SteelSeries NP+

Right, let's get this out of the way now. I don't really like the NP+. That is not to say it is a bad mouse mat. It isn't. It's just not to my taste (As my old Gran used to say).

Now that is out of the way, let's start a balanced, non biased review shall we!

The NP+ is a large mouse mat (huge in fact) that aims to give the user an unusual experience. Whereas most mouse mats I have reviewed try to give the fastest, most frictionless ride they can, the NP+ is designed to give large amounts of friction or as they put it – a rough glide [snigger]. Moreover, it succeeds, which is why I think I am not so keen. However, it does what it sets out to do.

It's a bit like Marmite. You will either love it or hate it!

Why would you want this? Well it is really up to personal taste. It is good for people who want to have a greater deal of control of the mouse. Where as a fast, smooth mouse mat is great for suddenly changing direction, it can be a little hard slowing down to take aim! I normally have to resort to changing the DPI on my mouse to help.

The NP+ removes the need for this. By adding the friction, if you slow down your movements, the mouse does not jiggle – which it can on a smooth mat if you have a slightly unsteady hand. That is not to say you can't move fast – arg it is really hard to explain! It is a bit like kinetic movement on the iPhone, or acceleration on a mouse. If you move your hand fast along the mat, it will zip over. But due to the increased friction, it slows down much faster than you would expect. The mouse mat actually stretches under the mouse as you slow. Very strange, but great for sniping.

As with all SteelSeries products, the build quality is superb. It is a whopping 450 x 400 x 4mm, made of an easy to clean and spill resistant compressed fibre / cloth type surface. The base is made of rubber and provided impressive grip. This thing is not going to slide at the crucial moment!

Overall, I cannot fault the mouse mat for being good at what it sets out to do! It is large and very comfortable to use and although it looks a little dull it is not going to offend the eyes. It provides a high friction experience, which people into that sort of thing will really love.

It's a bit like Marmite. You will either love it or hate it!

Some Specs

• 450 x 400 x 4 mm / 17.7 x 15.7 x 0.16 in
• Compressed fibers adding stain and water resistance
• Compatible with all mouse types (tested with Microsoft Optical and CMStorm Sentinel Advance)
• High Grip rubber base

The Scores

Quality	9	Gold Y Award
Value	8
Overall	9

Review by daverage

Keywords: np, spawn, heaton, zowiegear, mat, steelseries, mouse