Logitech PowerPlay is a
mousepad
A mousepad or mousemat is a surface for placing and moving a computer mouse. A mousepad enhances the usability of the mouse compared to using a mouse directly on a table by providing a surface to allow it to measure movement accurately and with ...
underlay which can charge compatible
mice
A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus' ...
both at rest and while they are in use. It connects to the computer via
USB
Universal Serial Bus (USB) is an industry standard, developed by USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), for digital data transmission and power delivery between many types of electronics. It specifies the architecture, in particular the physical ...
and, on the pad side, features a control module which a compatible mouse can connect to via the proprietary Lightspeed protocol. Mice need to support inserting Logitech's Powercore module to capture the electromagnetic energy.
The control module has a lit-up logo whose colors can be changed using software and a light to indicate whether the mouse is connected.
History
According to Logitech, there were neither wireless chargers that were thin enough to fit into the mousepad nor chargers that could cover the necessary surface area when development started on PowerPlay.
The 2.5
W provided by a USB port was found not to be sufficient to meet the power demand of the mouse when the field needs to be projected across the entire area of the mousepad, necessitating changes to the mouse and its firmware to reduce its consumption. The system keeps the battery between 85 and 95 percent charged to reduce wear on the battery.
The base consists of five layers which are bonded together using an adhesive-based lamination process,
coming to a height of 2mm.
The bottom layer provides an anti-slip texture, a middle layer is made of
polycarbonate
Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate ester, carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, toughness, tough materials, and some grades are optically transp ...
for rigidity. On top of the base, one can use a regular mousepad or place one of the two tops (cloth or hard) that come with the product.
The first prototype was built four years before the final product was released in 2017.
At the launch in 2017, two mice were compatible: the G903 and the G703. At 108 and 113 grams, these were considered heavy by some players.
In August 2018, a model simply called Pro Wireless was released with compatibility for PowerPlay, weighing .
In July 2024, Logitech announced the G309 mouse with a reduced weight of when using the Powercore module. This brings the total number of compatible mice up to 4. The pad cannot charge other wirelessly charging devices such as smartphones.
PowerPlay 2
In January 2025, a user on Reddit, discovered that Logitech filed an FCC application for a new product labeled as Charging Pad. The user discovered that a Label for the device had been published, which contained the name Powerplay 2.
The FCC also has a temporary confidentiality agreement for some information, including internal and external photos, of that product, which does not expire until April 3, 2025. This would, according tho the Reddit post, suggest that a release of the 2nd version of PowerPlay will happen before or on said date.
On February 25, 2025, Logitech announced the second version of Powerplay, Powerplay 2. It features a thinner design, and has less RGB. Logitech will start shipping in March 2025.
See also
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References
External links
PowerPlay on Logitech's website
{{Logitech
Computer peripherals
Logitech products