Prodigy: Logitech's New Wallet-Friendly Gaming Peripherals

FOX11, Los Angeles - So you've purchased a new laptop or desktop computer for the kids. Maybe for yourself. A new gaming console or streaming set top box which does gaming, like NVidia's Shield TV, but you've realized that you're still missing something. Or, some things. But you've spent the money, or maybe you're the kid and you have some Christmas money you're looking to spend. Logitech released new gaming kit at the end of the year, with you in mind. The Prodigy line of products aims to bring gamers, young and old(er) a quality line of products at a price which doesn't say, "I'm trying out for an MLG team."

Over the Christmas season, I went to a shindig that Logitech put on to show off upcoming product and they had some very compelling kit on display. I'll get into some of that in a later article or review. They wanted those of us in attendance to give their Prodigy line a shot so they sent everyone home with a swag bag of the three products which make up the line. The line has you covered you if you're a PC or console gamer with a mouse, keyboard and headphones. The hook to this product line is the price! While there are serious gaming headphones you can purchase that will run upwards of $300, clicky gaming keyboards and mice which come with a premium price tag, everything in the Prodigy line can be had for $70.

The Prodigy G403 gaming mouse, as stated, is available for $70 and has a wireless option that will run you $100. It comes with an optional 10g weight and Logitech says that it has a 1ms report rate and both the left and right buttons will stand up to 20 million clicks. The mouse has a max 12,000 DPI and a 32-bit ARM processor on board to keep things smooth and lag free. The G403 is no slouch in the customization department, giving you 6 customizable buttons and RGB lighting with 16 million colors but the real highlight for the mouse is the on-the-fly DPI shifting which will allow you to go from 200DPI to 12,000DPI so you can easily control the sensitivity of things like scoping on first person shooter games or going from precise actions to melee butt kickery.

I'm all about that clicky key life, so it should come as no surprise that I'm particularly fond of Logitech's G213 RGB gaming keyboard. I can't really provide a great, hardcore gamer review on this keyboard because I rarely have enough time to get into games enough to be "hardcore." What I can say is that the keys are luscious with wonderful travel and all the "clickity clack" your heart could want- if you're into that sort of thing. It should be noted that the clicky comes without the clack though. These are mechanical keys without the loud "clacking" sound generated by some mechanical keyboards. The keyboard isn't whisper quiet, but is definitely not as loud as other mechanicals on the market. You'll also get RGB lighting zones on the keyboard which you can link to settings based on the game you're playing. But the feature which makes this keyboard a great deal for parents buying peripherals for young gamers is it's durability. The G213 is spill-resistant, though they better not spill a lot. Might be better to call it "splash-resistant" as it's been tested with 60ml of liquid which works out to only 2oz or ¼ of a cup. So, they might want to keep that Big Gulp away from the keyboard. But, for only $70 this is a pretty awesome keyboard for young users spending time on Steam or in Minecraft land.

Probably the most universally functional item in the Prodigy line is the G231 wired headphones. They can be used with the XBox One, PS4 and a PC, though some XBox One controllers will require the purchase of an additional adapter. I've allowed my sons to put these through their paces and they've rather enjoyed them. For reference, they've purchased their own high-end gaming headphones and had the opportunity to play with $300 gaming headphones I've reviewed, in addition to non gaming high-end headphones I've brought home for review. They're currently playing first person shooters and putting quite a bit of time into the XBox game Smite. I've worn them myself and have to say that they're light, quite comfortable and sound pretty darn good. They feature 40mm drivers, washable mesh cloth ear cups, 20Hz-20KHz frequency response,
impedance of 32 Ohms. The microphone on the G231 folds up and out of the way when you're not in squad mode trying to frag the competition. The headphones are stereo and plug up via a 3.5mm audio plug. They may not feel as rugged as some more expensive headphones, but I will be putting through a long-term review process to let you know how they hold up over time. Just because something "feels" plasticy or less robust, doesn't mean it actually is less durable. We'll find out and I'll let you know. We'll check back in at the 90-day mark!