Logitech G710+ Mechanical Keyboard and G600 MMO Mouse Review
by Dustin Sklavos on October 9, 2012 12:01 AM ESTIntroducing the Logitech G600 MMO Mouse
While the G710+ mechanical keyboard is a respectable entry into Logitech's canon of peripherals and certainly notable as their first mechanical keyboard, the G600 MMO gaming mouse is a pretty impressive piece of kit unto itself as well.
What characterizes an MMO mouse is, essentially, a massive cluster of programmable buttons under the thumb. I think the existing entrants on the market have reached varying degrees of success with their designs, but the G600 is, like the G710+, an unusually and impressively intuitive piece of kit. While I think Corsair's first keyboards and mice were very strong options out of the gate, Logitech has more experience in designing peripherals, and their patient study of the competition with both the keyboard and this mouse is evident.
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The G600's design is remarkably simple. They use a soft-touch plastic that's in my opinion more pleasing to use than the material Razer uses on their mice; Razer mice have always made my hand clammy, while the surface of the G600 (and my personal favorite, the mainstay G500) seems to let my skin breathe just a little more.
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Where the G600 excels is in its overall layout, though. The top surface of the mouse actually sports three distinct buttons (as opposed to the usual two and the mouse-wheel button) along with the mouse-wheel button and two buttons beneath it. The third and rightmost button is for your ring finger, and can be configured however you wish, although Logitech has a clear plan for it. Meanwhile, the array of twelve buttons under the thumb is freakishly intuitive. These buttons are essentially designed as two nests of six, raised at the edges; the rep said it was rare for individuals to use all twelve buttons, but that the two nests of six allowed people with varying sizes of hands to pick a set that was comfortable to them and go.
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It gets better. The side button array is also backlit, and the backlighting is not only color and pulse configurable but corresponds to whatever programmed set of buttons you're using. The G600 can be programmed with a staggering 48 sets of functions on these buttons; three profiles to switch between, plus what Logitech calls their "G-Shift" profile, enabled by holding the third surface button under the index finger.
If the G600's design has any major flaws, it's that it's frankly just a large mouse and in some ways feels a bit stripped down. The buttons are fantastic and the third surface mouse button seems like such an obvious inclusion that I'm surprised nobody else is doing it; the last time we saw this with any kind of frequency was decades ago. Yet I miss their switchable freewheel for the mouse wheel, and while adjustable weight might not be strictly necessary for a mouse this large it would still be appreciated.
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althaz - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I can understand where you are coming from with the clicking of the blues, but some people actually really like that (my wife for instance, though not when somebody else is typing :)). I'm with you though, Browns are much less annoying and also are better for gaming.On the BlackWidow line themselves, there are MUCH better keyboards out there, Logitech keyboards, in the mechanical keyboard enthusiast community, are fairly poorly regarded (though other than the paint coming off one of their keyboards for a friend, I've never personally had a problem).
althaz - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
lol, said logitech, but meant Razer. Got confused because they both had the paint peeling off problem :)...dishayu - Wednesday, October 10, 2012 - link
Likewise here. I adore the aural feedback of the blues and won't trade it for silence but I hate it when someone else is using my PC and i'm trying to do something else (although that is very VERY rare). Btwtech - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
There seem to be a lot of mechanical keyboards popping up lately, but none with the split ergonomic design.I know there are more people who use the straight layout, but most programmers, etc. that I know use the ergonomic layout, and are the type of people who are willing to drop $150 on a keyboard if it will deliver a better typing experience.
althaz - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I know a lot of programmers and developers and none of them use ergonomic keyboards. You are right that many of us would drop $150 on a keyboard without a second thought, but nobody I've known in the industry the last ten years would use an ergonomic keyboard over a mechanical one. There will certainly be some (somebody likes everything), but I wouldn't think very many.jamyryals - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Same here. No developers I know use the split keyboard layout. The evidence has shown keyboard position relative to height has a much larger effect on wrist fatigue.Conficio - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Second this one. There are $350 models out there. But that is really asking a lot.Old_Fogie_Late_Bloomer - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
As a transcriptionist I eventually had to use an ergonomic keyboard, and it did seem to help a bit (my wrists are still jacked from that job, but thankfully programming and emailing cause a lot less wear than 60+ pages in an eight-hour shift). The day I left that job is the last day I will ever use an ergonomic keyboard, because of the association with all the things I had to type on it. :-PI've already readjusted to normal keyboards (I never stopped using one at home, and laptops don't have them) and I can't imagine what a pain it would be to program on one (I have no intention of trying it). A mechanical keyboard is on my shopping list, and I suspect something like a brown with O-rings would ultimately be more helpful for my wrists than the split keyboard ever was.
Impulses - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
I write a fair bit of code at school and I used a MS Natural 4000 ergo until last year, I've been much happier with my mechanical keyboards since I made the switch though.Holly - Tuesday, October 9, 2012 - link
Tbh everybody should choose keyboard by trying to type on them. Lots of keyboards pple can deny after pressing few keys simply because it obviously doesn't fit them. Some pple will prefer more rigid, some will prefer more soft touch. For me... I just can't find anything on these super gaming keyboards that would appeal to me. I use M$ Natural Ergonomic keyb 4000 and in the end and after trying many (and wasting lots of money) I finally have something that fits my hands well.