Usage

The SteelSeries SP offers more surface area than the RatPadz XT, and that was fantastic news to me. With the RatPadz XT, I always found myself running out of space and could have used an extra inch on the top or side, and that's exactly what the SP is offering.

My Logitech G5 mouse glided across the SP's surface almost as if it were ice. Who's to say that next-generation mouse pads won't be frozen liquid? (Stay tuned, we have one of these queued for a review for 2012, hehe).

If I were to push on the mouse with a finger, the mouse will glide for a moment, whereas on another surface it would abruptly stop. That's close enough to ice, right?

In terms of performance, I did not find much different difference in my game play from the RatPadz XT. This could, of course, just be human error. Perhaps I've reached the peak of my gaming performance, and no additional augmentations are going to aid me further. Or, perhaps we've simply reached a point where the best-of-the-best gaming surfaces can offer little performance increase over each other.

The SP is definitely a performer, don't get me wrong. And I really appreciate the extra space the SP has instead the RatPadz XT.

Conclusion & Final Thoughts

From the increased size to the durability that the SteelSeries SP Professional Mouse Surface offers, I can't argue that it's not a great product. It's fantastic gaming surface.

The only downside to the SP, and many other plastic surface mouse pads, is that plastic doesn't allow room for the breathing that cloth pads allow. This results in sweatier hands, but such is the trade-off for the more-accurate gaming surface.

Overall the SteelSeries SP is a fantastic professional mouse surface, suitable for regular or gaming use. The SP does carry the heavy price tag of $39.99 at most retailers, but the increased performance it gives over other mouse pads makes it a worthwhile purchase.

Pros

• Large surface area
• Rubber base keeps the SP anchored
• Durable plastic top
• Low friction surface

Cons

• Plastic doesn't breathe, hands can start to sweat after prolonged use
• Price to Performance Ratio slightly high for some applications

Rating
9/10