Logitech G303 Shroud Edition mouse: A long-term review | ZDNet

Logitech’s been at or near the top of the gaming mouse market since the market was born. Over the years, dozens of its gaming mice were discontinued and largely forgotten about. But a few designs hit on something special that elevated them above the company’s other offerings to attain a cult status. For an even more select group, the praise drove calls for a revival to such a fever pitch that Logitech had no choice but to respond. 

The most recent mouse to enter this rarified air is the

, or just the G303 as most people called it. Released in 2015, the G303 stood out in a crowd, eschewing the gentle curves and rounded ergonomics of contemporaries in favor of an unusual diamond-like shape, dramatically tapering side panels, and an almost flat top. The model quickly gained and maintained, for these past seven years, a following among gamers that felt they’d finally found a level of control that more traditionally shaped mice of the era never offered them.

Today, we’re going to look at Logitech’s attempt to follow up this legend. Released at a time when one could often pay $400+ for one of the rare unopened G303s left, the G303 Shroud Edition attempts to take all of the beloved characteristics of the original’s form factor and meld them with more modern electronics, a lighter weight, and wireless connectivity. It came to market with the unenviable task of attempting to please both modern proponents of ultra-light mice and originalists that would be wary of any changes at all. Let’s see how it did.

Testing

The G303 Shroud Edition was endorsed by and named for Shroud, an esports legend in his own right, known for his competitive prowess in iconic games like Counter Strike: Global Offensive, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, Apex Legends, and Valorant. Most of all, he’s widely considered to be one of the best aimers on the planet, and is a long-time vocal fan of the original G303. It was an easy decision for Logitech to bring him in for its follow-up. 

More: Best gaming mouse

Given its pedigree, it’s no surprise that the G303 Shroud Edition is aimed squarely at first-person shooter (FPS) players. Of course, few gamers limit themselves exclusively to any single genre. So, while I focused the majority of my testing on FPS titles (Halo: Infinite, Overwatch, Splitgate, Valorant, and Apex Legends), I also gave it a shot while playing common favorites from other genres, like League of Legends and Final Fantasy XIV.

Shape

Most veteran PC gamers will tell you shape is king when choosing a mouse. You can buy a model that’s lightweight, accurate, and responsive, but if it isn’t comfortable for your hand and grip style, you’re not going to perform well with it. 

Mouse companies often prioritize what’s generally referred to as “safe” shapes, forms that are comfortable for the widest range of hand sizes and grip styles. Logitech’s own

and lighter successor, the

, are excellent examples of this. It’s rounded, gently curved form works if you have large or small hands, as well as if you use a palm, claw, or fingertip grip.

To be clear, the G303 Shroud Edition is as far from a safe shape as one could get. 

First off, I can’t recommend it for palm grippers, nor for those with smaller hands. The reason for this is the diamond shape that requires you to wrap your fingertips down and round the sides in order to securely grip the mouse. Trying to apply the relaxed, flattened position of a palm grip to this model feels awkward and offers poor control.  

Likewise, you need to be able to reach around the sides of the mouse, down to the mousepad, meaning smaller hand folks are out of luck. 

That said, the shape is almost ideal for claw grip use, and still excellent for fingertips grippers. Claw grip users will immediately “get it” when they pick this mouse up for the first time. The diamond shape seems to automatically find a comfortable position within a claw grip, with the mouse pressed firmly into the base of your palm while your fingers lock around the edges. 

The result is, for good or ill, one of the most secure feeling grips on a mouse I’ve ever experienced. This is spectacular if you play on a low sensitivity and aim with your whole arm. It makes the mouse just disappear into your hand while playing. However, that firm seating within the palm can also feel somewhat restrictive to the micro-adjustments that are possible for wrist aimers with models fitting more loosely in the hand.

The exception to this is the fingertip grip. This grip bypasses the G303’s hand-filling experience by keeping your palm separate from the device. While it’s relatively heavy for a fingertip mouse at 75 grams, its shape is still very comfortable and its flat buttons provide a consistent, stable feel when needing precise clicks.

Features

One of the first things you’ll notice when comparing the new Shroud Edition to the original G303 is the lack of the backlit perforations lining its sides. In fact, the newer G303 lacks any persistent lighting. This may disappoint the RGB lighting fans out there, but it provides one of the more exceptional battery life durations I’ve seen in a mouse. Logitech clocks the G303 at 70 hours of usage per charge. I’ve easily gotten that much use or more from a single charge, frequently exceeding a week of heavy, daily gaming and productivity before needing to top up. 

More: Best mouse: Top options that will click with any user

Thankfully, those top ups are now faster thanks to Logitech finally listening to the consumer outcry over its lingering adherence to Micro USB, and choosing a USB-C charging port for the G303 instead. 

Unfortunately, it also chose to situate the connector in a deep recess, meaning many third-party cables won’t fit. But the rapid charging provided by USB-C means the device isn’t likely to spend much time on its tether. 

Being a wireless gaming mouse, the G303’s wireless connectivity performance is paramount and Logitech once again shows its Lightspeed wireless technology can meet or beat wired performance. Despite the diminutive size of the USB-A adapter, it provided a stable connection, even in a room full of interference from other wireless mice, headsets, and networking equipment all fighting for airspace. The adapter is also small enough that it can be stowed in the tiny drawer that pulls out of the mouse’s rear. 

Unfortunately, I can’t heap the same level of praise on Logitech’s decision to continue using Omron 20M switches in its primary buttons. While competitors like Endgame Gear have moved onto crisper-feeling switches like the Kailh 4.0 and 8.0, and Razer continues to produce its own ultra-responsive optical switches, Logitech insists on plugging along with the same switch it’s been using in gaming mice for the better part of a decade. 

The Omron 20M switches just didn’t provide the same level of tactile feedback and surety that I’ve experienced when using models like the Endgame Gear XM1r, nor does it feel as responsive as the second generation of Razer optical switches in the Viper Ultimate. 

I should note, however, that the Omron 20Ms used in the G303 do actually feel better than other similarly equipped Logitech mice I’ve used in the past, thanks to the revamped switch tensioning system included in its redesigned internals. On a more positive note, the primary mouse buttons have almost no pre- or post-travel movement, making rapid spam clicking and instant flick shots easier to pull off in any game. 

The roller coaster of the G303’s performance takes another dip when it comes to its forward and back buttons. These feel less responsive than the primary buttons, and are located in a position that makes them hard to reach instantly, unlike the well-placed side buttons on Logitech’s G Pro X.

More: Logitech Signature M650 review: A silent mouse that speaks volumes

While it may not be seen as quite as vital as the button performance, a mouse’s scroll wheel will see more than enough use during games to make it worth a consideration. The G303’s scroll wheel is…decent. It’s smoother than most, and tactile enough to let you feel individual steps for precise actions. However, its tension is high enough to make me once again long for Logitech to find a way to integrate its free-spinning Hyper-fast scroll wheel technology into a lighter weight gaming mouse like the G303. 

One oddity that appears to be a hold over from the original G303 is a tendency for the tensioning spring in the scroll wheel to “ping.” This usually occurs shortly after you’ve stopped scrolling, and feels like the wheel suddenly settles into place after you continue moving the mouse. It’s a minor annoyance that happened every few hours, on average. Still, it’s an unwelcome design flaw that Logitech should have eliminated in this revamp, or in any mouse expected to fetch north of $100. 

Another holdover from older Logitech models is the G303’s feet. The company claims the glides are made of “no-additive PTFE,” a material that some of the high-end replacement feet use. However, unlike the milky white color most of these feet come in, the G303’s are a darker gray, with a rougher texture than I’ve become accustomed to in high-end products. Making matters worse is the fact that the glides’ bottom edges are completely flat. This can lead to unwanted resistance and a minor scraping feeling when using the mouse on softer mousepads. Rounding the edges of the pads, as many replacement glide makers do, would have easily corrected this issue. 

Performance

The performance of the HERO sensor was predictably flawless, as it was in several recent Logitech offerings. I had zero spin outs or hiccups. Every moment across all games and other activities felt reliably 1:1 with my own movements. 

Despite my gripes about Logitech’s reliance on Omron 20M switches, all clicks felt reliable and relatively responsive, if not as crisp or pleasing as some competitors. The flat-topped primary buttons provide a sense of surety thanks to how parallel they are with the desk, making it easy to maintain your grip without the need for the deep comfort curves some models rely on. This all lends itself to a sense of absolute consistency I’ve rarely felt in other mice. 

That feeling of consistency the G303’s shape and button orientation provides has a downside, however. It can feel taxing. I found myself breathing a sigh of relief when switching to a

or

due to how much more relaxed my hand felt when gripping them, even when still using a claw grip on either. 

The G303 shroud is like a sports car. Its tight, precise tuning will provide excellent performance, but sometimes that comes at the cost of the comfort provided by looser-feeling, more comfort-centric competitors. 

Conversely, Logitech’s G Pro X Superlight sometimes feels uninspiring, and even a little imprecise in the hand, due to its rounder, more accommodating shape. This allows the mouse to adapt better to slight shifts in grip. It’s great at reducing the fatigue associated with keeping your hand in the exact same position for hours at a time, but not so great at replicating the precision the G303 provides by encouraging your hand to always settle into the same secure grip. 

If you use one mouse to game and another, more relaxed mouse for productivity, this won’t be an issue for you. But, if you rely on a single mouse for everything, you’re going to be facing a trade-off: the precision and consistency of the G303 Shroud Edition versus the more freestyle comfort and slightly more variable feel of something like the G Pro X Superlight or Razer Viper Ultimate. 

Where your priorities lie should help you determine whether the excellent, albeit niche, G303 Shroud Edition is right for you, or if you’re better off with one of the other top-end options mentioned throughout this review. 

Conclusion

All in all, Logitech accomplished its goal, maybe a little too well. It once again created a mouse that’s likely to sustain, perhaps grow, the cult following its predecessor created. However, I don’t think the G303 Shroud Edition will ever become as universally recommendable or widely-loved as the G Pro X Superlight or similar top-tier competition from other manufacturers. It’s unique shape may feel perfect for some but, for those that don’t immediately feel at home when picking it up, it’s likely to remain a non-starter, no matter how long they attempt to adjust to it.

That said, if you loved the original, or you always wondered what all the fuss was about, it’s well worth a shot. Just make sure you purchase it somewhere with a return policy that suits your particular needs.