Mouse mats, or mouse pads, or slippy slidy slabs, whatever you want to call them, are an integral part of a seriously competitive PC gamer’s arsenal. Don’t believe me? Just watch that video above and see how passionate some people, such as our Jacob, can get about them.
Or, as he says: “the most pressing, the most crucial” of PC gaming issues because “mouse pads matter”. I do genuinely urge you to watch that video above, if only for the passion one human can generate about the best mouse pads. And the slight breakdown 19 seconds in.
Jacob’s a believer, but what about the PC Gamer readers at large, what do you think? So, we asked: Do you use a mouse mat while gaming? And, thankfully, the answers show that 83% of you are using a proper mouse pad, whether that be a big boi, standard cloth pad, plastic, or pro-level glass.
Though, what we didn’t ask is whether you actually bought that mouse pad. Personally, I’ve never bought a mouse mat, even in the before times of being a 20-year hardware journo. They were always things that just appeared, either free with your PC, or some other giveaway, or mum and dad brought one home, and who cares about what branding is on the scuffed, grubby thing?
Times have changed, however, and there are genuine differences a good mouse pad can make (and differences a really bad one can, too). And, in an era where we’re ever more concerned about the aesthetics as well as the performance of our gaming setups, a pad can really add to the overall look.
But still, 15% of you are unconcerned with such niceties and are just plain rawdogging the desktop, forcing your gaming mice to suffer the indignities of a dusty desk surface. Eww. Gritty.
I do like a full desk pad, though, and so do the majority of PC Gamer readers. We’re desk pad people. These full sweeps of mouse-friendly surfaces sit beneath your keyboard, too, and give your mouse no fear of hitting the edges of a responsive surface.
Sadly, for Jacob, only 2% of you are rocking an expensive glass pad like a pro, however. That’s roughly the same number of readers who are happy just using the back of a book or magazine. So, where do you stand on the mouse mat debate; a vital part of the PC gamer’s arsenal, or an unnecessary expense? Let us know in the comments.
This week we’re still interested in the desktop, but more your operating system’s desktop. We’re asking: How do you organise your operating system desktop? Are you a tidy human, or a messy mind? Do you let your OS desktop fill up with folders and files and icons, or do you meticulously sweep it clear? Let us know.