- Logitech G’s line of wireless gaming mouse and keyboard features Lightspeed, letting you game with little latency as if you are wired.
- Lightspeed peripherals released are the G603, G703, and G903 gaming mouse and G613 mechanical keyboard.
- The G703 and G903 can also be charged wirelessly and paired to your computer with a PowerPlay mousepad.
I have been trying to eliminate cables and wires from my desk for the longest time, and Logitech might just offer the solution to do that.
Right now on my table at home, it’s a mess. Aside from cables coming from my PC, monitor, and speakers, I also have USB cables running from my tower that connects my mechanical keyboard, mouse, and mousepad (yes I’m one of those people with an RGB lit mousepad)
So, when Logitech sent over their Lightspeed peripherals, it gave me a chance to declutter a bit.
Logitech G Goes Wireless
This year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas saw several gaming peripheral companies showing off their latest wireless charging mouse and mousepad combo, but Logitech already has those in the market for nearly a year.
The Logitech PowerPlay wireless charging system places a charging coil in the mousepad itself, which in turn charges the built-in battery in the G703 and G903.
What this means for the user is that your mouse may potentially never die, as long as your PowerPlay mousepad is plugged in.
Better yet, the mousepad is all that you need to plug into your computer’s USB port. While both mouse do come with their own USB receivers, you do not have to plug those in if you pair one of the mouse to the mousepad.
This saves you a USB port, as your PowerPlay mousepad acts as both a charger and receiver for your mouse.
The tricky part comes when your mouse actually run out of juice. For some people, you might want to use that same mouse away from the desk, with your laptop for example, after which you will definitely need to charge it.
And it charges very, very slowly on the mousepad. I had to leave it overnight to get a full charge from 20-30% battery. Using the included micro USB cable for your charging needs is definitely faster, and you can get a full charge in under 2 hours if the mouse is dead.
Whichever charging method you choose, you can still use the mouse while charging.
Playing Games At Lightspeed
Wireless charging woes aside, the true star for Logitech’s line of wireless peripherals is Lightspeed.
Without going into all the nitty gritty technical details, what Lightspeed essentially does is to let you use your gaming peripherals wirelessly with minimal latency, as if you are wired in, through either the included USB receivers or the PowerPlay mousepad for only the G703 and G903.
I’m proud to say that it works very, very well.
By this time, I’ve already armed myself with the G613 mechanical keyboard as well which features the same Lightspeed tech. Unfortunately you cannot pair the keyboard to the PowerPlay mousepad.
Playing my usual MOBA game, Heroes of the Storm, I feel no difference with each keystroke and mouse click. Probably the only nitpick I have on my part is that I don’t quite like Logitech’s Romer-G switches in the keyboard.
For me at least, I felt that the way the switches bottom out when actuating the keys is different as compared to traditional Cherry MX switches in most popular mechanical keyboards. So I recommend you to it out at a local store to see if it suits you.
It Can Get Rather Expensive
The most affordable of the bunch is the G603 (S$109). It is aesthetically similar to the G613 mechanical keyboard (S$159) with a grey-black colour scheme, and both are clearly for the no-frills user and gamer.
That’s because both do not feature RGB lighting, presumably to extend battery life. Speaking of batteries, they too are using traditionally AA batteries inside, so you can swop them out if your peripherals run out of juice.
You can also connect both mouse and keyboard via Bluetooth should you, for whatever reason, do not want to use the included Lightspeed USB receivers. Be warned though, gaming via Bluetooth is a less than desirable experience.
The Bluetooth option is better left for connecting the G613 to a mobile device – it comes with a mobile phone stand in the box.
If you want to go the PowerPlay route, that’s where it will get a little more pricey.
You will need to stump S$199 for the mousepad alone, while the G703 will set you back S$159 and G903 S$249.
Personally, I see something like the G603 as the perfect mouse for the road warrior with its Bluetooth connectivity and USB receiver stowage in the battery compartment. Sure enough, it’s the mouse I use most with my laptop.
On my desk is the G613 keyboard paired with the G903 on the PowerPlay mousepad. While I don’t use the macro keys on the keyboard, having many re-mappable buttons on the mouse is a lifesaver.
If the 11 programmable buttons on the G903 is a little too much then the G703 is perhaps for you. With that said Logitech has an intriguing first generation wireless gaming product ecosystem, and it’s definitely a good first attempt.
Once they add the ability to pair both Lightspeed keyboard and mouse to their PowerPlay mousepad, I might just invest myself into going full Logitech in my gaming setup.
Unless of course, someone else beats them to it.