Logitech G5 Battlefield 2142 Special Edition Review

The Logitech G5 is simultaneously one of the most revered and despised mice in gaming history. In our first true good look at the mouse we want to know: Is it worthy of the praise? Is it worthy of the criticism?

Category: Gaming Mouse
Manufacturer: Logitech
Product: G5 Laser Mouse - Battlefield 2142™ Special Edition
Gallery: Click Here
Price: $61.99

In the last year and a half since the launch of the first laser gaming mouse, Logitech’s G5 has been the subject of equal amounts of praise and criticism. Users coming from the venerable MX500, 510, and 518 were quick to jump on the G5 for its adjustable weight system, larger feet and of course the laser technology that was, at that time, being heralded as the next big thing in gaming peripherals. Almost instantly after the G5’s release, questions started pouring in. What happened to the other button? How come my G5 doesn’t track on some surfaces? Why does it skip?

As mentioned before, with the criticism came tremendous praise. Untold dozens of reviewers showered the G5 with such compliments as, “…G5 is an instrument of victory”, “…the best gaming mouse we’ve ever used”, and “Mad skills and this mouse are bad qualities in an opponent.” Despite the mixed reaction, Logitech undoubtedly sold hoards of the G5, probably enough to make it the most successful laser gaming mouse in existence, not that there is anything out there that represents stiff competition. Our initial review of the G5 came as part of an epic Mouse Roundup. In that review we applauded the G5 for features including the adjustable weight system and enormous polytetrafluoroethylene feet, while simultaneously ripping it for the lack of that 5th button. In all honesty however, that review lacked the thoroughness and gamer-oriented opinions that we have come to be known for. Technically, we haven’t “reviewed” the Logitech G5, we’ve only “discussed” it.

When Logitech sent us their G5 Laser Mouse - Battlefield 2142™ Special Edition, I saw it as an opportunity to give the mouse the review it deserved. While the BF2142 edition of the mouse looks a whole lot different than the original, the guts remain the same. That said, I will be evaluating the appearance of the mouse in a way that will have an effect on the final score because, after all, that is one of the main selling points of this particular product. However, final score aside, this review will be strictly a review of the Logitech G5 itself, with some words about aesthetic appearance tossed in for good measure.

Specifications
As you can see, the specifications of the BF2142 version of the G5 are identical to the original. Also, being that the G5 is by now an "older" mouse; its specifications are really nothing extraordinary - solid throughout, but not incredible.

Hardware Configuration

Mousepad: fUnc sUrface1030 Archetype
Mousepad: NOIDpad Custom
Mousepad: QPAD|CT (White)
Surface: Engineered Wood Desk

Software Configuration

Driver: Logitech SetPoint 3.0.107
Operating System: Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2

{mospagebreak heading=Introduction&title=First Impressions}

First Impression
If you are at all familiar with Logitech mice, you know that every single package is basically the same. With the BF2142 Edition of the G5 however, Logitech has kind of moved away from the white and green default package. Vehicles from BF2142 grace the front the box, which is nice because it makes the box stand out a bit more than others I have seen. If I was walking down the aisle in Best Buy or some similar store, I would probably notice the BF2142 box because of the walker character on the front. Inside the box are the standard accessories that Logitech always includes: the driver CD and an Installation Guide.

For those of you that have never really used a G5 before, the mouse includes a weight set which can be put into a plastic cartridge which is then inserted into the mouse. This gives the G5 a unique ability to be adjusted that sets it apart from other mice and makes it an attractive option for those who are unsure of their preferred mouse weight. The weight set on the BF2142 Edition of the mouse is no different from that of the original G5.

The mouse itself is truly a well designed device. The graphics on the shell of the mouse are not very high resolution, but the overall look of the design is superb. It depicts an urban scene with a walker near where your palm rests, and fades into the sky towards the left and right buttons. It is abstract and makes the mouse look quite nice. However, for users that have a very clean and monotone desk setup, I doubt the BF2142 Edition would be considered over other, more plain mice. However, for fans of the Battlefield series, the Laser Mouse - Battlefield 2142™ Special Edition would be a perfect choice in terms of aesthetics. Beyond the shell design, the rest of the mouse is physically identical to the original G5. The singular button on the left side of the mouse is well-placed and can easily be pressed with the thumb. Logitech’s right-handed design – a design that has been used in all MX500-based mice – is one of the more revered mouse body shapes in gaming, and it remains just so with the G5. As on the original G5, the BF2142 Edition has a rough, rubber-like body material that allows for excellent grip along the sides of the mouse. This feature definitely enhances controllability and reduces slippage during long gaming sessions.

You can see that the bottom of the mouse is also identical with that of the original G5. The slot for the weight cartridge discussed earlier can be seen clearly in orange towards the rear of the mouse, and the infamous laser sensor can be seen in the top-right quadrant. The characteristic of this mouse that I think is most important, and indeed the defining feature for many gamers, are the three relatively large “feet” on the bottom. These feet can be seen in white and are much larger than those you will find on pretty much any other mouse. The large, slick surface area provides a very smooth feel when moving the mouse across a surface.
{mospagebreak title=Features}

Features
Like most serious gamers, I don’t usually install mouse drivers – I just plug in the device and let Windows do the rest. Installing drivers only complicates the sensitivity/familiarity problems that gamers encounter when playing on computers other than their own. Should I decide to venture out to a LAN, I would much rather set a Windows pointer sensitivity than install a driver and replicate each and every setting to ensure identical performance to my home computer. However, an important part of the mouse package for scores of gamers is the driver, and this review would be wholly incomplete without a look at the features of the SetPoint driver for the Logitech G5.

As with virtually any mouse in existence, the buttons on the G5 are customizable to a certain degree. I have personally struggled with SetPoint drivers in the past, and unfortunately one of the main issues I have had with them remains unresolved in this version. I frequently use a VoIP program called Ventrilo to communicate with teammates in scrimmages and conduct meetings with GotFrag Hardware staff. To initiate a conversation in this program you have to press a button, either on your mouse or on your keyboard, and then speak. When I first started using the program, I thought it would be nice to be able to use the side button on the mouse to talk, because then I could still use both buttons on the mouse while playing a game as well as have full use of the keyboard (usually it makes an annoying beep or does not register certain keys while you’re holding a key down). This would not be a problem if the key-mapping feature of the SetPoint drivers was capable of overriding the default “Backwards” functionality of this button. If I was in Ventrilo talking to someone while navigating websites, I would constantly go back to the previous page inadvertently. No matter how much mapping I did in the SetPoint driver, I could not get this Backwards function to cease. Anyone that has worked with the GotFrag content management system, or any other content management system for that matter, knows how frustrating it can be to accidently close a browser or navigate away from a page. I often found myself losing 15 to 30 minutes worth of work due to the problem with the SetPoint driver. It has been nearly a year and a half since my first experience with this problem, so my expectation that this problem had been fixed seemed reasonable. I was disappointed to find that apparently no action has been taken to correct this problem. It is not a HUGE deal, and certainly not a problem that effects a large amount of Logitech mice users, but it is a problem nonetheless.

The next tab in the SetPoint driver allows you to toggle the sensitivity and various movement features of the mouse. I found it odd that the on-the-fly dpi capability of the mouse was not prominently displayed in this section. To get to that section of the SetPoint driver, it is necessary to click in the bottom right of the driver window, where it says Advanced Game Settings in the next tab: Mouse Game Settings. In this tab, you can set game-specific settings that will automatically initiate when you enter a game. It is a nice feature, but one that is available for pretty much every gaming mouse on the market. In addition to this, separate profiles can be created for each individual game, so if your style of play differs from game to game, you can easily switch between the different specialized profiles. In the Advanced Gaming Settings you can precisely adjust the dpi of the mouse in the x and y directions independently. This can be useful in games where you don’t do a lot of vertical movement with your mouse, but frequently make large sweeping horizontal movements. It can also be useful in situations where more precise vertical movements are required.

Beyond the drivers, there are a couple of physical features to the G5 that need to be discussed as well. First off is the lack of two buttons above the thumb position on the mouse. On the MX500, MX510, and MX518, Logitech put two buttons on the left side of the mouse above the thumb. These buttons defaulted to forward and back in internet browsing. Gamers took these buttons to heart by mapping them to things like secondary fire, jump, crouch, walk, etc. in various games. I dare say that there were legions of MX500 series users that used these two buttons almost religiously. When the G5 debuted with just one of these buttons, these MX500 faithful were understandably upset. Not only would the G5 take some getting used to, but a lot of the functionality that the users of its predecessors were accustomed to was lost forever.

In an attempt to seemingly make up for depriving users of this second button, Logitech apparently decided to add increased functionality to the scroll wheel in the G5 - besides scrolling and clicking straight down as a third (traditional) mouse button, you could now also tilt the wheel to the side for a very unsatisfying click. Yeah the tilt wheel clicking thing works, but apparently it comes at a price. One of my biggest gripes with the original G5 when I used it for a period of a few months about 1 year ago was that I was wholly unable to press the middle mouse button without putting a significant amount of effort into it to get a click. I use the middle mouse button frequently while gaming and using my computer normally, so you can see how this would be a problem. I assume the reason that the middle button is so hard to click is due to this “increased functionality” of the scroll wheel, which undoubtedly uses some kind of mechanism to accommodate these tilt clicks and makes it far too difficult to press the button normally. However, this problem seems to be improved upon in the BF2142 Edition of the mouse. Whether this was an intentional upgrade or a luck-of-the-draw situation where the scroll wheel on the particular mouse I received was easier to click is not something I can really say without testing more BF2142 Edition mice.

Behind the scroll wheel are two buttons that allow on-the-fly switching of dpi. While I personally have never been able to use this feature with any sort of success whatsoever, I have heard stories from people that use it quite often. While other mice have similar features, the G5 is the first mainstream mouse to implement a small display that indicates the current dpi level. The predecessor of the G5, the MX518, had the ability to switch between dpi, but the user was clueless as to what level it was set to at any given time. With the G5 you can clearly see where you’re at. It is a little feature that I find to be tremendously useful.

As mentioned earlier, one defining feature on this mouse is the large mouse feet. The total surface area of these mouse feet, or mouse skates as they are commonly called, is well over twice that of what you will find on traditional mice. The material is also a bit denser than what is usually seen. The result is an exceptionally smooth glide across the mousing surface. However, with increased surface area comes increased friction. Smaller, lighter mice than the G5 will exhibit far less friction when moving across a hard surface as a result of having a smaller contact area. To combat this problem, Logitech has included a unique feature on the G5. This feature is the very first adjustable weight system on a mouse, and allows for unparalleled levels of variability and customization. Remove a weight from the Aluminum case, insert it into the plastic cartridge, and slide the whole thing into the bottom of the G5 – getting that personalized feel with a mouse has never been easier.
{mospagebreak title=Testing}

Testing
When we test a mouse at GotFrag Hardware, we always put it through a series of trials that are designed to see whether or not it can perform under both realistic and unrealistic gaming scenarios. Almost always will a mouse handle realistic gaming scenarios with ease. However, unrealistic gaming scenarios take place more often than you might think. Moving the mouse from one side of the mousepad to another in a fraction of a second is not a maneuver typical gamers perform with any sort of regularity. On the pro level however, it is common for 180 degree turns and broad, sweeping movements across terrain with a sniper scope - a higher general level of mouse movement is commonplace. In order for the G5 to be seriously considered by top gamers, it must first be proven to perform flawlessly under the most extreme (and I use that term loosely) gaming conditions imaginable.

If you care to search the forums here at GotFrag Hardware, you may or may not notice a lot of threads concerning the G5 and skipping. Whether or not you notice them is not really relevant, because they are there nonetheless. The issue has been mulled over and over again by members of our community, members of other communities, and the whole gaming community in general ever since the release of the G5 nearly a year and a half ago. The very first problems that people experienced with the G5 were regarding it not working well at all on several popular mousing surfaces. Logitech responded to these complaints quite promptly by releasing an automatic firmware upgrade for the G5. This update seemed to fix most immediate problems, but the complaints would return shortly after. This time the problem was not concerning specific surfaces; this time the questions were about the integrity of the laser engine itself. Many users were commenting on how the G5 would skip, freeze, not respond, or just plain not work after a certain amount of time or at random occasions while gaming. We actually defended the mouse. In all of our testing with the G5, we had yet to encounter a single problem that was even slightly reminiscent of the community’s issues. Unable to replicate the problem, we were quick to write it off as an isolated incident where the mice in a certain shipment were just malfunctioning for one reason or another. That was until more and more of these reports started flooding in. When news came that we would be receiving the Logitech G5 Battlefield 2142 Special Edition, we saw it as an opportunity to test the mouse more thoroughly than we had ever tested it before, in an attempt to reproduce the problem that so many members of the community were experiencing.

Days went by. Weeks went by. Nothing. Not even the slightest hiccup in performance was noticed while using the G5. Then, as if by an act of complete and utter fortune (or misfortune, as it were), the G5 started to exhibit some serious performance problems. The problems were not seen while making fast, sweeping motions across the mousing surface. Rather, they were encountered during a routine game of a Counter-Strike. The mouse would slow to a halt when making normal movements. I could move from one side of the mousepad to the other while registering merely a few millimeters on the screen with the crosshair. This was a problem. This was a big problem. Was this the issue that so many community members were complaining about? I can’t say for sure, but it definitely was a problem. I set out to replicate the problem in an attempt to find out what might have been causing it – here is what I discovered: Nil. I could not replicate the problem if my life depended on it. Sure, it happened again. It happened again several times. However, each time it happened I wasn’t doing anything in particular. I was playing a game, yeah, but that is far from isolating the problem. After growing increasingly frustrated from not being able to find the root of the problem, I realized something. It really didn’t matter what was causing the problem. The only thing that was truly important was that there WAS indeed a problem. It didn’t matter what surface I was using, it didn’t matter what sensitivity I was using either. The problem just sort of happened. I really can’t explain it any more than that.
{mospagebreak title=Conclusion}

Conclusion
So what have we learned about the G5? Well, it is an ambitious mouse. Logitech has attempted to do quite a few innovative things the G5 and for the most part, they have pulled them off. The adjustable weight cartridge system is something that I would certainly endow with the ingenious label, as is the increased surface area of the mouse feet. The dpi indicator display is a feature that will certainly win over some critics and previous MX518 owners. However, for each successful new or updated feature, there is another that comes up short. First and foremost we have the Laser engine. The Laser engine in the G5 is by no means underdeveloped, but it certainly is not cutting-edge either. The first production level Laser mouse engine was implemented in Logitech’s MX1000 cordless laser mouse – the world’s first laser mouse. The G5 was introduced as the world’s first laser gaming mouse a little more than one full year later with a laser engine that was at least a tweaked version of the Agilent engine found in the MX1000 if not a different one altogether. However, it has been nearly 1.5 years since the launch of the original G5, and many updates have been made to laser technology in that time.

I don’t know if the tracking faults that the community has uncovered on the G5 are the fault of the G5 itself or laser technology in general. From a poll we posted on the front page of our site last year, it is clear that AT LEAST 63% of the GotFrag community use optical mice. I would say it is safe to assume that the number is actually closer to 80%. With recent product releases from various companies, including the DeathAdder from Razer, it has become evident that optical technology has no intention to bow out of the battle with laser mice. The reliability and reputation of various optical engines is something that laser mice will not be able to achieve for at least another couple of years. Perhaps the problems seen with the G5 can be fixed with further firmware updates. Perhaps not. If the latter is the case, we will have to wait for the next laser mouse on the scene to see if the problems with laser mice have been fully resolved.

Laser vs. Optical aside, the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse - Battlefield 2142™ Special Edition is an attractive looking mouse that has above average performance and is a great choice for fans of the Battlefield series.

Pros
+ Nice graphics on the shell of the mouse
+ MX500 series shape
+ Oversized polytetrafluoroethylene mouse feet
+ Adjustable weight system
+ dpi indicator display
+ Braided, flexible cable
Cons
- Tracking problems inherent to laser mice?
- Lack of second side button
- Difficult to click with scroll wheel
Rating
7.8 out of 10