Excellent Everyday Use - Great for Most Gaming - Poor for FPS
Written: Jun 11 '09
Product Rating:
Pros: Inexpensive, reliable, comfortable for light/average day-to-day use
Cons: Insufficient precision for 'twitch' gaming, slightly big for average/small hands, right-hand only
The Bottom Line: This is a great mouse for almost any situation, though heavy gamers may want to consider something else with a higher DPI rating and different ergonomics.
wsmunch's Full Review: Logitech MXâ„¢400 (931638-0403) Mouse
I've had this mouse for over a year, but it's time for me to find a replacement intended for heavier PC gaming.
[] CONSTRUCTION& CONFIGURATION[] This mouse has been rock solid since the day I received it. All of the buttons still have a clean click, nothing has worn off, and nothing has broken. The pads on the bottom show a little bit of wear, but they're still smooth and intact. The rubbery grips on the side are still very tactile. This mouse has gone through weekly use, anywhere between 5 to 30+ hours, and I could practically wipe it down and repackage it as new. It's lightweight, easy to carry, and easy to move.
I think that some people have had problems with Logitech's mouse software, but I never have. I've been able to bind all the buttons to other keys or functions and have changed all the settings around without a single hiccup or frown.
[] COMFORT [] This mouse is perfect for normal day-to-day use. The curve keeps the hand at a comfortable, natural cupping-shape. It doesn't strain muscles since it's lightweight and easy to push around. The curve of the mouse has the hand slide to the right a bit, encouraging the palm to center at the base of the grey area (look at the photo/package) and the right side of your hand to rest flush on the table. Since the hand isn't really centered on the mouse itself, the forward thumb button may be hard/impossible to reach for people with average or small hands - at least without readjusting one's grip. Just point and click.
This mouse is great for average gaming use. What do I mean by "average?" It would include [but not limited to]: non-competitive online gaming, gaming sessions lasting less than 1.5 hours before a break, simple/normal point and click gaming, games that can be paused or don't have a time limit rushing the player along, games that don't have a million little things to click on (micromanaging), games that don't require key-binding to each of the mouse's buttons to improve gameplay, etc. This type of gaming use is more or less pointing and clicking like day-to-day use, and the Logitech MX400 is perfectly fine to handle all of it.
This mouse is rather poor for advanced gaming and especially for FPS (first-person shooter) games. What do I mean by "advanced?" It would include [but not limited to]: competitive online gaming, extended gaming sessions, real-time games that lock the player in, games that require micromanaging, games that benefit players who bind commands to each of the mouse buttons, anything that requires movement that is fast and/or with a purpose, etc. I would guess (since I am not part of either of these following categories) that exceptions to this opinion would have larger than average hands and/or use their arm to command mouse movement. Someone who can paw this entire mouse will have easier overall handling. Someone who uses their arm to move the mouse also wouldn't have as much hand strain for advanced or extended gaming.
My mousing style [especially when it comes to gaming] is a combination of wrist and finger mousing. - Wrist mousing: The base of the palm touches the mousing surface, resting at the base of the mouse, and has the fingers clasp around it. Movement is primarily dictated by the wrist. - Finger mousing: The base of the palm touches the mousing surface and may or may not also rest at the base of the mouse. The fingers touch on the buttons at the tips - not so much clasping around them. Movement is primarily dictated by finger presses, and side-to-side movement is done with thumb and pinky movements. - Arm mousing: The elbow sits on the table while the palm rests on top of the mouse and grips around it. Neither the palm nor the wrist touch the mousing surface, and movement is primarily dictated by forearm movements.
The curve of the Logitech MX400 doesn't let me center my hand [comfortably] for extended and/or precision wrist mousing. While the mouse isn't really considered big, the height and bulk are too much for me to effectively finger mouse. My thumb doesn't reach the forward button (just the back). The curve of the mouse also makes it uncomfortable to use the scrolling wheel's left tilt (pressing the wheel to the left) with either the index finger (too much movement involved) or the middle finger; the ergonomics makes the mouse want to pivot when the middle finger tilts the scroll wheel left. Preventing the pivot requires my thumb to 'pinch' the mouse to hold it in place, lest I let the pivot defy my attempts at precision. This does not happen when I tilt the scroll wheel right, most likely due to the mouse's sloped design.
Why do I tilt so much? I bind the scroll wheel's left & right tilts as left & right leaning for first person shooter games.
The problem when I am finger-mousing is that the Logitech MX400 is so light, and button presses (except the main two) will move the mouse! The only way to prevent this movement would be to put a firmer grip on the mouse when pressing the extra buttons, and this is why it's a problem for advanced or extended gaming. The strain on my hand muscles is increased in order to maintain optimum control, and this aspect is exacerbated by insufficient mouse DPI for precision or 'twitch' gaming (also can apply to precision with Photoshop or similar). I'll stretch my hand out and take breaks, but it's still not good enough.
[] PERFORMANCE[] For day-to-day and average gaming use, the Logitech MX400 is awesome with it's 1000 DPI, and there isn't much vertical deviation when the mouse is moved side to side. It's not that awesome for FPS games or games that require speed and micromanaging (like RTS games), since it's just not sensitive enough for subtle movements. I've tried different mousing surfaces of varying detail and textures but to no avail. I've also adjusted the mouse settings through both the software and the game, and I have not been satisfied whatsoever. I feel like I have to fight to get it to go.
The Logitech MX400 is NOT good for FPS games beyond short-range combat. It doesn't detect the little nudges on the mouse that well. When it does, half the time, it will move 10 pixels when I really wanted to nudge it 1-2 pixels. Other times it won't move at all, even with multiple, small nudges that should have done something. The lazer hole is always particle-free, so I know the problem isn't due to interference. I've been playing Call of Duty: World at War, and it's so very frustrating when I'm aiming down the sight of my weapon, trying to zero in on someone crouched in the distance. In the 3-4 seconds (or more) I spend trying to target accurately, my opponent spots me and rips off a clean shot. It's just as bad as when I'm trying to draw a bead on a moving target and my shots almost appear to be wild. I've had some other players comment, "dude, you had a clean shot at me and didn't take it before I turned around and got you," and when I explain to them the mouse I have I always hear, "ahhh yeah you gotta get something better for this." Using sniper rifles ends up being just as tricky, since the MX400 can be too sensitive, which also means fighting with the mouse and straining more hand muscles.
I've recently replayed Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War and found that the imprecision has me clicking around trying to select the [usually moving] unit I want. Maybe this imprecision is not that big of a deal to some people, but to others (gamers) it can be as frustrating as trying to ring a doorbell with a 25-foot pole and a small breeze.
The scroll wheel as a button (pressing down directly) works surprisingly well. I typically don't bind any keys to it, since I already have the wheel and the left & right tilts bound to a command. The times that I did bind the scroll wheel as a button, it was pretty good at not triggering anything else the scroll wheel can do. It is better than most other ones I've ever come across [so far], but I still don't use it because it's not close enough to perfect like all of the other buttons on the mouse.
The Logitech MX400 suffers no lag or pointer-skipping, and the pads still have great glide. Tilting the scroll wheel almost never triggers any vertical scrolling.
[] VERDICT [] The Logitech MX400 gets 5/5 stars for everyday use, 4/5 stars for most gaming, and 2/5 stars for FPS games (and similar). My issues with the mouse are less likely to be common for those with large hands and/or who use their arm to move the mouse. Part of my problem is that my hand is not quite big enough to dominate the mouse, and the other part of my problem is that the mouse's ergonomics don't really allow [me] a comfortable grip for constant use of all the buttons. I wish the ergonomics allowed for a more neutral hand position (I sort of miss my Logitech MX510) instead of a form of cupping. My other other problem is that the mouse doesn't have the sensitivity I desire for precision gameplay.
I'm definitely keeping this mouse as a backup. It's a great mouse for the price. It just doesn't have the chops for what I really want it to do.
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