Trying to find the “perfect” wireless mouse for gaming is a difficult balance of quality and control. The recently released Logitech G604 Lightspeed wireless gaming mouse seems to hit all of these notes extremely well without sacrificing too much. It also stands as a very formidable iteration on its predecessor, the G602.
Overall, our reviewers found this mouse to be stable, provide a great deal of quality and customization, and it also seems to fit nicely into the MMO and MOBA space for gamers with its large number of controls and a
However, the mouse tended to fall a little short because the programmable software is a little bit glitchy and difficult to program at times. It doesn’t always recognize games and won’t always properly switch. Reviewers also had issues with the G-Shift capability (the ability to modify all mouse functions with a button press).
In the end, the G604 came out as a fairly decent wireless mouse with a lot of buttons – but not too many – and helped really pave the way for the next-gen of MMO/MOBA mice.
Pros:
- 15 fully programmable buttons; 6 which are thumb buttons
- Two wireless modes: Bluetooth and USB radio
- HERO 16K sensor misses very little
- 240-hour battery life
Cons:
- Middle scroll wheel is louder than most when in ratchet mode
- Logitech G HUB is not so great
- High price tag
Form factor and aesthetic
Just like its ancestor, the G602, this mouse fits fairly nicely in the hand even for people with larger hands (although it could still feel a little bit small). The plastic doesn’t feel that cheap and it’s fairly durable, it slides over surfaces without much effort and the textured plastic under the thumb (near the buttons) makes it easy to grip without losing control during pitched battles.
The construction feels fairly good and the buttons provide ample feedback pressure when pushed against without needing to strain them when using them under normal conditions. This includes the mouse wheel, which can be pressed down for a middle-click and has side to side rocking capability.
Unlike the G602, the six under-the-thumb buttons on the side aren’t set straight and instead have a concave curvature. This makes the middle two buttons feel a little bit less easy to press than the ones on the sides, however, they still click effectively when used.
The weight of the mouse itself falls in the middle of gaming mouse heft. This is in part because the mouse itself is not weighted and it only uses one AA battery in the compartment in order to provide power. This lack of substantiality might be noticed by some gamers who are used to a mouse with a little bit more inertia.
In testing, however, this did not prove to be that big of a deal for our reviewers, but we did notice it initially.
One interesting thing about this mouse is the pads on the bottom. In contrast to the G602, it uses four pads that set it away from the surface that it sits on instead of having most of the mouse touching. The result is very good for anyone who has pets (cats or dogs) because hair from their furry friends does not easily get caught up in any crevasses or seams.
Technology and controls
In order to provide the best possible resolution for mouse movements, the G604 supports a HERO 16K sensor that provides a resolution between 100 and 16,000 DPI.
Using the customization G HUB software from Logitech, it is possible to set the DPI to anywhere between these numbers allowing for a very high level of control. The Lightspeed wireless setting allows for a report rate of 1000 Hz (a 1ms report time) and 88-133 Hz when using the Bluetooth energy-saving mode.
During testing, the Lightspeed mode proved to be just as good as any wired mouse and the differences were barely noticeable. Our test rig places the USB dongle for Lightspeed mode very close to the mouse by connecting it through a slot in the keyboard.
Switching between Lightspeed and Bluetooth modes is as simple as a button press on the surface of the mouse. The switch is not that quick, it takes up to a second, but it happens reliably and is reported with a light on the top of the mouse. Setting up Bluetooth was easy and went without too much trouble.
The mousewheel feature on the G604 is also worth mentioning. It is possible to switch the wheel between a free-spin mode for quick scrolling and clicky ratcheting mode with a tensioned button press. That button is situated directly above the button that switches wireless modes.
The only thing about this our reviewers noticed is that the click-ratchet mode for the scroll wheel is a bit louder than most other mice we have tested. This includes the G602, which had a ratchet type scroll wheel, although that one started out louder, the sound eventually softened. This is not the case with the G604, which is still just loud enough to sometimes get picked up by our microphone – although it is quieter than mechanical key presses.
The mousewheel also has three buttons in it including a down press and side-to-side rockers. This adds a total of three more controls to the mouse that could be deployed while gaming for numerous purposes. Although our testers never did decide what to use the side-to-side rocking capability for.
As for battery life, the mouse promises a 240-hours of full-bore gaming using Lightspeed mode, which is provided by a standard USB wireless dongle. Our reviewers have not had enough time to test to see if it stands up to this, but over the month of testing it has barely discharged much of the rechargeable AA battery.
According to Logitech, the mouse lasts even longer in its standard usage Bluetooth mode, giving it a battery life of up to 5.5 months.
Software
Aside from a driver, Logitech provides customization software for the G604 with the G HUB control panel. This is software that launches with the computer and accesses not just the mouse, but any other Logitech devices that might be connected to the computer.
With G HUB it is possible to customize every button on the mouse as well as provide profiles for various different games. The G HUB software can also detect when different games are launched and change profiles in the mouse to match. This means that it’s possible to set up different profiles for a lot of different games.
Our testers, however, did not have a great deal of luck with the G HUB profile customization as it sometimes failed to switch when games were launched and did not always detect them. It did a good job of keeping profiles intact through reboots, however, and even allows for storing a profile in the mouse memory itself.
Another issue that our testers ran into Is a feature called G-Shift. This allows for customizing a second profile that can be triggered with a button press on the mouse. Pressing that button causes all the other buttons to change functionality (also customizable) and also change the mouse resolution. This could be extremely useful, for example, when switching modes in a game such as when using a sniper scope or when it becomes necessary to get higher or lower mouse resolution.
The biggest issue is that G-Shift must be tied to a button on the mouse, losing other functionality for that button, and it cannot be tied to a keyboard button instead. Since most of the time alternate keys are customary for the keyboard such as SHIFT, ALT, and CNTRL this places an alternate key onto the mouse and that’s cumbersome because the mouse is a one-handed control.
Conclusion
With a price tag of $99 the G604 is an extremely solid MMO/MOBA mouse with a lot of controls and customization. It has an extraordinary battery life even when used in its Lightspeed mode and did not experience a great deal of lag or imprecision when gaming.
By providing only six under-the-thumb buttons, the G604 also doesn’t overload the thumb hand with too much to do. This makes it very good for providing support for one hand while also driving enough controls to get the job done in most MMOs and MOBAs.
This is a somewhat more expensive mouse compared to many others on the market, but it seems to carve out its own niche nicely with a well-built mouse, a good control set, and a few extra features. For the discerning MMO/MOBA player, the G604 is probably an excellent investment that has its pros outweigh its cons.
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