Installing the G5 mouse couldn’t be easier. Just plug in on a vacant USB port and run the installation CD that comes with the SetPoint application (a universal program for all Logitech products). The software controls the individual button configurations for any application you chose. As a test, we assigned the sensitivity buttons to “copy+paste” while running Word, and “open new tab” while using Firefox. Unfortunately, although it’s a special Battlefield 2 edition, the SetPoint doesn’t have a ready profile for the game. We had to configure the mouse manually for BF 2142 gaming. For our style of playing, we assigned the “back button” (near the right thumb) to “prone position” so we could rapidly drop to the floor when the shooting begins. Again, it suited our style: it can be assigned to other useful actions, like jumping, reloading or pausing the game, if you so desire.

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Figure 5: SetPoint software.

There’s also an advanced setting that allows you to reprogram the default sensitivity settings to any five settings between 400 dpi and 2,000 dpi. You can save those settings to a particular game if you like. On our test we used the default setting: 400 dpi (low); 800 dpi (mid); and 2000 dpi (high). The lowest sensitivity is useful for careful aiming; the middle one is perfect for walking and running about; and the highest is suited when operating sluggish weapons like a tank cannon so you can do it quicker. More on that battle experience latter.

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Figure 6: Advanced dpi configuration.