Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard

Other products by Logitech

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B001NEK2GE
• Item model number: 920-000946
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (52 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,343 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: December 15, 2008

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Game-Changing Comfort and Control Whether you’re rescuing hostages, on a quest with your guild, or saving humanity, you don’t want to worry about hand fatigue or hitting the wrong key. Introducing the Logitech G13 advanced gameboard--a hybrid gaming keyboard designed to complement your Logitech gaming keyboard and mouse--giving you game-changing comfort and control on a Mac computer or a PC.  Unlike other gameboards that focus only on programmability, the G13 advanced gameboard incorporates the principles of our award-winning Comfort Wave design. So whether you’re getting into World of Warcraft or walking into your next LAN party, the G13 gameboard gives you a powerful advantage over those forced to work with less. Change your game and play with the best. Winner of CES 2009 Best of Innovations Award

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Key Features

Naturally Contoured Design Delivering increased comfort during long sessions, the iconic contoured design complements the natural shape of your hand and fingers, while the smooth, concave home-row keys make it easy to locate buttons by touch. Onboard Memory A handy solution for the laptop gamer, the G13 gameboard includes onboard memory, letting you program up to five ready-to-play profiles and take them with you to your next LAN party. The G13 gameboard also offers pre-configured settings for many popular games, including World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, and many others. Customizable Backlighting Backlit keys will help you easily locate the right key in low-light conditions or lights-out play. And you can select from hundreds of available backlight colors, so your gameboard looks just the way you want it. 25 Programmable Keys With three game modes, 25 programmable keys, and a programmable analog stick, the G13 gameboard offers up to 87 ways for you to control your game (software installation required). And you can set up custom button-profiles for each one of your favorite titles. You can even create macros on the fly without having to pause your game. High-Visibility GamePanel LCD And for another tactical advantage, the 160-by-43-pixel GamePanel LCD shows live game stats, system info, and even messages from other players.

Suggested games for the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard:

• Logitech Wireless Microphone
• World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
• Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning
• Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
• The Lord of the Rings Online: Mines of Moria
• Left 4 Dead
• Call of Duty: World at War
• Crysis Warhead
• Fallout 3
• Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway
• Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3

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Check out the G-SERIES from Logitech:

Logitech G51 Surround Sound Speaker System Bring your games to life with 360-degree surround sound--for amazing audio clarity that lets you hear your enemies sneaking up behind you.	Logitech G25 Racing Wheel With simulator-grade force feedback, 900-degree of wheel rotation, and a true six-speed stick, this high-performance racing wheel lets you feel every inch of the road for maximum control.	Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard Get an edge over the competition with unprecedented communication and control, thanks to programmable G-keys and an integrated LCD that displays key game information.	Logitech G11 Gaming Keyboard The G11 Gaming Keyboard features 18 programmable G-keys that let you create useful macros on the fly--and then play them back with just one, time-saving keystroke.	Logitech G9 Laser Mouse With interchangeable grips, customizable weights, and adjustable mouse settings that are stored in onboard memory, the G9 Laser Mouse lets you personalize your entire gaming experience.	Logitech G7 Cordless Laser Mouse Featuring blazingly fast wireless technology and a high-resolution 2000 dpi laser engine for extreme precision, the G7 mouse gives you wireless freedom without sacrificing performance.

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What's in the Box

Package Contents Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard Quick-start guide Software CD 1-year limited hardware warranty

System Requirements Windows XP and Windows Vista Mac OS X 10.4 and later

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Product Description
The Logitech G13 advanced gameboard gives you game-changing comfort and control. Naturally contoured design follows the natural shape of your hand and fingers for increased comfort during long sessions. Onboard memory lets you program up to 5 ready-to-play profiles, so you can take your personal preferences with you. Customizable backlighting lets you choose your colors and easily locate the right key in low-light conditions or lights-out play.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Impressed, January 31, 2009

By	Hackop (Castle Rock, CO) - See all my reviews

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Great, Great Company but not so Great Controller, April 14, 2009

By	Mark Ginnetty - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I was as excited as everyone else, waiting for release day and paying for overnight shipping but after 4 weeks of use my g13 has been on a shelf gathering dust.

The device is solid and well constructed but poorly designed:

The LCD screen seems more of a gimmick, it is small and the viewing angle is locked so it diffcult to use since it is pushed away on the left side of your desk when you are playing game.

The Thumb stick has only 4 positions and offers very little resistance when pushed, it feel very sloppy and doesn't offer precise control.

The number of keys is great,a definite step up for my old Nostromo 52 but the keys are poorly arranged making some of the key very difficult to use if you are also using the thumbstick. Also the position of the keys are staggered in each row so moving your finger forward one row can put to between two keys making you hunt and peck a bit.

The wrist rest seems out of place, when resting your wrist on the pad it is nearly impossible to hit the lowest row of keys without curling your hand into an unnatural state.


I am a die hard game controller users for 8 years and have always wanted something more than what my Nostromo offered but after giving the G13 a month to get used to I am happily back using my Nostromo 52.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mac Gamers Rejoice! This is one sexy beast!, March 25, 2009

By	K. Doyle (Andover, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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 operation, red for raiding and green for farming. Each set has its own optimized button functions.

There is also a button for quick macro recording, simply hit it, select a G key or button to assign it to, do whatever you want on your keyboard, hit the Quick Macro again, and you have a new macro. Works great.
Another unique feature is that your profiles and macros can be stored in the G13's own internal memory, so you can take all you commands with you to another machine.

I predict this will be a very popular item once folks hear about it. Buy with confidence.

Pros -
Very Comfortable, and it is one sexy beast, style-wise.

I love the color selectable backlighting on the keys and display

Instant one dedicated button macro recording is superb.

The G13 can store game profiles in the unit itself, so you can take your macros and profiles to another computer by just plugging in your pad.

Heavy and solid, feels like it is bolted to the desk.

Comes with a Mac SDK for programming your own applications for the display.


Cons, and I feel rather petty here given how much I like the piece...

Mac software requires a download, PC comes on a CD.

The button that is activated by pushing the top of the joystick requires too much effort, and is not easy to use.

Some may complain at the $80 price tag, I found it an excellent value, really nothing else like it when you understand its sophistication.

Would like a .pdf manual, or printed...but that is just me. The online help and tutorials are detailed and well done.