Reviewed: October 5, 2004
Reviewed by: Roger Cox

Manufacturer
Logitech

Type: Cordless Optical Mouse
System: PC

Rating: 7.5

Features

After using this mouse constantly for over a week (60+hours of use) I have fallen in love. I handed down my new Microsoft Wireless Intellimouse Explorer 4.0 to a needy friend and permanently upgraded to the Logitech Media Play Cordless Mouse. Talk about upgrading! This mouse has everything you’d ever need and more. It’s a mouse for your PC and a Remote for your media software. Best of all, it feels just right in the palm of your hand and is the most responsive mouse I have ever owned.

Installation - 10

Installation couldn't be easier. You can use either a USB or PS/2 port (adapter is included), which is a nice feature since available USB ports can often be an issue. Just plugging in the mouse into either port will immediately start it working as a normal 3-button mouse but once you install the new Logitech SetPoint software you will have unparalleled control over your mouse and all of its buttons. Logitech’s new Media mouse installs just like that, it’s a piece of cake.

The Mouse Properties screen gives you a coded diagram of the mouse indicating the functions for all the buttons. These can be customized in the Button section along with changing the sensitivity of the clicking. The Pointers section allows you to change the style of arrows and cursors while the Motion tab gives you options for mouse speed and acceleration as well as the options to have the cursor automatically position itself over default selections in dialog boxes.

The software loads with windows but takes hardly any system resources and if you turn off the icon you won't even know it’s running. The new SetPoint software is not only more attractive than the old MouseWare utility, it is more powerful and presented with a much more intuitive interface.

Aesthetics - 8

Definition of Aesthetics: how something looks, especially when considered in terms of how pleasing it is ( singular or plural verb ).

Logitech’s Media play mouse looks more than pleasing, it looks awesome. It has a sleek aerodynamic design that not only looks stunning, but is just as comfortable in your palm. It is also available in two color combinations: silver/blue and black/red (my personal favorite is the silver/blue which complements my computer nicely). As a side note, it’s pretty neat when it lights up.

Durability - 10

Logitech is known for their durable products and the new Media Play Cordless Mouse passes the test. This mouse feels solidly built overall. Every button feels secure, tight, and never loose. It has a nice heft to it, and it slides on the mouse pad well. The only thing I can see breaking is the battery cover on the bottom of the mouse, but you’d have to drop it just right. Remember that this mouse feels “very solid” in every way.

Performance - 7

The media play mouse comes with a mini wireless receiver. Simply but, it’s “Awesome.” This little devise outperforms any receiver I’ve ever seen or used. It looks like a USB jump drive and is the exact same size. It’s so small and portable that I use the media mouse on my notebook and desktop PCs. I simply unplug my mini receiver, grab my wireless mouse, throw the two in my notebook case, and I’m on my way.

And when you're ready to relax, the MediaPlay mouse relaxes with you. Back-lit extra buttons like play/pause, forward/back, and volume up/down let you control your media player with almost no effort. You can also hold it like a remote control and use it away from your desk thanks to the expanded cordless range (10 feet). When used as a remote, the scroll wheel serves as the center for navigation, allowing use of the thumb for scrolling through menus and directories of music, videos and pictures. Its wireless mini receiver eliminates clutter and installs instantly.

And 6 months of battery (2 AA) life means more video gaming and music with fewer interruptions. When used as a remote, the scroll wheel serves as the center for navigation, allowing use of the thumb for scrolling through menus and directories of music, videos and pictures.

With the 10 feet of cordless range you have a lot of flexibility. The signal strength is unbelievable in comparison to the Microsoft Intellimouse I’ve been using. When I used that mouse I had to set the receiver 2 feet away from my wireless mouse. That’s not really wireless is it? I had to string the receiver base onto my desktop and leave it there. If the receiver was more than 3 feet away my signal strength would bounce causing my mouse pointer to freak out. Although the Logitech MediaPlay mouse comes with a corded base for extended rand, I will never be using it. The signal strength is awesome from 5 feet away and underneath my desk.

Logitech keeps pushing the envelope with an optical mouse that has an invisible light sensor. This allows for extended battery life and better tracking. It definitely has precision tracking and I’m not complaining about the “no light” for extended battery life trade off.

The back lit media buttons are rather midleading. First of all there is no way to keep them lit and there is no back light “on/off” button. You have to press a media button in order to get the light to come on. This is the biggest disappointment I had with the media mouse. I was so excited when I got it thinking that it would stay lit up all the time or have a on/off feature.

The back and forward buttons are another area of concern. They are too close together with very little distinction between the two. I found myself hitting forward extremely often because I couldn’t find the back button without looking (or moving my fingers a little to far back for my taste).

There is no way to comfortably reach any of the media buttons except the pause/play and general media button. Don’t even try to reach the volume buttons or the back/forward skip buttons, it will frustrate you to death trying to do it with one hand. If anyone reading this review purchases this mouse and gets used to pressing these impossible to reach buttons, email me. The only media button I will ever use is the pause/play button. It’s nice to be able to press pause while not looking at the screen.

The media mouse performs well technologically wise, but fails in many areas of accessibility, mainly in the media controls, which is really the only reason to buy this mouse over any of their other (and better) products.

Value - 9

I don’t really see anyone using the multimedia features that this mouse has to offer, but if you have always wanted one $49.99 is the retail cost. I wish they made this mouse without media play buttons. If they did the cost could be reduced somewhat and this mouse would be a huge seller. I’m not sure how many people are going to want a MediaPlay mouse, because most already have these features on their keyboards or wireless keyboards for that matter.

This mouse has the style, the performance, and the durability to make it worth your while to check this mouse out. It’s cheaper than the MX1000 Laser Cordless Mouse and just as precise as Logitech’s MX500 series, but not the MX510.

Overall – 7.5

This mouse is one of the best optical mice thus far. The contour design is remarkably comfortable, not to big, not to small, just right. The multimedia features; you know, the reason you are considering buying this mouse, aren’t really valuable here. The buttons are to hard to press and since they don't stay lit you can see or find them in the dark. Yes the buttons are back lit, but the light only comes on if you press a multimedia button first (backlight stays on for 3 seconds, and there is no way to keep the backlight on).

This mouse is all about comfort and precision control. Since receiving this mouse on my desk my accuracy in Counter Strike has greatly improved. For those of you who play a lot of FPS, this mouse rocks. Pick it up today for it’s extreme precision, comfortable design, cool look, and affordable price. But don't let the media buttons or the prospect of a cool blue backlight sway your decision. There are better gaming mice available if precision and cordless are what you are after.