Whichever you choose, you simply lay it down atop the base. It’s ultimately a matter of personal preference, and therefore smart of Logitech to include both options. It’s softer, it’s quieter, and it’s (marginally) more precise. Hard surfaces have less friction, which can be better for rapid movements and put less strain on your wrist, but…well, I just prefer cloth. This field projects a few millimeters above the pad, which is where components two and three come in-a pair of alternative surfaces, one cloth and one hard plastic, mimicking more traditional mouse pads.

When you plug it in, the mouse pad generates an electromagnetic field across most of the base. While RGB mousepads have always seemed like a bizarre (albeit “cool”) proposition-almost $100 for some lights, basically-Powerplay is actually functional.