Everglide Gigantica Optical Mouse Pad

Back in the good old days when the Spectrum was 'the daddy', a mouse was a little animal that chewed your computer's wires. But now you can plug a mouse into your computer (please note that DFHQ does not recommend plugging little or large animals into your computer). Yeah I know you can get cordless mice as well but that's a different review. So now you can choose different types of mouse, very nice, you choose the style that is best for you / your circumstances.

But things have changed again. You can now get a mousemat / pad specifically for your type of mouse!

Everglide have produced a new mousemat that is designed for optimal use with an optical mouse. I have been testing the pad with my MS Intellimouse Optical and there is no doubt that the pad works. I tested the pad out during a match (good testing situation) so if it let me down it would now be in more than one piece - which it isn't.

I'm going to use the same method of explaining the features of the pad as I did with the FuZe pad, which was focused on:

Size - bigger the better, so you can move your arm about without fear of the mouse falling off.
Material - solid is better, will not crease or peel, leaving you with a flat even surface.
Texture - depends on the mouse you have, textured pads will grip the ball more, and a matt finish will not reflect well for optical mice.
Profile - a really deep pad will cause wrist ache, a thin pad will keep your wrist straighter.
Grip - must stick to desk.
Looks - there is a style aspect believe me ;)

Let's take a closer look at the Gigantica Optical pad from Everglide:



The Gigantica pad is quite big, again I have seen bigger pads but this is fine. It is certainly covers the area I can move the mouse side to side using my wrist. The size is exactly the same as the FuZe pad which Everglide also make.

The Gigantica made from solid plastic and doesn't really bend, I have a feeling that if you force it to bend, it will and stay that way, so it would be a good idea not to bend it (hmm I can't really think why you would want to bent it but if you like that kind of thing then please refrain from doing so with this pad!). The pad is perfectly flat, which you would expect from a decent mousemat.

The top of the pad does have a slight texture, I don't know if that is really essential for optical mouse - probably not, but it does mean that you can use the pad with a ball mouse as well, so if you change your mouse in the future you can still use the same pad. The hardness of the pad also makes the mouse glide very well, there is pretty low friction so the mouse moves with little force.

Now we come to why this pad is special for optical mice. Everglide refer to it as "reactive agent" and "reflective particles" which are technical terms for glitter I suppose. The plastic from which the pad is made is clear with a smoky tinge, and is full of glitter, which of course is shiny and reflective. Seeing as optical mice depend on the light they emit coming back to the mouse then a reflective agent is a pretty useful idea. Everglide claim this will extend the life of the batteries in your cordless mouse. I don't really understand how but if you read the section below, Everglide have tried to explain it somewhat.

The Gigantica is quite thick really, but this does mean there is more reflective particles in the pad. It is by no means uncomfortable though as the the edges of the pad are smooth and rounded for more comfort.

One thing that slightly lets the pad down is the pads on the underside. There are only five finger-tip sized rubber feet to prevent the map from slipping. In reality this is not a major problem as it is not easy to move the pad unless you were trying to, and if you're playing a game then this is really the last thing on your mind. The five small feet however ensure the pad keeps its opacity, although this provides no gaming benefit, it does look good.

The pad doess look better then most mousepads out there in my opinion, seethough with a nice shape. If anyone tries to joke about your 'glittery' pad then you tell them it improves your accuracy (then watch them log on the net and order one).


Let's see what Everglide say about their product:

The New Everglide Optical Pads have been developed to take advantage of the unique properties of optical mice, popular because of there increased accuracy and resistance to dirt these mice use a red LED to light the surface below the mouse, the reflection is then captured and sampled to identify the tiniest change in movement giving the most accurate tracking performance available. Cordless optical mice are the next generation, without a cable your mouse is free to roam, the downside being that with no cable these mice depend on an internal power supply which needs to be replaced or recharged at regular intervals.

The new Optical pads take these properties into account, the reflective particles embedded within the surface provide the ideal environment for accurate tracking while enabling many cordless mice to run in a power saving mode that will extend life between charges. Available in both the Gigantica and Attack configurations these next generation pad are the most advanced yet to appear from the Everglide laboratories.

Specifications:

Tint: Smoke
Reactive Agent: 4 Percent
9 1/2" High
11 1/2" Wide
1/4" Deep


The pad retails at £19.99 in the UK http://www.everglide.co.uk but you can get it cheaper in the US http://www.gamerzstuff.com or in Europe http://www.everglide.de/


Check the Gigantica Optical pad out here.