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A New Philosophy
Since the time when 3M first brought technology into mousepads with their Precision Mousing Surface, there have been two types of gaming pads. As opposed to being hard and thick like the competition's Ratpad and Everglide's own Giganta, Everglide's design for the Gaming Mat is flexible and thin, yet still extremely slick. It's 8x10.5 inches, plenty of room for gaming, design, and business applications at most sensitivity levels. At the same time, it is just 1/16 of an inch thick. The Giganta was four times thicker at ¼ of an inch, causing you to crane your wrist into occasionally uncomfortable positions. A rubber base that's only 1/32 of an inch thick keeps the Gaming Mat in place on your desk. No mousepad roaming as with the 3M Precise Mousing Surface.
The design of the Gaming Mat is placed underneath the .012-inch vinyl surface, meaning that it won't rub off over time. Five designs are available, Cyborg being the one you see in the larger photo. Among the others are "Asian Swords", "Celtic Arms", "Works", and "Special Ops". As far as the texture of the surface is concerned, it is composed of tiny donuts, with the hope that dust and grime will fall into the gaps between them. Cleaning is as simple as wiping a damp cloth across it every now and again. The 3M Precise Mousing Surface had similar peaks and valleys, but wore out after a couple of weeks with frequent usage. Below you can see macro pictures that I snapped of the Everglide pad (first picture) and the 3M pad (second picture).
Conclusion
Several hours with both optical and ball mice yielded fantastic results. At first I had to adjust to the lack of friction, but after that I saw increased accuracy with basic Windows use as well as in first-person shooters and PhotoShop. A mouse moves very quickly across the Gaming Mat, accentuating the movements of those who enjoy playing with high levels of sensitivity, myself included.
Many have complained about the padded envelope shipping that Everglide utilizes to send out the Gaming Mats. Similar to the 3M Precise Mousing Surface, it can be creased, but not as easily. I cringed as I opened the package, fearful of the worst. However, all was well, and no harm had been done to the pad en route.
The killer price of $9.95 seals the deal for Everglide's Gaming Mat. If you can cope with the few fewer square inches of space (119 vs. 84) when compared to the Giganta and the possibility of its arriving with a crease out of the package, the Gaming Mat will thrill you with its precision, designs, and comfort.
Pros
- Inexpensive
- Thin and comfortable
- Very accurate
- Cool designs
- Quite large
Cons
SLRating: 9/10
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