Date: March 17, 2005 - Author: Rob Williams - Editor: Jen McPherson
Are you a hardcore gamer that still uses the basic, bland mouse? Are you looking to add improvements to your gameplay, so you don't look like a noob online? Logitech's MX510 Series of mice are great, but they looked to improv it even more, by adding the ability to change the DPI on the fly. How does this mouse do in our review?
When Logitech first released their MX510 Performance Mouse, it was well received. It's a very comfortable mouse, that offered great precision, as well as features. For gamers though, the mouse could be improved just slightly. Whereas the max DPI for the MX510 is 800, the MX518 has a large 1600 DPI resolution. Let's get more into the specifics.
Above are pictures of the box that the mouse came in. It definately had a wild ride getting here.. you can tell it got banged around. On the back of the box, you can see it say "Expert Gamers". So why I am reviewing this, I have no idea. Let's see if it can make me an expert gamer!
First and foremost, the mouse is very, very comfortable to use. Like the MX510, the mouse contours to your hand, allowing you to have much better control. With other mice, in gaming, I have found that usually my fingers control the mouse more than my hand.. but with the MX518, the hand fits so comfortably over the mouse, it's your hand that controls all the action.
The design of the mouse is improved more by having a very cool looking 'skin'. It's a metallic glossy finish, that has the illusion of it being shot at, or dented. A friend who saw the mouse, actually did think it was dented. Very cool effect. This is also not a cordless mouse, so if you hate cords, this might not be for you.
From my experiences with cordless and gaming though, it's a no go. Cordless mice don't give you enough tight control as an corded one will. For instance, with a cordless mouse, (MX1000), lifting the mouse during gameplay, would shift the cursor, and when I set it back down, shift it again. Due to that fact, you die more often. If you don't ever lift your mouse at all like I do, then cordless would work.
The mouse has a total of 8 buttons, most of which we are already well familiar with. Left Click and Right Clicks do just that, as you know very well. On the left side of the mouse, above the contoured area where your thumb sits, [assuming you are right handed], are two small buttons. You can configure these to perform whatever action you wish. On the MX510 mouse, they act as Back and Forward buttons, and function out of the box as those.
You can also configure the scroll wheel to act as any function you wish. I personally use it to act as a normal wheel, so that I can click links in Firefox to open links in new tabs. Your tastes may vary. There is a + above the wheel, and a - button below the wheel. On the MX510 model, these function as scroll buttons, but here they act as "Increase Sensitivity" and "Decrease Sensitivity", which is triggering the DPI change.
You keep mentioning DPI? What is it? Simply put, the lower your DPI (Dots Per Inch), the slower your cursor moves on the screen. The higher the DPI, the quicker. At lower DPI, such as 400, it will give you the best precision, which is awesome in games like Counter-Strike, where you are not constantly jumping and hopping all over the place. Rather, you hunt and plan your fatal blow.
At higher DPI's, like 800 or 1600, your cursor moves FAST. It may be too fast for some people, but for others, it's perfect. In games like Unreal Tournament 2004, the action is always intense, and very, very fast. Having a high DPI can improve your gameplay, because you have the ability to turn and look various ways quick.
The selling point for this mouse, is the ability to change the DPI during gameplay. If are playing a game, and feel that you need to increase or decrease the DPI, it's done easily just by clicking the buttons.
Also featured on this mouse, as with a few other models, is the Application Switch button. This functions just like the classic Alt+Tab, except this is quicker. It actually improves Alt+Tab, because the classic way does not allow you to click the icons. It is primarily a way for people to get around without a keyboard. With the App Switcher though, you click the button, and click the App you want to use. This may not seem so useful, but it can prove useful if you have a LOT going on, application wise.
As it says on the box, "No software Required", which is true. If you don't want to install the software, you still are able to switch from DPI to DPI on the fly. However, the software will provide you with better function assigning, and Mouse specific controls.
As with any previous Installation with Logitech Mice, it was a pure breeze. The mouse is USB by default, but comes with an USB-PS/2 switch. Installing the software was easy.. installed in a few minutes, and I was ready to go. Below, you can see the installer program informs you about DPI and it's uses.
During the install, it also informs you about the "Game Detect" feature. With this enabled, it will change some of your profile according to playing a game, or just using Windows. I should also mention that changing the DPI on the mouse, also will change the DPI out of a game. So if you are using Windows, you can increase the mouse speed easily. If someone else who uses the computer finds it too fast, they can decrease it.
In here is an option to "Set Notification", which is supposed to notify you each time you change the DPI. Sadly, I could not get this working, and I am unsure "how" it is supposed to work, via on screen display, or sound. Once I find out about this issue, I will post it in the discuss thread related to this review.
Update: In order to have this work, you must go into your Control Panel, then Sound and Audio options. Under your sounds, there is an option for 'Logitech SetPoint', and you can then set the sounds, then this feature will work. There are included sounds in your SetPoint directory.
In order to test the mouse, I did the old school real world tests. I used two of my favorite games to test it with. Prior, I played the games with a Microsoft Optical Mouse and a Logitech MX1000. I was ready to go, I wanted to test this baby!
Can you really be a gamer, but not have played Counter-Strike? This is one of the games that could benefit from a good gaming mouse, no doubt. It's not all about rampage and blowing things up.. it's about strategy, and control.
As I was playing the game, I could not help but smile.. the control felt so perfect. Even without starting a match, I felt I had improved my chances just by using the mouse. But, as usual I figured it was just my mind playing with itself. Err..
The control is superb though, I was thoroughly impressed. If you use a MX510, you will know what the controls like, as it's the same design. Throughout a few matches, I was continually changing the DPI to get a good feel for it. This feature will definitely sell this mouse. You may have the DPI higher as you are running through the level, so that you are able to turn around quick, in case you are getting shot in the back. But if you are one of those foolish campers [kidding], you can turn it way down, so that you will have better control and aim.
This is another one of my favorite games hands down. Even after a few years of playing the game, I generally suck online. No matter how much I practice.. I still get 0wned to no end online, and I admit it! I am one of those players who's Death count is higher than his Kill count! So for this game especially, I was looking forward to seeing how it worked.
I played multiple online matches with the game. Once again, the control of the mouse is great. Unlike Counter-Strike Source, this game is a super fast paced shooter game. There is not usually that much time for strategy and planning. When playing, I adjusted the DPI often, but most times kept it at 1200. This allowed me to have extremely fast control, since people often shoot you from behind.
I really love to be able to change DPI on the fly. I even noticed it helped quite a bit online here. I found I was getting more kills than usual. There is not much opportunity to want to turn your DPI down low, but even so, this mouse kicked ass during gameplay.
When this mouse was first announced at last weeks CeBIT, I looked forward to seeing if it would deliver like it said it would. Well, it certainly has. From the moment I started using the mouse, I knew it was 'the' gaming mouse.
Playing my favorite games was made more enjoyable, due to the extremely precise control. The ability to change your current DPI on the fly is a much welcomed feature, and I found it did make a difference. Especially in games like Counter-Strike where you may want to change it depending on the situation.
If you have a good gaming mouse now, I still recommend this. The bonus of being able to change DPI on the fly is great. However, if you have a MX510, it will be less worth your money, likely. Since the mouse design is identical between the versions, the only reason you would be buying the mouse is for that feature. I think many would agree that $50 doesn't really justify that feature.
This is a kickass product, and I whole heartedly award it our Editors Choice award. Thanks to Kate from Logitech for sending us this mouse for review! Feel free to discuss this review in our Discussion Thread.
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