Unboxing: Strix Glide Speed and Strix Glide Control Mouse Pads

"Any mouse-pad will do just fine", "It's just a mouse-pad", "You don't even need a mouse-pad."  Do these statements compute to you?  There is a whole lot of science, research and design going into that small (or not so small) slab of surface. ASUS is experienced in gaming hardware and peripherals so if you want an edge; ASUS knows its surfaces and exactly how mouse sensors react to them, after all, who's making the mice?

ASUS has just released a new collection of delectable Strix peripherals; the Tactic Pro keyboard, Claw mouse, and today we will take the Strix Glide Control & Strix Glide Speed mouse-pads out of their boxes to see which one suits you. Both are an ideal match if you are also a proud owner of the Strix Tactic Pro and Claw combo.  

 

 

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 Both of the boxes and mouse-pads are clearly identified with the Strix styling and logos, and the packaging kept minimal to be environmentally friendly.  There's the box, the mouse-pad and the warranty booklet.  The box tells you if it is Glide Control (orange box/black pad) or Glide Speed (black box/orange pad).

 

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 Gamers have different games of choice, weapon preferences and characters of choice.  Fundamentally speaking there are 2 styles of play; ultimate control and superior speed.  Strix Glide Control (Black) uses a premium heavy-weave fabric for gamers who need fine control and absolute precision, more suited for FPS (First-Person Shooter) and other games which require more sinuous movements and precise aiming.  Strix Glide Speed (Orange) on the other hand uses a fine-weave fabric for gamers who love super fast gameplay, require efficient movement with no hindrance so their hands can move like Neo from The Matrix, this is more suited for RTS (Real-Time Strategy), MMORPG or any other games where speed is key.  The difference in texture is easy to see in the pictures below.  The embroidered edge make the pad durable as that makes it fray-resistant, the threads are fine so your arm/wrist doesn't itch, and importantly; keeps the corners from curling up.

 

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 While the fabric on the top surface is optimized for tracking both optical and laser mice, the non-slip rubber base is optimized for grip. Considering this amount of grip and the gigantic size (40cm X 30cm), it's incredibly hard to move.

So, Glide Control or Glide Speed: which one will you be getting?

 

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Match made in Strix heaven.