You woke up feeling awesome, had a hefty breakfast, and are now ready for an intense gaming session. You look over to your mouse and keyboard and discover that your mousepad is actually very dated. This might be the perfect time to upgrade. But what should you go for, hard or soft mouse pads? That is the key question for today, so read on to discover what you should opt for.
If you are on the road to leveling up your gaming sessions, grab yourself the ASUS ROG Rapture GT-AX11000 powered by WiFi 6, and have a boost in confidence, knowing that you are receiving the best performing and stable wifi connection there is.
Materials
From Steelseries Official Website
Soft mouse pads are more commonly bought by gamers. They are usually made out of cloth and provide cushioning for the gamer’s hand; in some cases, they have a cloth surface and a spongy material in the middle before their rubber base.
From Corsair Official Website
On the other hand, hard mouse pads are usually made out of plastic, metal, or even glass. These materials provide gamers with a smooth and level surface. The objective of the hard mouse pad is to reduce the amount of friction for mouse glides, giving players added speed.
Accuracy
If you are transitioning from a soft mouse pad to a hard one, it will definitely take some getting used to. Motions are quick but less accurate, so if your game requires rapid adjustments of aim like Apex Legends, a hard mouse pad is the way to go.
From Apex Legends Official GIPHY
Meanwhile, if accuracy is what you are aiming for and the game you are playing requires small and precise aims like OSU or CS:GO, the soft mouse pad is the better choice.
Speed
Sometimes speed is the name of the game, and your game requires a lot of intel gathering, which can only be attained if you move around your screen quicker. If that is so, the winner here is the hard mouse pad. I am not saying this isn’t attainable with soft mouse pads because they can still fit in the job. But I will say that there would be additional adjustments such as DPI and mouse sensitivity to get those swift movements.
Durability
In the category of durability, this must be given to the hard mouse pads as well because they require little to no maintenance. If you have sitting dust on it, a quick wipe with a damp cloth can do the trick due to its materials. On the other spectrum of things, cleaning soft mouse pads can indeed be a hassle. You need to wipe it, submerge it in lukewarm water, add a little soap to remove dirt and stains, and finally dry it. If you do not have an extra mousepad with you, a day's worth of playing games can be lost–it takes a while.
Comfort
One game isn’t enough for most of us, especially with a free weekend ahead. Extended hours are most common in a gamer session, and the category of comfort has to be given to the soft mouse pads. They have natural padding and a soft surface for our wrists which means less irritation when in contact. This is the opposite for hard mouse pads, as a little moisture to the wrist can be enough to cause a lot of friction when flicking around. If you still wish to proceed with a hard mouse pad, purchasing an arm sleeve can save you the headache.
At the end of all this, it comes down to preference. You can try both and be the one to determine which provides a more optimal gaming experience. They both have their pros and cons, but it is advised that you should stick to one instead of going back and forth.