I
think that everyone by now must be familiar with the concept of
a glowing mouse pad. They take on various designs from a completely
glowing base, to the edges glowing, to bubble styled acrylic glass...
you get the idea. But more often than not a simple idea is the
best one, and whilst the Flexiglow
FX Game Pad was a good pad with an innovative 7 colours in
one, sometimes you just want one colour. If you're a gamer, there
will be other things you will consider when it comes to a mousing
surface too. Features such as a low height to reduce wrist strain,
plenty of room from the mouse pad, and of course the surface has
to be just right.
Flexiglow
have a new line of mouse pads on the market, aimed once more at
gamers but with a subtly simpler approach to the design whilst
still retaining the "fun" factor of having a pad that
lights up. Today we'll be checking out the xRaider Mouse Pad.
Features
Gamer
approved mouse surface.
5 Silicone feet for added surface adhesion.
1.8 meter USB power cable.
Dimmer control dial.
Size: 290mm wide x 223mm x 5mm high
Mousing Area: 260 x 213mm
Colours Blue, Red, and Green
Connection: USB wire ( 1.8m)
Once
more the packaging by Flexiglow is excellent. We have a good
deal of info visible, as well as a glance at the product itself.
You also won't need a hacksaw to get at the mouse pad, which
is a pet-peeve hate of mine.
Inside,
the contents are few; the mouse pad and information sheet which
details how to use and look after your xRaider mouse pad.
Unlike
the FX Game Pad, the xRaider pads come in a singular colour
(3 of them to choose from, Red, Green and Blue) which whilst
limiting the diversity of themed applications does make more
sense in that if you are planning on buying lighted mouse pad,
you probably have a colour theme in mind.
The
X Raider pads have a nice low, thin foot print which should
help to reduce wrist strain for those long gaming sessions.
It's also nice to see that Flexiglow have kept the acrylic surround
to a minimum width allowing for more mousing surface area. Speaking
of the surround, there is a great tribal motif etched into the
acrylic which glows beautifully when the pad is powered.
All
of the corners are nicely rounded and the mouse feet grip the
table below very well, and whilst the glow is nice the last
thing you want it for it be overpowering. Well once again Flexiglow
have thought of this and provided a dimmer dial on the USB cable,
so not only can you turn the glow off, you can also choose the
intensity of the glow.
Underneath, the LEDs that provide the light (4 of them aimed
at each corner) are covered to help direct the light to the
acrylic.
Each
of the colours are very bright and a perfect shade of the colours
they should be. That's to say that the red is RED and not pink,
the blue is a clean blue, the green is a fresh green and there
are no obvious deviations from the correct colours.
So
that's quite a lot of positive comments, and bad ones? Not at
this point no, but the proof is in the tasting as they say. (Ed.
Note: I always thought it was proof is in the pudding. Dang slang!)
In
Use
This
is a very subjective part of the review but hopefully I'll be
able to include enough information to help you make your own minds
up. To test the pad I've been using it in both every day normal
tasks such as web browsing or just clicking icons etc., as well
as an intense few days of nonstop gaming (woe is me). Games of
choice have ranged from Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy to FarCry. What
I've been looking for here is to see the difference in the feel
of accuracy both from my own sensory feedback as well as how I
felt it affected my gaming and general use.
Weapons
of choice here have been the Intellimouse Explorer V3.0 and the
Rotokiller RTR-720 rotary ball mouse. In comparison I've used
a cheap laminated mat (ugh), and the desktop surface itself as
well as the Steelpad4S.
The precision was determined in the following ways:
1)
Sniping in FarCry
2) Sabre attacks in Jedi Academy
3) Pixel by Pixel drawing in Photoshop
4) Moving the mouse from lower left of screen to close a window
as fast as possible
Do
I have to go through how much I hate a standard laminated pad,
not just for gaming but for general use, once more? There is no
room, the surface drags on the mice... you get the picture.
The
SteelPad4S
is a great pad, although the scratching noise can be become grating
(pun intended) after a while. Whilst the overall size isn't anywhere
near that of the desktop, it does provide for a good surface that
maintains a grip on the mouse ball and still allows the mouse
itself to glide freely. The optical mouse is just as precise in
use with the SteelPad4S as the ball mouse.
The
desktop's big appeal is obviously real estate. But not everyone
has the same desktop area or surface so this is subject to what
you use as a desktop. For me it's a wood grain that is great for
opticals, although some precision is lost in comparison with the
SteelPad4S and xRaider. It does however impact on the grip of
ball mice, making traction a hit and miss affair.
The
xRaider pad is very precise. You get a good grip on the ball and
it's still slick enough to glide a mouse across it. Optical mice
are just as easily used and their isn't any unwanted noise from
the pad. The low height of 5mm makes it very comfortable to use
but its downside (for me at least) is the overall mousing area
size.
It
could benefit greatly from an extra couple of inches all round.
I'm at a disadvantage in that I've gotten used to the desktop
real estate, but I'm pretty sure any gamer would like a little
extra room. It's a fine pad, don't get me wrong, and everyone
is different. You get more room than a standard pad, but I would
have liked to have seen a little more. Since Flexiglow are very
good at listening and act on feedback, hopefully we'll see this
addressed in future products.
Final
Words
Flexiglow
have once again produced a good product. I like the tribal design
and the dimmer dial is a great idea. The low height makes it a
very comfortable pad in use. It is very precise in use for gaming
as well as other tasks such as windows navigation and image editing,
although I'm pretty sure gamers would prefer a little extra room.
Keep the dimensions in mind (290mm wide x 223mm x 5mm high) before
you buy but I've no doubt if the size is Ok for you, you will
be happy with the rest of the pads performance.
The
glow from the pad is pretty much spot on in regards to colour
shades and coverage. It's shaped nicely and has a rather fetching
tribal motif engraved into the acrylic, so the aesthetic attraction
is also there. A nice pad from Flexiglow.
Pros:
Love the glow - correct shades and coverage. Tribal motif
engraved in the acrylic surround, low height for comfort, precise
surface with good glide of mice. Dimmer dial to control
light brightness.
Cons:
Some extra mousing surface area would be welcome.
Bottom
Line: If the surface area of the mouse pad is large enough
for you, then the xRaider pad will give you a nice look to your
desktop with an adjustable glow, while still giving you correct
precision for everything from everyday tasks to headshots in FarCry.
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