Glass mouse pads are back. Nearly 20 years since they last fell out of fashion, the durability, easy-cleaning ability, and ultra-fast-gliding appeal of this sort of mouse surface has seen them make a resurgence. Not wanting to miss out on the trend, Corsair has unveiled its own version, in the shape of the imaginatively-titled Corsair MM Glass.
Hoping to wrestle its way onto our best gaming mouse pad guide thanks to its huge size, sound dampening, and super speedy gliding surface, Corsair’s latest joins the likes of Attack Shark, Qpad, Razer, Superglide, and Wallhack in adding a glass option to its roster.
Perhaps the most prominent part of Corsair’s marketing for the new mouse pad is that it has a sound-dampening backing. For anyone who remembers the original glass mouse pads, they’ll recall how obnoxiously loud they were. Here, though, Corsair is hoping that its hex-patterned polyurethane base will not only provide great grip for the underside of your pad but also knock out the noise. Corsair doesn’t provide numbers for the sound reduction, but its sound test chart suggests a roughly 10-15dB reduction compared to “other brands.”
Otherwise, this 500 x 400mm is fairly typical of other options out there. It’s a big ol’ slab of tempered glass with that rubber backing for grip and an etched top surface for the sensor on your mouse to be able to track – completely flat glass can’t be tracked by optical sensors.
Available in black or white, the latter in particular does look pretty slick and very much brings to mind the name of one of the original glass mouse pads, the Icemat, made by SteelSeries. Ironically, SteelSeries is yet to rejoin the glass revolution, instead pushing its QcK Performance mats that offer three different levels of glide speed.
As to why glass is making a comeback, its biggest advantage is just how fast it can feel, compared to cloth mats. It’s also far more durable than plastic mouse pads, making for a tough, easily washable option that should last you a long, long time.
However, its downsides are also severe. Along with it being loud, the matte, etched surface of glass mouse pads wears down the skates/feet on your gaming mouse very quickly. Corsair hasn’t confirmed if that effect will occur with this mat, but it does describe it as having a “precision matte treatment” to its 3mm tempered glass, suggesting it will. In contrast, the Wallhack SP-004, for instance, is known for having a slightly smoother, less skate-scalping finish.
Available now, the Corsair MM Glass Large is priced at $99.99, putting it largely in line with the pricing for other glass pad options.
