by Rob Williams on March 17, 2005 in Peripherals
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 improve it even more, by adding the ability to change the DPI on the fly. How does this mouse do in our review?
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.
Logitech Application Switcher
Installation
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.