Logitech has announced a line of PC gaming accessories that are designed to be more gender inclusive and targeted specifically at women than any of their previous releases. Companies shouldn’t try to market consumer technology by gender in 2022, but rather recognize the wide variety of tastes and physical needs that consumers have. But Logitech has gone and done it anyway.
And the gadgets in the Aurora collection look great, and most importantly, they’re new, not just new colors of existing products. But aside from some interesting features throughout the Aurora collection, it still looks like a case of the pink tax at work.
With its latest collection of gaming accessories (and the many expensive add-ons you can buy to customize them), Logitech wants to let you know that it’s now recognizing underrepresented groups…the same groups it’s ignored for years. .
A wide variety of genres enjoy gaming and using all the necessary accessories, but many peripheral companies, including Logitech, have spent a lot of time designing products for a very specific type of gamer: one with larger-than-average hands and who feel comfortable using. peripherals decorated with dark colors and RGB lighting.
Logitech has slowly realized that not everything has to look like it came from the office IT department or where the “gamer aesthetic” came from. In recent years, he started offering accessories with more rounded corners and fun colors. The Aurora collection focused more on gaming than the productivity-oriented peripherals released earlier. Only, in addition to neat looks that rely on “gender inclusion” marketing, this collection has beyond-affordable prices and shockingly lousy battery life claims.
The G735 isn’t that vibrant by default, just with its RGB LEDs. Logitech
Heading the class in terms of price and impressive features are the $229.99 G735 Wireless Headphones. It looks like a more whimsical version of the G Pro X model, clad in white with RGB LEDs tracing around the perimeter of its bulbous, rotating earcups. Like the much more affordable G435 wireless headset (about $50), the G735 includes braille on each side arm to identify left from right, which is a great accessibility feature that more companies should copy. Logitech claims the G735’s design is more inclusive because it can accommodate smaller heads and things like earrings and small glasses. While that’s technically true, it’s strange that it apparently only makes its other headphones for people with giant heads and perfect vision.
The G735 includes dual wireless, the ability to connect to 2.4 GHz and, for example, the phone via Bluetooth. Logitech says the G735 can last about 16 hours with the LED lighting on and at 50 percent volume. Most wireless headphones these days have a battery life of at least a day, so this is a disappointing figure. Apparently turning off the lighting increases the life to about 56 hours per charge.
The G715 and G713 include a cloud-shaped wrist rest, which otherwise costs $20 on its own. Logitech
The $199.99 wireless G715, along with the $169.99 wired G713, are non-ten models that include media keys, a volume wheel, and plenty of RGB LEDs. In addition to lighting up below each of the double-shot PBT keys, they have LEDs surrounding the keyboard to emit an aura. Logitech says you’ll be able to choose between tactile, linear, or clickable mechanical GX switches at the time of purchase.
The G715 can be connected wirelessly to the included 2.4GHz Lightspeed dongle or connected via Bluetooth. Logitech says you can expect about 25 hours of battery life per charge. Like the headphones, they’re on the low end of the spectrum for longevity, considering their high price.
The G705’s color can’t be changed (outside of its LEDs), but you can buy a $30 mouse to brighten things up. Logitech
Finally, the $99.99 G705 Wireless Mouse is the first mouse that Logitech says was “intentionally” designed for gamers with smaller hands. From one angle, it looks like your average gaming mouse, but from the angle that exposes its two thumb buttons, it looks more like an ergonomic mouse with its contoured thumb rest. It has a “game-grade” sensor (Logitech didn’t confirm the exact sensor before publication) with up to 8,200 DPI sensitivity and can last up to 40 hours with the LEDs on. Battery life isn’t great. If it sounds like I’m beating a dead horse, it’s because I am.
Buying Logitech accessories is rarely affordable, and the Aurora collection is no exception. It will cost you $499.97 (assuming you bought the wired G713, not the G715, which is $30 more) to buy each of the three items, but why stop there? There are add-ons to buy too!
- The G735 comes in white, but you can buy a different-colored boom mic included with two ear pads (in pink or neon green) for $20.
- As for keyboards, you can buy top plates for any keyboard for $20, and don’t forget a $40 set of keys.
- For the mouse, there are two accessories for purchase, including a $29.99 15.75 x 18-inch mouse pad and a $40 heart-shaped carrying case for both the G735 headset and G705 mouse .
- If you stick to Logitech’s included line and buy one of each add-on, you’ll pay at least $649.97.
Many tech companies, including Logitech, love to tell the press how each of their new gadgets is the byproduct of lots of research, testing, and user engagement with the intended audience as if these were the ingredients that guarantee a great product which is English in an authentic way. The team behind this collection seemed excited that their new products will make some people feel seen, and honestly, that’s great. Design that is too focused on a very specific group makes the products repetitive and potentially unpleasant. Logitech makes gaming mice for smaller hands, and headsets that can be worn with glasses are good things. Making games less insular is a very good thing.
But it’s the battery life that sounds off, because Logitech doesn’t want to solve the problem of smaller gadgets requiring less battery space, that’s a problem. The problem is the high price.
If your target audience can’t afford the product or use it for the same amount of time as something cheaper, then how inclusive or accessible is it, really?