SteelSeries SS SteelPad - Specs, Testing and More

Specs & Features:

Below are the specifications and features of the SteelSeries SteelPad S&S as listed on the product website.  This pad has some noteworthy features, so take a look and read the information below.

SteelPad S&S - a gaming surface created by gamers, for gamers. SteelPad S&S has been developed in close cooperation with SK-Gaming, one of the biggest front figures in eSport.

SteelPad S&S offers unprecedented control and accuracy allowing the user to perform minimal and extremely precise movements. The surface is made of a special responsive plastic compound and the back side features small soft rubber elements offering non-slippery steadiness. The highly durable surface obtains increasing durability and offers a consistent glide experience that only gets better over time.

The pad comes with a cool nylon sleeve which offers protection for the pad during travelling and other transportation.

The surface of this pad has been updated and improved as of January 2007;

"The original SteelPad S&S was developed in cooperation with SK-Gaming 3 years ago, so it is very rewarding to be involved with optimization of pad. Together with SteelSeries we have now made the surface more durable, as well as more responsive for the current generation of mice technologies."

Christian 'SK.Vilden' Lidstöm,
Counter-Strike player for SK-Gaming. 

Dimensions are 320mm*270mm - thickness 2mm.

Testing & Info:

As with the SteelPad Qck, I used every mouse that I had around the lab to see if there was a mouse that didn't work as well as the others on this pad.  The SteelPad S&S has a fairly coarse surface texture and grips older ball mouse very well.  All of the mice worked very well on this pad no matter what application or game we used for testing.  Although all the mice tracked very well, the rough surface will probably tend to wear down your mice feet and it would be a good idea to use Padsurfers on this pad in order to prevent excess wear on your stock mice feet.

S&S Logo & Texture

Bottom Texture

Mice Tested:

• Logitech MX1000 Cordless Laser Mouse
• Logitech G5 Laser Mouse
• Saitek GM3200 Laser Mouse
• Logitech V200 Cordless Notebook Mouse (Invisible Optical)
• Logitech MX610 Cordless Laser Mouse
• Generic Ball Mouse

All of the mice above worked very well and tracked perfectly without skipping at all.  Most of the time I used the Saitek GM3200 with the Padsurfers installed and played BF2142 and Unreal Tournament 99.  The pad has a different feel from other pads due to the coarse surface texture, but this texture provides less contact with the mouse feet and causes lower resistance.  The pad feels very fast and precise.  What I like about the S&S over the QcK is the ability to clean it if you get it dirty.  Cloth pads are hard to clean up but the S&S can be cleaned with soap and water.  This is great as it can double as a Pizza tray!

Several features worth mentioning include the thickness (rather, thinness) of this pad.  It is a mere 2mm thick and doesn't cause undue wrist strain or wear on your hand because it sits your mouse up 12mm or so above your desk.  This hard plastic pad is as thin as the Qck - a very thin cloth pad.  Another thing I really like about this pad is the bottom texture.  Instead of having feet scattered around the bottom to keep it on your desk, SteelSeries has sprayed the bottom very lightly with a rubber substance.  This ensures that the pad stays in place no matter how violently you flap your mouse around in a match.  It has a better grip than the QcK, Ratpadz, Everglide and even the fUnc.

Conclusion:

Although I started this review by saying that there is no perfect mousepad for everyone, the S&S is about as close to perfect as a hard pad can be.  It is large, offers very little resistance due to the coarse texture, and grips the desk very well.  It is thin, easy to clean of even comes with a carrying bag to protect it the next time you take it to a LAN.  I haven't seen another pad that has all these features and is this nice to use.  For day-to-day use, I still perfect the QcK as it is gentler on my hand and wrist, but the S&S is a nice fast pad that is great for gaming.  The only downside to this pad is the price.  Currently it retails for around $50CDN which makes it one of the more expensive pads around.  However, if you want a slick pad that offers all the features and goodies I've mentioned above, it's still a decent choice for the avid gamer.

Pros:

• Slick surface is fast and responsive with all mice.
• Comes with a protective bag that has a pocket for your mouse.
• Easy to clean

Cons:

• Quite expensive.
  

If you have any questions or comments about this review, please make sure you head on over and post then in the forum at the "Comments" link below.  I'd like to thank SteelSeries for sending the S&S up our way to review.