Logitech G303 Daedalus Apex Introduction

Logitech has been making mice for about as far back as most PC users can recall, enhancing and refining the input peripheral over the years. Their new G303 Daedalus Apex is an advanced lightweight gaming mouse that builds off the foundation of previous offerings, and it’s launching today.

Getting straight into the details, the core design is very similar to the existing G302 Daedalus Prime MOBA mouse, but with an upgraded sensor. The G303 uses the same optical sensor found in Logitech’s G502 Proteus Core, the PMW3366, which is regarded as one of the most advanced sensors around. With the G303, Logitech has elected to reveal some additional details about the sensor, which are included in the following table.

We won’t cover all of the features, but the sensor is definitely one of the most advanced options around. This is currently Logitech’s best mouse sensor, and the Delta Zero along with Zero Filtering/Smoothing are features that gamers in particular can appreciate, as they ensure there’s no acceleration and no additional lag generated by smoothing input over multiple samples. (Note that it’s necessary to also disable the OS smoothing/filtering aspects to get the unadulterated experience.) The resolution range of 200-12000 DPI is quite large, and personal preference certainly plays a role in what DPI an individual user likes; the G303 allows switching between up to five settings on-the-fly via the Logitech Gaming Software.

Logitech has also refined the buttons with metal spring tensioning on the left and right buttons that’s designed to improve the responsiveness, feel, and durability of the buttons. Rated at 20 million clicks, that’s equivalent to someone clicking the buttons every second for twelve hours a day, seven days a week for a full year. Or for those who prefer not to suffer from RSI, you could use the mouse and click the buttons on average 10 times per minute for eight hours a day and you still wouldn’t hit 20 million clicks even after ten years – at which time you’d likely be using a newer mouse regardless.

Besides the sensor and button specifications, which are obviously important for the target market, Logitech also has customizable RGB lighting on the mouse and a high quality braided cable. The weight of the mouse is very light, and the body is relatively small compared to some gaming mice. The total of six buttons (left, right, two thumb buttons, the scroll wheel, and the button behind the scroll wheel that’s typically used for DPI switching) is a bit limited compared to other offerings, but the Logitech Gaming Software does offer a full range of customizations and macro features.

We could go on but the key takeaways are that Logitech has attempted to create the best possible sensor with an extremely precise tracking system and a high quality and comfortable chassis. This is definitely a niche product as many users are more than happy with less expensive mice, but for competitive gamers that live and die by their mousing skills, Logitech hopes to win them over with the G303.

Logitech G303 Software

As with most advanced gaming peripherals, the software and features provided can be the deciding factor in what a user ends up buying. Logitech has been doing this long enough that their software works quite well. One cool feature is that the first time I loaded up the software, it prompted me to update the firmware on my mouse. A simple unplugging and reconnecting of the mouse with a 5-10 second firmware updating delay and the mouse was ready.

In terms of features, the software allows you to modify the lighting settings, though there aren’t a ton of options. You can set a color for the logo and sides, but the color is the same for both so you have four options: all lighting off, sides on/logo off, sides off/logo on, or all lighting on. As for the colors effects, besides a static color selected from a 24-bit RGB palette, you can enable a breathing effect or a color cycling effect. As for the static colors, while there are in theory 16.8 million possible colors, the actual LEDs seem to have closer to 24 levels of intensity, giving ~14K colors to choose from. Most users will end up using one of about 20 or so colors (or the color cycling effect), and this is similar to most other RBG mouse/keyboard lighting arrangements I’ve seen.

The software also allows you to customize the buttons with custom profiles on a game-by-game basis, with a variety of pre-defined profiles available if you prefer. Most of the time the default settings are sufficient, with only the left thumb buttons needing modification, and users can decide what works best. There are options to record and edit macros, change the mousing surface, and configure the DPI settings as well.

Closing Thoughts

With all the advanced features, at the end of the day mouse preferences are still highly subjective. I haven’t had a ton of time to play around with the G303, but it certainly tracks well on a variety of surfaces and the ability to disable all acceleration is nice. But is it better than the many other competing gaming mice that are already available? That’s a lot more difficult to say.

I have no complaints with using the G303 and the light weight makes it comfortable for me to use for long periods of time – assuming I have the time available to play games for long stretches. I’m not the type of gamer that likes having tons of extra buttons on a mouse, so the six buttons on the G303 fits my style well. I also like the more classic appearance rather than the “futuristic” styling of mice like the Mad Catz R.A.T.5, Cougar 700M, or Logitech’s own G502 Proteus Core.

If you have similar feelings about mouse design and aesthetics, the Logitech G303 is certainly worth a look. It might not actually make you a better gamer, but you might at least look a bit more sophisticated. It’s a good design and is attractive without being overly gaudy. The 12000 DPI setting isn’t something most people will ever use (I generally prefer 800 DPI, though YMMV), but whatever setting you want the G303 should keep you happily gaming for quite a while.