So why even bother with a hard surface gaming mouse pad? Well, they’re excellent when precision and control aren’t priorities but movement speed is. It’s like ice skating versus football. There’s almost no friction with a good hard surface gaming mouse pad, which means stopping the mouse is much more of a challenge. Games that require sweeping movements may benefit from this, or you may just want to challenge yourself. Next, take a damp, clean piece of cloth or wet wipe that is alcohol-free to wipe down the mouse pad. This isn’t unique to gaming mouse pads, as good office and productivity mouse pads also take wrist comfort into account. But a good gaming mouse pad certainly strives to keep carpal tunnel syndrome away. This is why the gaming mouse pads you’re looking for are made from ergonomically-focused materials that respond to your arms and hands and aren’t too stiff or abrasive. If they have dedicated cushioning, all the better. This is one of the main reasons good mouse pads are large, so that they cover more space and allow you to rest your wrists on the pad while still having plenty of room for mouse movement. The reason is that the fabric on the top of the mousepad is laminated to the base material with adhesives in a heating process. Detergent or any of the previously mentioned methods will likely damage the texture and cause the adhesive to deteriorate, resulting in the peeling of the top layer away from the base.

The ZOWIE G-SR and P-SR are great examples of soft gaming mouse pads that have just the right amount of traction. They’re excellent for precision control, with optimal stopping power and glide. The ZOWIE G-SR-SE ROUGE is a little softer, but a favorite among CS:GO players because its design is perfect for long range sniping and small movements of the mouse. Good mouse pads for gaming undergo pretty strict testing to ensure a smooth and consistent surface, whereas for non-gaming pads, this isn’t that much of a priority. Gaming mouse pads employ specific surface materials and subsurface components to ensure high levels of consistency and a smooth platform for your mouse to work on, while regular pads just provide a plain old surface for the mouse, and often aren’t much better than using your desk. In fact, you may have noticed that a lot of your non-gaming mice work just fine directly on your desk compared to a generic mouse pad. Or even better than on that generic mouse pad. In that sense, regular mouse pads are often optional. Gaming mouse pads are not, that is if you want the best possible performance.

Edition

ZOWIE mousepads do feature distinctive material and craftsmanship. The base of the mousepad is made from high density material while the top surface comes in different cloths, each with its own glide feeling. And thus, some of the commonly suggested cleaning methods don't apply to ZOWIE mousepads. Think of it like a shirt or jersey. It tends to get a buildup of dirt from sweat and dust after a while of frequent use. The grime will cause the mousepad texture to deteriorate and possibly even affect mouse functions. So it's better to clean the mousepad on a regular basis. Here's the instructions: There is a middle ground. Newer materials in gaming pads like the ZOWIE GTF-X and PTF-X strike a balance between hard and soft attributes, so you may want to try them out.

ZOWIE G-SR-SE ROUGE uses exclusive humidity-rejecting materials, and was designed with humidity resistance in mind, so that its surface doesn’t trap moisture even if it’s the height of summer, the A/C is off, and you’re sweating from hours of intense gaming.Mouse pads, including ones for gaming, come in different varieties of pliability, made of combinations of cloth, plastic, rubber, and even glass or metal. While all gaming mouse pads reduce unwanted traction (or over traction), the soft ones have more traction than the hard varieties. Obviously, a hard and smooth surface offers much more glide and less traction, but can feel too fast and floaty to many users. Most people prefer the sweet spot offered by modern gaming mouse pads, which balance traction and glide.

Then, allow it to air dry in a well ventilated place. It is not recommended using a blow dryer or fan, as this could introduce more particles onto the recently cleaned surface. Also, mousepads, like the clothing items, will inevitably wear out after prolonged use. You may feel the glide change gradually over time. Ultimately, usage frequency and how intensely you play with the mousepad will determine the level and speed of deterioration. While seemingly an aesthetic choice, mouse pads with good stitching don’t just look good, they last longer as the stitching prevents gradual fraying. But even good stitching may prove abrasive and cause irritation to your hands. If you find that edge stitching irritates the skin on your wrists as you move your arms over it, then it’s obviously time to go with a non-stitched mouse pad. As with everything related to PCs, RGB has made it to gaming mouse pads, with some of them looking a lot like a Times Square billboard when plugged in. Others limit the RGB to the edges. Again, whether you like this or not is up to you, but do remember an RGB gaming mouse pad needs a power source, aka a USB connection, so that’s more clutter on your desktop. ZOWIE mouse pads prefer to keep things neat, clean, and understated. Many brands offer this kind of look, with a simple logo being the only graphic. Others skip RGB but have elaborate artwork on the pad, like a Windows desktop wallpaper, in essence. Obviously, where you intend to use the mouse pad matters most here. The gaming mouse pad must correlate in size to your desktop space. Only go with small mouse pads (under 300mm x 200mm) if you’re really pressed for space. In any case, there are plenty of options, from desk-covering 900mm x 300mm/400mm extra large mouse pads to sweet spot ZOWIE pads sized at up to 470mm x 390mm. That’s a good balance and not too large, offering plenty of room for even the most sweeping mouse movements. Extended or extra large pads take up lots of room and may cover a big chunk of your desktop, so plan accordingly.