I recently purchased a MX Master 3S. I was very excited as this has been THE mouse. I hear about it all the time. It gets so much praise for productivity, the great build quality, and the wonderful infinite scroll wheel.
However, within a day or two of using it…the facade quickly evaporated. The first issue was the software not having a Linux compatible version. My first thought was I dual boot! I will download it on windows and configure there, but somehow this $100 beloved mouse does not have onboard memory. I experimented with solaar, but it was more time than I was willing to spend configuring this mouse. Especially since I move computers a lot because of work and any time I spent configuring this mouse would only help me for the 50%-60% of the time I spend on my personal machine.
The whole time I was just thinking…HOW? Logitech really how??? I do not understand why this is the case. It is not even about money. They are loosing money, because of this I, and many others who have these issues, am going to return the mouse. It’s too expensive to justify it just for a headache and a nice scroll wheel (genuinely so nice, I considered keeping it for the wheel, but that would feel stupid).
I started looking for other options which I settled on the Keychron M6. It’s cheaper and has most of the same features, but it definitely feels cheaper and using the scroll wheel is so disappointing after the MX master.
The idea that has stuck in my mind from this experience is a Framework Mouse. A repairable mouse with onboard memory. They already have this with the keyboard on the FW16. If framework is not already exploring this idea I really hope they do. The keyboard market already has repair-ability and customization, but this does not really exist in the mouse market. It’s a product I would love to see (and would give quite a bit of money for 
).
Hi,
This response might not be what you are looking for but what about logiops:
I’m sorry for the unhelpful “why do you need it”-style post. I quite dislike those myself, but perhaps I can offer a coping strategy as I’ve got like three of those mice at home.
Some time ago I learned to use defaults as much as possible for things where settings roaming is cumbersome or not possible. MX Master remembers the state of its scroll wheel (clicky vs. free spin) and nothing else, e.g. not key bings. But changing key binds is not really required for a mouse.
You can say it’s kinda similar to your keyboard roaming your Counter Strike keybinds on every computer you plug it into… While some keyboards can kinda do that, it’s not the same as carrying a config file for the game on your flash drive.
For sure would be cool if the mouse would remember keybinds, especially since I’d gotten used to binding the thumb button to Enter key, but I think it’s not super crucial. The mouse is very good otherwise.
I’m not a fan of Logitech software. I will only buy one of their products if I like the base, plug-and-play functionality without any additional software features. Sometimes, just plugging in one of their devices will start a process of automatically installing software. That’s always a shame, lol. I’ve had their software and drivers break other peripherals, both bluetooth and wired, to the point that I have to dig into Windows settings to disable the processes from running.
I’d love to see an MX Master 3S with AA batteries, or at least an easy to replace rechargeable. Fully repairable would be cool as well. If Framework made something like that, I’d buy it the next time I need a mouse.
With all that said, I have a few different computer setups that I work from at various times, and I have MX Master 3S mice at all of them, lol. Just out of the box, plug-and-play functionality. For me, it’s not just the fast scrolling, it’s also the comfort, the relatively quiet clicks (that do get a bit louder over time), and the smooth, horizontal scroll wheel, which I use a lot.
Ploopy makes open-source, repairable peripherals, including an optical mouse (they started with trackball designs). It uses an FDM 3D printed shell though, so depending on your preference, it may or may not be your desired look or feel. If you have the means, the design files are part of the respective GitHub repo, so you can make them however you want. Dedicated makers have post-processed the prints for different finishes (e.g. acetone on ASA) or used other print materials or methods like SLA resin.
There are other open-source mouse projects, but this is probably the most mature and supported. It’s likely not the same as a Framework Mouse would be, but still something to look into if you are interested.
Onboard memory is the first must-have if you want customizable buttons at all and don’t wish to feel chained to some software, which also chains the mouse to the computer and OS. Honestly, the landscape of mice is so very disappointing. Crazy that you can spend over $100, and you can’t even presume it’ll have onboard memory.
Never had a Ploopy, but I love them. I have them to thank for the life they inspired me to give my current mouse.
I had a Logitech G300s with onboard memory, which only cost $30. Though it seems to be discontinued and now being resold for $100. Still have it, but I moved on to a mouse with more buttons. Then I ran into Ploopy, which runs QMK open source firmware with worlds more options than any mainstream commercial mouse. Only Ploopy doesn’t have enough buttons to really make use of it. An RP2040 brain transplant and a lot of learning QMK later, and I had it on my mouse. Would not have tried it had it not been for Ploopy existing.
I’ve used Logitech’s mice since MX Revolution and I am so used to MX Master’s free spinning scroll wheel that I cannot really use any other mouse anymore.
Man how I wish I could just put one of those in a mouse that isn’t shaped like that XD.
I am pretty happy with my kinda heavily modded chinesium mouse but the scroll wheel is definitely the weakest part.
I am curious: During this whole ordeal, did you ever question the ‘raison d’être’ of hardware requiring obligatory proprietary software to function properly?
What is your conclusion of this experience?