A worn-looking table and a laggy cursor are typical symptoms of Mousepad Failure. Of course, in the daily life of an ordinary office worker, a mat is not really needed for scrolling the newsfeed and switching browser tabs, but we, gamers, are better off having one. Especially if we are aiming for a high ELO.
A huge mat with RGB lights or a small mousepad for higher sensitivity? Is it possible to play without them at all? Which mat is better? CS.MONEY Blog digs into the matter and selects some of the best options.
Are Mousepads Necessary?
A simple question: how does the mousepad affect playing CS:GO? Let’s figure it out.
This text’s author has been using Logitech G102 for several years on a smooth and glossy surface. He noticed only a few problems:
- Forearm’s inner surface slightly facilitates the movement (the forearm is the part between your hand and the elbow), and it also sometimes soars a little after hours of play
- Very rarely, but still, the mouse cursor tweaks and glitches
- At high DPI, it is difficult to work with the cursor’s macro movements (for example, pixeling in Photoshop or aiming tiny enemy heads with a sniper rifle)
And nothing more, no severe problems with games or sensitivity, but still this is mostly the merit of the mouse manufacturer. However, there are several reasons why the author should consider buying a mat:
- Keep the right hand from slipping
- A pleasant surface will not allow the table to be scratched
- Increase sensitivity when working with microscopic details
That is, roughly speaking, except for personal preferences and pixel hunting, you can do fine without a mousepad. But we play CS:GO using high sensibility, right? Maybe even other FPS where you need to click heads. Thus, you need a mouse way better than a regular office once, and for a more advanced mouse, you will need a mousepad.
Types Of Mouse Mats
There are two types of mousepads (or mats): Speed and Sensitivity. That’s pretty obvious: smooth surfaces give higher speed, and rough surfaces help you aim pixels more accurately. By the way, almost all manufacturers produce one model with different surface options. First promo code for GameChanger Hub: RYS5F4.
In terms of materials:
- Fabric (higher sensitivity, lower speed, wears out, tactilely pleasant)
- Plastic (higher speed, lower accuracy)
- Aluminium (very brutal, and characteristics-wise like plastic, but cold in winter)
- Glass and rubber (rare and not very valid options)
Glass and aluminium will serve you for a very long time, but they are much more expensive and are not typical. Rubber and plastic wear out quickly as well as fabric. As you can see, there are a lot of pros and cons for everyone, so choose subjectively according to the material.
Features:
- RBG lights
- Prints
- Wireless charging (more on that below)
- Water resistance
By the way, we recently busted the myth that wireless mice are worse than wired ones. Even esports players use them most of the time, and technologies have long been able to reduce the connection ping: read more here!
How to choose a mouse pad?
Best option: choose a mouse pad from the same manufacturer as your mouse. First of all, any company will build on its own products and maximise the quality of its interaction. Secondly, the tech development within a single company allows them to improve the work of their own devices (after all, most likely, they use them for tests or as a fulcrum) with other devices. So if you love Razer, don’t be afraid to buy their mats. Second promo code for GameChanger Hub: 61C042.
But if you still want to see a list of top mousepads for CS:GO, then, in addition to those mentioned in the article, there are:
- ASUS ROG Sheath (expensive and very high quality)
- HyperX Fury (also expensive, but also great)
- Steelseries (above average, high quality)
- ReDragon or Xiaomi (expensive, high quality)
- Defender (mid-price range, normal)
- A4Tech Bloody (cheap and generally good)
What mats do esports players use? Most of all, Zowie mousepads. Moreover, most players also use Zowie’s mice. This is a good option.
Logitech POWER PLAY series
Logitech has long been famous for its high-quality devices and manufacturing products for various price ranges. You can find good Logitech mats at an affordable price (like G640 or G240), but they also have a fairly advanced option.
POWER PLAY mats are expensive and very high-quality items. This is a two-layer wide mousepad that can charge your mouse. So buying a branded wireless mouse with a special POWER PLAY COMPATIBLE badge, you can forget about replacing batteries: the device will be charged directly from the pad. In addition, you can choose one of two layers: rough or smooth.
Similar technologies are available for Razer (MAMBA series), Alienware, GIM, Corsair, Zowie, and almost any other high-end device manufacturer. Another question is whether you need an RGB mat and what quality of material you prefer.
So what, are they good?
In short: yes, of course! This feels nice, saves your table, improves mouse movement, and just might be a tremendous additional device. Moreover, almost all esports teams have branded collaborations with manufacturers, so you can show that you are a fan of NAVI, Liquid, Furia or anyone else.
Choose according to your table’s size and the material you like. This is a significant point: go to a store first and touch it. In addition, try to take one that fits perfectly with the gaming mouse.
And for everything else, there is CS.MONEY Blog: we often post helpful articles on CS:GO and related topics. Subscribe to our newsletter in the window below, and also participate in the GameChanger Hub, since mousepads give you that 1% more, and summing these percent, you can change the game!
