Logitech's POWERPLAY mousemat lets you wirelessly charge your mouse as you use it
You might have thought that mousemats had been consigned to the history books, but Logitech has other ideas. Designed with the needs of gamers high on the list of priorities, Logitech's new POWERPLAY mousemat not only ensures great control, it also wirelessly charges mice to avoid the problem of running out of juice at an inopportune moment.
Of course, you need a POWERPLAY-compatible mouse in order to take advantage of this feature, and Logitech has also launched two new mice. The G903 and G703 are the latest addition to the company's high-end wireless gaming mouse range, and they work with the charging pad.
The mousemat includes an integrated LIGHTSPEED Wireless receiver which Logitech says offers "competition-level responsiveness." Anyone with an existing wireless mouse -- from Logitech or another company -- may well be annoyed by the fact that the company has chosen to use a proprietary wireless charging technology, but Logitech says that this is what enables the entire surface of the mousemat to serve as a charging point rather than just a small section.
Introducing the wireless charging mousemat, Logitech explains a little bit about the technology:
POWERPLAY creates an electromagnetic energy field over a large surface area -- so you don't have to rest your gaming mouse on a tiny charging target. This field is captured and transformed into charging current by the included POWERCORE module, which attaches magnetically to the underside of a compatible gaming mouse in place of the existing weight door. It's designed to keep charging even through high-speed flick shots or lifting and repositioning, and its base is only 2mm thick -- so it’s comfortable to use as a gaming surface.
The POWERPLAY is priced at $99.99, and will ship at the end of June. More details are available on the POWERPLAY product page.
Logitech's new POWERPLAY-compatible mice launch slightly later, in August. The G903 is a replacement for the existing G900 and will set you back $149.99, while the G703 is a replacement for the G403 that will cost you $99.99. The key upgrade for both devices is revamped microswitches. While these were previously rated for 20 million clicks, the latest versions increase this figure to 50 million.