My fave piece of PC gaming tech to launch this year was the softest kind of hardware there is

Despite a lacklustre GPU generation and the RAMpocalypse, this year’s PC gaming hardware has made me very happy. That’s because 2025 has seen some meaningful, non-gimmicky leaps forward in competitive FPS gaming hardware. And no, I’m not talking about unreasonably high refresh rates on monitors—although the ones from Asus I saw at Gamescom did impress me, whether OLED or TN—I’m talking about peripherals.

On the mouse front, we’ve had a big leap in how light a sturdy wireless gaming mouse can go with the 36 g Corsair Sabre V2 Pro. But then there’s what a mouse sits atop: the humble mouse pad. I can’t say I thought my years of testing and writing about PC gaming hardware would lead to writing so much about a mouse pad, but here we are: My favourite piece of ‘hardware’ from this year was a mouse pad. The pad in question, the SteelSeries QcK Performance, isn’t just your run-of-the-mill mat, though. Hear me out.

Over the last couple of decades of PC gaming, I’ve tried variations on what have ultimately been the same kinds of mouse pad. Rubber base, cloth top, sometimes tightly woven, sometimes looser, sometimes thicker, sometimes thinner, sometimes with a fancy graphic, and sometimes even with edge stitching. But none of them ever really pushed the boat forwards. Not until the QcK Performance.

I’m sure at this point there will be some people itching to tell me about some niche mouse pad from a lesser-known brand that ships their products from half-way around the world with a three-month delivery window and a $100 premium. And I’m also sure everyone who’s into that kind of stuff is probably not getting their buying advice from me anyway—you already have your discussion spaces on the internet full of expert advice about the ideal mouse pads for just the right amount of stopping power and glide.

For my part, though, I’ve never used a mouse pad as fundamentally fantastic as the QcK Performance, and I’ve tried many from all the big brands—Razer, SteelSeries, Logitech, et al—over the years. It feels like a product that’s come from a real care and attention for its target market.

SteelSeries QcK Performance mouse pad close-up on logo

(Image credit: Future)

That target market is the competitive FPS gamer, of course. There’s no other genre, really, where it makes sense to spend $40–50 (depending on the size) on a surface for a mouse to sit on, unless you just want the highest-quality setup all over and don’t mind spending extra to get it.

So yes, this is mainly for competitive FPS gaming, which is a genre that’s always been my bread and butter; even when I take extended periods away, returning to it is like returning home. And when I came back to Counter-Strike earlier this year to test the QcK Performance, I was very happy to find a genuine step forward with a mainstream mouse pad.

Steelseries QcK Performance Balance mouse pad on desk

(Image credit: Future)

There are three main things that make it so great. First, there’s its surface, which is markedly better than any other I’ve found. The nylon on the Smooth version is, indeed, very smooth, and the polyester on the Control version gives a nice amount of feedback to help, well, control your aim. Then there’s the edge stitching, which prevents fraying and, importantly in the case of the QcK Performance, is also sunken, meaning it won’t dig into your arm or distract you. Finally there’s its neoprene base, which makes for a much comfier and more controllable mouse-moving experience than your average rubber base.

These might seem like little things, but if you’re looking for a high-quality product that works well and offers great feel and control for competitive FPS gaming, it’s ideal. The simple aesthetic with the slight dash of colour from the tag is nice, too, though that’s more of a subjective thing.

So yes, my favourite piece of PC gaming ‘hardware’ this year was a mouse pad. Closely followed by that Corsair mouse. They make for a formidable duo, I tell you. Just don’t ask me to prove it with my headshot stats—I’m an old man, now, okay? This rust takes a while to shake off.