Glass Mousepads Are the PC Gaming World’s Latest Pricey Accessory

Summary

• Glass mousepads offer an ultra-smooth surface for swift mouse movements, which can improve precision.
• They’re durable, easy to clean, & visually appealing on the desk.
• Due to their high price and discomfort during use, glass mousepads are hard to recommend to anyone but the most hardcore gamers.

Pro FPS gamers are always on the lookout for new gear to up their game. One such accessory is a glass mousepad, which promises to improve aim by providing a slick surface. But does it really live up to the hype, or is it just an overpriced nuisance?

What Is a Glass Mousepad?

A glass mousepad is a type of high-end hard mousepad made from real tempered glass. It provides a completely flat, consistent, and slick surface for your mouse to glide on. To prevent the glass from sliding around, the mousepad usually has a rubberized bottom.

As for the top surface, most glass mousepads have a matte “frosted” finish (the type you see on the back of newer Samsungs and iPhones), which contributes to making for a low-friction surface that allows for extremely quick mouse movement. Since the finish is etched into the surface, it’s very durable and long-lasting.

Interestingly, glass mousepads are nothing new. SteelSeries’ very first product, the Icemat, was also the first glass mousepad. However, this happened back in 2001 when trackball mice were still prominent, so the primary audience wasn’t exactly Fortnite and Valorant pros. This happened much later, in 2017, when the Skypad (now known as Wallhack) first appeared, which quickly garnered popularity among competitive gamers.

Glass mousepads are quite a polarizing item. Some gamers have tried and disliked them, while others swear by them. This makes a straightforward recommendation based on your most-played games almost impossible; it’s not a simple yes or no. To help you decide, let’s go over the pros and cons so you can draw your own conclusions.

What Are the Benefits of a Glass Mousepad?

The primary benefit of a glass mousepad is that it has an ultra-smooth surface. A lightweight mouse equipped with pure PTFE mouse skates, like the esports tiger ICE, glide effortlessly across glass, making it significantly faster than even the quickest cloth mousepads.

This speed is beneficial for those who game at low sensitivity—which is what most FPS gamers prefer. You need to move the mouse quickly over a long distance to hit your target, so the faster your mouse moves, the more precise and accurate your aim becomes.

It can make flick shots with snipers, especially easy, as you don’t need to exert much force to get your crosshair precisely where you want it. Tracking with other guns is easier, too, since the mousepad won’t slow you down.

Like any other hard mousepad, it offers a few additional benefits over cloth. Glass is a consistent surface with no random soft/dead spots, which most soft mousepads develop from prolonged use. The mouse’s sensor tracks 100% of the time, every time and anywhere on the mousepad’s surface. It’s predictable, which allows your muscle memory and aim training to shine through.

Durability is another massive benefit of glass mousepads. While you might associate glass with breaking when dropped, how often have you actually dropped your mousepad in your life? Unless you game on the go, the answer is probably close to zero.

A glass mousepad can be a lifetime investment if you take care of it, which happens to be much easier than cloth. Cloth accumulates a lot of dirt, grime, and sweat after hundreds of hours of use, which requires thorough cleaning, and that, in turn, can further degrade the mousepad. In contrast, glass mousepads are resistant to wear and can be easily cleaned with a simple wipe-down. Even spilled drinks are no issue.

Lastly (and subjectively), glass mousepads look good. They are a simple but premium accessory on your desk. You can choose from a range of different aesthetics, and while this is technically true for cloth mousepads as well, they won’t look nearly as good after two years of regular use.

Glass Mousepads Also Have Some Drawbacks

The first major downside of glass mousepads is the price. Most high-quality options are priced at $100 or more. The cheapest one (from a reputable brand) I could find is the ASUS ROG Moonstone Ace, which is currently on sale for $80. It’s a long-term investment, but you must really want glass if you’re spending that amount. Fortunately, resourceful gamers have found some crafty alternatives, like using a frosted IKEA serving tray.

Another downside is that glass is seriously uncomfortable. Its rigid surface can cause wrist fatigue more quickly, and it’s especially uncomfortable on cold days. The idea of pressing your skin against an ice-cold glass sheet on a winter morning isn’t exactly fun. Plus, unlike your slick mouse skates, your sweaty skin will stick to the surface a lot. So, you’ll have to resort to wearing long sleeves all the time or using a wrist rest, but wrist rests can hinder your aim by affecting the fluidity of your movements.

Additionally, glass has a steep learning curve, especially if you’re switching from a soft mousepad. It can take weeks of muscle memory retraining and acclimatization to get used to the new surface.

While cleaning glass mousepads is a breeze, you’ll have to do it often, as you’ll feel every spec of dust and pet hair under your mouse. Plus, the glass will quickly wear down even the most durable mouse skates, so prepare to replace them on a regular basis.

Lastly, while XXL glass mousepads are available, you probably won’t want to use one, as it’ll make your wrists uncomfortable when typing. You’ll have to use a separate keyboard wristrest or desk mat, and you’ll have to reposition the glass mousepad for a more comfortable typing setup when you’re not gaming.

Who Is a Glass Mousepad for?

If you’re serious about competitive gaming and want to optimize your setup to maximize your hardware-based advantage, a glass mousepad isn’t the worst way to spend $100. Once you retrain your muscle memory, you should see a decent improvement in your aim.

However, not every pro gamer uses a low sensitivity. For instance, if you play Fortnite and use a higher sensitivity, glass could actually be detrimental to your aim, as it can be too fast. Cloth provides more control, and you won’t suffer from its drawbacks as much when only moving the mouse a little bit at a time.

If you’re a casual gamer who occasionally plays competitive games like me, your money is probably better spent elsewhere, such as a high-refresh rate monitor, lightweight mouse, Hall Effect keyboard, or even some extra RAM. Moreover, if you only game for a few hours at the end of a workday, you probably don’t want to suffer from the discomfort of a glass mousepad anyway.

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While glass mousepads are a nice tool to have in your gaming arsenal, the truth is that most of us probably don’t want or need one. It’s only for those who are serious about competitive gaming and have a $100 burning a hole in their pocket. Also, consider getting glass mouse skates instead of a pad. They’ll net you similar benefits at a fraction of the price.