Abstract

• Glass mousepads provide an ultra-smooth floor for swift mouse actions, which may enhance precision.
• They’re sturdy, simple to wash, & visually interesting on the desk.
• As a result of their excessive value and discomfort throughout use, glass mousepads are onerous to suggest to anybody however probably the most hardcore avid gamers.

Professional FPS avid gamers are all the time looking out for brand new gear to up their recreation. One such accent is a glass mousepad, which guarantees to enhance purpose by offering a slick floor. However does it actually stay as much as the hype, or is it simply an overpriced nuisance?

What Is a Glass Mousepad?

A glass mousepad is a kind of high-end hard mousepad constructed from actual tempered glass. It offers a totally flat, constant, and slick floor in your mouse to glide on. To stop the glass from sliding round, the mousepad often has a rubberized backside.

As for the highest floor, most glass mousepads have a matte “frosted” end (the kind you see on the again of newer Samsungs and iPhones), which contributes to creating for a low-friction floor that permits for very fast mouse motion. For the reason that end is etched into the floor, it’s totally sturdy and long-lasting.

Curiously, glass mousepads are nothing new. SteelSeries’ very first product, the Icemat, was additionally the primary glass mousepad. Nonetheless, this occurred again in 2001 when trackball mice had been nonetheless outstanding, so the first viewers wasn’t precisely Fortnite and Valorant execs. This occurred a lot later, in 2017, when the Skypad (now often called Wallhack) first appeared, which shortly garnered recognition amongst aggressive avid gamers.

Glass mousepads are fairly a polarizing merchandise. Some avid gamers have tried and disliked them, whereas others swear by them. This makes a simple suggestion primarily based in your most-played video games nearly unattainable; it isn’t a easy sure or no. That will help you resolve, let’s go over the professionals and cons so you’ll be able to draw your individual conclusions.

What Are the Advantages of a Glass Mousepad?

The first advantage of a glass mousepad is that it has an ultra-smooth floor. A lightweight mouse outfitted with pure PTFE mouse skates, just like the esports tiger ICE, glide effortlessly throughout glass, making it considerably sooner than even the quickest fabric mousepads.

This velocity is useful for individuals who recreation at low sensitivity—which is what most FPS avid gamers choose. You could transfer the mouse shortly over an extended distance to hit your goal, so the sooner your mouse strikes, the extra exact and correct your purpose turns into.

It might probably make flick photographs with snipers, particularly simple, as you don’t must exert a lot power to get your crosshair exactly the place you need it. Monitoring with different weapons is simpler, too, because the mousepad gained’t gradual you down.

Like some other onerous mousepad, it provides a number of further advantages over fabric. Glass is a constant floor with no random tender/useless spots, which most tender mousepads develop from extended use. The mouse’s sensor tracks 100% of the time, each time and anyplace on the mousepad’s floor. It is predictable, which permits your muscle reminiscence and purpose coaching to shine by.

Sturdiness is one other huge advantage of glass mousepads. When you may affiliate glass with breaking when dropped, how usually have you ever truly dropped your mousepad in your life? Until you recreation on the go, the reply might be near zero.

A glass mousepad generally is a lifetime funding in the event you care for it, which occurs to be a lot simpler than fabric. Fabric accumulates numerous filth, grime, and sweat after a whole lot of hours of use, which requires thorough cleaning, and that, in flip, can additional degrade the mousepad. In distinction, glass mousepads are immune to put on and may be simply cleaned with a easy wipe-down. Even spilled drinks are not any challenge.

Lastly (and subjectively), glass mousepads look good. They’re a easy however premium accent in your desk. You’ll be able to select from a variety of various aesthetics, and whereas that is technically true for fabric mousepads as nicely, they will not look almost nearly as good after two years of normal use.

Glass Mousepads Additionally Have Some Drawbacks

The primary main draw back of glass mousepads is the worth. Most high-quality choices are priced at $100 or extra. The most cost effective one (from a good model) I may discover is the ASUS ROG Moonstone Ace, which is at present on sale for $80. It is a long-term funding, however you could actually need glass in the event you’re spending that quantity. Luckily, resourceful avid gamers have discovered some artful options, like utilizing a frosted IKEA serving tray.

One other draw back is that tumbler is critically uncomfortable. Its inflexible floor may cause wrist fatigue extra shortly, and it’s particularly uncomfortable on chilly days. The concept of urgent your pores and skin towards an ice-cold glass sheet on a winter morning is not precisely enjoyable. Plus, in contrast to your slick mouse skates, your sweaty pores and skin will stick with the floor quite a bit. So, you may must resort to sporting lengthy sleeves on a regular basis or utilizing a wrist relaxation, however wrist rests can hinder your purpose by affecting the fluidity of your actions.

Moreover, glass has a steep studying curve, particularly in the event you’re switching from a tender mousepad. It might probably take weeks of muscle reminiscence retraining and acclimatization to get used to the brand new floor.

Whereas cleansing glass mousepads is a breeze, you may must do it usually, as you may really feel each spec of mud and pet hair beneath your mouse. Plus, the glass will shortly put on down even probably the most sturdy mouse skates, so put together to exchange them frequently.

Lastly, whereas XXL glass mousepads can be found, you most likely will not wish to use one, as it will make your wrists uncomfortable when typing. You will have to make use of a separate keyboard wristrest or desk mat, and you will have to reposition the glass mousepad for a extra comfy typing setup once you’re not gaming.

Who Is a Glass Mousepad for?

For those who’re critical about aggressive gaming and wish to optimize your setup to maximise your hardware-based benefit, a glass mousepad is not the worst solution to spend $100. When you retrain your muscle reminiscence, you must see an honest enchancment in your purpose.

Nonetheless, not each professional gamer makes use of a low sensitivity. As an example, in the event you play Fortnite and use a better sensitivity, glass may truly be detrimental to your purpose, as it may be too quick. Fabric offers extra management, and you will not undergo from its drawbacks as a lot when solely transferring the mouse just a little bit at a time.

For those who’re an informal gamer who sometimes performs aggressive video games like me, your cash might be higher spent elsewhere, reminiscent of a high-refresh rate monitor, lightweight mouse, Hall Effect keyboard, and even some extra RAM. Furthermore, in the event you solely recreation for a number of hours on the finish of a workday, you most likely do not wish to undergo from the discomfort of a glass mousepad anyway.

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Whereas glass mousepads are a pleasant software to have in your gaming arsenal, the reality is that almost all of us most likely don’t desire or want one. It is solely for individuals who are critical about aggressive gaming and have a $100 burning a gap of their pocket. Additionally, take into account getting glass mouse skates as a substitute of a pad. They’re going to internet you comparable advantages at a fraction of the worth.