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The Logitech G Aurora Collection: gaming peripherals for people who don’t like gaming peripheralsShame about the prices, though
Shame about the prices, though
The G705, then, is a wireless mouse designed for smaller hands, while the G375 headset – also wireless – is proportioned to fit smaller heads and has more space in the earcups to accommodate earrings. It’s safe to say I’m not the Aurora Collection’s target audience, but having used the G705, the G375, and the G715 wireless keyboard as my main peripherals for a few days, I can say all three are pretty swish playthings regardless of how you identify. What’s more, their light, soft-cornered aesthetic is a nice break from the blacks, greys and harsh angles that have become standard design language for gaming gear. Anyone who’s ever cringed their face inside out at a peripheral resembling Megatron’s running shoe may indeed find these more to their tastes.
Introducing the Aurora CollectionWatch on YouTube
Introducing the Aurora Collection
Mostly, anyway. Before getting into some impressions, I’ll say that there’s not much inclusive about the Aurora Collection’s pricing: theG705mouse is cheapest of the bunch but still sells for£85/$100, with theG735headset reaching£189/$230. In the middle are the wirelessG715(£170/$200) and wiredG713(£145/$170) keyboards, so everything here asks for properly premium-tier money. Only some of the verybest gaming keyboards,best gaming miceandbest gaming headsetsare more expensive, and most simply aren’t.
Of the three I’ve tested, the G715 feels the most worth it. It’s not far removed from the outstandingG915 Lightspeed Wireless, specifically its TKL variant, sharing the same rock-solid wireless connection tech and a generous smattering of media keys and control buttons. The G715 is also fully mechanical, with your choice of quiet linear switches or clicky tactile switches. Mine came with the latter, and it’s a lovely keyboard for typing as well as playing, though I did make ample use of the G375 to muffle out the click-clackiness.
It’s a neat bonus feature that takes the Aurora Collection even further away from typical dreary colour schemes, though the G715 would be a great keyboard even without it. Maybe not a perfect one – the RGB backlighting is pretty uneven – but it feels nice and crisp, and there are enough core features that you could maybe justify the price if you truly loved the aesthetic as well. It also comes bundled with a cloud-shaped wrist rest, which I did initially think fell on the wrong side of twee, though it proved comfortable enough to override my hangup.
As with the G715, the soft edges and white/pastel colours hide some respectable gaming credentials. A trip into G Hub provides full control over DPI settings, the single strip of RGB lighting, and the full array of button assignments and macro options, and even if you leave everything as default then the G715 still feels smooth and accurate enough for more demanding, twitchy games.
Still, it also doesn’t do anything exceptionally well, which at £85 / $100 is a problem. And I can’t really see where they money goes in the G375 headset, either. It does sound great, which is no small matter, and there’s enough padding that I could wrap it around my (also not small) head for hours at a time without complaint. I don’t wear earrings but that I’ll gladly take that extra roominess in the earcups, thank you very much.
Otherwise, however, it’s nothing truly special. There are loads of headsets with comfortable fits and detailed sound, many of them on sale for a lot less, and often with better microphone quality to boot. I could still come through intelligibly on the G375’s boom mic (which, like the ear cushions, can be replaced with a green or pink version) but with nothing like clarity and sharpness of, say, the HyperX Cloud II. Logitech have included their Blue VO!CE microphone tech to help out, but I actively dislike how it sounds here. It made me louder, which might’ve helped if I were playing in a room filled with background noise, but also added a heavily processed effect to my voice without clearing it up.
Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun
Credit where it’s due, I’ve been happily wearing the G375 for singleplayer games (and multiplayer sessions where I don’t feel like talking to anyone). But for this price, it needs a standout feature – see theHyperX Cloud Alpha Wirelessand its scarcely believable battery life – and I’m not convinced it really has one.
Not that making less gamer-y gaming peripherals is any less a worthwhile endeavour. If anything it’s overdue from a mainstream manufacturer, and even in basic white the Aurora Collection catches the eye in all the right ways.
If only they weren’t so bloomin’ expensive, eh? “Pink tax” or no, I can’t fully recommend the G705 or the G735 at their current prices, and the G715 is at the very least pushing its luck. And that’s all just for the peripherals as-is; if you want to customise them, you’ll need to buy the replacement parts as well. G715 keycaps, for instance, are£35/$40for a full set, while a pink or green top plate is£17/$20. A fully customised model will thus set you back £222 / $260.
Yeesh. There’s good hardware here, with welcome thinking behind it, but it’s hard to call the Aurora Collection truly inclusive when so many are going to be priced out of it.
