You Can Play Better if You Use a High-Quality Mouse Pad
Hard mouse pads have become hugely popular in the battle royale gaming community recently, including ceramic, metal, and glass mouse pads. There are, however, some people who prefer soft mouse pads. If you want to make the right choice between a hard mouse pad and a cloth mouse pad, you should take these things into account.
Cloth vs. Hard Mouse Pads
In addition to resting your mouse on it while gaming, the mouse pad also serves other purposes. You can improve your gaming experience by choosing the right one, even though they are not as critical as the quality of the mouse itself. First, let’s take a look at the key differences between cloth and hard mouse pads before explaining how to choose the right one for you.
There is less friction between hard mouse pads and cloth mouse pads, which makes them more “fast”. Your mouse can almost feel like it is swiping against a piece of glass due to the smooth surface and rigid surface of these devices. Materials other than glass, ceramics, metals, and plastic can also be used.
Synthetic fabrics such as polyester are usually used for cloth mouse pads. There are also factors that affect the friction coefficient of a fabric, such as how it is woven. Depending on the weave, some surfaces offer a smooth surface with low friction, while others provide a more controlled surface with higher friction. Depending on the type of mouse pad you use, your sensitivity may vary slightly. Check out DPI deviation if you’re worried about your aim.
Mouse Pads With Hard Surfaces: Pros and Cons
There are still many people who prefer cloth mouse pads to hard mouse pads. Certain types of games, however, can benefit from them. Hard mouse pads have both pros and cons.
Advantages of Hard Mouse Pads
- The purpose of a hard pad is to reduce friction. It takes less time to get to your target when tracking is more consistent, compared to cloth mouse pads, which can get jittery.
- Easily maintainable: You can wipe your hard mouse pad off, and it’ll be good to go. You can also use window cleaner to get a cleaner finish. A cloth mouse pad, on the other hand, requires washing and drying to become clean.
- Enhanced stability: Hard mouse pads are rigid and flat, which distributes pressure evenly and increases their adhesion to surfaces.
- Mouse pads made of high-quality materials such as SkyPAD or Cerapad are extremely durable. Teflon mouse feet will not damage their surfaces because they are hard enough. The cheap plastic hard pads are not affected by this, as they wear out in the middle, where they are most used.
What’s Wrong With Hard Mouse Pads?
- Whenever you drag your mouse over a hard mouse pad, dust particles can easily accumulate, distracting you. There is the occasional large dust particle that gets in the way, though most dust particles are too small to notice. Cleaning it is easy, thankfully.
- It is difficult to roll up or fold hard mouse pads for easy packing. Glass or ceramic ones can also break when dropped, especially if they are heavy.
- They are usually quite expensive since they are made of high-quality materials. Fabric mouse pads are much cheaper than those made from materials such as glass, ceramic, or metal, as opposed than those produced from plastic.
- Precision shooters find them too slippery: Their low friction makes small movements and tremors apparent. When you’re not used to making minor corrections, it’s also tricky to stop fast flicks and stop them immediately. It is possible, however, as some top players prefer hard pads for precision shooters.
- A dry climate may cause your skin to stick to the pad. An arm sleeve may prevent this problem with hard pads.
- Because of the hard surface of hard mouse pads, lifting and placing your mouse back on them produces more sound.
Cloth Mouse Pads: Pros and Cons
For as long as mouse pads have existed, cloth has been the standard. The majority of market share in the gaming industry is held by cloth mouse pads, which have been used for over 20 years. Even so, cloth mouse pads do have their advantages and disadvantages.
Cloth Mouse Pads Have Many Advantages
In games such as Counter-Strike and Valorant, which require a lot of minor aim corrections and quick flicks, cloth mouse pads are the right choice. It is because cloth pads are highly frictional and provide excellent control that these games are so popular.
Quality cloth mouse pads are available everywhere at reasonable prices. There are only a few niche stores that sell glass or ceramic mouse pads. Even for $20, you can find high-quality cloth pads.
You can choose between speed pads that perform similarly to hard pads or control pads with higher friction. You can check out the Artisan Shidenkai, which has fibers with embedded glass, or the Glorious Ice, which uses a special coating, if you want a low-friction cloth mouse pad.
The Cons of Cloth Mouse Pads
- In the absence of cleaning, sweat can discolor cloth pads. The pad’s glide can also be affected by sweat, making it inconsistent.
- In order to maintain cloth mouse pads, they usually need washing and drying, so you may have to eschew gaming for a day or two. In case your mouse pad needs cleaning, you can also refer to our guide on how to do it.
- In situations where there is a great deal of pressure on the mouse or if you are heavy-handed with your mouse pad, you can cause the pad to move or drift.
- Swiping your arm against the fabric continuously can irritate your skin, especially if the mouse pad has rough edges stitched on it.
- What is the most suitable mouse pad for you?
- You should always use a mouse pad instead of directly touching your desk when using a mouse. It is imperative to choose the right one for the types of games you play and the location where you will be utilizing it. When choosing between them, consider the following factors.
Each Mouse Pad Has a Different Type of Game
Those games that require swift tracking and staying on target, like Apex Legends and Sniper Elite, are likely to appeal to you. Our recommendation would be to use speed cloth pads or hard pads in this case. Keeping track of games requires you to stay on target for as long as possible.
A cloth pad with a little bit more friction is more appropriate if you enjoy games with a low time-to-kill, such as CS:GO. As a result, your aim will be more stable due to higher friction.
Mouse Pads: Their Convenience
A cloth mouse pad would be more convenient if you attend LAN parties or bring your peripherals to events or hangouts. In contrast, hard mousepads are very easy to clean if you choose not to wash them.
There Is No Such Thing as a Smooth Ride
Choosing a control pad with a controlled level of friction may be the most appropriate option for you. This is if you’re not committed to playing games that require a lot of tracking and aim. It can become challenging to control a mouse with hard pads because they are too smooth. Cloth mousepads are easier to clean unless you’re used to them.