Review unit provided by Logitech
We have entered the age where wireless communication for PC peripherals has achieved the same or better latency than wired alternatives. One problem still exists for the world of wireless keyboards and mice however, and that is battery life. Depending on your gaming mouse, you can get anywhere between 2 to 24 days worth of use on a single charge or pair of AA’s. Sure, it’s no real big deal to plug in that USB cable to supply a charge when needed, but dang it, I hate doing it! Say hello to the Logitech G Powerplay wireless charging system (affiliate link). This beauty works with a number of Logitech mice to provide a true wireless mouse experience with the convenience of never having to worry about your battery levels again!
What’s In The Box
The Logitech G Powerplay comes in a large matte grey box with an image of the pad taking center stage. A G903 is used for displaying the wireless charging with wonderful waves emanating from it. Along the top, Powerplay is displayed in a nice reflective blue finish that accents the grey box well. Directly beneath this is the wireless charging system badge and accompanying text. Further down the left we can see that the Powerplay is compatible with the G903/703(affiliate link) and Pro Wireless (affiliate link) mouse. The G502 Hero (affiliate link) and the newer Hero models of the previously listed mice are also compatible, but not noted on the box.
The sides of the box are kept mostly blank, except for the bottom where we have a contents list and tech specs required for running the Powerplay. We can also see a brief snippet about a 2 year warranty down here. Moving on to the back, we have an assortment of info about the Powerplay. We can see that the Powerplay comes with a charging base and 2 types of mouse pads, one soft and one hard. A charging core is also provided to use with a compatible mouse. Along the bottom, we can see a set of diagrams that showcase the wireless charging, and wireless base-station functionality of the Powerplay. The hard and soft mouse pads are also displayed again.
Opening the box, we can see that the box material is nice and thick, providing an added layer of protection to the Powerplay. The top side of the box has a large “Keep Playing” sign with the wireless charging badge. In conjunction with its cool aesthetic appeal, this sign also helps keep the box contents more secure. In the bottom half of the box we have the Powerplay base-station, and the two different mouse pads wrapped in plastic.
Removing them reveals the Powercore module that we will be plugging into our Logitech G gaming mouse. We can also see the Powerplay’s braided USB cable neatly wrapped around a circular piece of plastic. To the right of the cord we can see the instructions to get the Powerplay setup with our mouse and PC. Hiding under the instruction sheet is one last packet that contains a Logitech G sticker, thank you note, troubleshooting guide and a warranty card.
Aesthetics And Build Quality
The powerplay base-station is a nice sized rectangle that has a great no-slip, textured, rubberized bottom. The top also features a rubberlike no-slip surface for putting one of the two included pads on. At the top left of the base-station is a plastic housing that contains a lightspeed wireless receiver and other electronic components used for powering the charging mat. The housing has a nice Logitech G RGB logo on its top and a white, charging indicator LED is found on the side facing the mouse pad. On the back is the Micro USB port for plugging the Powerplay into.
The Micro USB cord is using the same pronged layout as Logitech’s other recent products, making it very easy to get things set up quickly with no fussing over cord orientation. Both mouse pads feature a large Logitech G logo in the bottom right. They both also have a nice blue underside! Regardless of which surface type you choose to use, the whole Powerplay setup is about as thick as a traditional mouse pad.
Gameplay
The Logitech G Powerplay has one real purpose, and that is to keep your compatible Logitech mouse charged at all times. Does it accomplish this task? Why yes, yes it does, with some added bonuses! First of all, the Powerplay includes a lightspeed receiver which means using it doesn’t take up an additional USB port on your PC. Just swap your current receiver for the Powerplay’s USB cord and you are good to go! Having the receiver in the Powerplay also puts it in the optimal operating range from the mouse, which I am sure not many do regularly, I know I usually don’t.
The RGB Logitech G logo can also be fully customized by using the Logitech G HUB software allowing for several different effects. Yes, I still love my audio equalization, and having my mouse, keyboard and the Powerplay all rocking out just makes me happy!
But let’s get back to the reason we are here, the charging aspect of the Logitech G Powerplay. Getting everything setup to use is extremely simple, plug the USB cable into your Powerplay and PC, then swap the included power core into your compatible wireless mouse. Both my G903 and G903 Hero were picked up by the Powerplay lightspeed receiver instantly. Oddly, I didn’t even have to manually sync either of them. The Powerplay is designed to keep the mouse battery at levels between 85%-95%. The white charging LED will change in brightness to signify if the mouse is connected but not charging, which is shown by a dimmed light, or charging, which is shown with a bright white light. If the light is off, this means that there is no connection between your mouse and the Powerplay unit.
I have greatly enjoyed using the Powerplay and its ability to keep my G903 Hero charged at all times without me having to worry about a thing. No more having to remember to plug it in when it is getting low, or having it die on me in the middle of a task because I forgot to do so. Also, no more drag from a USB cord being awkwardly strewn across my desk surface. Like I said before, none of this is really that big of a deal but if you can avoid it, why not! The different surfaces have also been fun to play around with. I have never owned a hard mouse pad before, and I must say, I quite like the way my G903 feels moving across it. Out of familiarity though, I typically keep the soft pad attached and it has handled well.
Both pads are larger than my typical mouse pads, so the extra real estate has not gone unused. Though do be careful about leaving your mouse on the outer edges when you leave your desk, as the powerplay won’t effectively charge near the outer edges. You will also need to make sure the Powerplay is connected to an always-on USB port if you want your mouse to be charged when you return to your desk the next day. Trust me, it is great to be able to come in and get to work or game with no hassles involved whatsoever every morning.
Speaking of hassles though, I did encounter one minor set back when I first started to use my Powerplay. The Powerplay gets interference from metal surfaces that mess up the way it works. My desk unfortunately has a metal keyboard and mouse tray and it played havoc with the Powerplay for a few days. After talking to Logitech, I moved my mouse and keyboard up to the glass portion of my desk and haven’t experienced another issue since. User error is alive and well in 2019 people!
What Could It Have Done Better
Honestly, about the only issue I have with the Logitech G Powerplay is that it is proprietary. I mean, it makes sense, it is a Logitech product after all. But it would be really cool to be able to toss my phone in the upper right corner and have it charge as I work on my daily tasks. The number of mice compatible with the Powerplay have also thankfully gone up since its original 2017 debut, but it still isn’t the longest of lists.
Verdict
If you plan on sticking with Logitech G products for a number of years, the Logitech G Powerplay is a sound investment. Nearly all of Logitech's new generation gaming products support the device, and its ability to keep battery concerns out of your wireless setup is awesome. But this convenience does come at the hefty cost of $100, and again, it will only work for your mouse. Yes it is extremely niche, but for me, I think it is worth it and I can’t imagine going back to corded charging ever again.
