POWERPLAY Hero

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The Logitech PowerPlay G703 gaming mouse and PowerPlay charging pad are 2 separate products but they work in unison so I am doing this review as one.

The gaming mouse industry is generally less exciting than other parts of computer hardware, there is not a great deal you can do to improve a mouse, in recent years this has mainly been done by improving responsiveness and adding RGB. Wireless mice have also started to make a comeback in gaming, years ago they were a big no-no due to the laggy nature of the wireless connection, also charging mice was a nightmare. One of the biggest breakthroughs and the most obvious thing to do was to allow a mouse to be charged while still in use, and this now seems to be a common feature among many gaming mice.

The Logitech G703 gaming mouse is one such device, priced at £89.99 on Amazon, it is an expensive mouse to buy, but not particularly expensive as far as wireless gaming mice go, or even some wired mice. However, Logitech was not content on producing something as boring as a normal wireless gaming mouse. The G703, as well as its sibling the G903, are compatible with the innovative Powerplay Wireless Charging Pad. The Powerplay is basically a mouse mat that provides inductive charging to your mouse, allowing your mouse to remain wire free but also fully charged 100% of the time. No other product on the market offers anything like this and theoretically, it is a great ideal. The one main set back you may find is that the PowerPlay itself is £110.

G703 Gaming Mouse

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The G703 is a simply designed 6 button mouse, that is not dissimilar to the Logitech Pro I reviewed last year. It has a more curved top and is generally larger and heavier than the Pro, the scroll wheels have a different feel too, with the G703 being more clicky than the Pro. Due to the thumbs keys, this is essentially a right-handed mouse, the same as the Pro.

Overall the G703 feels great in my hand, the increased weight did feel unusual when I changed over, but within a few minutes, I didn’t notice. If you like your mouse a little weightier, Logitech also includes an additional weight that you can slip into the bottom of the mouse. However, if you plan on using a PowerPlay then this slot is reserved for that functionality.

Logitech has developed a new form of wireless technology called Lightspeed, which claims to completely reduce the issues with latency, stability, and connectivity. The G703 has the option to increase the Dpi up to 12000 with a polling rate up to 1000 reports per second. I normally like my DPI quite high as I use a 40″ 4K screen + 2 side screens, but beyond 8K DPI controlling where the mouse is becoming difficult, it is that responsive. During none gaming use I have started to keep it at the 6K mark. I am not a professional gamer, nor do I play FPS games much, so my opinions on latency are probably not as valid as others, however during my regular gaming sessions I have noticed no lag at all the mouse is extremely responsive and I generally use it at around the 10K DPI mark. During my use, there has never been a single connectivity issue, even when my PC first boots up the mouse seems to connect fine straight away.

If you are not using a PowerPlay then you can plug an adapted microUSB cable into the front of the mouse and it will work like any other wired mouse. The cable itself has 2 prongs coming out from the sides of the microUSB and this gives it a nice flush fitting with the mouse, however, I tried it with a random microUSB cable and it still works fine like this. I guess the little prongs just help ensure it stays in play during gaming sessions.

Logitech gaming peripherals are managed via the Logitech Gaming Software, everything is all in one place so you don’t need to install new software for each device. In here you can change the RGB settings of the mouse, there are quite a lot of options even though the mouse only has RGB on the logo and mouse wheel. When you have decided on a lighting scheme you can sync it across devices, in my case, not only could I sync it to the PowerPlay but also to the Logitech G610 I use.

Even if you are not interested in RGB, you will likely want to use the software to modify the various settings. For example, I changed the DPI sensitivity levels for the pointer and assigned my default. You can also modify the actions of each button, so if you don’t fancy the standard options you have over 20 mouse click options, keystroke options such as copy or paste, or if you want something more complex you can record macros.

Overall this is a superb mouse, from my experience it offers just as good performance as a wired mouse which is the most important aspect here. It also has good RGB settings, plenty of options to customise things. In wireless mode you get a claimed 20 hours of use out of it, so there should never be a reason to run out of juice mid game, and even if you do the mouse works flawlessly in its wired mode.

Lastly, looking at other wireless gaming mice online, there is no other options from big brands that are cheaper than the Logitech, so not only is it a great mouse, but it is competatively priced

PowerPlay Charging Pad

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If you are not comfortable with the risk of running out of battery in a gaming session and don’t to deal with annoying cables then the PowerPlay could just be the device for you. It is basically a moderately sized mouse pad, that can charge you mouse via inductive charging.

Obviously, this does mean the mouse mat itself is wired, and there is a rectangular block attached to the top right of the pad which has an RGB Logitech logo on it. This does mean that if you plan was to wireless charge for aesthetic reasons you are still going to have an unsightly cable on your desk, the only real advantage here is if you really don’t like having a wire getting in your way at any time.

Setting up the PowerPlay is quite straightforward if you have the software already installed you pretty much just need to plug it in. Then you need to swap the plastic disk in the bottom of your mouse with the induction disk, switch the mouse off, then switch it back on again. The mouse should then automatically connect. If you mouse is not already fully charged you will be able to see the charging icon under the mouse section of the Logitech Gaming Software. If you are using the PowerPlay you can also disconnect the USB receiver for your mouse.

Logitech has kindly included 2 different surfaces for the pad, so you can have a soft spongy surface or a hard-textured surface. Each surface gives a different sort of feel and responsiveness and it is largely a subjective preference. I personally stuck to the hard surface as I am a clumsy and messy, so cleaning it is easier when I inevitably spill something on it.

In terms of performance, the pad works absolutely flawlessly, I never had any connection issues, and my mouse was always charged. The actual mouse pad works just as you would expect, my mouse was just as responsive on it as my old mouse pad, and the option to use both hard and soft surfaces is great.

Overall, PowerPlay is a great innovative product that works exactly as advertised without any glitches. It is great to see something new and interesting hit the market. However, I do have some issues, for me, it seems to be fixing a problem that isn’t really there anymore. Back when I first used a wireless mouse years ago the battery life was shocking and you would either have to swap out AA batteries or put it in a cradle, they were terrible products for heavy users. But the G703 should last 2 days of heavy use, and when you do need to charge it you can just plug in the cable and carry on working/gaming, it has already fixed the issues with wireless by being such a great mouse itself. Yes, the PowerPlay is a little more convenient, but it also costs more than the mouse itself so it’s quite an expensive way to avoid having to root around for your microUSB cable. If you are a professional gamer or very serious about gaming, or maybe you are just rich, then the PowerPlay is still a great product.

Win a Logitech G703 Wireless Gaming Mouse

Logitech G Play: G703 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse
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Product Name: Logitech G Play: G703 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse

Product Description: Logitech G Play: G703 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Gaming Mouse

Offer price: £89.99

Currency: GBP

Availability: InStock

Overall
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  • Features - 95%
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  • Performance - 95%
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  • Price - 85%
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