The morning after I’d spent $120 on a Logitech PowerPlay mousepad, I felt like an idiot — and rightly so. That’s a lot of cash that could’ve gone towards other things. More important things. Life things.
But it’s now five years later and the Logitech PowerPlay mousepad is one of my favorite PC accessories. It blurs into the background and I never have to think about charging my Logitech G Pro mouse anymore.
Honestly, the PowerPlay wireless charging system is a stroke of genius. A mousepad that includes a wireless receiver and wireless charging coil? So smart, so useful, so convenient. Let me explain why I love it so much and why I think it’s worth every penny.
How all wireless charging should be
Wireless charging isn’t a new concept. Indeed, the original PowerPlay mousepad debuted in 2017 and we loved it. We even said it’d make you a believer — if you could pony up the cash for it. One reason we gave it such a high rating? Because we’ve seen numerous wireless charging pads over the years and few (if any) were so good.
That’s still true to this day. For example, Corsair has their own wireless charging mousepad, and there are some other third-party solutions that work with any Qi-compatible device, but those all have a wireless charger at a specific point on the mousepad. You have to place the mouse in a specific location and leave it there to charge.
Logitech
With PowerPlay, it’s different. The charging coil covers nearly the entire surface, not just a small corner, so I don’t have to leave my mouse in the “right spot” for it to energize. In fact, it means the mouse constantly charges as I use it (unless it’s already fully charged), so it’s charging even while I game, while I work, and while I’m away. I’ve never had to think about charging my mouse. It’s completely effortless.
A mousepad has the advantage of being the primary home for a mouse, so it’s easy to predict where it’ll be and put the charging coil in the perfect spot to make the most of it. But this really feels like how all wireless charging should be — a technology that blurs into the background, one you never have to think about.
Solving the most minor of problems
Even with hindsight and my enduring love of this mousepad’s capabilities, I can’t deny that it’s an overpriced and over-engineered solution for the one drawback of modern wireless gaming mice: they need to be recharged occasionally.
In most cases, that means using it down to around 10% battery (which could take a few weeks or even months), then plugging it in for a few hours overnight while you sleep. That’s what I have to do with my Logitech G915 TKL keyboard , for example.
It’s small, but it’s annoying. The main reason I wanted a wireless keyboard was so I didn’t have cables draped across my desk. Also because I wanted to be able to move it wherever I wanted and to use it on different systems at the touch of a button. I only have to charge it about once every two weeks, but when I do it’s a royal pain — because I have to fetch the charging cable that’s tucked away. Ugh!
I’m exaggerating, of course, but it’s true that I hate having to charge my keyboard. Not so much that I’ll switch to a wired alternative, but enough that I wish for a solution. On the other hand, my Logitech G Pro wireless mouse has never annoyed me like that because my PowerPlay mousepad keeps it charged at all times. It’s seamless.
The old remains better than the new
As of this writing, my Logitech PowerPlay mousepad is five years old and the model is even older still. Yet, Logitech hasn’t rested on their laurels. A new version — the PowerPlay 2 — released last month with a thinner design, larger charging area, and more affordable price.
But I think my first-gen model is better. Why? Because the new version, though cheaper, doesn’t include a wireless receiver. That’s the other over-the-top luxury of the original PowerPlay mousepad: it’s how my mouse connects to my PC.
Since the mousepad itself connects to the PC via USB charging cable, it might as well act as the wireless receiver, too. No need to take up an additional USB port on my PC with a wireless dongle. Unfortunately, Logitech dropped that feature from the newer PowerPlay 2.
It has surprisingly few flaws
If I had one complaint about the Logitech PowerPlay mousepad, it’s that there are no official cloth mat replacement surfaces for it. When I wore through the first one, I had to replace it with a generic Logitech cloth mat. It lacked underside grip, so I had to glue it to the charge pad underneath.
That’s probably going to bite me in the butt when I change that surface again in the future, but for now it’s given my PowerPlay mousepad a few extra years of use and it’s holding up well enough.
I’ll run this thing into the ground, too, as the thought of spending another $100 on a new PowerPlay system feels like a big ask, even if I do love it.
Further reading: The best wireless gaming mice
Author: Jon Martindale , Contributor, PCWorld
Jon Martindale is a voracious writer and technology fanboy who loves nothing more than digging into the specs of the latest graphics cards, processors, and displays. He's passionate about everything PC, but also enjoys experimenting with AIs, and covering new standing desks that can help avoid his worst posture habits.