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Author: Evaldas Jocys
Rating: 5
Review: Decided to upgrade to G604 from G700s (owned 3 of them). At the moment I am happy with the upgrade. First of all, technical specifications of G604: - Sensor: Logitech HERO 16, Optical, 100 – 16,000 DPI, adjustable with steps of 50 - Image processing: 12 megapixels / second. - Maximum acceleration: 40 G - Maximum speed: 400 inches / second - USB Receiver report rate: 125 - 1000 reports / second - Various battery consumption modes: Yes - Buttons: 15 programmable - Weight: 141 grams = 114 grams mouse + 27 grams battery - Left/Right button: OMRON D2FC-F-7N(G) Micro Switch. - WxHxD: 80mm x 45mm x 130mm Build Quality: My previous Logitech mice models lasted for 2 years on average. It is clear that Logitech made a mistake by using low quality hardware components for main buttons in G604, which is the core part of the mouse. I am on my 3rd G604 mouse, because buttons are developing double click issue: 2020-05-28 – 1st mouse. Developed double click issue after 2 months. 2020-07-26 – 2nd mouse. Developed double click issue after 12 months. 2021-09-24 – 3rd mouse. Let’s see how long it will last. I am still using G604 model, because its design is excellent and Logitech comply with 2-Year warranty commitment. G604, when compared with old G700s: Have 2 extra buttons, double DPI, 240% faster tracking speed. Can handle 25% times faster acceleration and weights 11 grams less. Sensor, on the bottom of the mouse, was moved backwards i.e. further from fingertips, but closer to the mouse's centre of gravity. Battery lasts 22 times longer i.e. up to 240 hours of non-stop gaming. Battery access is much easier and can be replaces with one hand. This mouse doesn’t have cable i.e. can’t charge battery inside and includes non-rechargeable AA battery. This means that you have to spend on rechargeable batteries and charger. AA Battery: - Panasonic Eneloop 1900 mAh rechargeable batteries. Fully charged battery, lasts about 36 days in USB receiver mode. I’ve used it daily for work and for gaming during weekends. I am considering switch to Duracel 2500 mAh, which would give me 32% extra time without replacement. Note: You should keep USB receiver closer to your mouse in order to reduce power usage. USB Battery Charger: - Sanyo NC-MDU01 USB charger. Very small charger, which can charge 1 or 2 USB batteries at the time. Charger gives ability to change battery in 2-3 seconds during the game. Note: I’ve tried Panasonic BQ-CC80 USB charger but it has major disadvantages, like inability to charge 1 battery at the time, charging speed is 4 times slower than Sanyo NC-MDU01. Panasonic also twice as large as Sanyo and makes extraction of a battery with one hand a little bit harder due to its design. Another compact alternative is Universal Magnetic USB Battery Charger from Olight on Amazon, but I haven’t tried it. This mouse has all what it needs to make it the best gaming mouse now: Pros: 1. Comfortable ergonomic grip with robust build quality and individually sculpted buttons. 2. Mouse has thumb rest. 3. Good button layout, allowing easy access to main buttons. 4. Grip feels rubberized and smooth. 5. 4-Way (up/down, plus 2 extra side buttons), dual-mode mouse wheel. 6. Extremely responsive (Up to 1000Hz) in wireless mode. 7. Uses a standard AA rechargeable battery. 8. All buttons are fully programmable and can be saved as profiles to on-board memory. You can create even more complex scripts when combined with "Logitech G HUB” software. 9. Ideal for MMORPGs. 10. You can connect mouse to 2nd device or PC via Bluetooth. Cons: 1. Minor: Mouse don’t have cable connection and can’t charge the battery. Good thing that it lasts much longer than G700s model. 2. Minor: No dedicated profile switch button on the bottom of the mouse (like on Razer Mamba). 3. Major: Logitech software like G-HUB and Logitech Options is prime example of incompetence i.e. buggy and irrational navigation. It is like hardware department hired people based on merit and software department is full of beginners who have no clue. Extra mouse buttons and "true gaming mouse": Proper gaming mouse, like HOTAS Joystick, allows you to keep left hand on movement keys (W,A,S,D,SHIFT,SPACE) at all times, while performing most basic FPS functions (shoot, aim down sight, throw grenade, melee attack, crouch, prone, draw side gun, ...). This requires more than 5 mouse buttons. True gaming mouse must have at least same amount of action buttons as a standard gaming controller which is 14 (A, B, C, D, LS, RS, LT, RT, LB, RB, D-PAD Up, D-PAD Right, D-PAD Down, D-PAD Left). Logitech G604, with 15 programmable buttons, comes very close to perfection. Extra buttons are exactly what makes mouse a "gaming mouse", because extra buttons give advantage over other players. Of course, higher DPI, faster pool rate, memory profiles and scripting are important features of a "true gaming mouse" too :). There is a room for improvements and new features: - Top-left side buttons could be higher and more sculpted, which would separate them better from the main Left mouse button and accident clicks of it. - 2 Extra buttons could be added on the top right side. - Analog buttons (sliders) could be added with support of pulse-duration modulation (PDM) key macro, which could turn G604 into a game controller replacement :). HOKAM: For example, I’ve used this sequence very frequently in Battlefield when trying to resurrect friendly: With my left hand: I was running ('SHIFT') forward ('W'), while strafing to left ('A') and right ('D'). At the same time, with my right hand, I selected, charged defibrillators and resurrected friendly ('G7'), dropped medical kit (SCROLL-LEFT) took out main weapon ('G8') or side arm ('G5'), zoomed ('RIGHT-MOUSE') and was shooting ('LEFT-MOUSE') at enemy in order to provide cover for resurrected soldier, then immediately crouched ('G9') or laid down ('G6') into cover myself. With G604 I can do it in a flash with ease, while constantly moving at the same time, because G604 is a real gaming mouse. Any mouse with 5 or less buttons will force you to use keyboard to perform extra actions. It means that in game character will stop moving, which makes you and easier target for the enemy. Mouse with 14 and more buttons can be called HOKAM (Hands on Keyboard-And-Mouse). DPI and muscle memory: It is important to make sure that mouse sensitivity in Windows is the same as in the Game, because it allows you to move windows cursor to a specific location or move in-game target onto the enemy without conscious effort. You must to make sure that mouse movement on the desk mirrors the movement on the screen. In Windows, to enable that: a) Open Control Panel -> Mouse -> [Pointer Options] tab and… c) Uncheck “Enhance pointer precision" in "Motion" group. DPI higher than 6400 is mostly a marketing gimmick, because many games does not support DPI higher than 3200. I prefer low sensitivity settings and use 10.8 inches swipe on the mouse pad to turn 360 degrees in the game. Sensitivity of 1600 DPI is most convenient for me: 1. Most games allow to set 360° Turn = 10.8" 2. With 80° in-game Field on View (FOV) and 1920-pixel wide monitor it allows me to shift in-game world with 1/2-pixel precision exactly. This gives two advantages in FPS games: a) Partly removes "pixel snapping" effect and results in smooth and high quality precision movement when sniping far away targets, which occupies 1-2 pixels on the screen. b) Removes the need to use medium or long-range scopes in FPS games when using high precision weapons, when aiming at far away targets, because "pixel snapping" is no longer screws precision and forces you to miss. In Windows, I have to: a) Open Control Panel -> Mouse -> [Pointer Options] tab and… b) Select a pointer speed, in "Motion" group, at marker 3 (11 markers: from 0 to 10) In game, I have to use mouse-sensitivity .com website to convert distance (10.8") and mouse DPI (1600) into in-game sensitivity value. Button mappings: Windows do not support more than five mouse buttons, so, you have to assign keyboard keys to them in order to use them in games. Mapping Option (Simple) You can assign just most popular keyboard keys (1,2,3,4,Z,C,F,Q,H,G) with "Logitech G Hub" software. Configuration in most FPS games would look and work like this: Main Buttons: G1 – M1 – Fire. G2 – M2 – Aim down sight (ADS). G3 – M3 – Alternative Fire. Thumb Buttons: G4 – 1 – Side weapon. G5 – 2 – Main weapon. G6 – Z – Stealth mode. Prone. Dodge roll if SPACE is jump. G7 – 3 – Close-quarters combat (CQC) weapon. G8 – 4 – Long-range, heavy weapon. G9 – C – Stealth mode. Crouch. Top Buttons: G10 (+) – F – Melee. G11 (-) – Q – Spot / Command Interface. G12 () – G – Scroll Right – Use Offensive Item (i.e. Grenade, C4, …). G14 (^) – Scroll Up – Next Weapon. G15 (v) – Scroll Down – Previous Weapon. Mapping Option (Advanced): This option allows to assign up to 3 different keyboard keys to one mouse button. Such configuration allows you to keep your Hands-on Keyboard-And-Mouse (HOKAM) at all times. First: Assign physically hidden function keys F13-F24 of keyboard, because they are usually free to map in all games: G4=F14… G9=F19… G13=F23. Second: Use "AutoHotKey" open-source app to create combos, which will make one function key to act like 3 keys, depending on how you press it (SINGLE - Single click. DOUBLE: Double click. HOLD: Click and hold for 500ms). Keyboard (Left Hand): AWSD – Move: Left, Forward, Backward, Right SHIFT – Run Mode SPACE – Jump Mouse Buttons (Right Hand): M1 – Fire. M2 – SINGLE HOLD: Aim down sight (ADS). DOUBLE HOLD: Scope. M3 – Alternative fire. Thumb Buttons: G4 – 1/5/9 – Side weapon. SINGLE: Pistol. DOUBLE: Shorty. HOLD: Select Item 1. G5 – 2/6/0 – Main weapon. SINGLE: Assault Rifle. DOUBLE: LMG. HOLD: Select Item 2. G7 – 3/7 – Close-quarters combat weapon. SINGLE: Shotgun. DOUBLE: SMG. G8 – 4/8 – Long-range, heavy weapon. SINGLE: Sniper. DOUBLE: Rocket. G9 – C/P – Stealth mode. SI
