SteelSeries QcK Performance Series mousepads review: Quick, clean, or maybe both?

When playing a game that requires fast reflexes and quality precision, one probably thinks mostly about how their mouse, keyboard, headset, and/or monitor contribute to high-level play. However, SteelSeries posits that a good mousepad can be part of that formula, too. That’s why they’ve put out a line of new performance mousepads that focus on a variety of playstyles. And they may be onto something. After playing heavily on the QcK Performance Series Speed, Balance, and Control pads, I won’t say I’m a better player, but I don’t know that I’d want to go without my favorite pad of the three now that I’ve experienced it.

Speed, Control, & Balance

The QcK Performance Series mousepads come in a variety of styles and two sizes. The L size is 19.3 x 16.5 x 0.07 inches and will cost $39.99 USD while the XL size is 35.4 x 16.5 x 0.07 inches and costs $49.99 USD. In both cases, buyers can choose between Speed, Control, and Balance styles. Control and Speed are the two extremes of this series while Balance aims to provide a happy medium for less specialized users.

Speed’s forte is near-frictionless glide. The tight weave leaves little for a mouse to latch onto, providing an absolutely smooth surface on which your mouse will run with an almost complete lack of drag. It’s meant to appeal to twitchy gamers that demand absolute freedom for fast reflexes to shine, and it’s hard to argue that it hinders in the slightest. I always felt like I could move my mouse with just a featherlight touch in any given occasion. It’s almost too freeing for my tastes.

I leaned deeper into the Control pad. Its priority is absolute precision and accuracy when making plays where being just a pixel’s distance off the mark can mean all the difference. Its weave is more rugged, and it provides a nice, constant resistance on your mouse movement that makes it easier to stop on a dime when you need to hit a crucial target. I certainly found this to be true, and I feel others will, too.

My test case was mostly Valve’s Deadlock. My main characters in the game are Shiv and Holliday. Shiv can play a decent distance game where he throws knives at distant targets to cause damage-over-time. That said, when the chips are down, I like to dive in and get dirty with his shotgun and slice dash, so I need to be fast and twitchy with my moves. My Holliday game focuses on an ability where her headshots do more damage every few seconds, so obviously I need precision to be able to consistently hit small targets at any range.

To that end, I truly found that the Speed and Control pads met a lot of my needs. Speed worked good for Shiv when I needed to be close and twitchy (I also liked using it with Haze in a few games I ended up playing her). That said, I ended up preferring Control because not only did it help with my Holliday headshots, but I was hitting knife throws on Shiv I don’t think I’d as easily hit without the friction the Control pad gives me. My only “meh” on these pads is with the Balance pad. It pushes to be in that happy medium, a one-size-fits-most. That said, I just feel like if you’re coming this far, you probably have a vibe for what you want and I think the lack of specialty on the Balance pad makes it a bit boring.

Is QcK worth the cost?

I truly do think SteelSeries has something pretty cool here. Of course, mileage will vary per gamer because there’s such a tactile feel dictating the worth of these pads. I came in knowing I like precision more than I like speed, so it was easy for me to gravitate towards Control and I think a lot of specialists will feel similar. That said, if you don’t know where you’d land, SteelSeries also has a mini quiz on its website that can gauge your interests and playstyle to help you decide (I also can’t help but notice that Balance is highlighted by answers in the quiz where you don’t feel strongly one way or the other).

Ultimately, I think if you’re a specialist with a certain demand, these pads are well worth considering, and they don’t ask much for the consideration at that. $39.99 for the coverage that even a QcK Performance L size offers feels fair. Just bear in mind that the texture on these pads - especially the Control pad - also means they collect just about everything. You may want to keep a dust cloth or other cleaning supplies on hand to maintain it and keep it from getting dirty. On the bright side, it’s also easy to see when it needs to be cleaned.

A quality tool for those who know what they want

The best approach to the QcK Performance Series mouspads is to come in knowing what you want. If you don’t know what you want, you might not need it. However, I most certainly felt the difference between these and any old run-of-the-mill mousepad I’ve used before. Hitting key shots and targets when I needed to most felt less stressful and more in my hands on the Control pad, but I can appreciate the sheer freedom the Speed pad offers for twitch-happy players as well. I’m not over the moon about the Balance pad, but I think SteelSeries has a great foundation of specialization that should be considered if you’re trying to accentuate a certain playstyle, and it won’t cost you a great deal to get your hands on one.

This review is based on sample products provided by the manufacturer. The SteelSeries QcK Performance Series mousepads are available at SteelSeries.com and partnered retailers now.

TJ Denzer

Senior News Editor

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on BlueSky @JohnnyChugs.