Logitech G is one of the most popular gaming peripheral brands out there, and it’s partly due to products like the Astro A50 Gen 5, as well as the newly announced POWERPLAY 2, the brand’s new version of the wireless charging mouse mat for its own gaming mice.
The original POWERPLAY mat has been kicking along for several years now and while it was perfectly fine, there’s always room for improvement. Logitech G improved on it with the POWERPLAY 2 in a few key areas. Size, functionality, and price. The original retails for $119.99 which is fairly reasonable, but Logitech G has lowered the cost for the new model by $20. With the new $99.99 price tag, it’ll be even more affordable and that will make it more attainable by more consumers.
In addition to the price, the POWERPLAY 2 is also now slimmer. Logitech G says it’s thinned out the entire mat and it now measures just 3.5mm thin. That’s a combined total between the charging pad and the mouse mat that lays on top. These measure 2.2mm and 1.3mm respectively. Compared to the original POWERPLAY mat, it’s 0.5mm thinner than before. As each of the two parts of the mat is 2mm on the original model.
A slimmer profile is certainly nice, but it is likely that there are many who wouldn’t even notice the difference. Still, it’s a good upgrade for those who will.
Logitech G has increased the charging surface area on the POWERPLAY 2
There’s nothing wrong with slimming things down when it comes to these kinds of accessories, but the more important upgrade for the POWERPLAY 2 is the larger surface area for wireless charging. It’s now 15% larger than the original. So you have more room to move your mouse around and ensure it’s still charging during use.
For those who are unaware, the whole point of the POWERPLAY and POWERPLAY 2 is to keep your mouse charged at all times. This starts with a POWERPLAY coin that slots into the bottom of the mouse. The POWERPLAY 2 then uses a low-frequency electromagnetic field that the coin captures and uses to charge up the battery.
This works whether the mouse is stationary or while the user is gaming. So you don’t have to stop playing when the battery runs low. And essentially, the battery on your wireless mouse never dies because it’s constantly charging on this mat. Which means you should almost never have to plug it in.
You only get one mouse pad this time
If there are any downsides at all to this new model of the POWERPLAY, it’s that you only get one mouse pad this time around. The original comes with a cloth mouse pad and a hard mouse pad. So you get to choose which one works best for you. Perhaps that changes depending on the game you’re currently playing. The POWERPLAY 2 only comes with a cloth mouse pad. That means if you liked the hard surface for some or all of your games, you’re out of luck with this new model.
Honestly, we don’t see that being too big of an issue for most people. But there may be some diehards out there. In terms of compatibility, the POWERPLAY 2 works with several of Logitech G’s gaming mice. This includes the G502 Lightspeed, the G502 X Plus, the G309, the G502 X Lighhtspeed, the G903, the G703, the Pro Wireless, the Pro X Superlight, the Pro X Superlight 2, and the Pro X Superlighht 2 Dex.
The POWERPLAY 2 mat will be available starting March 11 and you can pick it up through Amazon, or directly through Logitech G.
