Do you want a $100 mousepad? Of course you don’t. No one does. Not even these with “pro esports” aspirations. And if that’s all you wanted out of this assessment, you may go forward and shut the tab now. But do you need a $100 mousepad, one which’s large and premium and greater than somewhat extreme? If the reply is sure, and naturally, you probably have 100 bucks to blow, the Razer Atlas would possibly as effectively be what you blow it on. 

As I mentioned in my initial post, the Atlas is a $100 piece of tempered glass. It’s bombastic, it’s ridiculous, it’s an train in gamer extra. But it does work. And not like a few of Razer’s different choices (just like the original RGB mousepad), it truly provides some performance…assuming you’re the form of gamer who can justify a mousepad the dimensions of a sewer manhole cowl.

Price When Reviewed

$99.99

Best Prices Today: Razer Atlas glass mousepad

$99.00

$99.99

And although it’s 100 American dollars, it’s not my place to evaluate anybody on their purchases. (Seriously, my extra business-like, “grown-up” desk mat is barely any more restrained in purely financial phrases.) And in comparison with the very small discipline of competitors, the titanic price ticket of the Atlas is, if not cheap, at the least aggressive. 

What’s completely different a couple of glass mouse pad? 

If you’ve ever sat your laptop computer and journey mouse down on a lodge glass desk, solely to seek out the latter ineffective, you’re in all probability questioning what the deal is. In brief, sure, the Atlas actually is product of glass, and sure, it actually works as a mousepad. And not only for super-fancy gamer mice, or one thing with the superior, multi-surface laser monitoring of a $100 “work” mouse. I attempted it with a Logitech Pebble, about as fundamental as they arrive, and it labored positive. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

What’s the key? Well, there’s glass and there’s glass. In addition to the rubber backing that retains the heavy Atlas in place in your desk, there’s a slight coloration to the glass and a form of frosting on the floor that retains it from being clear. This comes from a tiny .0002-millimeter etching sample designed particularly for optical sensors. So sure, in brief, it’ll work simply in addition to any material mousepad, for any mouse you’d care to throw at it. 

Only don’t truly throw a mouse at it. As the insert within the packaging is fast to level out, it is glass. So regardless that it’s tempered, and must be at the least as sturdy because the window of a automotive, you continue to wish to train somewhat warning. Razer says by no means to position the Atlas on surfaces the place it could stick out or protrude, don’t place it on an uneven floor the place any nook isn’t touching, don’t place unusually heavy issues on its floor (like, say, that 128-oz Yeti thermos?), and don’t stick something too scorching or chilly on it. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

That’s somewhat extra care than a traditional mousepad wants. And as a result of it’s so stable, it’ll sometimes should be cleaned with a humid material (no cleaning soap or cleansing brokers) to handle mud and pores and skin oils. I discovered myself cleansing it usually after a protracted day of utilizing my desktop for work.

Oh, and this may be form of apparent, however don’t strike the Atlas with something. Like a closed fist or a thrown controller. Overly demonstrative avid gamers would possibly need one thing that’s rather less high-maintenance. 

You’re gonna want an even bigger desk 

In mythology, Atlas is a Titan who holds up the sky and the heavens. It’s an applicable title for this factor. 17.72 x 15.75 inches (450 x 400 mm) doesn’t sound too huge, till you’re holding almost 70 ounces of glass in your hand and clearing away that a lot area in your desk. Space the place, for the sake of the upkeep talked about above, you may’t place something however your mouse. 

As somebody who prefers extensive mats that go below my keyboard and each arms without delay, I’m no stranger to huge mousepads, and my triple-monitor desk is huge. But even I used to be struggling to seek out area for this factor on the Y axis of my desk, as a result of I’ve usually obtained a drink or some paperwork up there. I form of assume Razer would possibly wish to think about a smaller model of the Atlas — the Atlantide, maybe? — for these with out limitless actual property. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

Of course, that might form of defeat the purpose. And the purpose of all this glass is that it takes hardly any effort in any respect to maneuver your mouse. My private Razer Naga Pro is a giant, beefy, wi-fi gaming mouse made even heavier with interchangeable facet buttons, however the factor virtually flies off the sting of the Atlas with a easy faucet. It takes some getting used to, particularly in the event you’re accustomed to one thing with greater friction for extra precision. 

Frankly, it’s much more motion than I would like in my standard shooter or motion sport. Since I don’t play MOBAs, I booted up Ye Olde Starcraft II to check out a few marketing campaign missions, and certainly, discovered that I by no means wanted to raise the mouse off the mat so as to reposition it, one thing I’ve grown unconsciously accustomed to as my monitor setup has grown expansive and costly. 

Is the Razer Atlas definitely worth the cash? 

As I touched on earlier, 100 bucks for a mousepad is quite a bit in anyone’s cash. But very very like the BlackShark V2 Pro, I used to be stunned to seek out that Razer is definitely making an effort to be aggressive with its newest pricing, at the least among the many admittedly less-than-frugal class of high-end PC gaming gear. 

There are different glass mousepads available on the market, likewise aimed on the esports crowd. While I can’t converse to the standard of the SkyPad or the Pulsar Super Pad, it’s both comparable or higher in worth, relying on what measurement you choose. 

Michael Crider/Foundry

So yeah, whereas a tempered glass mousepad may be a ridiculous extra for anybody who doesn’t receives a commission to play video video games, a Razer-branded tempered glass mousepad isn’t extreme to a higher diploma than that selection. 

So in the event you actually, actually desire a Razer Atlas, go for it. Just be sure to have the area, each in your desk and in your price range. The remainder of us could make do with much less vainglorious supplies…or possibly simply watch for a smaller model.