Logitech's G Series Branding and Product Refresh
by Dustin Sklavos on March 20, 2013 4:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Peripherals
- Gaming
- Logitech
- Mouse
- Keyboard
Logitech has been producing peripherals for some time now, but what they've lacked is a concrete "this is for enthusiasts" brand identity. Ordinarily a vendor producing a specific "gaming" brand is met with eyerolls and rightfully so, but Logitech's gaming peripherals have sort of floated in their expansive product lineup with only the "G" prefix to really distinguish them. What we're looking at today is a push towards a very concrete, very distinct branding that will make Logitech's gamer oriented products much more readily identifiable.
As far as the refresh itself goes, we'll start with the quartet of mice being released. These are essentially refreshes of many of their existing mice with new skins and more importantly, newer and better hardware under the hood. The new versions all see an "s" suffix added to the model numbers, but with them we get better switches and sensors across the board.
Clockwise from the top left: G100s, G400s, G700s, G500s.
Other than the upgraded internals, Logitech deliberately hewed very closely to the existing designs in terms of both materials and feel. Their attitude was "If it ain't broke, don't break it," and while my first inclination might be to chide them on being lazy, the reality is that I agree. These mice (especially the G500) were nigh perfect on their initial release, so there's little reason to mess with success. I will note that I'm not a huge fan of the new visual design, though. MSRP for these mice will be $39 for the G100s, $59 for the G400s, $69 for the G500s, and $99 for the G700s wired/wireless combo mouse.
Next on the agenda are Logitech's new keyboards, but I have a slightly harder time getting excited about these.
The Logitech G19s (top) and G510s (bottom).
These keyboards are straight up new products. Both feature completely color-configurable full-keyboard backlighting and Logitech's GamePanel LCDs. The GamePanels have apparently been pretty popular on their existing keyboards, and Logitech isn't really messing with success with these new keyboards. Instead they've improved durability by using hydrophobic coatings on the palm rest while double-coating the keys for improved longevity. That said, Logitech went with the RGB color-configurable backlighting as opposed to mechanical key switches, so these are still membrane keyboards. If you're like me, that's a bit of a disappointment.
The G19s has a full color LCD GamePanel and actually has an external power brick that allows it to use a single USB 2.0 connection while offering two powered USB 2.0 ports, the backlighting, and the panel. MSRP is set for $199.
The G510s is only slightly cut down; instead of the powered USB 2.0 ports, you get integrated USB audio that toggles on when you plug headphones and a microphone into it. I'm actually pretty keen on that as opposed to using a passthrough, as it makes Windows' clunky audio switching more tolerable. MSRP is set for $119.
Finally, Logitech is releasing two new headsets, both of which I found surprisingly comfortable. Finding a good gaming headset can be difficult for people who wear glasses (or even over-ear headphones in general), but the grip of the new headsets, the G430 and G230, was remarkably gentle while still being secure. Both headsets feature a noise-cancelling microphone. The more expensive G430 (at $79) sports 7.1 surround sound and includes a removable USB audio dongle, meaning you can opt to use it as a basic pair of headphones if you're so inclined. Meanwhile, the more affordable G230 (at $59) foregoes these accoutrements, instead offering basic stereo sound.
Common to all of these products, Logitech is unifying device drivers under one piece of software (something some of their competitors still lack), all but the G430 are Mac compatible (though there's no reason you can't remove the USB dongle and use the G430 as a basic headset on a Mac.) Availability is scheduled for the beginning of April 2013 in the United States, and May 2013 in Europe.
Update: The keyboards are apparently refreshes as well. I'd say if it ain't broke don't fix it (like the mice), but I suspect there will be room for improvement with these. We'll see when the review units arrive!
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07Galford007 - Tuesday, March 26, 2013 - link
Agreed, but it wouldn't be a G9X, would it? I'm sure it would have to grow in size to accomodate extra buttons, like the G700, which I'm perfectly happy with atm.garadante - Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - link
These being membrane keyboards is a kill for me. I'm on my second Logitech G510, as having had the first keyboard replaced under warranty when the USB cable wore out. The quality of the membrane keys leaves much to be desired, and these keyboards just aren't very durable. I love the screen, but it's not a deal breaker for me, whereas this cheap build quality is. I've had a lot of good Logitech products over the years, but they simply don't last. Their warranty service is great, at least.Looks like I'm still waiting on the Corsair K95 keyboard, then.
B-Unit1701 - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
I have been abusing the same G15 for nearly 6 years this month. 'Not durable' is the last phrase I would use to describe the G series keyboards.Now mice on the other hand, I cant make one last longer than 6 months, no matter who makes it. :S
garadante - Thursday, March 21, 2013 - link
I suppose I've just had bad luck with Logitech durability. And not to mention, they changed the internals of the G510, making it nearly impossible to clean the keys. Which sucked because I ended up losing my left alt key as it was sticking horrendously, and physically removing it ruined it.Evil_Sheep - Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - link
One word: ugly.uc404s - Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - link
The pattern on the mice looked like hand cooling vents at first glance. Now that would have been an interesting feature.Wall Street - Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - link
I'm glad I got the adult version of the G400 before they increased the price and put kiddie stickers on it.Lonyo - Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - link
I got a G400 to replace my MX518 when the scroll wheel stopped working properly after 5+ years.Maybe I should get another one now just in case.
B3an - Wednesday, March 20, 2013 - link
Ugly markings. And i bet they will wear off after after a few months. Every single Logitech mouse i've owned that has had a coating over the top plastic (usually silver) has had it wear off. It's the WORST design ever, it's so obvious this will wear off. Usually within the first few months.I now have a Roccat Kone XTD and it's the best mouse i've ever owned. Better than anything Logitech have and i've had most of there top-end mice over the past 12 years. Glad i left them, Roccats software is miles better as well, extremely customisable.
07Galford007 - Tuesday, March 26, 2013 - link
I agree. I'm a fan of all (matte) black peripherals. I don't need to show those things off...I'm too busy actually using them.