Introduction

With so much stress being put on the need for ultimate accuracy for mice nowadays it is no wonder that many companies are constantly designing new mousing surfaces to fulfill this requirement. One such company is Evo-G who has sent us over the MP1 to take for a spin.

About Evo-G

Evo-G is all about gaming gear. Their mission is to create performance enhancing gaming products. All of their products are designed by professional gamers, for professional gamers- making them some of the best products in their class.

Specifications

• Compatible with gaming grade optical and laser mice
• Surface material: High performance PP
• Dimension: 355mm x 265mm x 3mm
• Base: anti-slip rubber

Features

• Designed for high performance gaming
• Patented reflection technology
• 20% more upgrade tracking
• Special mid-rough surface
• Super slippery material
• Soft and safe rubber base

Packaging

The MP1 comes packaged in a large metal case with a card band around it. The centre of the metal case has the Evo-G logo etched into it.

The front and back of the MP1 is well protected by two polystyrene inserts.

The rear of the cardboard band is covered in the product specifications and features and a somewhat boastful comment made by Evo-g.

Those accustomed to receiving some kind of gimmicky freebies with their purchases will sadly be disappointed with the MP1 as the statement, ‘you get what you pay for’ certainly rings true about this product. No freebies whatsoever.

Admittedly the packaging is a little over the top, but a little extra on the side never really hurts.

The MP1

The MP1 certainly is an attractive mouse pad. In fact, I would go as far as saying it is one of the best pads I’ve ever seen – the metallic lustre and the red star sure are nice. This product is shiny yet it is not reflective which means theres not a lot of light glare from the mat.

Evo-G have also added their slogan “Evolution Gaming Gear” and their website address to the pad.

The maker or breaker for many when it comes to buying a mouse mat is whether the mat can be rolled up. At Tech-Review we know that for easy transportation to LAN parties the mat must roll up easily and without being damaged. Sadly the MP1 does not conform very well to this requirement as it can’t be rolled very easily.

We also found that the MP1’s coating is very delicate as the slightest knock sent a corner of the coating flying.

This product is of a great size for gaming as its width and height allow for huge movements that some less sensitive mice may need to make.

Testing

To test whether the Evo-G lives up to the hype – and my expectations – I took it for a spin on our favourite first person shooters, Battlefield 2 and Quake Wars. Both these games boast fast game play and the need for extreme accuracy when lining up head-shots.

I found that the performance of the mouse pad was outstanding throughout game play and I managed to rack up a lot more kills than I’d normally achieve.

When testing I used both a Logitech MX518 and an old-fashioned roller ball. The optical mouse performance was awesome, however the roller ball found very little grip on the mat, so it was unresponsive.

General Usage

I found the mat incredible for everyday usage such as web browsing and media viewing. This is a great plus as it means that the mat is not just about gaming.

However, the MP1 is uncomfortable, incredibly so. I found that after about half an hour my wrist ached and I had to resort to using a generic mouse pad.

Cost

The Evo-G retails at around £12 so it’s not too pricey and if you are willing to sacrifice comfort for performance it would be a brilliant buy.

Conclusion

I found that the MP1 really did live up to its hype and performed brilliantly. Its performance isn’t the best on the market but then again, with the well established position of the market leaders such as XTracPads designing awesome pads like the Hammer, its difficult for a relative newcomer to the ‘mouse pad industry’ to create a pad which can be compared to one of the market leaders’ mouse mats.

The offer of extreme gliding is a great lure for gamers, however with the Evo-G this is a bad thing as the super slick surface leads to occasional over-movements meaning that serious gamers may wish to look at alternative pads before jumping in to buying this one.

Pros

• Great looks
• Price tag
• Good size

Cons

• Occasional over movements
• Doesn’t roll up easily
• Not very robust
• Uncomfortable