Logitech’s Prodigy Series Wants To Be Everybody’s Gaming Gear

Logitech G has shown off their new Prodigy series of gaming accessories, featuring two mice, a keyboard and a headset designed with the goal to be “gaming gear made exclusively for everyone.”

The idea, as I understand it from a briefing I had on the Prodigy line earlier this week, is that while there will always be a place for gaming peripherals specifically crafted with hardcore gamers in mind, it’s not just hardcore gamers that want gaming hardware these days. From kids gaming with their parents to new players lured into the hobby by friends, there are plenty of folks out there who just want a gaming mouse, or a gaming keyboard, or a headset to practice their trash talk — it takes a lot of practice.

“We love building products for hardcore gamers, and we’ll never give that up,” said Ujesh Desai, vice president and general manager of Logitech G via official announcement. “With the explosion of play across all ages and skill sets we knew we needed something more. Our new Logitech G Prodigy series gives all gamers access to our best technology.

Available this month, the Logitech G Prodigy line consists of the G403 Prodigy Gaming Mouse, its wireless sibling, the G213 Prodigy RGB gaming keyboard and the G231 gaming headset. Each is priced at $US69.99 (save the $US99.99 wireless mouse), which seems like a fine entry point into the world of gaming-centric hardware.

AU Editor Note: While pricing for the RGB keyboard and the gaming mouse aren’t available at the time of writing, the Logitech G231 headset is currently selling for around $79 locally.

I’ve played around with each new piece, and while a full review of the lineup is forthcoming, I’ll give some basic thoughts below.

Lovely and broad, the G213 keyboard marries a subdued design with customisable RGB lighting, in case you want to get all fancy. The keys are not mechanic, but they are smooth and responsive, with the sort of anti-ghosting features one would expect from a gaming keyboard. The point of contention for most people will be the attached wrist wrest. Some people love them, other people hate them. I’m getting used to it. My wrists are certainly rested.

The G231 gaming headset is actually a wonderful headset for the price. The sports cloth-covered ear cups are soft and comfortable, as is the padded head band. The sound is stereo and fine. I’ve not played with the folding mic much, being a bit of a mic snob these days, but I’ll see how it goes. My favourite bit is the removable, washable ear cups. Ears be gross, yo.

I must admit I am still afraid of wireless gaming mice, though Logitech G is pretty sure they’re the future. Luckily the Prodigy G403 comes in both wired and wireless flavours. Both are fast and accurate, with up to 12,000 dpi tracking resolution, if you’re into your mouse shooting across your screen faster than your old eyes can follow. Maybe that’s just me. Both feature a very . . . I’d say classic sort of ergonomic design. Though it’s one Logitech says they have never tried before, it feels very familiar and welcoming.

Both versions feature the PMW3366, AKA the world’s most advanced mouse sensor, and boast performance far beyond that of most other gaming mice, especially in the price range. They also have programmable RPG lighting for those fancying some fancying, and a removable 10g weight for oh my god get over yourself it’s just 10g.

Check out Logitech’s blog post for more on what Prodigy is all about. I’ll have final thoughts on the series once my thoughts finalise.

Seriously, it’s 10g. If you lose a game and blame your mouse being 10g too light, you probably need to step away from the Candy Crush.