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XTracPads HYBRID Gaming Pad Review

A mouse pad is a mouse pad. Doesn't matter what you use. Some would even say that with an optical mouse you don't even need a mouse pad. Well, if you are an avid gamer or a graphics guru, then a mouse pad does make a big difference in your computing experience. XTrackPads tracked us down and asked us to take a look at their newly redesigned HYBRID gaming pad. Let's take a look...

Company:

XTracPads by PCXmods, www.xtracpads.com

Price:

$23.00 US at NewEgg.com

Ratings

Price:
Install/Setup:
Usability:
Support:
Average Rating:

Pros:

• Fast, smooth surface
• Excellent quality
• A pad that feels like a pad

Cons:

• Large pad takes a lot of space if you aren't used to it

Getting Started

If you don't game it's probably hard to understand the fanaticism with mouse pads. If the mouse curser moves on the screen without too much of a delay, then the mouse pad should be good enough.?.? Right? As games and more specifically First Person Shooter games like Battlefield 2 get more intense and as users spend more and more money to have highly responsive gaming PC, you have to consider the mouse pad as an integral part of the whole functioning machine. But as with many things in life, people have different tastes. Some people like mouse pads with a rough surface, others smooth. Some like a mouse pad to be larger than their refrigerator while others like that standard size that fits next to your keyboard on the desk. As "High Performance" gaming pads have evolved, you see products that are thin with no padding, products that are metal with a painted surface, product made out of plastic and even products made out of cloth. But like I said, it all comes down to what the user likes. Whatever your taste though, there is a gaming pad out there just for you.

The XTracPad HYBRID mouse pad has been out for a while. But recently they redesigned the pad to improve its performance. Christopher Kahl, owner of XTracPads, said: "The surface of the redesigned HYBRID has approximately 15% more plastic blended with the cloth fibers. The result is a smoother surface with less friction. The redesigned HYBRID pad is a must-have weapon for any serious computer gamer." The first thing I noticed after taking the HYBRID out of its box is the soft, smooth surface of the mouse pad.

The next thing I noticed was the hexagonal designs on the surface of the pad. Not sure if there was a significance, I asked Christopher about this as well and he said:

"Many mice today are optical mice (LED = light emitting diode). The LED is based on optical navigation technology which measures changes in position by optically acquiring sequential surface images up to 1500 times per second and mathematically determining the direction and magnitude of movement at the maximum of 400 counts per inch (cpi)and at speeds up to 12 inches per second (ips). We decided on the hexagon with random dot pattern (after trying many other variations of patterns) that you see on most of our mouse pads. In our test area, we noticed that within certain applications as well as certain games, the hexagon/dot pattern that we use seems to enhance the accuracy of the optical mouse sensor.

Who knew there was such science in developing a mouse pad?

Along with the HYBRID, XTracPads also ships you some Mad Dotz. Mad Dotz are pre-cut pieces of Teflon tape designed to be placed over your existing mouse feet. Once installed, not only are your mouse feet protected from wearing down, your mouse movement are supposed to have a significant reduction in friction. I have had several mice where I've worn the pads right off the bottom by using a plastic or other hard surfaced mouse pad. These Mad Dotz will not only help keep that from happening, but the teflon is supposed to help speed things up as well.

Click on picture to enlarge image

Usability

I like a mousepad that feels like a pad. Over the last few years, it seems that as pads have been developed for use with optical and laser mice, surfaces have become harder and unfortunately thinner with no pad underneath. I have used several pads from various manufacturers that are very hard and very thin and enjoyed them for their performance. With the HYBRID, you get a great surface with the traditional padded feeling of mouse pads from the past. For some of you the surface is all that matters, but for me I like the combination that the HYBRID gives me.

At first I didn't like the long size when using the pad on my desk, but when sitting at a table at a LAN, the extra size will be quite nice. I tested out the HYBRID using both a Logitech Optical Mx510 gaming mouse and the Optorite ML100 laser mouse. With both mice, the surface was smooth and the mouse was very responsive. After adding the Mad Dotz, response was even more crisp and sharp and smooth. I was happy with the feel and the performance of both mice without the Mad Dotz. The Mad Dotz will give a little less resistance while also protecting the pads from wearing out on the bottom of the mouse with all the extra time I'm logging with Battlefield 2.

Specifications and Features

Adding It All Up

A mouse pad after all isn't just a mouse pad when you need that little extra performance. The HYBRID from XTracPads gives you a smooth surface with excellent padding underneath. The included teflon Mad Dotz give you even better performance. With the precision and time these guys have put into developing the HYBRID, you won't go wrong by picking one up and experiencing what a "Performance Mouse Pad" can give you.

Because of the excellent quality at a great price, we are awarding the XTracPad HYBRID mouse pad the UpgradAdvisor.com Recommended Upgrade Seal of Approval!!!

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