Today ROCCAT issued an intriguing press release. It’s not often you hear the words “groundbreaking” or “revolutionary” with respect to something as pedestrian as a mousepad, but ROCCAT stands behind those words.
What makes the new Hiro mousepad revolutionary is a new bonding process that permanently fuses the gaming surface and the grip surface (hereafter collectively referred to as the “top” and “bottom”). I’ll let the press release explain:
“The world’s first mousepad to use an advanced new manufacturing process that creates smooth, rounded edges that won’t ever fray, even after extended use. The patented build process creates an inseparable “power bond” between upper and lower surfaces, creating a mousepad of unrivaled durability. The Hiro also features an entirely new kind of gaming surface: an exclusive vulcanized silicone playing field, with a complex 3D structure, that delivers significantly increased gliding speed and control on both the x and y axis – offering the ultimate command capability during even the most demanding gaming.”
3D. Vulcanized. Command Capability. Power Bond. There you have it. We don’t have a review sample yet, but if we get one, we’ll let you know how it goes. At an MSRP of $50, it’s gotta be good, right?
What we DO have is a review sample of the ROCCAT Sense 2mm gaming surface. Before the Hiro announcement, this was their flagship gaming surface. It’s big and very, very smooth. Paired with their Savu mouse (which has two giant Teflon surfaces), it feels basically frictionless. The mouse just sighs over the surface. It’s almost too slick and you have to learn to pay slightly more attention to your mouse control when there’s such little resistance from the surface you’re on. It’s sort of the same feel that a brand new puck with a brand new air hockey table gives. Yeah, that’s about right: pretend the Sense is an air hockey table and your mouse is the puck. It feels like that. Really.
Here’s a video demonstration of the lack of friction:
That’s a pretty nice feeling.
The Sense is available now for $17 on Newegg and $18 on Amazon.
The Hiro is going to be available in January of 2013 in North America. Right now, it is available in Europe for €50. Yowza!
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