SteelSeries SX Gaming Mousepad
When you think of normal gaming gear, the first few things on your mind is hardware like a fast video card, blazing ram, screaming multi-core CPUs, and things like a nice monitor or nice set of speakers. Many people would also list a good gaming mouse, but very few people would scream out “mouse pad” as a top priority in their arsenal. When SeelSeries sent me their SX Gaming Mouse Pad, I was a little skeptical as to just how much difference a “gaming” mouse pad would make over your regular old junk one you get for free from your ISP. Lets take a look at what they have to offer, and whether it is really worth the extra cash.
First Looks
At first glance, you notice right off that it’s larger than your run of the mill mouse pad. Its dimensions are 320mm X 270mm (12.6in X 10.6in), and its very thin compared to the typical foam mouse pad. Another thing you will notice right off the bat, is that its is made out of very lightweight metal; polished anodized aluminum, to be precise. It has a very clean, sleek look to it. Its black, smooth, and cool to the touch. I enjoy it already. Opening it up and flipping it over, you can see the rubber grip on the bottom used to hold it tight on the table, and that’s thin enough to not make it protrude or put your wrist at an uncomfortable angle. Also inside the package are 5 sticky mouse feet (not dead rodent feet, but little felt pads to allow your mouse to slide easily along the metal pad), as the press package says they are “SteelSeries Glide MS”, and also they include a cleaning cloth to clean the pad off with that wont scratch it and leaves it nice and smooth.

(note: the hard drive did not come with it.. it’s simply there for reference!)






(as you can see, its very attractive looking, and a fairly large size)



(that’s the included cleaning/buffing cloth and the mouse skates)

Specifications
Even though some of this has already been mentioned, I was sent a sheet with features, descriptions, and benefits on it, so I feel the need to repost that information. It came as a table, and reposting that table on our new CMS comes out a little goofy, but hopefully this makes sense to you.

Feature 1:

• Material: high quality aluminum
• Description: Polished aluminum provides extreme durability, giving you a mouse pad that you will be able to use years from now
• Benefit: SteelSeries SX is made of a special aluminum blend, developed to endure even the most hardcore gaming sessions. Wear usually means lost precision, but the SteelSeries SX’s aluminum blend means that precision will depend on the player and not the equipment.

Side Note: I *loved* this last statement.. it’s basically saying “even after getting this mouse pad, and you still suck, its your own damn fault!” haha. nice!

Feature 2:

• Surface: fiber polished and anodized aluminum
• Description: Low friction between the mouse pad and the mouse itself means that split-second movements are possible
• Benefit: With the anodized and fiber polished surface the SteelSeries SX is guaranteed to offer minimum friction between the mouse and the mouse pad. To complement this, a pair of SteelSeries Glide MS is included in the package, giving the use the smoothest glide possible.

Feature 3:

• Size: medium
• Description: The size of the SteelSeries SX was carefully determined, to make it practical, but still offer enough space for low sensitivity use.
• Benefits: With a size of 320mm*270mm (12.6in*10.6in) and a thickness of 2mm (.08in) the SteelSeries SX qualifies as a medium sized mouse pad. This means that it is suited for both low and high sensitivity users. And suitable for most desktops.

Feature 4:

• Compatibility: Gaming grade wired mice models.
• Description: SteelSeries SX is compatible with both optical and laser mice.
• Benefits: Extensive testing has ensured that SteelSeries SX is compatible with gaming grade laser and optical mice, ensuring that everyone will be able to use it, with their favorite gaming mouse.
  “The SteelSeries SX was developed as a special project, as a sort of experiment to see what could be achieved with a professional gaming surface today. We are fully aware that this mouse pad is more expensive than most, if not all other, mouse pads out there. We know that this will not be within the price range of everyone, but this not a product developed for “everyone”. This one is for hardcore gamers and users who want to experience something unique when they communicate with their computer through a mouse.”
  I do agree with this statement. As of this review being written, it lists for $59.99 USD, which does seem a bit much for a mouse pad. We will see whether or not it’s worth it!

Testing
Well, like I said before, I normally use my desktop with no mouse pad at all, but as it were, I have been using a regular ol’ foam mouse pad on and off for a couple weeks now, so I have a pretty good comparison. My desk is some sort of laminated wood type surface, and seems to do the job very well. The mouse that I am using is the Logitech mx518 gaming mouse (and I highly recommend it to anyone out there... I recommend it over the razors and copperheads, and all those mice, too!). Anyways, I am a fairly avid gamer… I play some MMOs, some FPS, some RTS, a little of everything, so ill be able to see how well it performs on quick-draw instances as well as slow, precise moments. Since my mouse comes with hard plastic “skates” I started out with just my vanilla mouse and the new pad (by that I mean no felt mouse feet) to get a comparison on them as well. Right off the bat, I could tell a difference in smoothness, and precision. The mouse never skipped or flickered, and it moved around like a plastic puck on an air hockey table (for those that have never played air hockey, that’s means it feels like it literally floats on air). And, the pad seems large enough that when I’m strafing around, or trying to side-scroll quickly on an RTS or something to that effect, I won’t run off the pad and get fragged. All in all, I definitely noticed an improvement in glide ease and precision, two very useful things to improve on as a gamer. After playing around that way for a while, I then moved on to try out the feet that came with it. There are 5 sticky-backed plastic feet that you can cut to size or shape depending on what situation you have on the bottom of your mouse. After sticking them on, I could also notice a difference in the way my mouse moved. It was a little slippery (in a good way) and easy to move, but since my mouse already has the hard plastic skates on it, it wasn’t a huge difference, but depending on your mouse, you may notice a big change. Mostly everything is the same, it does feel a little smoother (I am sure my stock mouse skates are a bit worn), so I will give them that.
As far as the other features of it, they are all great. The slick, thin metal is very attractive, weighs almost nothing, and looks great with my black keyboard/speakers/mouse/monitor! Also, the no-slip rubber grip on the back makes it next to impossible to slide the mouse pad across the desk, and that’s a great thing in my opinion.

(the rubber grip pad on the back)

(these are the skates I used, and what it looks like after a couple weeks of use… but that will polish right off with the included pad)

Conclusion
All in all, I must say I am pretty impressed. I was a little skeptical at first… and to answer “how much difference can a mouse pad really make” well, the answer is that it actually can. I do feel as though my cursor is more precise, and my movements are much smoother. The downside, however is the price. I do realize that they explain why it’s so expensive, and I don’t like make my marks based on price, because in a short time, it will be less expensive, but still the same product. However, this is a hardcore “enthusiast” product, and they tend to be a little (if not a lot) more pricier than most consumer items. I think it would make a good addition to any gamers’ arsenal if they already have the great PC, the great monitor, great mouse, and still feel like they could squeak a little more out of their game.
So, if it were not for the price, this would easily get a 10, but since the price is a little high (for now) I am only giving it a 9. I absolutely feel it is a great product, and absolutely look forward to seeing more from this company, and like they said, this is/was only an experiment… The experiment went well!