Some could easily say that this is going way overboard when it comes to spending money. However, there are those so heavily dedicated to their gaming hobby that may feel this could become an inseparable additional to their arsenal. Which are you?
SteelSeries launched just that. It is called the QcK Prism Gaming Mousepad. It is a dual-surface pad, surrounded by 12 sections of a thin LED line accent. Now why on Earth would you want your mousepad to light up, you ask? Because it doesn’t just light up. It can be fully customized using their SteelSeries Prism Sync software to allow it to interact with the LEDs of other Prism-line products (ie, mouse, keyboard, headset, etc). This means you can connect them all and create a synchronized LED show, shared between the devices as if they were all one.
In addition to that, it supports SteelSeries’ GameSense, which can allow the LEDs to interact with in-game elements, allowing you to enhance your experience and improve your gaming skills. The LEDs can respond to certain events like when you begin to run low on ammo or health, you make a kill, and more. Now this feature sounds a little more interesting. Allowing my mousepad to glow the same color as my other devices doesn’t really help me in any way outside of aesthetics. However, if the mousepad begins to pulsate red because I’m about to run out of ammo, it could save seconds in reaction time if you weren’t looking at the stats on your screen (assuming you even have a kind of HUD that gives you this information readily).
To sweeten the deal even more, they made the mousepad dual-sided, allowing for two different texture scenarios. One side offers your typical micro-cloth surface, while the other is a hard polymer surface, which would allow the mouse to glide freely with less friction.
Now it seems like a pretty hardcore mousepad for those looking to up their game (and aesthetic bragging rights of course). The only problem you then run into, is the price. SteelSeries didn’t go easy on the consumer as they priced it at $60. Sure, it’s a hybrid pad with some really cool features, but really, all you’re getting is lighting effects and dual surface. Maybe I’m wrong, but I just feel it’s a little expensive for what it is worth.
Now if it wirelessly charged your mouse (Qi) so that your LED-filled mouse could then become wireless, the LEDs could be setup to light depending on the direction that an enemy is coming at you from, and (or) had a vibration function to add a little haptic feedback to the mix…maybe. Maybe then, it would be worth every penny of $60 and maybe even a little more. It’s just $60 is a little high in my opinion. Of course, I could be completely wrong and their stock could be completely raided within the next few days by gamers all around the country who can’t wait to get their hand on one. Either way, you now have a whole new way to get your LED on.
