Logitech G13 Programmable Gameboard with LCD Display

3 comments on “Logitech G13 Programmable Gameboard with LCD Display”

1. 184 of 187 people found the following review helpful:

   
   Logitech G13 vs. Belkin n52te, July 30, 2009

   By 

   C Cougar (Vermont) –

   Amazon Verified Purchase(What’s this?)

   This review is from: Logitech G13 Programmable Gameboard with LCD Display (Electronics)

   I have used both the Logitech G13 and Belkin n52te extensively, so I thought it would be useful to write a review comparing the two products.

   Usage
   I have used both keypads to play World of Warcraft (WoW) extensively. Typically I use the mouse to steer my character, and the keypad to do the actions on my action bar. I use the joystick to move forward, back, and strafe left and right. My hand is average to small in size.

   Keys
   The Logitech G13 has more keys than the Belkin n52te. In fact the main reason I bought the G13 was because I ran out of keys on the n52te. The G13 has 22 keys plus a joystick button, and two extra buttons near the joystick for a total of 25 programable items. The n52te has 14 keys, a scroll wheel up-down-click button, and two buttons by the joystick for a total of 19 programmable items. When you get advanced in WoW, the more buttons you have, the better your game will be since you can quickly do an action by pressing a button.

   The n52te keys are all pretty much the same shape, and the middle key has a bump on it to help you locate where you are. The G13 has the most common keys the same shape, but other keys near the edges have a different shape. I find this helpful since I can feel the key and know where I am due to its shape. The G13 all has four keys with a concave impression to help you locate where you are on the keypad. Again, I find this more useful than the one key the n52te uses with a bumb on it.

   Joystick/D-Pad
   The n52te has a D-Pad that allows you to control movement in 8 directions. It has an optional joystick insertion that makes it feel more like a joystick. When playing WoW, I actually only used 4 directions, and disabled the corner directionals, since it was too easy to go the wrong way by mistake. With just 4 directions (forward, back, strafe left, strafe right), it was easier to use.

   The G13 has a small joystick which allows you to control 4 directions. Comparing the two, I think the G13 is much easier on the thumb than the n52te. After hours of play, and days of gaming, this makes a big difference. The G13 moves much easier and with less effort than the n52te. The G13 also pivots more naturally, so it is much easier to switch directions with less effort. The only thing I don’t like about the joystick is the joystick button is very hard to press.

   Ergonomics
   I feel that the n52te actually promotes carpel tunnel syndrome in the way its designed. The problem is that it forces you to bend your wrist upward so that you are continually putting stress on those tendons. The palm rest does not help, as it simply forces this bad wrist orientation. In order to use the n52te without pain, I actually had to prop up my elbow on some books so that my wrist could be in a more natural position.

   The ergonomics on the G13 are far superior than the n52te. The way its designed it allows you to keep your wrist in its natural position, as when you are typing, without having to bend it upward as in the n52te. I can use the G13 continuously for hours upon hours with no discomfort at all.

   LCD
   The G13 comes with a LCD display, which the n52te does not have. At first I thought I would not use it much, but now I find it to be a helpful addition. For WoW, it shows your characters stats as well as other things such as your equipment durability, so you know when it is time to repair. On battlegrounds it shows stats like how many players on each side, time elapsed, deaths, killing blows, and honorable kills. The LCD does other stuff too when you are not playing the game (time and date, cpu usage, stopwatch, rss feeds, music info, etc). So I think it is a nice bonus.

   Programming
   I found both units really easy to program. It is very easy to assign any keystroke or key combinations or macros to any key on the keypad.

   Conclusion
   Overall, I would say the Logitech G13 is superior than the Belkin n52te and would highly recommend you buy the G13 over the n52te. My feeling is that the G13 is the next generation of keypads with all the best features, while the n52te is the old generation of keypads which has now been surpassed.

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2. 81 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

   
   Very Impressed, January 31, 2009

   By 

   Scott (Colorado) –

   This review is from: Logitech G13 Programmable Gameboard with LCD Display (Electronics)

   This review is somewhat lengthy, but I try to cover all the bases on this device.

   Overall Impression: Very nice piece of hardware, worth the money.

   Ok, let’s get started.
   Physical Properties: The pad itself is of decent size for someone with average to slightly-larger-than average hands. I have long fingers and still felt very comfortable on this device. The keys press easily and are in a comfortable layout. The joystick also moves easily with my thumb. However, the joystick has a “click” attached to it when you press it down which is somewhat difficult to activate while keeping the stick still. It’s definitely a hard press.

   There is a non-slip surface on the bottom to keep the unit in place which works perfectly, as well as a comfortable semi-nonslip on the wrist/palm rest.

   The LCD is clear and brightly illuminated with customizable lighting. There is also an on/off button for the backlight built onto the unit so you don’t have to play with lights on all the time. The backlight for the LCD also backlights the buttons, which means that they follow the same customizable functionality.

   The LCD also displays various, customizable, information based upon applications you have running on your system. It has support for all the mainstream media players to display song information, as well as RSS information, email, etc. It also has the capability to display in-game information, but the game itself must support this. Warhammer, for instance, does not offer this support (that I’ve seen), so there are no vitals displayed on the LCD. World of Warcraft does offer support, so by default you can see quite a number of stats on your screen.

   Software:
   The G13 has its own software for assigning functions to the keypad. It also has an application dedicated to managing the LCD display. I have not used any other LCD / Programmable Logitech products in the past so I don’t know how this compares with them.

   In the software suite, you can scan your computer for available known games to the G13. I did not have luck with it finding my WAR installation, but I changed the default directory which could be the cause of this.

   If it finds compatible games it will then make available a preconfigured gaming profile for that game. You are of course allowed to modify the profile if you wish or you can choose to create your own custom profile from scratch.

   The profile creation is easy. It involves choosing a name and the game/application executable file.

   Once you have a new profile, you can choose what to assign to your keys. Your options are key combinations, macros, or scripts. The software makes assigning each of these a snap. It only takes point and click to assign your keys under the profile, which is auto-saved.

   The software is also where you are allowed to modify the LCD backlight color. Using the windows built-in color chooser, you can select any value of RGB to backlight your unit with. Each memory setting (1 – 3) can have its own backlight. This gives you an easy way to distinguish quickly which profile you’re on.

   Macros:
   Macroing on the G13 is pretty straightforward. You can launch the macro editor and begin recording keystrokes and mouse clicks and then save them into the macro list. You are then able to assign the macros to G-keys on the board. The macro editor also allows you to add custom durations between events in the macro you’re recording, or it can record durations between keypresses as you do them. I find it easier to record the macro first and then add delays later. This is very helpful for Warhammer since it has a global cooldown on all skills.

   Scripting:
   The G13 has an implementation of the LUA scripting language available for use. It includes most of the math libraries, strings, and some tables. Using the LUA language, and some custom Logitech event functionality (which are documented) you can create scripts to drive almost any aspect of the G13. They allow you to control the LCD, moving the mouse, emulating keypresses, etc. Once you create a script, you can assign it to a G-key very easily by choosing it from a list.

   I think that about covers the G13. I am very pleased with having spent the money to order it. Something to keep in mind. The G13 is fantastic for gaming, but also has many practical uses outside of gaming. As a programmer, I find the G13 works well inside of my IDE for quickly running commands (compiling, debug, synchronization, etc).

   I hope this helps you out! I am also not affiliated with Logitech in any way, but I do like their product.

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3. 56 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

   
   Mac Gamers Rejoice! This is one sexy beast!, March 25, 2009

   By 

   K. Doyle (Andover, MA USA) –
   
     

   This review is from: Logitech G13 Programmable Gameboard with LCD Display (Electronics)

   Logitech stands out in a sea of rebranded Chinese knockoffs as a bona fide design firm. In my eyes, they are the Apple of the accessory market.

   I adore my VX and MX Revolution mice, their flywheel was a genius move and I cannot imagine life without it. I see Logitech’s industrial design is very Porsche-like, following the Porsche dictum of “form follows function”.

   This said, I have just spent my first week with their new G13 gamepad, and I think Logitech may have raised their high bar for design. This is one sexy beast, to be sure.

   My interest in this piece was specifically for World of Warcraft. I don’t consider myself a serious gamer, as I don’t play or even really recognize a lot of the titles that the G13 supports. I however became a Warcraft fan since my son convinced me to open an account and go questing with him. A great family activity, and after three years we are a 3 account family and travel Azeroth a few hours each week as a happy pack.

   My professional background is technology design and engineering, as well as a Mac programmer and software interface designer.

   The past year or so I had been using a Belkin Nostromo N52. I bought the device about 3 years ago, but could not use it successfully because the Belkin Mac drivers never worked correctly. I discovered ControllerMate, a Mac programming utility through a friend about a year ago. It is a superb, professional piece of software, and with it, I had the old N52 jumping through Warcraft hoops. I was pretty happy with the N52 in this config, but always open for a better solution. I saw a picture of the G13 about a month ago, spotted Mac compatibility in a gaming device, no less, and I am off to Logitech site to see more.

   One of the great things about Logitech is that when they say one of their products supports the Mac, they actually have Mac programmers to write real software that looks and performs up to the expectation of a veteran Mac user. The great majority of gaming companies and devices provide little or no support, or have a cursory piece of poorly-designed ported Windows software that make the product much less functional on the Mac.

   In a word, the G13 piece is stunning. I don’t know where to start, except to say that the initial tactile experience with the unit exceeded my high expectations from previous reviewers and looking at photos.

   First of all, the unit is hefty, containing a metal weight embedded in the upper half of the unit. In photos, that large area that says G13 on the bottom is actually a big chunk of metal. Couple this heft with a number of large rubber feet, and the G13 literally become a component of the surface you place it on, imparting an incredibly solid feel. On the top of the unit, the heel of your left hand rests on a firmly-padded textured rubber surface. It has a heavily grained leather-like feel to it, providing a very comfortable no-slip anchor point for your hand.

   The unit is fairly large, but I have big hands and it was just perfect for me. The arc shape mirrors the natural curve of my relaxed hand. People with smaller hands may feel differently, but I cannot comment on that.

   From a functional/comfort perspective, after about an hour of figuring out a basic config I liked (comes with a Warcraft profile, but I wanted it a bit different), I played 3 hours of WoW and suffered no fatigue at all. I look forward to making the perfect config for me over time.

   Digging a bit deeper, there are 22 numbered backlit keys on the main board (G1-G22), with cup shapes molded into the reverse T movement keys (WASD equiv.) so you can home in your position without looking. There is a dedicated button to control the display and key backlighting, a small joystick that fits under my thumb and has 3 additional buttons, one to the left and bottom, and another is a press on the top of the stick. It also has 4 softkeys for the applets that run in the display, and another button to cycle through the applets. The G13 comes with 6 applets, although only 4 work on its monochrome display. They cycle between displaying CPU & RAM usage, Time/date, and a countdown/stopwatch time controlled by the softkeys. There are 3rd party websites like G15mods.com that have a growing library or compatible applets, plus the G13 comes with an SDK to develop your own if you are so inclined.

   Applications like World of Warcraft that have G13 support, will feed their applet into the G13 display upon opening or selecting the app. As of this writing, the Warcraft applet is only available in the PTR beta version, that should be released in a couple of weeks or so.

   Having 3 banks of 22 keys is a lot, but Logitech made a cool way to know where you are at a glance. The three shifted banks can change the color of the backlighting and the display to any color you select. I chose blue for general…

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