SteelSeries is known worldwide for their excellent products, in quality and performance you’ll be hard pressed to find a better product to suit your needs. SteelSeries is on the cutting edge of the gaming industry when it comes to accessories putting in countless hours in testing and research to come up with products that are truly the best out there.
Today for review I’ve got the SteelSeries SX Gaming Mousepad, and to quote SteelSeries: It is by far the most expensive mousepad we have ever produced, both in terms of materials, labor, quality control and the actual manufacturing process required to produce SteelSeries SX. For cost yes, it is an expensive mousepad, but in the end it is well worth it if you are truly serious about gaming, you can see and feel the quality of this mousepad as soon as you unpack it.
This is the first aluminum mousepad that I have ever owned or reviewed so I was a bit excited about it honestly, I like to try new things, and I was curious about how an aluminum mousepad would perform. The SX performed flawlessly, for the most part, I did run into one small problem though…
SteelSeries SX Gaming Mousepad Review
Author: Kristofer Brozio
Sponsor: SteelSeries
Tech Specs,Features or the Basic Info:
SteelSeries SX Gaming Mousepad
SteelSeries SX highlights:
– Extremely smooth mousepad
– Lifelong durablity thanks to coated aluminum
– Compatible with gaming grade optical and laser
– 12,6" x 10,6" – thickness 0,08"
SteelSeries SX is an incredibly smooth mousepad made of fiber polished aluminum with anodized oxide coating. The surface is quiet to use, thanks to a rubber base which absorbs noise and vibrations.
It is also, by far, the most exclusive gaming surface we have ever produced.
SteelSeries SX sets new standards for quality and glide, and we only recommend this product to gamers who want to experience a gaming surface we can only describe as ‘spectacular’. It is by far the most expensive mousepad we have ever produced, both in terms of materials, labor, quality control and the actual manufacturing process required to produce SteelSeries SX.
The glide and feel of SteelSeries SX does not resemble any other professional gaming mousepad on the market today. During research and development of this surface professional Counter-Strike players from Team NoA described the mousepad as "the purest form of glide in the world".
Specifications for SteelSeries SX:
– Material: High quality fiber polished aluminum
– Surface: Anodized oxide treatment
– Dimensions: 12,6" x 10,6" – thickness 0,08"
– Size: Medium
– Glide: Smooth (really, really smooth)
– Compatibility: Gaming grade optical and laser technologies
Price: USD: $59.99 + shipping
A Better Look at Things
:
If you seen any of SteelSeries packaging then you are familiar with their color scheme and packaging style. The SX comes in a plastic box enclosed in a cardboard sleeve with information on the front and back.
Opening the package up we find that SteelSeries included a few nice extras along with the standard sticker and advertisement. They included a set of Glide MS mouseskates, but the most interesting thing they included was a cloth. At first glance it looks just like any felt cloth, I thought it was just a cleaning cloth but once I opened it I found that it was actually an oiled cloth to help keep the SX nice and slick.
The SX is not a large mousepad, it’s basically your average size now, most pads are of this size a bit large than a standard sheet of paper, or approximately 12×10.
It’s obviously black in color, it has a very smooth surface, and the top right corner features a metal SteelSeries badge.
Here’s a quick shot of the oil cloth on the SX surface, it really does work to make the pad slicker.
The bottom of the SX has a non slip rubber surface that not only keeps the pad in place but helps to make it quieter.
Installation, Testing and Comparison
Ok, I’ve got a few mice floating around here that I tested the SteelSeries SX with, including the Logitech G5 Rev2, OCZ Equalizer and the SteelSeries Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse.
The G5 and Equalizer performed flawlessly with the SX, they easily slid across the surface and tracked perfectly no matter what types of movements I did. I recently picked up a few new games so I really got a chance to put the SX through quite a bit of testing and I have to say it truly is a great pad overall with those two mice. The SX is really just amazingly slick, and the thinness of the pad itself is very comfortable, after a while you don’t even notice it.
The SX is very well made and I think it’s well worth the price, although seeing the price and the quality of this pad it would have been nice had SteelSeries included a carrying case/bag with it for protection as they did with the S&S.
Now comes the odd part, or at least I think it’s odd, the SteelSeries Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse actually didn’t perform that well on the SX mousepad, fast movements were fine but precise and slow movements just didn’t work well, the cursor would skip around a bit and the Ikari just didn’t seem to track well with the SX. I tried different settings for the Ikari but nothing helped with precise movements on the SX surface. Not sure why it doesn’t quite work well, but oh well I guess… The other mice worked perfectly fine with the SX though and I didn’t come across any problems with tracking with them.
I use the Ikari on my main system so keeping the SX just wasn’t going to happen for me, luckily I have the SteelSeries S&S that I very much like and will continue to use.
It’s a shame that the SX isn’t compatible with the Ikari as it really is a great mousing surface, for now he SX will be used on my secondary system with my Logitech G5 so it won’t go unused…
Summary:
The SteelSeries SX Mousing Surface is a great mousepad, I’ve never owned an aluminum mousepad so I was very curious as to how it performs, being from SteelSeries I expected it to perform great and my expectations were met and then some. Using the SX makes using a mouse effortless, the mice I tried just literally glided silently across it’s surface.
The included oiled pad is a nice extra and it really does help make the SX that much more slick and slippery.
The only real drawback I can find about the SX, besides the price, is the fact that it doesn’t work that well with SteelSeries own Ikari Laser Gaming Mouse, other mice I tried worked flawlessly, but the Ikari lacked any real precision in slow movements, the cursor would just jump around when trying precise movements in gaming and everyday activities. So if you’re using anything other than the Ikari you’ll be fine with the SX and more than happy with it.
If it weren’t for that compatibility issue the SX could have a perfect score…
DragonSteelMods gives the SteelSeries SX Mousing Surface a 4.5 out of 5 score and our Recommended Award as well.
Pros:
-Works great with most mice
-Nice included extras
-Very well made
-Very smooth surface
– Excellent tracking
Cons:
-High price
-Doesn’t work well with SS Ikari laser Mouse
I would like to thank SteelSeries for the chance to review the SX Gaming Mousing Surface and for their continued support of DSM.
Discuss, Questions HERE
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