about gaming mousepads

[Naer]

how are they friction wise? Are they slippery to the max? I noticed better performance with the back of an old ipad mini. It has some grip and isn't entirely slippery. I'm wondering about gaming mousepads. never bought one

 

[Zanovar]

currently using a steelseries.im very impressed with this mouse mat,it has survived many beer spillages and bombs from tropical erbs.(you have to be quick with a slight melt though:S) its very slippery btw.

 

[Naer]

For fps's, grip / or you can use a mouse that has weights in it

for rts's, slippery

In my experience

 

[CalebRockeT]

I've never used a retail mouse pad. Always just made my own with a piece of cardboard from a Newegg box with some paper towel glued to it. It's perfect.

 

[Zanovar]

There is a few interesting surfaces out there.glass is an interesting one.ive only tried cloth or hard plastic,i will stick to hard plastic.

 

[Zanovar]

I've never used a retail mouse pad. Always just made my own with a piece of cardboard from a Newegg box with some paper towel glued to it. It's perfect.

heh my dad uses an edge of a book .*thumb up*

 

[cmdrdredd]

I use a hybrid mousepad. It's got the smoothness of a plastic pad with the control of a cloth pad. It uses plastic impregnated cloth and I found it to be really nice and the backing keeps it stuck down to the desk. I have this one http://www.xtracgear.com/mouse-pads/textile-surface-mouse-pads/hybrid/

 

[Red Storm]

I have only ever used mousepads that I obtained for free, either as a throw in item that came with something else, or received as a crappy "gift" from various employers and vendors.

 

[WhiteNoise]

I use this: Gigabyte GP-MP8000 Extreme Accuracy Gaming mouse pad.

I don't think it is available any longer but it has been a great pad. I have owned it for a number of years.

https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-GP-...005NB9PXY/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

 

[Stringjam]

I use a SteelSeries QcK Heavy. I like the thick padding and cloth surface, as I have had ulnar nerve issues and I need something soft and cushion-y to stay comfortable.

https://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-...5780579&sr=1-7&keywords=steelseries+mouse+pad

 

[DigDog]

*cracks knuckles*

from a eSports point of view, a mousemat is even more important than a gaming mouse. I've tried hard, semi-soft, soft, and full-rigid mats.
The harder the surface, the higher the slide factor. Think of this as a multiplier to your mouse sensitivity. You will have to change sensitivity to adjust to the higher or lower friction.

Now, hard mats and rigid mats (be they aluminium, hard plastic, glass) have much more speed - it's faster to move your mouse from A to B on the mat. Often this will translate to too much speed / too little friction, and you will have to use a far lower sensitivity.
semi-soft mats (cloth) have more friction but, due to this, more control. It's easier to make smaller adjustments. The issue is, humans have trouble using very little strength, while they have no problem using a lot of strength. Thus cloth mats are generally easier to play with, if you have decent aim but might need to make a small change, for example, when sniping. Tracking a target, moving the crosshair a few pixels is easier on semi-soft mats.
On the other hand, reflex aim is easier with harder surfaces; you will respond faster, but minute corrections require a lot of concentration and manual skill.

soft mats (sponge) are garbage and should not be used for gaming; the mouse sinks into the surface, and you need to change how much or how little pressure you put on it.

What i'm looking for in a cloth, semi-soft mat is: a tight weave made of very tiny fabrics, that feels synthetic, not cotton-like. Very thin and dense, with no sinking of the mouse feet regardless of pressure. If possible, stitched sides.
I've used with decent success the two different Goliathus, and then the somewhat softer MegamatXXL, but i am now with the very cheap yet excellent Silent Monsters XXL https://www.amazon.co.uk/Silent-Monsters-Gaming-Office-Mouse/dp/B01FFFSORA?th=1 which for some reason has now more than doubled in price since last month.

I would recommend that you get a XXL sized mat as they are more stable, and they have enough surface to accommodate for super-low sensitivities.

 

[Raduque]

Lol, esports. A pox on everything, it is.

I have a Steelseries QCK, I think. I bought it because it was ~$7 and the only thing my Corsair Scimitar would track on (didn't like glass, hard plastic or my old cloth pad).

 

[KMFJD]

This has worked well for me over the years

 

[Stg-Flame]

I had one of those metal ones and all it did was slowly grind the bottom of my mouse down like sandpaper. Since then, I've been using the wood surface of my desk and haven't had a single issue. The glide portion on the bottom of the mouse is smooth enough I haven't seen hardly any wear on my desk in over five years and with a weighted mouse with adjustable DPI, I never have to worry about changing anything between genres or games.

 

[Fenixgoon]

razer vespula reporting in. very happy with it.

 

[local]

This has worked well for me over the years

Hey, we have the same model!

 

[KMFJD]

Hey, we have the same model!

Mine's pretty faded now, very smooth though

 

[DigDog]

i'm not too happy about you guys implying that a desk is just as good as a mousemat. People are free to not use one if they feel like it, but please help me stop the hordes of people who try to play FPS games without one, then cry hacker when they play a proper player. A good mousemat is even more important than a gaming mouse, and having a even surface that gives you consistent tracking is fundamental to accurate aim. You can still aim without it, but you will never have aim comparable to someone who uses a good setup. And no you cannot "do well without it".

 

[Stg-Flame]

i'm not too happy about you guys implying that a desk is just as good as a mousemat. People are free to not use one if they feel like it, but please help me stop the hordes of people who try to play FPS games without one, then cry hacker when they play a proper player. A good mousemat is even more important than a gaming mouse, and having a even surface that gives you consistent tracking is fundamental to accurate aim. You can still aim without it, but you will never have aim comparable to someone who uses a good setup. And no you cannot "do well without it".

I wasn't aware someone could be so wrong in such a short post. I mean, every single sentence is incorrect. Nothing is right in this post. It's a complete disaster.

 

[DigDog]

how about we have a 1v1 on QL to find out who's wrong? i can't wait to experience your 45% accuracy.
meanwhile you could like your ESR account so we can start arranging the match.

maybe throw in your aim400 scores too.

 

[cmdrdredd]

A good mousepad does make a difference in the ability of a mouse to track accurately. That shouldn't be surprising at all really.

 

[rh71]

This has worked well for me over the years

Same here, I don't use a pad when I play FPS. Little to no friction plays way better for me. I don't know why someone above mentioned 45% accuracy - that's absurd. It tracks great. I'm moving my mouse letter by letter on this post slow & fast and I see no issues compared to WITH a mouse pad I have off to the side here. The only discernable difference is friction (less for me) and that's a matter of preference. Maybe you guys are imagining an unfinished wooden desk that is not a consistent surface.

Question - I tend to have a sweaty wrist after a while with mouse pads & gaming, which means a sweaty cloth mouse pad after a while. Anyone else?

 

[moonbogg]

I have an aluminum rocketfish mousepad from best buy. I've had it forever. For some odd reason this one isn't wearing out. They always wear out, but this one just keeps going. Its seriously freaking me out.

 

[DigDog]

rigid mats are a thing, although i've never managed to cope with the speed. i'm already at 67cmx360, can't imagine how huge it would need to be for me to have minute control.

@rh71, what do you play ? 45% is high but not impossible, i fluctuate between 29~31%, most of my clanmates in Quake are above 35%. If you look at stats from any quakecon/dreamhack you'll see most pros are 40 to 45%.
most people starting on in Q3/QL will average 16~18%.

 

[Stg-Flame]

how about we have a 1v1 on QL to find out who's wrong? i can't wait to experience your 45% accuracy.
meanwhile you could like your ESR account so we can start arranging the match.

maybe throw in your aim400 scores too.

Better yet, we can meet outside at the playground after school and slap box. But it has to be right after school so the teachers won't see us, otherwise we could get detention...

There really should be an age limit for this forum.

A good mousepad does make a difference in the ability of a mouse to track accurately. That shouldn't be surprising at all really.

I'd say there is evidence that this is true, but it ultimately boils down to the player. Saying that a mousepad will automatically improve your aim is a bit absurd as I haven't used one in five years or more and I've had no difficulty clearing leaderboards in FPSs in the past. I used to use mousepads, but the wrist support would cause discomfort after extended play sessions and during some games, I would occasionally slide the mouse off the mousepad (before I had a mouse with adjustable DPI). Even after removing the mousepad from my desk, I noticed no change in my accuracy in games like L4D2 where I played primarily with sniper rifles.