If you’ve taken a look at a pro player’s set, you might have noticed they have big Gaming Mouse Pads. This is especially true if they play a fast-paced game like Overwatch or Call of Duty. But you don’t have to go that far: wherever there’s a gaming mouse, chances are it’s over a huge mouse pad.
Here are 5 reasons gaming mouse pads are so big:
- They let you play with lower DPIs.
- Mice can move faster.
- They are better for palm grips.
- The base is more stable.
- They look great in a gaming setup.
Do huge mouse pads actually help you play better? In this article, you’ll see that there are a few real advantages to buying that XL mouse pad. Some games will benefit from it more than others, but they always make gaming a little easier.
1. They Let You Play With Lower DPIs
DPIs are the main reason large gaming mouse pads can help you play better.
In case you don’t know what DPI is, it stands for Dots Per Inch. It’s the way a computer measures the speed at which a mouse is moving.
A higher DPI means it takes less movement to take your cursor from one point to the other and vice versa. Gaming mice often come with absurdly high DPI counts, as well as ways to customize them and change them in real-time.
So, what’s better for gaming? It would seem like a high DPI setting is king since it lets you move faster with smaller swipes. But this also diminishes your precision since any small movement could throw off your aim.
That’s why when it comes to FPS games like Overwatch or Counter-Strike, having a lower DPI can vastly increase your performance. Lower DPIs give you more control over small, precise movements.
But, as you might guess, lower DPIs come with a lot of wrist and arm movements. Depending on your mouse sensitivity, you might need to use your entire arm to do a 360 turn. This isn’t an issue for seasoned players, but it just can’t be done in a small mouse pad. Using a big mouse pad gives you freedom of movement without the fear of straying outside of it.
As an example, take a look at the gear of Valorant pro players. One of their most common choices is the BenQ Zowie G-SR from Amazon.com. It’s a roomy mouse pad with a smooth texture optimized for gaming.
Another popular gaming mouse pad among pro players of both Valorant and Overwatch is the Logitech G440 (also from Amazon.com). It’s large, but it’s also optimized for high DPI gaming, so you can switch your sensitivity with ease of mind.
2. Mice Can Move Faster
Large mouse pads can also help you move faster. High DPIs do most of the job when it comes to speed, but a big mouse pad still comes in handy. Let’s take a look at the case of high DPI games.
MOBAs and RTS games like Starcraft II can work just fine on a small mouse pad. After all, short movements are enough for high DPI settings. But there’s a reason most DOTA 2 pros still use the large mouse pads.
A faster glide often means making a larger movement. And, as we saw, this is harder to do on small mousepads. A large surface lets players move their hands in any direction without worrying about recentering the mouse.
In case you’re curious, many DOTA 2 players use the SteelSeries QcK Gaming Surface from Amazon.com. It’s optimized for low-DPI games, but it obviously works just as well for high DPI games.
3. They Are Better for Palm Grips
Let’s suppose that you don’t play that many games that require fast movements. Should you take that XL gaming mouse pad off your list?
The truth is that even slow-paced games benefit from big mouse pads, and it has all to do with mouse grips. The are three main mouse grips:
- Fingertip grip. Only your fingertips touch the mouse. It makes it easy to lift the mouse and perform fast movements.
- Claw grip. The bottom of the palm rests in the back of the mouse. It still allows fast wrist movement but with more control than the fingertip grip.
- Palm grip. The whole palm rests on the mouse, making it very comfortable. It’s the smoothest and most accurate grip but also the slowest.
If you’re building in Minecraft or planning a factory in Satisfactory, you’ll probably prioritize comfort over speed. And there’s no need to fatigue your wrist to win at Civilization VI. Chances are you’ll use a palm grip in any of these cases.
Since palm grip offers little precision when doing small movements, you’ll end up turning down your sensibility moving your hand around a lot. For these purposes, large mouse pads add a lot of comfort.
4. The Base Is More Stable
You don’t want your mouse pad to slide off when you’re in the middle of a hectic fight. This is something that often happens with smaller mouse pads without any special grip.
Having a mouse pad with a large base guarantees that it won’t move an inch. Mouse pads with large bases have more surface in contact with your desks, which causes a lot of friction.
This level of friction is enough to nullify any pressure you can apply to it when moving your mouse.
And if you want to be completely sure, you can go with the somewhat extreme option of the Razer Strider from Amazon.com. It’s big enough to fit a couple of large keyboards and then some. There’s no chance it will unstick from your desk unless you intentionally lift it. You gain the advantage of also getting a firm grip on your keyboard.
5. They Look Great in a Gaming Setup
Sure, a flashy mouse pad won’t help you get more kills. But if you’ve invested in a razor-sharp gaming mouse and a spectacular RGB lighting set for your PC, why not treat your mouse pad with the same care?
Gaming mouse pads can be an awesome way to level up the aesthetics of your gaming setup. You can match the color with the rest of your hardware or even choose one with a print.
Some brands offer amazing mouse pad prints, like the polycarbonate finish Razer Sphex V2 from Amazon.com. It’s ultra-thin and will fit perfectly on your desktop if you have a colorful RBG set.
Be aware that many printed gaming mouse pads are heavily branded, and you might not like how it looks. You can find pretty much any kind of print from off-brands on Amazon, but you’ll never be assured of their quality, and often they only come in small sizes.
Lastly, you should not forget about RGB gaming mouse pads. Yes, a mouse pad with a USB port might feel a little over the top, but the light show can be worth it.
And it’s not like you’d have to sacrifice on quality. The Corsair MM800 Polaris RGB from Amazon.com has a top-quality surface. It comes with 15 LED lights and the option to customize them with advanced lighting profiles.
