About mice and other controllers

[ReptilePZ]

I only use my controller for LEGO games. And the controls are still horrible.

 

[Aaden]

Car [...] games should be played with a controller.

Nope, that would be a steering wheel. Except for the really arcade-y ones like Burnout or the non-Shift Need for Speeds. :scold:

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Just got a new Logitech G400s. It's a decent mouse, and works on Linux out of the box. It has two small buttons for changing the DPI (which affects mouse sensitivity). That's happening independently from the OS, and those buttons aren't recognized by Xorg using the "mouse" driver, but they are too small to use them regularly, so it's not really necessary to reassign them from the default DPI function (there are other drivers available besides default "mouse" which allow reassigning more buttons).

3 other extra buttons besides the DPI ones are recognized by Xorg as "button 8", "button 9" and "button 10". "button 8" and "button 9" even match their default purpose and work as "back" and "forward" in Firefox (but I'd prefer to use it as scroll down and up). Not sure yet what "button 10" is supposed to mean. All of those should be reassignable.

 

[volsung]

I read online a bit a few days ago and it seems like there are some drivers for Logitech peripherals on the Debian repositories. For instance:

g15daemon - Screen multiplexer for Logitech G15 Keyboard
g15macro - A simple Macro recording/playback application for G15Daemon
g15stats - a CPU/Memory/Swap usage meter for G15Daemon
libg15-1 - Library for interfacing with the Logitech G15 keyboards
libg15-dev - Library for interfacing with the Logitech G15 keyboards
libg15render-dev - Library for interfacing with the Logitech G15 keyboards
libg15render1 - Library for interfacing with the Logitech G15 keyboards
lomoco - Logitech Mouse Control for USB mice

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

I red about lomoco, but it's probably not necessary in most cases (and in some cases it's not working). Here are some details on other options:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/All_Mouse_Buttons_Working

For most tinkering there is an "evdev" Xorg driver, which can be used instead of the "mouse" driver. By the way, for testing Xorg events there is a useful xev tool.

 

[volsung]

So does it work for normal, non extra-button gaming uses?

From what I understood you can change the DPI by hardware but the OS simply doesn't notice, right?

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

Yes, it works just fine, and changing the DPI just changes mouse sensitivity. Xorg doesn't recognize those DPI buttons at all - xev is silent on them. But if you want to keep DPI constant and reuse those buttons, it should be possible if you switch from "mouse" to "evdev", but I didn't test it yet. All other buttons besides the DPI are recognized and you can reassign them by various configuration means, or you can do it per each application if they support custom input configuration, which most games do.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

For example Witcher 2 configurator in Wine recognizes 2 of those extra buttons (back / forward) as "Mouse 4" and "Mouse 5". It doesn't recognize the third though (button 10), but that one is hard to use anyway.

 

[eskiMoe]

I have been using Logitech G5 for I don't know...at least 8 years already and it hasn't failed me even once even in times of intense Quake III Arena/Quake Live fascination. Highly recommended.

Logitech mice have amazing build quality. But I prefer Razer mice for their shape & ergonomics etc., but they have pretty awful build quality. They usually last around 2-3 years (currently on my second Deathadder, planning on buying a third this fall) while my 9 year old mx518 is still working.

 

[volsung]

I think I will get a new mouse and I've been looking at the Logitech G400s and G500s. I also read a bit about the more basic version, the G100s. Right now the G100s sells for about $30 while the other two for around $50, with a slight price difference of less than $5.

I like the shape and looks of both the G100s and the G500s better than the G400s. The 100s seems like a great value but the other two have much better precision. The G500s with over 8000 DPI and adjustable weights seems a little over the top.

I don't play competitively but I like the comfort of a good mouse and control over my games. I do use the computer a lot. So what are your thoughts? Is the 100s enough? Is the 500s worth it?

 

[Sana_mia]

I don't play competitively but I like the comfort of a good mouse and control over my games. I do use the computer a lot. So what are your thoughts? Is the 100s enough? Is the 500s worth it?

If the G500s is even half the quality of it's first generation ancestor it would be a steal for that price. I would only recommend to directly buy a set of spare teflon pads with it those need to be replaced after a few years...

I just noticed my first generation logitech G5 will turn 9 years old next month.

 

[eskiMoe]

Bought my 3rd DeathAdder from a sale just few days ago. Hopefully it'll last more than 2 years this time around

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

For a pad, I found this one, and it's very comfortable on touch and thin as well. I don't like very smooth pads - they are not comfortable to use.

 

[volsung]

If the G500s is even half the quality of it's first generation ancestor it would be a steal for that price. I would only recommend to directly buy a set of spare teflon pads with it those need to be replaced after a few years...

I just noticed my first generation logitech G5 will turn 9 years old next month.

I still feel it's a lot of money for a mouse... Can it really be that good?

 

[GuyNwah]

The G500s has been replaced by the G502 in Logitech's product line. There are still plenty of G500s's in distribution, but they're not being made anymore. If your requirement for mouse action is so exacting that it's easier to tune the mouse than to tune your hand, these (G500s, G502) are the way to go. If you don't do mouse tuning, you can step down a model and save a sawbuck or two.

When choosing a mouse, remember it's your carpal tunnel. It should be a personal, hands-on (literally) decision.

As for Razer, if somebody calls their product "DeathAdder", you can tell they spent their money on promotion and not on quality components. Waste of good plastic.

 

[volsung]

Thanks Guy, that's good advice. I'm not too picky at that and not a professional "gamer" so I don't want to overspend.

What line would be a good balance between build quality, comfort and precision? I don't want to try a dozen different mice.

Thanks in advance.

 

[volsung]

Just purchased a Logitech G400s based on @Gilrond's comments. The G402 and G502 seem too expensive for a mouse, and according to some online reviews there isn't much of a difference between the 400s and the 402 except the shape (and I prefer the 400s shape). Added a Steelseries QcK mouse pad for comfort, which seems to be rather popular.

 

[Gilrond-i-Virdan]

@.Volsung. : I felt some difference in the Witcher 2 with this mouse at first (sensitivity was higher than before) but then I got used to it. You can change the DPI while in game in case it's too annoying.

 

[volsung]

@.Volsung. : I felt some difference in the Witcher 2 with this mouse at first (sensitivity was higher than before) but then I got used to it. You can change the DPI while in game in case it's too annoying.

I often have to crank up the sensitivity for action games anyway, first or third person. Got used to it after my former addiction to a very fast paced, arena shooter for Linux called "Sauerbraten", based on Quake 3 Arena.

 

[missilenoss]

Using Logitech g400 its ok. they are all the same. unless you are getting paid to play games.