Logitech PowerPlay 2 & G502 X

Logitech was the first to introduce an "all surface" charging mouse pad, and it has now been on the market for some time in a second version. PowerPlay 2 is cheaper, in the sense that the original mouse pad cost around £110 six years ago, whereas this one costs £90. The system is quite ingenious: a mouse pad with induction charging and a mouse with compatible charging chips. For some reason, the mice and mouse pads from the two generations are not compatible. That's a shame because when Logitech makes quality equipment, the sense of quality is at a level that few others can match.

PowerPlay 2 is beautifully made, with solid materials, good rubber coating on the back, and the wireless mouse charging works flawlessly. Where Logitech had problems with the first PowerPlay system was that some mouse pads had problems with the conductors inside breaking, which meant they couldn't charge. As far as I know, this problem does not exist to the same extent with PowerPlay 2, but in return, two major compromises have been made. Firstly, the cable is now permanently attached. If it gets pinched, bent, or damaged in any way, the whole package has to be replaced. Secondly, there is no longer a built-in USB port, it was brilliant that the mouse's USB dongle could be plugged directly into the mouse pad and use the same cable: two USB devices, one connection, and only a few centimetres between the transmitter and receiver. It seems strange that this solution was chosen, and I think it is to reduce the price for retailers, as paying £110 for a mouse pad was probably a bit too much for many people.

Does it work? Yes. Quite well. The mouse discharges extremely slowly with aggressive use, and with normal use it charges slowly. In fact, I no longer bother turning off my mouse, as it's not worth the effort. I've had zero problems with connection or charging, and since the pad doesn't require drivers, as it only supplies power, you avoid all problems with incompatible hardware, although the system is 100% hardware-based and should therefore always work.

On the other hand, there is now a much wider selection of compatible mice, including two of my favourites: the G903 and G502. I have always been a big fan of these two types of mice from Logitech, so I was happy to try the latest version, the G502 X. The mouse is not cheap. The first G502 I had cost approximately £50, but now the price has increased and costs £80 brand new. That is also a lot of money for a mouse.

It's a classic ergonomic right-handed mouse with a thumb rest, DPI selector, and a free wheel - meaning that when you scroll with the mouse, it is suddenly stepless, and the mouse wheel flies off like a ball bearing in a roller skate. In addition, there are no less than two sets of extra buttons for the thumb and a sniper button, as it's brilliantly called, which is now dedicated to DPI switching or can be removed as needed. Everything is, of course, programmable in the G-Hub software, which has become quite good and easy to work with.

What you're really paying for, though, is the small cover on the underside that can be removed, as instead you can use the charging capsule that comes with the PowerPlay 2 mouse pad. However, there is enough battery power for 35-36 hours with everything turned on.

Logitech is quite fond of calling their products something with "light" in the name - and Lightforce buttons are combined optical-mechanical switches. Here, it's a constant beam of light that is interrupted when you click, and the click is very mechanical and tactile, both in terms of sound and physical feedback in your finger. If, like me, you love this kind of thing, then this mouse is perfect. LightSync is their fine and subtle RGB lighting with eight LEDs, while LightSpeed is Logitech's own wireless protocol for data transfer, capable of 8K refresh rates.

The sensor is Logitech's Hero 25K, which, as the name suggests, offers 25,000 DPI. Technically, it can reach 44,000 DPI and 888 IPS, and it can track stably even with minor lifts. It's precise, and combined with the PowerPlay mouse pad, it's pretty much a perfect mouse setup - if you disregard the cable, which cannot be removed, and the total price, which is quite high. It fits perfectly in the hand, it's the sweet spot between speed and precision, it never loses connection or behaves strangely. I'm sold once again.