Mouse Mats & Gaming Surfaces

Why Do I Need a Mouse Mat?

If you've got a gaming mouse, then you'll want to use it on a mouse mat or gaming surface for the best tracking an accuracy possible. You can use a mouse straight on a desk, but it will cause issues for your mouse's sensor. It may pick up a slight imperfection in the surface of your desk, for example, resulting in a skipping, jittery mouse cursor. This is the last thing you want when you're lining an enemy up in your crosshair.

The smooth surface of a mouse mat ensures that any movement of the mouse, whether it's a slow swipe or an erratic flick, is tracked consistently. Not to mention that the rougher texture of a desk can rough up your mouse's feet, or 'skates', at a much quicker rate than a mouse pad.

What Size Mouse Mat Should I Buy?

Browse our range and you'll see there's a variety of mouse mat sizes, from ones no bigger than a tablet to aptly named 'desk mats', which span the width of a desk.

Put simply, the lower your mouse's sensitivity, the larger the mouse pad you'll want. If you've got your mouse cranked up to a super-sensitive DPI for fast-paced strategy games, a small mouse pad will be big enough. If, on the other hand, you play first-person shooter games, an extra-large mouse pad will give you all the room to makes those low-sensitivity sweeps.

Hard vs Soft Mouse Pad - What's the Best Mouse Pad for Gaming?

Gaming surfaces not only vary in size but also material, which has a drastic effect on the feel of the mouse. You can split gaming surfaces into two categories: hard and soft. As the name implies, hard gaming surfaces are made from a rigid material such as plastic or, in some cases, glass. Conversely, soft gaming surfaces are made from a flexible, spongy material such as foam and rubber, topped with a piece of cloth.

There's advantages and disadvantages to each style of mouse mat. Most people prefer the slight grippiness of a soft mouse mat, as opposed to completely slick surface of a hard mouse mat. Cloth's texture generates just the right amount friction against the mouse, providing greater stability and control. The slickness of hard mouse mat does make it easier to pull off a wild 360° flick, but by the same token, it's harder to input precise, deliberate movements.

A soft mouse mat is more comfortable to rest your wrist against also, especially over those hours-long gaming sessions, and you can roll it up and stuff it in a bag for on-the-go gaming. That being said, a smaller hard mouse mat is just as portable as it can slide right in alongside your laptop.

Where cleaning and durability is concerned, hard gaming surfaces come out on top. A quick wipe down is all that's needed to bring a hard mouse mat back to brand-new condition. And, unlike a soft fabric mouse mat, its edges aren't going to tear and fray over time.

Prices are fairly comparable between hard and soft gaming surfaces, though due to their increased popularity, there's more soft gaming surfaces to choose from.

Mouse Mats & Gaming Surfaces at Ebuyer

Here at Ebuyer, we stock a wide range of both hard and soft gaming surfaces, in all sorts of sizes, from the best brands, including Razer, Corsair, and SteelSeries. While you're here, make sure to check out our range of gaming mice, too.

Spread the cost of your gaming peripheral purchases with our flexible finance offers. And if you want you new mouse mat by tomorrow, next-day delivery is also available.