At a glance
Expert rating
Pros
- A comfortable design that resembles more expensive esports mice
- Sturdy and well built
- The RGB lighting really stands out
cons
- Some sensor delay was experienced with large, fast movements
- The ascent distance of the sensor is greater than some mice
- The RGB logo on the top is not customizable
Our verdict
The Logitech G203 LightSync performs well in games and is both comfortable and affordable. The RGB lighting adds a welcome pop of color to your gaming space.
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The G203 LightSync is the epitome of great value, delivering comfort, style and performance without a hefty price tag. Its small size and ambidextrous design make it comfortable for all three major gamer grip styles. And while the proprietary 8,000 DPI gaming sensor doesn’t match the pointer performance you get from more premium gaming mice, it’s still more than capable in just about any casual gaming scenario.
Note: This review is part of our to round up of the best gaming mice. Go there to learn more about competing products and how we tested them.
Logitech G203 LightSync: Design and Build
Measuring just 4.59 x 2.45 x 1.5 inches, the G203 is a small, wired and well-built mouse, with a sturdiness you’ll be more likely to find in expensive gaming mice. Design-wise, it exudes familiarity, with the kind of symmetrical, right-handed profile and six-button layout we see in esports mice like the HyperX Pulsefire Haste.
But while the G203’s design aesthetic is familiar, it feels anything but vanilla. The main difference is the rounded back that pushes up into the base of your palm, giving the palm grippers a better fit than some gaming mice. This equates to more precise pointer control, allowing your wrist to do more on the screen, but with smaller movements.
If you’re a fingertip or claw-like gripper, the G203’s small body also works to your advantage, allowing you to easily curl your hand over the body of the mouse, or keep your fingertips straight on the trigger without extending your palm. stretch or drag it up.
There’s also plenty to be found about the configuration of the G203’s right-handed button. It consists of two main clicks, two macros on the left, a plastic scroll wheel in the middle and a DPI preset button just behind it. Due to the central placement of the buttons, they are slightly easier to reach than with longer mice.
The Logitech G203 LightSync has an ambidextrous profile with a rounded back.
Logitech
The quality of the buttons is also excellent, all six are programmable and feel fast and responsive when activated. There’s also a good amount of movement under the two main buttons, and they have a clicky feel – great for jitter clicks.
Logitech has carefully worked in a few other minor details that, given the G203’s budget status, could have been left out, but we’re glad they weren’t, as they ultimately make the G203 more enjoyable to use.
One is a well-represented contingent of bottom skates, which includes a bonus sensor ring, as well as the obligatory upper and lower skates. These do a great job of keeping movements smooth and frictionless whether you’re using a mouse pad or not. The other nice addition is a long cord, which allows you to sit up to two arm’s length from your PC or laptop without touching the end of your strap.
All these design advantages make the G203 very ergonomic. One small problem, however, is the weight of the G203: at 85 grams, it is a bit heavy for its size. Does this make a huge difference? If you’re planning on using it as an esports mouse you could – otherwise you’re unlikely to notice a difference.
Logitech G203 LightSync: software
The G203 uses Logitech’s G Hub software, one of the most comprehensive apps available for customizing gaming mice. When I downloaded it, my review unit was quickly recognized and I was able to simply click through a visual image of the device to change the DPI setting, polling rate, RGB lighting of the mouse, and also to assign commands and macros to buttons. point.
Button mapping is slightly better in G Hub than in some mouse apps, as the Assignments menu is split into handy submenus that let you differentiate between profiles for games or programs. You’ll also get samples of commands you might want to assign, which takes a lot of guesswork to come up with yourself.
The ‘Actions’ submenu turned out to be especially useful. It suggests key actions to assign for go-to shows like Overwolf, Discord, and OBS. Here you can configure buttons to capture replays, video, or screenshots, among other things – three must-have commands for streamers and game developers. You can also assign commands to the G203’s built-in memory so you can use it without the need for the G Hub software.
For control of the RGB lighting, G Hub allows you to personalize three zones in the band on the back of the G203. With three zones to play with, you can light up your mouse like a firecracker with dazzling multicolored displays. The LightSync RGB system is a worthy upgrade over the G203’s predecessor, the G203 Prodigy, and left a good impression on me. If I hadn’t known that the G203 was only $40, I wouldn’t have been the wiser.
The three RGB light zones of the Logitech G203 LightSync can be personalized in the G Hub app.
Dominic Bayley / IDG
You can also change the brightness and set different lighting effects and animations. Unfortunately, Logitech didn’t make the RGB logo on the top of the mouse one of its configurable zones, so it only displays a fusion of colors from your other color selections. While it would have been nice to have independent control over the logo, there’s still plenty of customization available to keep you busy for a long time.
Logitech G203 LightSync: Performance
Budget gaming mice can vary considerably when it comes to their sensors, with resolutions ranging from 1,200 to 24,000 DPI. Categorizing the G203’s 8,000 DPI sensor on this scale puts it up from the bottom, but still toward the bottom. This puts it just below rivals the Razer Viper Mini and SteelSeries Rival 3. That’s about where the performance is, ie it’s decent, but not perfect.
But overall, the G203’s sensor proved responsive and reliable. It did well in a range of games, from first-person shooters to RPGs. In some games where big, fast movements were needed, it must be said that the G203’s sensor struggled a bit and showed visible ghosting that would undoubtedly be a disadvantage in esports matches or serious competitive matches.
Also, if you tend to lift your mouse, the G203 isn’t your best option, as it generally has a longer take-off distance than some other budget gaming mice. These drawbacks aren’t unexpected at the price of the G203, or things you should necessarily worry about for casual gaming, but they may put off some gamers who need a more flawless gaming experience.
What impressed me, though, was the G203’s click latency, which is arguably the fastest I’ve seen in a budget gaming mouse. Plus, the buttons went off with a satisfying audible click.
The ability to change DPI settings in smaller increments than competitors like the Rival 3 also proved very useful for aiming in first-person shooters, as I was able to more accurately find a DPI setting (and thus a target sensitivity) for different weapon classes – necessary as different weapons/character classes may be subject to different game physics.
The Logitech G203’s DPI settings can be personalized in the G Hub appp.
Dominic Bayley / IDG
The small design of the mouse also proved to be an asset, keeping my hand comfortable and relaxed even after long gaming. Ambidextrous mice often feel like a wand, allowing you to point them precisely at targets as if you were pointing a straight stick. This was the case with the G203, with its miniature size allowing me to frame targets just a few millimeters wide in my field of view, improving my precision.
Conclusion
The Logitech G203 LightSync may be a budget buy, but it offers great comfort and precision control in games thanks to its small body and ambidextrous design that resembles mice in the esports category. While the 8,000 DPI sensor isn’t outstanding, it performs in most causal games. Plus, the G203’s RGB lighting adds a welcome splash of color to your gaming room.
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