Logitech showed off an update to the G15 gaming keyboard and a new laser gaming mouse called the G9 behind closed doors at E3 last month. As of today, these new designs are now officially part of Logitech's public portfolio.
Logitech representatives states that feedback from G15 indicated that users didn’t use all the macros the G15 was capable of in its original iteration. Logitech claims the largest complaint on the original G15 was that the keyboard was just too big.
The G15 has changed significantly, most notably by shrinking in size. The shrink was accomplished by losing some of the programmable macro keys on each side of the original G15 keyboard. The six keys on the new version have three shift states so the new G15 can save a total 18 total macros.
The other big change to the new G15 is moving from a flip up LCD display to one that is permanently fixed in place. The backlighting has also changed from a weak blue on the original to a brighter orange on the new G15. The LCD on the new G15 also uses the orange on black for much improved readability while gaming.
The really slick item that Logitech announced that I was able to get hands on time with at Quakecon is the G9 Laser Mouse. This mouse will be Logitech’s new top-of-the-line gaming mouse when it is available in September.
The G9 ships with two interchangeable grips, one called the Wide Load and the other called the Precision grip. The Wide Load grip is flatter and ideal for those who palm a mouse; the precision grip is textured and has raised areas more like the shape of the ergonomic mice we are used to seeing from Logitech.
The biggest feature of the G9 for gamers is likely to be the on-the-fly adjustable sensitivity that can be set to a low of 200 dpi up to a high of 3200 dpi. I am a big fan of high sensitivity for playing FPS games, and the 3200 dpi was great on the Quake Wars: EnemyTerritory demo Logitech was running.
The G9 also is weight adjustable like the G5 and allows the user to choose the color for the LED lights. If you have ever used the Revolution line of mice from Logitech you are familiar with the hyper-fast scroll wheel. The G9 uses the same scroll wheel as the Revolution series. The G9 set up is much the same as the Logitech VX Revolution notebook mouse.
Internal memory on the G9 allows you to save your profiles to the mouse and then use the mouse on computers without the need for drivers. Logitech representatives indicated the company would offer additional, different grips at some point and possible even grips customized for specific game titles, like the special edition G5 for Battlefield 2142.