SteelSeries S&S Mousepad: Precision Gaming At It’s Best

Today on TEK, we’re going to take a look at the SteelPad S&S precision gaming mouse pad by SteelSeries. Let’s get this out of the way first: This isn’t your plain, ordinary, $2.00 foamy, generic, mouse pad you pick up at your local computer chain store. This is a mouse pad like no other. The S&S gaming pad weighs in at a rather large 12 2/3″ x 10 2/3″ x 1/12″ or 320 x 270 x 2mm. If you are dimensionally challenged, this basically means that the S&S will be taking up a pretty large chunk of real estate on your computer desk. But this isn’t without good cause! You’re going to need this space if you plan on gaming to your best abilities; which is exactly what the S&S may enable you to do.

I’ve used many (and I do mean many) mouse pads with different type surfaces over the years since I got my first PC back in 1992. Like many of you, I started off with the generic foam $0.75 mouse pad; thinking that it was all I needed. Truthfully, back when we all still used ball-mice, maybe those foam pads weren’t so bad. Fortunately, in this day and age, we’re used to technologies like optical and laser and trackball (if those are still used by some people, I don’t know). Although our mouse technology has come a long way, people still seem fit to use those cheap, cheesy, foam mouse pads with their expensive $75.00 and up gaming and precision optical and laser guided mice. Why? Well I don’t have a good answer for that but I guess people see it like this: “Hey, I’ve got a $100.00 super gaming mouse with a bazillion DPI precision. Why do I need a mouse pad that costs half of what I paid for this mouse?” Well, that ultimate gaming mouse isn’t going to perform as good as promised on the back of the box without a decent surface to go along with it.

This is where the SteelPad S&S comes in. If you are a casual computer user with a standard optical mouse, then you can stop reading this review right now because it is not meant for you nor would it benefit you very much. If you are a gamer, passionate about winning and performing to your skill’s peak, you just might want to continue reading on. The SteelPad S&S is a professional gaming mouse pad. Which means that the precision, comfort, and usage of this mouse pad is something you will want to have if you play intensive FPS, MMO, Action, Adventure, RPG, basically any genre of game outside children’s games and point-and-click adventures. The tactile feedback on the S&S is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced in a mouse pad before. SteelSeries has been producing professional gaming mouse pads for years and their expertise is definitely shown off with the SteelPad S&S. After tossing away my generic mouse pad and giving the S&S a whirl, I don’t think I could ever go back to a normal mouse pad. The surface is a hard, textured, plastic that enables you to use minimal but precise movements to excel in the games you normally play. The backside of the S&S is that of a soft, rubbery feel that firmly plants the pad and keeps it stationary on your desk. No more sliding mouse pads!

The SteelSeries S&S also comes with a soft nylon carrying case and special glide “foot pads” for your mouse that you stick on the “feet” of your mouse to enable even faster glide capabilities between your mouse and the S&S pad. The SteelSeries S&S can be had for $39.99 + shipping for the complete package. Also offered is a solo package for $29.99 + shipping that just includes the pad an no nylon case. Rest assured that whichever one you choose, gaming on your computer will never be the same again.