14 DAY TRIAL // The Logitech G502 name has been around since 2004, and it makes it a little bit difficult to keep track of new releases since the company doesn’t change the designations. But I can safely say that this last Logitech G502 Lightspeed iteration is by far one of the best.
Since we already know the Lightspeed name is reserved for high-speed wireless mice, and that the Logitech 500 series is designed as a gamer’s choice, what happens if we put the two together? We get the Logitech G502 Lightspeed, which is pretty much the best possible gaming mouse available right now.
Unlike some of the other PC peripherals, the mouse is a tricky component, mainly because it’s tough to please everyone. People’s hands are vastly different, and building a mouse that can fit all of them is next to impossible. And if we add another layer to this problem, that of design and personal preferences, the problem becomes one without a solution.
Gamers know very well what kind of mouse they want and what are the features they need. It’s difficult to classify the features people would want from a mouse because it’s not the same for everyone. For example, I’m more interested in the shape of the mouse and less on the overall design.
Other people prefer their mouse with a futuristic or ergonomic shape, and some don’t even care about how it looks. They care strictly about the technical aspects of the devices. Whatever the reason, Logitech needs to build something that appeals to everyone, or at least to as many people as possible.
Usage and design
I have to say that Logitech G502 Lightspeed looks a little like a Transformer ready to assemble itself into a much more aggressive form, but I guess that’s inescapable at some point. I’ve seen this kind of design around, and it looks like more companies are doing this now. I’m not sure if it has to do with some focus group or how mice are getting these shapes, but I love it.
In any case, people will immediately notice that the design is not arbitrary, just of the sake of looking cool. For the most part, everything has a purpose, and it’s in the right position, for a specific reason. The hand falls naturally on the mouse, and it doesn’t matter what type of grip you’re using.
The Logitech G502 Lightspeed comes in a very well organized box that also houses a small case with four weights, two 2gr and two 4gr. It’s the kind of details that can turn a good mouse into a perfect one. By itself, the mouse is very light, and that might be a reason to not choose it, despite all of the otherwise great features.
The weights can be placed on the back, behind a small hatch, where the wireless dongle is stored as well. I found that 8 grams more was perfect for me, but four weights allow people to experiment with the best combination.
All in all, the mouse doesn’t feel too big or too small. Finding the right weight for your preference can be done by combining the provided pieces of metal quickly.
As for the functionality part, users will have to come to terms with something challenging to do, even for seasoned PC players. There’s a wide-spread impression, that’s not all that unfounded, that wireless mice have a slower response time than wired ones. That might be true for many of the products available right now on the market, but not all companies are peddling the same hardware.
Logitech has been investing a lot of time and money into making wireless mice just as fast as the wired ones. Logitech G502 is proof that it can be done. The technology is called Lightspeed, and it’s usually reserved for high-end devices. You might already have noticed that the 502 is not exactly cheap, but you’re getting your money’s worth.
The mouse uses the excellent Hero 16K sensor, which is present on many of the Logitech’s products. It’s boasting the same response rate for both USB and wireless connections of just 1ms. It helps to have a dedicated 32 ARM processor.
The resolution varies between 100 and 16,000 DPI, but this is to be expected from a high-quality mouse. It’s also possible to change the DPI settings on the fly, which is extremely useful, but users can define the levels from the software as well.
Users have access to 11 programmable buttons, which can be controlled through the Logitech G Hub Software. A couple of the buttons are worth mentioning because they serve purposes that are not usually available.
The first one is called DPI Shift or Sniper button. Basically, when the button is pressed, the DPI is lowered for finer control, and it’s especially useful when using a sniper, hence the name. The second button is the Wheel mode toggle button, which releases the scroll wheel. In the second mode, the wheel is entirely free and moves extremely fast, without any hindrance.
As for the battery, the Logitech G502 features a rechargeable 250mAH LiPol solution that should offer about 55 hours with the lights off and 48 hours with the lights on. Usually, these numbers are inflated to make the product look more appealing, but that’s not the case in this instance. It really takes a long time to drain the battery.
The G symbol lights up and can be controlled from the software, but I don’t care about something that I don’t usually see and which drains the battery. It’s an excellent addition if you have other peripherals from Logitech and you want to match them.
The software can also be used to create various profiles, which your particular settings, which is more than useful, especially since you can store up to 5 profiles on the mouse.
The Good
The company figured that not everyone would be able to make this adjustment, and added a small adaptor for the charging cable which lets people place it wherever they want. If we add the number of available weights, the long battery life, and programmable buttons, it’s challenging to figure out why you wouldn't want it.
The Bad
Conclusion
It’s fast, reliable, and you won’t ever notice that it’s not wired. It’s truly an evolution, and it sets up a new standard on which we need to judge other mice, from any company, not just Logitech.
