Legit Reviews

Got a question...is there any advantage to having a special "gaming" mouse pad versus a standard one?

Also, got any links to good ones?

Thanks.

KPRROK

i find it to be a waste of time to go out and buy a $100 mouse pad when if i was really that desperate id just use a piece of paper. A few of my friends have gone out and bought the special gaming Mouse the G5 they think it is brilliant, and they have also gone out and bought a mouse pad such as what you are talking about. One thing i have noticed is that when we have lans, Counter strike Source normally comes up as a popular game, I still am able to beat them and im jsut using some free mouse pad with a Wireless Intellimouse 2.0 Explorer.

But i suppose it really just comes down to your reaction times, people can keep making excuses for it but it doesnt really bother me.

Edit
Just thought id add this

mouse pads, not really, just a free one will work fine as long as it doesnt stick. i prefer a foam mousepad without the slick plastic cover. as for gaming mice, i cant play with anything but my g5. best mouse ever. but if you are a low sensitivity player (aka, you move your whole hand around on the mouse pad) then any mouse will work for you, but you may need a large mouse pad. but if your like me and you use high sensitivity (i cant play at anything below 1400 dpi, except to snipe) you may need a special mouse like the g5

the thing for some, is that when gaming, their mouse tends to slide off the mouse pad, which is really the worst thing possible at times(i know this first hand ), and the cheapo pads are small, so it is easier to happen, and the pad can't be sliding around while you're using it also(like cheapos also do)

Any foam mouse pad (don't get the ones with a plastic cover) will do well. As for size, personally I hardly use over 3-4 square inch

@ kappage: That's some seriously tweaked reactions
(It's what happens when you play halo lots )

Dan

kappage is obviously anticipating, its impossible for the stimuli to travel to the brain that fast

Why even use a mousepad? I stopped using one years ago (8 years maybe) and haven't looked back. It can wear your desk down a bit, so other than that concern I really don't see the need for one. Just my $0.02.

Sporg wrote:Why even use a mousepad? I stopped using one years ago (8 years maybe) and haven't looked back. It can wear your desk down a bit, so other than that concern I really don't see the need for one. Just my $0.02.

do you game?

I use the Razer Destructor gaming pad. It tracks better than the POS cloth ones, it's bigger. Takes a little getting used to with the teflon feet on my mouse. The mouse almost floats across the surface of the Destructor.

Company blurb about it says 35% better laser and 25% better optical tracking.

I don't know that I'd go out and spend $40 plus shipping for one, but I wouldn't sell the one I have cause I really like it. If I were stilll doing a lan party or two a week like I used to I'd have one, the carry case is really nice and it's improved my FPS skills some.

That might be a result of moving from a Fata1ity mouse to a Lachesis. I wouldn't think so I used both at the same resolution.

Sporg wrote:Why even use a mousepad? I stopped using one years ago (8 years maybe) and haven't looked back. It can wear your desk down a bit, so other than that concern I really don't see the need for one. Just my $0.02.

Same boat, and i do game. its all muscle memory for me the only thing i hate is using is a wireless mouse and having the batteries go out (its like a Nascar pit stop). If i was me i would save the money and stick it into my new monitor or vid card.

This all depends on what kind of surface your desk is made out of. If you have a glossy finish your mouse will not work correctly. I have also seen desks with a deep grain affecting laser mice.

I just have a cheapo plastic top mousepad, and it orignally had a light texture to it, which I have worn smooth.

Methious wrote:I use the Razer Destructor gaming pad. It tracks better than the POS cloth ones, it's bigger. Takes a little getting used to with the teflon feet on my mouse. The mouse almost floats across the surface of the Destructor.

Company blurb about it says 35% better laser and 25% better optical tracking.

I don't know that I'd go out and spend $40 plus shipping for one, but I wouldn't sell the one I have cause I really like it. If I were stilll doing a lan party or two a week like I used to I'd have one, the carry case is really nice and it's improved my FPS skills some.

That might be a result of moving from a Fata1ity mouse to a Lachesis. I wouldn't think so I used both at the same resolution.

whats the difference between laser and optical?

martini161 wrote: whats the difference between laser and optical?

lasers are in RAZER and Logitech G5 - G9 type mice(the highest end gaming mice)
optical is in your everyday mouse(that's been upgraded from ball )

A regular optical mouse uses an LED light in the optical engine, while a laser mouse uses a laser to track movement. The more dots per inch (dpi) a mouse can track, the more sensitive and accurate it is. A typical optical mouse tracks between 400dpi
and 800dpi, while laser mice track more than 2,000dpi.

CNET

skierkid450 wrote:

martini161 wrote: whats the difference between laser and optical?

lasers are in RAZER and Logitech G5 - G9 type mice(the highest end gaming mice)
optical is in your everyday mouse(that's been upgraded from ball )

A regular optical mouse uses an LED light in the optical engine, while a laser mouse uses a laser to track movement. The more dots per inch (dpi) a mouse can track, the more sensitive and accurate it is. A typical optical mouse tracks between 400dpi
and 800dpi, while laser mice track more than 2,000dpi.

CNET

thanks! that means my g5 is laser

martini161 wrote: thanks! that means my g5 is laser

its easy to tell what is laser and what is optical by the light emitted for the sensor, an optical mouse' LED is very bright, and a laser you can barely see(at least i can't)

Stick it up to your eye and you can

Dan

I have a Logitech G5. I do not use a pad. Why do you need one?

DMB2000uk wrote:Stick it up to your eye and you can

Dan

and you delete my post saying saftey googles are for wussies and even sticking it right up to my eye you can barely see it, its just like a red ish tinge. they probably put it through a filter for people like me who are actually stupid enough to listen when people like you say that stuff

skierkid450 wrote:do you game?

I do game. It's one of the reasons I went away from a pad. Back in the "mouse ball" days is when I went away from it. When the first opticals came out I sometimes had to use a pad, but since laser mice I have not once had to use one. It's just a personal preference on my part.

If I were to get a pad I would make sure it has a fairly decent surface area (left to right). Nothing worse than being in the heat of battle and going off the edge. I agree with the others who say you don't need a $100 pad.

For a mouse I'm still using my Logitech MX1000 Laser. It's been a great mouse for me and I'm probably a Logitech fanboy when it comes to peripherals in general.