Mouse Pads, there are hundreds of thousands of them. Different shapes, colors, surface frictions, thicknesses and more. So which one should you get?
Things to Consider for Gaming Mouse Pads
Well first take into consideration your desk and desk size, things like, “Is it big enough for any type of pad especially XXL” should be types of questions to ask yourself. Does your desk actually have a built-in mousepad? Also what type of mouse do you have? What sensor do you have? While there are arguments on what sensor is better for each pad, typically, optical mouse sensors are more common and better than laser sensors. Also, optical sensors can work with either soft, hard, or a mix between these 2 pad types. Laser usually works better with hard pad because the fact that dirt and grime can get into the soft pads easier than into hard mouse pads causing the laser sensor to not to track as well with dirt in the mouse pad. This could cause aim problems and overall just a nasty mousepad that needs thorough cleaning. This can be done with a short Rocket Jump Ninja tutorial.
Why Do You Need a Gaming Mouse Pad?
Next, think about your needs. What games do you play? If you play games with low intensity and not need much room, obviously you won’t need as much space but third and first person shooters you will most likely need more space especially if you play on a higher sensitivity. This is because you need to be able to do a range of fast and smooth motions.
This brings me to my next topic, texture. Texture is a huge factor when deciding on the perfect endgame mousepad. To be honest, it kind of comes down to personal preference. No matter what, you want a pad that you can game on for many hours at a time. If you can do this then your mouse pad is most likely a durable high quality (or at least decent quality) mouse pad. Other than that It really comes down to personal preference and you will have to experiment with many pads.
Colors and Aesthetics of Gaming Mouse Pads
Next, consider your color. While this isn’t a huge factor, you want your perfect pad. If you want it to match your setup go for it. If your setup is RGB go for a RGB pad. RGB pads are great at times. They look and if you get the right pad they feel durable and are nice pads overall.
The Bottom of Your Mouse Pad
Next think about the bottom of the pad. Do you want a slick pad that will fly all over your table with the slightest of movements? Obviously not. You want a firm pad that will stick to your desk with ease and be able to stay in place with slow, fast, and moderate movements. Also you want a pad that won’t easily get destroyed. You also have to take your mouse cable into consideration. Your mouse cable can also snag or get destroyed by pads that easily snag. This is why you don’t want a pad that is too thick.
Things to Avoid with Gaming Mouse Pads
Mouse Pads with armrests are definitely not the way to go. These pads are meant for office work not gaming. They can cause discomfort in the wrist and arm but also hinder your aiming ability. Circle mouse pads are also a 1/10 in my book. This is because of the fact that a rectangular or square pad will have parallel sides and tops, but also the perpendicular corners. This causes a more natural feel and will make you play better. Again it may still come down to preference.
Surface Friction of Gaming Mouse Pads
Next on the list of factors to consider when getting your endgame pad is friction mats, speed mousepads, and a mix. A pad with a mix of the two in my opinion is the Zowie G-SR. This pad has a balance of friction and speed resulting in good tracking and good flicks. It comes in less than $50 USD and has a thickness of 3mm. A speed pad would definitely be the SteelSeries QcK. It’s a frictionless pad with many different sizes. It comes in at 2mm and for the standard version budget-friendly. Finally for a friction/resistance pad the Razer Goliathus Control Edition would be a great pick. It even says in the name that it’s a control pad. It has a thickness of about 2mm and well worth the money!
Materials Used to Make Your Gaming Mouse Pad
Now let’s talk about materials including cloth, polyester, and plastic. Polyester offers a strong durable type pad while cloth offers a nice glide along with plastic pads. This really comes down to the game you are playing, the sensor your mouse has, and finally personal preference. Like I said the plastic and cloth provide a nice glide but they also provide a nice durable surface like the polyester pads. While plastic pads are more rough, you may find you like that over a soft pad because your arm or wrist may feel fatigued from the constant rubbing on the soft surface. Even though plastic pads can keep your keyboard in place, cloth pads can do it better, especially if your keyboard has rubber stilts or rubber corners to help the keyboard stay in place.
In the end, there are definitely things you want to avoid such has circle pads and pads with armrests, but at the end of the day it really comes down to preference. But overall I highly recommend you find and experiment with different mats and finally find your perfect mousepad.
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