There always seems to be a tradeoff with gaming peripherals – wireless controllers and mice offer more freedom and flexibility with how we gamers, but there’s always that chance your device could run out of juice at the worst time possible. Wired devices won’t die on you, but require you to be tethered to something. Now, the new Logitech G Powerplay charge system offers the best of both worlds.
The Logitech G Powerplay system is a pretty basic idea, but it’s so smart and executed so well. The system’s main component is a mousepad that plugs into the computer via USB. The pad features an inductive charging base that charges the wireless mouse, which means the mouse will never run out of battery life so long as it is kept on the pad. The mousepad is even offered in two different surface types – a hard surface or a more spongy traditional mousepad surface.
Setup for the Powerplay mat was a breeze. All you have to do is plug a cable into the top of the mat and into your computer. Next, add Logitech’s Powercore module, a small puck that slots into the bottom of the G703 and G903 wireless mice – this extra bit is what takes the energy from the mat and gives it to the mouse. The G903 also requires an additional dongle to be added to the computer.
My daily mouse has been the Logitech G403, which is the wired identical twin to the G703. This means I loved the G703, because it felt just like what I had been using before, but now wireless. For me, the grip is perfect, the buttons have a good click to them and the scroll wheel offers a nice smoothness without being too freeform. The limited number of extra buttons allows for added performance when gaming or for normal use, but they don’t overwhelm like some gaming mice can.
However, I was not as excited about the G903. This mouse is made for the more hardcore gamer, featuring a more streamlined look and feel and customizable buttons that can be swapped out. Although I liked how easy it was to pull the buttons off the sides and replace them with the other options, it felt like I was breaking something every time I did it. There was a cheap feeling to the components.
I also didn’t care for the G903’s scroll wheel, which has two settings. The first is a free-spinning approach that felt like the fidget spinner of scroll wheels. One small push will send the wheel spinning around and around. I’m sure some gamer could find a use for this, but it led to more mess ups and errors than I would have liked, even when I was just using a browser. The second setting acted like a traditional scroll wheel, but it felt too stiff, especially compared to the G703. I also didn’t like how the G903 felt in my hand, but I do have hands on the smaller side.
The Logitech G Powerplay system is great, and I can’t recommend it enough for those who want wireless gaming without the low-battery anxiety. The G703 is great, and definitely the mouse I will be using the most moving forward. I doubt the G903 will be getting much use now, but I can applaud Logitech for giving gamers options when it comes to using the Powerplay mat. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Logitech make even more mice compatible with the Powercore module and the Powerplay mat in the future.
So what do you think? Are you interested in checking out the Powerplay mat, G903 and G703 for yourself? What mouse do you currently use for gaming? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
