Logitech has released a new statement confirming the subscription-based mouse isn’t an “actual product” after facing backlash online.
Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber set the PC gaming world alight with mentions of a “forever mouse” in a recent interview.
The forever-mouse concept was to be a subscription-based gaming mouse concept that you buy once and pay over time for new upgrades and software features.
But, the concept was heavily criticized by users online, and Logitech has since clarified its stance on the concept.
In an official statement to The Verge, and other outlets on August 8, Logitech communications head Nicole Kenyone confirmed that “there are no plans for a subscription mouse” and that the forever mouse “is not an actual or planned product.”
The statement continued, outlining that the subscription-based gaming mouse was a “peek into the provocative internal thinking of future possibilities for more sustainable consumer electronics.”
Logitech’s “forever mouse” concept got heavy criticism online
This brand-new statement comes just days after rallying criticisms were drawn for the prospect subscription-based peripheral. Critics, like PCWorld Senior Editor Mark Hachman wrote that the Forever mouse was “just a bad idea” and “predatory in practice.”
Meanwhile, John Linneman of Digital Foundry, took to X/Twitter to re-post the original news, sharing, “Forever Mouse? No thanks.”
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Similar sentiments were shared over on Reddit. The original interview with The Verge was posted to tech enthusiast SubReddits like r/hardware, where the backlash was felt wholeheartedly.
Over 700 users commented on the interview, like Reddit user Meekois who stated that “the notion that I need a subscription for my mouse is so hilariously out of tune.”
Meanwhile, r/hardware user SubmarineWipers exclaimed, “this is some next level dystopian s***t”, and fellow user Complete_Potato994 explained, “I am never going to buy a mouse with a subscription. I actively avoid products with subscriptions now.”
We can’t be certain if Logitech’s latest statement is a direct response to these criticisms. In the original interview, Faber shared that the Forever Mouse, which was compared to that of a high-end Rolex watch, “might carry” a subscription fee.
However, the brand new statement by Logitech shared to outlets comes just over a week after the original interview on July 29, 2024.
The idea of adding a subscription fee to an existing tech product isn’t entirely new. HP, known for its long line of laptops and printers, had a subscription service for its LaserJet printers. Humane also added a monthly subscription fee to its AI pin, which already costs $699.