This year’s E3 hasn’t been one that will go down in history in my opinion. I’ve been quite underwhelmed with most of what I’ve seen. Logitech has only helped confirm my feelings with their reveal of the PowerPlay Wireless charging solution for their new G703 and G903 gaming mice, costing $100 and $150 respectively.
One of the most annoying things when using a wireless mouse for gaming is dying batteries at critical moments, and this is what the PowerPlay was designed to combat. When you purchase the kit, which will retail at $100, you get two mouse pads, a hard and a soft version as well as a charging mat which sits underneath them. The way it works is near enough the same as the wireless charging tech you now get with some smartphones. It uses electromagnetic resonance to keep the mice topped up even while you are using it.
Now my problem with this is this. What’s the difference in having a cable running from your mouse mat all the time, or having a cable standing by at the back of your desk which you can just plug in when you mouse starts to run low. Logitech themselves have shown that they can supply the tech to give us a days charge in just four minuets of plug-in time from a wireless mouse with the MX Master. I can’t see who this will benefit.
It’s not all bad though they did also revealed something called Lightspeed, a low-latency wireless transmission technology. This is something that has always made me second guess purchasing a wireless mouse, the lag that is associated with them. This tech removes some of that, how much remains though is to be seen. If it can stand side by side with a wired mouse it may even help to bring the eSports crowd on board, but you still need the PowerPlay module to be able to take advantage of it, again getting back to my argument of what’s the point.
If for some reason this does sound good to you just remember to be able to make use of both of these new technologies you need to drop at least $200: $100 for the PowerPlay system and $100 for the cheaper Logitech G703 or if you want the more expensive $150 G903 you’re looking at $250.
The PowerPlay doesn’t hit the shelves until August if you’re looking to get one. Maybe if I get the chance to try one out I may change my mind, but at the moment I’d rather just buy a wired mouse and spend the savings on pizza.