[Unauthorized]

Would I be able to feel the difference between a Steelseries pad and a cheap, generic pad? I'm currently using the back of a binder as my mousepad and am wondering if a mousepad give me any improvement. I have a MX518. What should I look for when buying a mousepad besides surface area? brand? material? Or does it mainly come down to what I'm most comfortable with and used to?

 

[Jaredvcxz]

There should be no effect on gaming.

 

[Lazloisdavrock]

somtimes, if you have a lackluster laser mouse, imperfections in the surface your using the mouse on can mess with your aiming. If you have a new good mouse, say Like a MX518, you will be just fine. If you have a older laser mouse or ball and want to play an FPS, get a pad.

 

[hollowtek]

yes, mousepads seem to make a hell of a difference for gamers. for an average joe shmoe, i don't think they'd care to even notice. if you have a quality piece of wood, you could also make that into a mousepad by sanding it down to where it feels comfortable for you. That's exactly what I've done, and am quite happy with the results.

 

[stupidcha]

i use a steel metal pad
it's great for gaming
as long as you have good consistency on the surface you'll be fine

 

[CamiloOkB]

No affect, unless you mouse pad has debris that will interfere with the lazer, like food. Or you have a mouse pad like this ....

Then you just wont concentrate on the game.

 

[DuckieHo]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unauthorized Would I be able to feel the difference between a Steelseries pad and a cheap, generic pad? I'm currently using the back of a binder as my mousepad and am wondering if a mousepad give me any improvement. I have a MX518. What should I look for when buying a mousepad besides surface area? brand? material? Or does it mainly come down to what I'm most comfortable with and used to?

It is most a personal preference... some people like super slick pad like glass/metal while other perfer some friction like cloth pads.

 

[stupidcha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DuckieHo It is most a personal preference... some people like super slick pad like glass/metal while other perfer some friction like cloth pads.

yep

but it also depends on the mouse

blue track v. laser

i prefer a mouse pad since it tracks better on one

 

[Adonis]

No to be honest, as long as it feels good on you're hand and you have a laser mouse then you should be fine.

 

[.:hybrid:.]

well from a wooden desk to a mousepad was a great upgrade for me ^^

 

[Megaman_90]

I personally game without a mouse pad at all. If you have good flat desk surface and you keep it really clean, its way better than a pad.

 

[Firestorm252]

ones I've owned personally:

• 1995-era Best Buy cloth mat
• 1998-era Disney cloth mat
• various ergonomic gel-pads
• pieces of copy paper
• hard textured pad obtained from a vendor from work
• func f10.s
• Xtrac Ripper
• linoleum tile from the hardware store

one's I've used at LANs:

• Steelseries QCK cloth
• Razer Exactmat
• various glowy ones

the ones I prefer?
no mat at all, pieces of copy paper taped to the desk, the lineoleum tile, or the hard textured one from work

my opinion:
get a setup you're comfy with. no, literally. I see so many people go out of their way to go "competitive" that they can't use their mouse and keyboard setups for more than 15 minutes before their wrists start to tense and hurt.

It's hard to be the star of a game when you're icing your wrists more often than a voyeuristic jerker with the gift of invisibility.

 

[frickfrock999]

I find gaming alot easier with it.
Especially my monstrous QCK.

 

[pelirrojo]

Buy a mousepad, if only for the size increase. I suppose it depends on what your taste in sensitivity is, but I'm a relatively low sens player most of the time. I have a 17-inch wide mouse pad, and in FPS games I set my sens so that one swipe all the way across it turns me around 1.5 times. Having the extra room makes a big difference to me.

 

[Jaffa Cakes!]

I just saw this thread and thought I'd try my MX518 without my mouse pad and actually, It is ~*~so~*~ much nicer lol.

 

[loco517]

I think the mousepad has a pretty big role. Im not saying if you go buy a $60 mousepad your gonna be "pwning noobs" or however you kids say it, but the sensitivity and comfort of it will make a big difference in feel. For example, i have a razer destructor, and it took me a while to get used to because its very sensitive due to these little grooves on it "Fractal Technology or something". It's so sensitive, that i had to turn down my mouse dpi(which also plays a big role in feel).

 

[pjBSOD]

I don't use a mousepad for my razor lachesis.

Still works fine. Just gotta clean the desk, cause if hair gets over the lens the mouse bugs out.

 

[angrysasquatch]

Personally, from playing on a laminated desk which wore through, to a big cloth pad, I think the biggest thing is a very low ratio between the amount of force needed to start the mouse moving relative the force to keep it moving (static friction vs. dynamic friction (or takes 5 newtons to start moving, and 3 to keep moving). If it has a high static friction, you're going to try moving the mouse, and basically have to move it a minimum distance or not at all. High static friction also means there is a minimum speed you can move at before the mouse starts sticking.

I think cloth pads are the best because downward pressure on the mouse is never really constant from lifting and landing the mouse, clicking also modulates downward pressure, etc, and since the pad gives a bit, the mouse is never really static, so it doesn't have near the ratio of static:dynamic friction that hard surfaces do.

Also, a nice thick cushy pad will let you play longer without getting carpal tunnel.

 

[TestECull]

Not really unless you're using a mouse with a ball in it.

I use the back of a couch. My mouse reads that just fine, and it doesn't even care about the lint either.

 

[srsparky32]

not for me. my lachesis tracks just fine on my wood surface.