INTRODUCTION

   A couple of weeks ago CCP Games the creators behind the massive EVE Online MMORPG surprised everyone by announcing their latest game prototype called Project Legion which unlike their much acclaimed DUST 514 Multiplayer First Person Shooter PS3 title is to be released solely on PC. Naturally it's going to be a while before CCP Games manages to even release a beta of the game but this announcement combined with the release of several highly anticipated upcoming titles like Watch dogs, Squadron 42/Star Citizen, Alien: Isolation, Mad Max, Evolve and Elite Frontier and it's a safe bet that countless gamers around the world are going to be gearing up for them really soon. Logitech is not only amongst the oldest companies in the PC industry but they are also without doubt amongst the top gaming peripheral manufacturers in the market currently largely thanks to both the quality of their products and their excellent after sales support. For the past week we've been testing their latest G502 Proteus Core Tunable Gaming Mouse around the clock and today we can finally share our thoughts and opinion about it with all of you.

   Focused on innovation and quality, Logitech designs personal peripherals to help people enjoy a better experience with the digital world. We started in 1981 with mice, which (new at the time) provided a more intuitive way of interacting with a personal computer. We became the worldwide leader in computer mice, and have reinvented the mouse in dozens of ways to match the evolving needs of PC and laptop users. Since those early days, we have expanded our expertise in product design beyond the computer mouse, with a broad portfolio of interface devices that are the “last inch” between you and your computer or your console game, digital music or home-entertainment system. With products sold in almost every country in the world, Logitech’s leadership in innovation now encompasses a wide variety of personal peripherals (both cordless and corded), with special emphasis on products for PC navigation, gaming, Internet communications, digital music and home-entertainment control. For each of our product categories, we study how our customers use their digital devices, and then our designers and engineers set their sights on how we can create a better experience with those devices – richer, more comfortable, more fun, more productive, more convenient, and more delightful.

   The G502 Proteus Core Tunable Gaming Mouse is the successor to last year’s G500s gaming mouse although you will not find that many similarities between these two models since Logitech decided to massively improve the new model. So this time over Logitech has equipped the G502 with their latest optical (IR) sensor (Delta Zero) that gives it a maximum resolution of 12.000DPI (Dots Per Inch) with 40G's of acceleration and a maximum speed of 300IPS (Inches Per Second) thus placing it right next to the fastest gaming mice in the marker as we speak. Of course i don't expect anybody to ever play a game with the mouse set at 12.000DPI but this optical sensor also offer a calibration system that analyzes the surface you are using the mouse on and makes all necessary changes to offer the best possible performance. This may not impress some of you but considering that the closest thing we've seen to that is the surface analyzer by Mionix we really think that our friends over at Logitech are stepping up their game.

SPECIFICATIONS AND FEATURES

PACKAGING AND CONTENTS

Just like most of the boxes used by Logitech lately you can see a large product image at the front half of which looks like it's through an X-Ray machine.

A quick product description is placed on the left side of the box in 8 languages.

Some of the products specifications are listed on the right side in 3 languages this time.

At the rear of the box we see yet another product picture and the specifications list in 6 languages.

The front of the box opens up to reveal the mouse and a few words about the Delta Zero sensor in 3 languages.

Unfortunately the bundle is not something unique since aside the G502 you are also getting the user’s manual, warranty information and a box with some weights inside (there's also a small round magnet attached to the package).

THE G502

The 132mm long, 75mm wide and 40mm tall G502 is made out of hard plastic (matte and glossy parts) and rubber and weighs 121g.

Three fully programmable buttons are placed on the left rubber coated side of the mouse right beneath the DPI selection LEDs.

The DPI selection buttons are placed on the far left top of the device right next to the primary button.

A large G representing the gaming line of peripherals by Logitech is placed on the rear top end of the mouse.

Logitech has placed two extra programmable buttons at the top of the mouse.

The right side is also rubber coated like the left one for improved grip (and yes it actually works).

As you can see the clickable scroll wheel (also tilts left/right) is placed higher up compared to other gaming mice and in the end that's something we didn't like. The primary left/right button switches are manufactured by OMRON and have a life span of 20 million clicks.

Beneath the G502 Logitech has placed 4 low-friction Polytetrafluoroethylene feet which according to Logitech can last for up to 250 kilometers worth of movement.

According to Logitech the Delta Zero optical IR-LED sensor is the most accurate one in the market today something which we will be putting to the test.

As you can see the weight compartment can be accessed by pulling the thumbrest downwards (it's kept in place via a small magnet).

Here you can mount up to all 5 weights found in the weight box (18g total).

The G502 comes with a braided cable that ends up on a regular USB connector.

Not much to see in terms of illumination since just the G logo along with the DPI selection LEDs are the two things that light up once you plug the mouse into your PC.

LOGITECH GAMING SOFTWARE

As always the first thing you need to do prior to using the G502 is to head over to the official Logitech support page and download the latest version of their Gaming Software for your OS.

The Logitech Gaming Software is no stranger to us so once again the first thing you'll see once you launch the program is the profiles setting which allows you to choose between the three stored in the onboard memory or the auto mode which basically detects compatible games (if installed) and changes the configuration accordingly.

Of course the software allows you to remap all of the 11 buttons, adjust the DPI levels of the up to 5 available modes, enable/disable acceleration, set the desired polling rate, tune the G502 with your mouse pad (perhaps the best software feature), export/import profiles, enable/disable angle snapping and also check for firmware updates.

CONCLUSION

   When we were initially informed about the G502 several months ago we had no idea of what optical sensor they were going to use so it's certainly a pleasant surprise to see that they used their very own Delta Zero IR-LED sensor. Of course since i haven't used every single gaming sensor in the market i don't know if this sensor is indeed the most accurate one currently in the market but what i can say is that aside being extremely fast it's also very accurate and by default it offers virtually no acceleration (much like the latest Avago sensor). Of course the tune feature that allows the sensor to auto-configure itself according to the quality and type of your mousepad surface is unique and for that i truly hope that Logitech continues to improve the sensor for use with future models. The design may seem a bit weird but it actually offers very good grip with excellent glide properties although chances are that it may take a while for someone to get used to it. Moving to the weight system this is a feature that will not be needed for most people since the G502 is already quite heavy but it's always good to have something like that just in case. The two slight issues i had while testing the G502 were the fact that you can't customize the liftoff distance and that the scroll wheel is way too soft (almost feels that it's floating in the air).

   Right now the G502 Proteus Core Tunable Gaming Mouse retails for USD79.99 inside the USA (Amazon.com) and for 79.95Euros inside the EU (Amazon.de) so it's obviously not ment for casual users and gamers. However we can't call it very expensive either since there are currently far more expensive gaming mice in the market some of which even surpass the USD100/100Euros mark. That being said the G502 may not be perfect (we've yet to find the perfect gaming mouse) but thanks to its speed, tracking accuracy, available buttons, weight system and surface tune feature it seems to be the jack of all trades and that's why it grabs our Platinum Award.

PROS

- Build Quality
- Design
- Delta Zero Optical IR-LED Sensor (12000DPI/40G/300IPS)
- Tracking Speed & Accuracy
- 11 Programmable Buttons
- Surface Tune Feature
- Weight System
- Braided Cable

CONS

- Price (For Some)
- Scroll Wheel Feeling (For Some)