LOGITECH POWERPLAY
Finally, the charging solution wireless gaming mice have been waiting for.
Back in May, Corsair introduced the first mousemat (the Zeus) that’ll recharge the mouse that sits atop it, doing away with the need to ever plug in the latter or swap out batteries. But while the Zeus is just at concept stage, Logitech has, out of nowhere, been able to launch a fully-functional wireless charging mat that’s available right now.
It’s natural to worry that the Powerplay charging system might have been rushed to market. Yet despite its rather sudden appearance, based on our testing, this is definitely a mature product — and one that more than lives up to its claims. The mat is made up of the mouse pad surface, the base charging mat and a wireless receiver. The mat needs to be plugged into your PC via USB.
With a footprint a little larger than an A4 sheet of paper, the Powerplay offers enough surface area for most, and comes with both hard plastic and soft fabric mats. What’s perhaps more critical, though, is the wireless connection. The Powerplay signal receiver includes Logitech’s Lightspeed wireless tech, good for one-millisecond ‘competition-level’ responsiveness.
The attachable puck-shaped wireless charging module will keep both the compatible mice (G903 and G703) at 85–95% of max battery capacity — this range prevents cell damage.
The downside of this new tech is the price. At $150 for the pad alone, you’re looking at an outlay of at least $300 to get started. If you’re willing, however, the highquality components of this convenient wireless gaming mouse setup won’t let you down.
Verdict
An impressive wireless mouse peripheral offering precision and convenience, for a price.