Logitech G402 Hyperion Fury Gaming Mouse: review

I’m convinced that someone at Logitech is trying to build a spaceship. It seems like they may have gotten the technical blueprints mixed up somewhere in the design process of the G402 gaming mouse, as they’ve managed to call it the Hyperion Fury and have equipped it with a Fusion Engine. Following on from the impressive Proteus Core released earlier this year, what kind of high tech party trick has Logitech given this peripheral?

The Logitech marketing machine has pulled no punches on this one, dubbing it “The world’s fastest gaming mouse”, capable of tracking over 12 metres per second (or 500 inches per second, whichever unit of measurement you’re comfortable with). That’s a seriously impressive stat to put on the back of the box, but what does it mean?

Well, it’s literally the speed you can move the mouse across your desk that can still be accurately translated to your actions on the screen. Most mice these days use an optical sensor to track your mouse movements and relay the information back to your computer. However, at times it is possible to move the mouse so fast that the sensor fails to register exactly what happens, and the movements relayed back to the screen are not as accurate as they can be. It’s when the optical sensor on the G402 reaches these hard-to-track speeds that the clever Fusion Engine kicks in.

Alongside the tried and tested optical sensor, the Hyperion Fury has a clever combination of an accelerometer and gyroscope that pick up the hard work when the sensor begins to struggle. Instead of solely relying on the optics, the G402 also transmits real-time data from this combo of gadgets that make up the aforementioned Fusion Engine. This gives a much more precise indication of the waggling being done on the mouse end and allows for it all to be tracked at turbo speeds. It’s all powered by the on-board 32-bit ARM processor that’s been supplying Logitech’s latest generation of gaming mice with its grunt.

Who benefits from a powered-up, high-speed mouse? Logitech thinks it could be another weapon in the arsenal for FPS players who might have a habit of moving their mouse faster than it can track. Fast and furious swipers can rest assured that they can now strike with precision, further eliminating any excuses that they missed their shot because of the tools they’re using. The real situation we can see this being handy in are those panic moment when someone jumps out behind you, leading to a mad startled struggle to get your crosshairs in the right place before your opponent does.

It’s certainly very impressive technology, but not necessarily something that average gamers will notice a whole lot. Having said this, the whole point of the Fusion Core is that you don’t notice it working and enjoy a continually smooth mouse experience.

Moving beyond the headline act, the other tech specs on the Hyperion Fury are certainly nothing to be sneered at. It features on-the-fly DPI switching from 250 DPI right up to 4000 DPI. This is handled by a pair of shifter buttons that take the tracking speed up or down across four user-defined settings. It’s not exactly setting records in this department (Logitech already did that with their last mouse), but it offers a very reasonable range that should be more than enough for most gamers.

When it comes to clickers, the G402 has a respectable selection of eight programmable buttons. These can be assigned to simple tasks through most in-game control menus or given something a little more adventurous using the Logitech Gaming Software. Just download the software and it will immediately recognise the mouse, throwing up a pleasingly visual display of calibration and binding options. From here you can assign macros for pretty much anything, especially if you put the time in for a bit of tinkering. The software even allows you to tweak the settings on the glowing G logo and its gentle phasing in-and-out effect (eerily described as “breathing”). The only thing I was a little disappointed by was the lack of on-board memory control profile storage and quick switching, which I’ve found handy in the past for instantly changing between work and play modes.

If I had to grumble about another thing, I’d have to say that it isn’t the most comfortable mouse in the world. Whilst it’s still shaped with smooth curves that fit snugly into the palm like a spooning partner, some of the buttons are placed slightly awkwardly. There’s a low DPI toggle switch that doesn’t feel optimally placed, generally sitting half under my thumb and half off. Maybe I have freakishly short thumbs, but it just doesn’t seem right. Likewise, one of the programmable buttons feels a little too high and far back on the mouse’s body for insta-clicking. These are very minor grumbles though, and soon overcome by the inevitable crab hand muscle memory that sets in after a week.

The G402 Hyperion Fury is another brilliant mouse from Logitech, offering sleek looks and fantastic functionality for your gaming needs. It’s also a little more affordable than the other recently released Logitech mice, weighing with an RRP of £49.99 (as opposed to the £69.99 tag on the G502 and G602). This is just another roll of icing over the top of this already tempting cake that makes it a great choice for gamers looking for a good mouse in the upper mid-end price bracket.

Whether you’ll be able to immediately spot the difference made by the Fury’s Fusion Engine really depends on how furiously you like to swipe your mice. RTS players probably won’t see a difference, but FPS players who are partial to the odd twitch shooter should hopefully find their manic judders translated perfectly to the screen. But despite the subtlety of the uber-tracking it’s capable of, there’s no denying that the G402 is a great gaming mouse that will slip into your setup effortlessly. It just feels right.