The G13 features a relatively compact and comfortable design. Coupled with its internal memory, capable of storing up to three game profiles, this is a great device to pack and bring along to LAN parties in place of a full keyboard. However, even though it takes up less room that an average keyboard, it isn't exactly compact. Its size adds to the comfort, but it can take up quite a bit of desk space when sitting next to a regular keyboard, especially one as large as the Logitech G15.

If you already have a G15, the G13 gameboard is largely redundant, right down to the monochrome 160x43 pixel LCD screen that displays game and computer statistics. This works well if you're interested in monitoring multiple statistics at a time, like having one screen show system resources while the other focuses on game applications. The G13's screen is significantly brighter than the G15's, but it can still be easily overlooked, since the gameboard is often kept off to the side, away from the immediate field of vision. Not to be completely redundant to the G15, the G13 features four media radio preset buttons. Holding one down will automatically associate it to a playlist, so gamers can bring up their preferred songs anytime they way. Unfortunately, there are no buttons for more basic functions like pause, skip track or repeat, so users probably won't be pushing their keyboards off to side in favor of the G13.

By itself, the gameboard serves as a passable, although severely limited, replacement to a regular keyboard. Voice communication is a necessity, since the only way to type is to set up macro keys with generic messages. One of the G13's most appealing features is the little thumbstick that can be programmed to serve multiple functions. The most obvious use for the mini-joystick is for movement, which is what it's programmed for by default. While this worked well, we quickly ran into problems when we realized that there was no way for us to jump except to program some other (non-thumb) key to do it, which felt strange and unnatural. We ended up finding other uses for the thumbstick, like weapon switching and accessing nanosuit powers in Crysis.

Even with all the programmable keys, we had trouble using the G13 gameboard for MMO games, which rely heavily on a wide array of custom keys. We were much more comfortable using it for shooters, and it soon became so natural feeling that we almost forgot that we weren't using a regular keyboard. Its uses for real-time strategy games are generally limited to setting up macro keys for fast building, but it's not something that couldn't be done with a keyboard. The G13's unique keypad design means the keys don't exactly match up with ones from a keyboard. We would habitually reach for the Tab key to check the score or cycle targets and found it wasn't there. Even with 25 keys, the default layout only supports up to eight number keys, and they're spread out in unintuitive ways across the gameboard. Holding down multiple keys like CTRL+1 is almost painful, and in the end, you'd still be missing critical function keys like ESC. Users will need to put in some time to experiment with the G13 and program it to their custom specifications, which might be too much effort for many. Fortunately, the programming software is very easy to use for programming keystrokes and macros and lets users access both the G13 and G15 settings from one location. The G13 will also automatically sync up with existing profiles.

Although the Logitech G13 Advanced Gameboard looks impressive, it's a device gamers will need to spend some time customizing before its usefulness is fully realized. Even so, it's very limited as a keyboard replacement and overly redundant as a supplement. The G13 should appeal to gamers looking for something relatively compact to activate a lot of different macros or play games that use simple control schemes. We wouldn't describe the G13 as an essential gaming peripheral, especially if you already own a G15 (or similar) keyboard, which is comparable in price and superior in functionality. In any case, we can't recommend picking this up at its current price, but it could be worthwhile someday when it's less expensive.