We review a lot of mice here at MMORPG, but it’s a rare occasion that a new MMO mouse makes its debut. Today, that’s exactly what’s happening with the new Logitech G604 LIGHTSPEED Wireless. Featuring 15 programmable inputs, the hyper-fast scroll wheel improved ergonomics, and 1ms LIGHTSPEED Wireless, we’re ready to answer the question: is it worth an upgrade?
Specifications
- Current Price: $99.99
- Input: 15 programmable controls
- Connectivity: LIGHTSPEED Wireless, Bluetooth
- Sensor: HERO 16K
- Resolution: 100 – 16,000 DPI
- Zero smoothing/acceleration/filtering
- Max. acceleration: > 40 G
- Max. speed: > 400 IPS
- USB data format: 16 bits/axis
- LIGHTSPEED Wireless report rate: 1000 Hz (1ms)
- Bluetooth report rate: 88-133 Hz (7.5-11.25 ms)
- Microprocessor: 32-bit ARM
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Battery Life: 240 hours (LIGHTSPEED), 5.5 months (Bluetooth)*
- *Battery life rated in gameplay hours, not "on time"
- Height: 130 mm (5.12 in)
- Width: 80 mm (3.15 in)
- Depth: 45 mm (1.77 in)
- Weight: 135 g (4.76 oz), with AA battery
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Other Features
- Dual mode hyper-fast scroll wheel
- Onboard memory
- Mechanical Button Tensioning System
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It’s hard to believe that it’s been six years since the G602 launched. It was one of few wireless MMO mice at the time, competing headfirst against the Razer Naga, but its much more affordable price made it a compelling option. Over the years, however, it began to show its age in performance and style and many fans, myself included, retired it waiting for an update.
The time has finally come. Rather than a reinvention, the Logitech G604 is a refresh of the G602, increasing the button count, honing the ergonomics, and bringing it up with the times with Logitech’s LIGHTSPEED Wireless and HERO16K sensor. Compared side-by-side with the original, it’s quite similar but clearly more refined.
Design and Key Features
The first thing that you’ll notice is that the shape of the mouse is very similar but it’s presented in a much more sleek and modern form. The G604 is a tale told in shades of matte, broken only by the glossy Logitech G logo and the metal scroll wheel. There’s also no RGB whatsoever, which is quite the turn from virtually every other major mouse or keyboard we’ve looked at over the last two years.
It’s not a small mouse, but is slightly shrunk down from the original. It shaves a few millimeters in height and width in exchange an extra millimeter of depth. It’s also not the lightest mouse around with a total weight (including a single AA battery) of 135g. This is about 6-grams heavier than the G602 with one battery but if you wanted comparable battery life to what the G604 offers, you would need to use two AAs, making the original version much heavier.
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The mouse is designed for right-handed users (sorry, lefties) with all of the additional buttons appearing from the center to the left. There are a total of 15 total “controls” thanks to the tiltable scroll wheel and the ability to map mouse up and down. Along the left side of the mouse are six thumb buttons. They’re high enough to prevent accidental clicks but angled to make them easy to press when you need to. I only had trouble with the rear-most buttons which require a bit more a squeeze to fire off, so I mapped my less-used controls there. There are two additional buttons along the left mouse that control DPI by default but can easily be remapped.
Under the hood, the mouse is running Logitech’s latest HERO16K sensor. We’ve talked extensively about it in prior reviews but suffice it to say that it’s one of the most accurate and reliable sensors available today. It offers accurate, filter-free tracking from 100 through a whopping 16000 DPI with a max speed of greater than 400 IPS. I found it to offer pixel perfect tracking, even when I cranked the DPI into the 6000s and lowered the sensitivity in-game and was unable to make it spin out.
One of the biggest improvements with this model is battery life. The G602 already offered an impressive 250 hour battery life with two AA batteries. Using both pushed the mouse above 150 grams however. Thanks to the exceptional efficiency of the HERO sensor, the G604 LIGHTSPEED is able to achieve 240 hours of actual use time. Logitech also claims that a single Energizer Lithium Ultimate AA will increase that by another 30%. I’ve only had the mouse for about a week and during that time, it hasn’t dropped below 90%.
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Usage Impressions
After a week of playing different genres with the Logitech G604, I’m reminded how much I used to love larger mice. Back when World of Warcraft was my main game, I found it difficult to use anything but. Now that we’re back in the age of WoW Classic, it seems like the perfect time to be swapping to a mouse like this again. The thing is, I’ve enjoyed it for much more than just WoW.
The G604 feels very good to hold. The contouring is perfectly matched to my palm with that extra bit of height over FPS oriented mice and the thumb rest is hard to go back from once you’ve gotten used to it. Like every Logitech mouse I can remember, the clicks feel tactile and satisfying with a pleasant little snap, even on the side buttons. Compared to the G602, the side buttons feel much better thanks to a new tension system under each button.
I also adore the mouse wheel. With the press of a button, you can switch between the normal notched rotation (ratcheting) and freewheel scrolling. When you press the release, the mouse is able to spin on a bearing and rapidly scroll through thousands of lines of text, webpages, Premiere Pro timelines, or anything in between. It’s the kind of feature you begin to wish was on all mice. Even if it does add a bit of weight to the design, it’s totally worth it.
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The extra buttons are game-changers, literally. I once thought that “MMO mice” were specifically for MMOs, but the truth is that they can enhance just about any game with multiple commands. I map my abilities to the thumb grid and the two off the left mouse in MMOs. In shooters, my weapons and throwables go on buttons 1 and 2, 5 and 6, with crouch and prone going right in the middle on 3 and 4. This allows me to be extra mobile without needing to take my fingers off the movement keys.
I also really enjoyed how smoothly the G604 slid across my desktop. I don’t like using a mouse pad because I also use my desk for photography and the G604 slid much smoother than the Razer Viper I had been using; the latter felt downright scratchy by comparison.
Connectivity is also impressive. For gaming, you’ll want to stick with the USB dongle (hidden in the battery chamber of the mouse). It provides wired-like speeds with a 1 ms response time. It’s also very resilient, never once losing connection or being less responsive than any of my wired gaming mice. If you have multiple PCs or tablets you need to switch between, you can swap with a quick press of the wireless button, adding an extra layer of versatility.
Final Thoughts
The G604 is one of the most versatile mice I’ve tested this year. It’s perfectly sized for a palm-grip mouse without being too heavy, offers performance on par with the best wired mice, excellent battery life, and a set of buttons that can easily make you more nimble in multiple genres of game. Unless you’re a leftie or don’t like small mice, the G604 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse has a lot to love.
Pros
- 15 total controls (13 buttons, programmable scroll directions)
- Excellent sensor and battery life
- Lots of programmability
- Good size, weight, and ergonomics for palm grip users
- Exceptional connectivity with on-the-fly LIGHTSPEED and Bluetooth connectivity
Cons
- Right-handed only
- Still feels expensive at $99.99
