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XTracPads Fat Mat Mousepad
Submitted by jwhitakr on Thu, 07/16/2009 - 20:45.
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What makes a truly awesome gaming mouse perform truly awesome? A truly awesome gaming mouse pad. "A mouse pad is a mouse pad", you say? That may have been the case before now, but we got our hands on a mouse pad from XTracPads that breaks the standard mouse pad mold to give a truly awesome gaming experience. The Fat Mat is an oversized mouse pad with an exceptionally slick surface for gaming precision. Let's get our game on to test out this mouse pad.
Look and Feel
The mouse pad is almost twice as thick as a regular mouse pad and covers more than twice the surface area. The mouse pad is made with a Nanofibre textile surface which make the pad super slick for gaming accuracy and speed of movement. The rubber backing provide excellent grip preventing the mouse pad from moving unwontedly. The surface area is large enough to keep you from ever moving the mouse "off-pad" accidentally during excited game-play. The only drawback to having this mouse pad is making sure you have enough desk space to accommodate the sheer size of the beast.
Specifications
- 12" X 16" x 1/4" (305mm x 406mm x 6.35mm)
- Sure Grip rubber backing
- Nanofiber™ textile surface
- Designed in the USA
- Made in USA
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| Fat Mat Box | Overhead View with Mouse |
Performance Testing - Gaming
We tested the Fat Mat using an ASUS labeled Logitech MX 518 gaming mouse. The games we used were CounterStrike: Source, Battlefield 2 and Left4Dead. In each game the mouse moved easily making aiming and tracking easy and physically efficient. The best mouse pad is the one you don't notice while playing because it's so comfortable and ergonomic. And that is exactly what the Fat Mat gives you; a completely unhindered gaming experience.
While playing the FPS games you may notice that you sometimes accidentally move the mouse off the pad in an attempt to steer a vehicle or track a target. With the Fat Mat you will not experience that near as much or in most cases, at all. The surface area of the pad is enormous compared to a standard sized mouse pad. The Fat Mat most definitely made FPS gaming a much more pleasurable experience.
Durability
After gaming and using the Fat Mat as an everyday mouse pad for two weeks, the pad did show the beginning signs of wear. The section of pad nearest the user developed a lightening in black color to a very dark grey tone. This is from the skin of the wrist rubbing against the pad. The performance is not affected in the least bit from this but it does lose some small amount of its aesthetically pleasing appearance. The pad also developed a roughing of the edge nearest the user as well but does not show any signs of fraying. As far as the durability of average mouse pads, this pad will last as long as any other and perhaps a little longer.
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| Logo Closeup | Edges After 2 Weeks Use |
XTracPads Fat Mat Mousepad
The Fat Mat is an excellent choice for gamers who want to get the best experience out of the expensive gaming mouse. It is a solid base for any gaming mouse that hugs the desk firmly while allowing the most fluid motion across the surface. It won't last forever but it will last until the next batch of games is long past their heyday.
Pros: Large surface area, good grip on the desk, smooth fluid motion across the surface. Excellent gaming experience.
Cons: Large surface area may be too large for some desks, develops a grey area at the edge closest to the user after a few weeks of use, a bit pricey at around $25 USD online.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5
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