SteelSeries QcK Prism Gaming Mousepad Review

SteelSeries’ biggest strength has always been in their design. Their original headset line may not have had the best drivers, but it had one of the most iconic styles of any gaming headset. Add in the fact that they were durable and dependable and you have one of the best gaming headsets over the past decade.

Naturally, they’ve kept the same standards for their mousepads and mice. Perhaps most impressively, the QcK Prism is a perfect vision of everything SteelSeries stands for: excellent design from start to finish, durability, and an ease of use that’s almost elegant.

The QcK Prism is one of the newer illuminated, RGB mousepads. Out the box, with the standard rainbow configuration, it’s gorgeous. But it gets even better than that. You can set each quadrant’s unique color as well as fade through the SteelSeries’ drivers (which, by the way, gets a nod as the easiest to use peripheral control panel I’ve personally had to experience—and as an avid fan of RGB mice and keyboards, you can trust I’ve used nearly everyone on the market). This takes the Prism from a very good, beautiful mousepad to a brilliant one that’s quite eye-catching.

Another interesting feature about the Prism is it’s a dual-sided mat even though it has an impressive lighting set up. You can play on both sides, going from a micro-textured cloth or a fast-paced hard polymer surface. As any gamer can tell you, the polymer surface wins out, and that’s the only disappointment for the product: it may have been even better had it been a hard, metal gaming surface. As it is, however, it’s still the right texture and density for playing FPS and RTS titles where your exact movements in a game matter.
If it all sounds good to be true, it isn’t. It’s just a rarity these days to have such a satisfying experience out of the box with a product.

But make no mistake: the QcK Prism is an accessory to gaming that’s nearly perfect. Bundle in the price being a modest $59.99 and you have a true paragon of peripherals: a mousepad that’s stunning to look at and functions at peak performance.