The SP Pro Gaming pad comes in a large zippered vinyl bag, which contains the pad itself, a pack of SteelSeries Glide MS mouse feet, two SteelSeries stickers, and a flip-through catalog to remind you of all the other great products SteelSeries makes. The bag’s zipper doesn’t have metal teeth, but a plastic “groove and notch” similar to a Zip-Lock freezer bag. The bag also serves as a handy carrying case for taking your gaming rig to a LAN party, but we really know it’s a status symbol that your mousepad is awesome.
The mousepad is made of hard plastic that has been molded to have a rough texture. The underside of the pad has a highly textured rubber coating, which has been glued in place rather than the “sprayed rubber” stucco we’ve seen on the S&S.
Sandwiched between these layers (or imprinted into the plastic, I can’t really tell) is a funky design. At first the pattern looks grey, but you’ll notice that it catches the light in such a way that the graphic looks 3d, and gives the pad depth. I’m not sure if this feature is meant to track better with optical and laser mice, or purely for aesthetics, but it does make you notice.
Although the pad has a texture, it doesn’t feel rough like a cloth pad, and isn’t entirely slick like a smooth plastic pad. It’s sort of in-between. The surface is slick, but has lots of minute bumps and craters that grab onto the mouse when moving slowly, but allow the rodent to glide by when moving quickly. I’ve heard of people having problems with laser mice with this surface, but we tested it with several optical and wireless mice, including the Microsoft Natural Wireless 6000 and Razer Lachesis, and none of them had any problems or tracking issues.
The new surface doesn’t offer the exact same control as a cloth pad, however. Many gamers have a wired mouse, and the cord on these mice can sometimes bunch up and push back on the mouse, causing your mouse to move downwards when you lift your hand off. Some mice have weight cartridges (like the Hades Gaming mouse reviewed here), which helps alleviate this problem, but the type of pad you have also helps.
The more weight you have + the friction of the mousepad = the likeliness of your corded mouse staying put. Light mouse and a slick mousepad means that your rodent scurries away as soon as you release it. A heavy mouse on a cloth pad means that your peripheral is staying put. Our mouse strayed about as much as a slick pad when the cord has some potential energy built up.
