequency was decades ago. Yet I miss their switchable freewheel for the mouse wheel, and while adjustable weight might not be strictly necessary for a mouse this large it would still be appreciated.
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jigglywiggly - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
who wants browniesgive me cherry mx red
Tasslehoff - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Another red switches keyboard? Are you kidding?Almost 80% of mechanical keyboards use linear switches, most of them use red ones...
A new brown or blue switches keyboard is really really welcome!
althaz - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Are you crazy? Browns are probably 1000x times nicer to use than Reds. Reds are popular, but only with manufacturers, not the people who actually have and use mechanical keyboards. You'll be seeing more and more browns I suspect as from what I've read on forums and seen from people who have tried them, almost everybody likes browns. Reds are better than blacks, but that's about it.Blues are a bit too clicky for me and don't feel as nice to game on (amazing for typing though), but I can see the appeal for some folks (non-gamers especially, I have thought of getting something with blue switches for work, but my workmates may not like it :))
Still, all that said, I don't think I'd buy a Logitech keyboard almost regardless of reviews, there are just better quality units out there and I'm not a big fan of keyboards that look fancy :).
sking.tech - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Actually Blacks are the most common, reds up until recently were extremely hard to find. Of course after I paid 150 bucks for my hard to find cherry red - they started popping up everywhere <grumble>.MX browns are actually one of the least desirable switch types.
kepstin - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
As a Model M user who was looking for a quieter mechanical keyboard that still had a bit of feel to it, I ended up settling on the browns. The unfortunate thing is that they really do have low resistance; I end up bottoming out the keys with every press. I'm actually modding the keyboard with rubber o-rings to soften the landing a bit...What I'd actually love to find is a Cherry "Clear" switch keyboard - bigger tactile bump, more resistance. But there are so few keyboards with them...
Mr Perfect - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
The clears are definitely hard to find. Off hand, you can check Ebay for the Cherry G80-8113 or Cherry G80-8200, though you have to be careful since both models also come available with browns. A heavily used POS board of clears feels lighter then a board of new clears, but still far more tactile then the browns. Beyond the POS boards there was a limited run of Leopold FC200Rs with clears in them, but that was about a year ago and you'd have to pick one up used. The other option would be to get a board and swap clears into it. With PCB mounted switches, like those found on the Cherry G80-3000, it's pretty easy. Switch swapping on boards with plate mounted switches leaves you a lot of soldering to do.dcsquare - Saturday, October 13, 2012 - link
I actually have a clear switch Cherry G80-3000LQCEU-0, bought six months ago from Germany. While it's very nice to type with, it's not a very good choice for gaming. At least for me. On Diablo 3 it consistently did not register some key presses.Impulses - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
You're making way too big a deal out of the difference between browns and reds... I have keyboards with both types (K90 & a Rosewill) and to me they feel almost identical. The tactile bump on browns is very very subtle, to the point that it's imperceptible while typing quickly if you're not used to it (a little more noticeable while gaming).Vast majority of people that can deal with brown could deal with red,and vice versa. A lot of it's very subjective tho, if you've been using browns a long time then you'll be more used to the slight bump... At the same time, if you've been using reds a while it's not hard to get used to the key travel and avoid bottoming out while typing, even without any tactile feedback.
Blue's tactile click is world's apart IMO. A lot of people describe browns as an in-between reds and blues but to me browns feel much closer to reds. There isn't a best or better switch tho, there isn't even a better switch for typing or gaming, it's all subject to personal preference.
There's also plenty of variety on the market at this point, it's kinda silly to argue whether X manufacturer's model should use Y switch or Z switch based on what else is on the market. You've got tons of choices between old standbys like Das, Filco, Ducky, and even Rosewill's rebrands and newer entrants like Coolermaster, Corsair, Monoprice, and now Logitech.
Impulses - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Many of those manufacturers also make models with multiple switch options too.Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
This is pretty much the first time I've heard someone say that the difference between browns and reds is subtle to the point of irrelevant. I'm looking for something that's good for typing (light weight, not too prone to accidental keypresses, some feedback to keep you from bottoming out) and also for gaming (again, light weight and not prone to unintended presses, but also smooth and responsive).The browns seemed like the obvious choice as a compromise. Were I only looking for a typing board, and wanted something with real audio/tactile feedback, I'd probably go for a Unicomp over something made with blues, but I don't really feel like either would be ideal for gaming. Well, definitely not the Unicomp, which is 2KRO.
Are you really arguing that browns just aren't that different from reds? I'm not challenging you, I'm genuinely curious. I don't need something with a transition as obvious as that of a spring buckling, but I would like some noticable tactile feedback.