The Steelpad 4D |
Hard like Steel
I'm sure many gamers today are always looking for ways to improve their play. Practice can only go so far...what you’re really after is the hardware. I’m not talking about your main box this time, but your mouse mat.
In the past I have never thought that something as simple as a mouse mat would make much of a difference to the way I play. In fact, for years I played with some free-be rubbish....until recently.
The Steelpad 4D is the latest in the series of mouse mats from SoftTrading. This mat comes with 2 playing sides; either a rough surface, or a smooth one. This is designed to support ball mice as well as optical. I found that the rough side works excellently for optical, while the smooth side is designed more for ball mice (my optical mouse doesn't respond when on the smooth side). The mat is in fact not made of Steel (confused me at first too) but instead of a durable plastic. It works very well - it is still very sturdy but also lightweight.
Fixed down
The base comes as two separate parts - firstly the mat itself (double-sided surface), and secondly a grip netting. This is a rubber pad that goes between the mat and table securing it firmly in place. You won't be able to slide the mat about with this down. This is a really nice design feature; clearly some thought has gone into keeping the mat on the table.
As for performance, I've tested a number of different types of games with this mat. From fast placed games like Quake 3 through to playing slow-paced Role Play Games it's great. The response for my optical mouse has been perfect - very smooth and quick.
The Steelpad Logo |
Style?
Design wise, it comes in the standard rectangle shape with curved edges. The surface is black apart from the single 4D logo in the bottom left corner. The simplistic pattern makes it quite stylish. It is a comfortable size - not too big that it takes up the whole table, but big enough that you won't run out of surface to play on:
Dimensions: 290 x 269 x 2.5mm
Also in the box came a cable holder. This is like a small metal paper weight that stops your cable flying away down the back of your desk. A little touch, but something I will keep using forever.
Finally..
Overall, this is an excellent mat. Smooth performance for both optical and ball mice, a stylish design that is also lightweight for transportation. The only downside I can really come across is that it's....not steel. It doesn’t feel very impressive...but it's how it responds on the desk that really counts. If you are a keen gamer and looking for a new mat, I would certainly recommend looking at this one. It also comes at a very reasonable price - I have found it at under £15 - less than a lot of other mats about today.
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PC Hardware/Software
