Shooters are probably some of the most popular games you can play on a PC. You have CS:GO, Call of Duty, and maybe even a spot of Battlefield. People that play these games always want to be the best they possibly can be. This means buying the best accessories…including mousepads. Can mousepads really help improve aim?
Mousepads can improve aim, to a certain extent. A good mousepad can provide a little bit of extra resistance that can help to make precision aiming a little bit better. They can also make things a little bit more comfortable to use, which ensures that your wrist does not get tired. However, it is only going to be a marginal difference.
We do want to expand upon this a little bit. After all, a mousepad can improve your aim, but there are other things that will have more of an impact.
Does Having a Better Mouse Improve Aim?
Yes. Having a better mouse will help to improve your aim. However, don’t think that you have to go down the gaming mouse route to see an improvement in your aiming. Sometimes, a good quality normal mouse will help.
The reason why having a better mouse improves your aim is because they are much more sensitive. Sensitivity in a mouse will help you to move the mouse cursor a lot more precisely. Basically, you do not have to worry about the mouse cursor making massive leaps across the screen.
When you use a cheaper mouse, it is much, much easier for your cursor to slip. In fact, with some of the cheapest mice on the market, we have seen the cursors move in all sorts of odd directions, which isn’t great when you are in the midst of an epic online firefight, right?
You should also remember a better mouse will have a much better finish on the bottom. This will allow the mouse to glide effortlessly across the surface that you are using it on while, at the same time, ensuring that there is a little bit of resistance for those finer adjustments of the cursor.
Do Mousepads Make a Difference?
As we said, sort of. Although, perhaps not by as much as you may think.
In the past, having a mousepad would have been much more beneficial. This is because older mice have a tracking ball in. That tracking ball only really worked well on certain surfaces. However, since modern mice detect the positioning by using light technology, this has become far less of a problem.
A good quality mousepad will really help to ensure that your mouse moves a little bit easier. There will be some resistance, but you won’t feel as if you are forcing that mouse into position. A cheaper mousepad is likely to provide too much resistance, which can make finer aiming a little bit more difficult.
The main reason why you would want a mousepad, however, is due to comfort. There are a lot of people that use their computer mouse on a wooden surface i.e. their desk. This is perfectly fine for short periods of time.
However, for longer periods of time, your wrist is essentially going to be pushed against a hard piece of wood. This will tire it out. When your wrist gets tired, you won’t be able to move it in quite the way that you want.
Most modern mousepads, particularly gaming ones, will have a cushion on them. This is going to feel fantastic against your wrist. Obviously, your wrists will get tired eventually, but hopefully, it will be a far slower process.
Which Mousepad Is Better for Aiming?
There are many different types of mouse pads on the market, and it mostly boils down to personal preference. We will give you a rough idea of what you should be looking for in a mousepad that will be useful for helping you improve your aim in game.
Cloth
If you ask most pro gamers, they will tell you that a cloth mousepad is an absolute godsend. It will provide a little bit of resistance, but not so much that you won’t be able to move your mouse.
We recommend using a Logitech Cloth Gaming mouse pad like this one from Amazon. Logitech mouse pads are durable, high quality, and pair very well with a gaming mouse.
Large Sized
In an ideal world, you would have the largest mousepad that you can afford. This will ensure that you are far less restricted in the ways that you will be able to move the mouse.
Cushioned
If there is an in-built cushion on the mousepad, then fantastic! This is going to help when it comes to comfort levels. As we said before, this is seriously going to help improve your aim.
Completely Smooth Surface
Cheap mousepads tend to have small bumps in them, or the cloth bunches up. This can influence the way in which the mouse works, and you don’t want that. You want a completely flat surface.
Rubber Base
A rubber base will stop the mousepad from sliding around. This means you don’t end up with a moving mousepad in the midst of a gun battle.
Does a Dirty Mousepad Impact Aim?
Yes. A dirty mousepad will impact the aim of your mouse.
Remember, the last thing you want to have with a mousepad is huge amounts of resistance while you are aiming. A dirty mousepad will cause this.
A dirty mousepad may also impact the way the light at the bottom of the mouse detects positioning. This means that the mouse cursor can end up doing all sorts of weird things.
Final Thoughts
Mousepads can impact your aim, but probably not by as much as you may think. Although, it is still worth buying a decent mousepad for your comfort.
A good quality mouse is more likely to have an impact on your aim than any mousepad. A good quality mouse will be more sensitive allowing for precise movements.
Of course, the best way to guarantee that your aim is improved, new mousepad or not, is to practice, practice, and practice some more.