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 The
MX518 is Logitech’s latest entry in the gaming market. Over
the past few years it’s been more than demonstrated that
there’s a sizable niche of PC gamers that spend hours every
day playing video games, and of course they want a product
that they can push to the limits.
Other companies like Razer dedicate all
its efforts into this market and Logitech is one of the few
bigger vendors that has also identified the potential of the
gaming market, hence the MX518, which is actually an update
of the fairly popular MX510.
Most people assumed that it would be
hard for Logitech to release a product that was actually
better than the MX510 but they obviously didn’t sit duck.
After spending hours using the MX518, it is clear that
Logitech has succeeded in officially topping the MX510.
Personally, I like being able to plug
something into my computer and have it work without the need
for any drivers. The SetPoint software that comes bundled
with the mouse is certainly useful, but not required. The
"on-the-fly" sensitivity is probably the best feature on the
MX518. This feature allows gamers to switch (in hardware)
between 400 dpi, 800 dpi and 1600 dpi effortlessly by
pressing a "+" and "-" button on the mouse.
 
 
There are two long buttons on the mouse
next to where a right-handed person puts his or her thumb.
These two buttons can essentially be used as a "back" and
"forward" button while browsing the Internet. After getting
accumulated and in the habit of using these two buttons to
help navigate an Internet browser, it is sometimes mind
boggling how difficult it is to use a mouse that doesn't
have these buttons on the side.
Something that will be very appealing
for gamers is that keys on the mice can be specified for
certain tasks. It saves time and is easy to click on one of
the buttons and be able to switch to a particular weapon.
Pros:
Cons:
 People tend to believe that the mouse
scene is dominated by Microsoft and Logitech, and while
that’s not too far from reality, you should know there’s
more to it if you take a good glance. That’s the case of
Razer, a gaming oriented mice manufacturer that became very
famous years ago with the revolutionary Boomslang, now they
are back with the Viper and Diamondback offerings which we
have reviewed here.
Razer could be considered the unofficial
founder of the gaming mice since the Boomslang brought many
improvements to the table, paving the way for many other
products. Previous Boomslang owners may recall the stellar
tracking offered by the mouse however in the other hand, its
shape and feel were horrible and quickly people realized
that it was a bit too uncomfortable for tasks that went
beyond gaming.
After some bankruptcy related trouble,
Razer came back into the scene years later with a Boomslang
re-launch and a further refined new product called Viper.
Although shaped more conservatively, the Viper still offers
the high resolution tracking from its predecessor becoming
the first optical mouse to be offered by Razer. The first
time using the mouse felt slightly awkward as it’s shaped a
bit flatter towards the mousing surface than you would be
normally used to.
Once used to it though, a gamer will
immediately notice the difference and why Razer designed the
mouse the way they did. Sadly, aside from gaming or
something like CAD, the mouse fell short as the Boomslang
did, I didn’t find myself comfortable using the Viper for
other basic stuff like chatting or Internet browsing.
Pros:
Cons:
Images courtesy of
Newegg.
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