QPAD’s very finest gaming pad is up for review today. We discover just how precise the XT-R can be, and whether it’s worth the money over other pads currently on the market.

QPAD’s very finest gaming pad is up for review today. We discover just how precise the XT-R can be, and whether it’s worth the money over other pads currently on the market.

You will have noticed we have reviewed QPAD products in the past. We were impressed with the level of quality and QPAD remains a company with a good standing point in the online games industry.

A few words from QPAD’s website:

QPAD built its success on a grassroots commitment to the gaming community. Like you, we thrive in the madness of competition and embrace the free spirit of gaming. Our sponsorship of the Q Tour, communities, cups, tournaments, teams and LAN parties reflects this commitment. The knowledge we’ve gained has fed into our development of high quality products that have a great performance and given many a winning edge.



We have been kindly given the XT-R to review today, this by all accounts is their premium plastic gaming pad so as you can expect I was very much looking forward to doing this review. Turn the pages to find out how the XT-R fares in this gaming affair.

Packaging and Design

Website: www.qpad.se
Price: £20-26

The XT-R comes in a large white tin. The pad itself sits inside a foam surround along with 2 badges which are included in the package. Presentation here has clearly been thought of. It is my belief that packaging is an extension of the product. It must communicate the passion and commitment to what’s inside the box. There’s not much exciting about a tin and some foam. But QPAD have managed to inspire with this neat and classy packaging idea.




Most notably is the shape of the pad. This moves away from the popular rectangular design which we see with most pads on the market. The surface of the XT-R is made of a material known as “Carbytek” it is smooth, tough and the pad itself lightweight. Making it ideal for a gaming pad. Easy to pack away and take to LAN, tough enough for constant daily use and smooth enough to allow precise tracking whilst enjoying an action packed game.

The design of this pad is fairly neutral. It will go excellently with the typical black peripherals found on any gamer’s desk. The dark grey Q logo of the QPAD brand is a nice compliment to the pad. It looks professional and modern. One other thing to notice about the XT-R is that all the edges are smoothed off to ensure that full comfort is accomplished. This is important for gamers who spend hours in games on a daily basis.

Performance and Conclusion

Flipping the pad over 8 rubber feet are seen. These feet offer good holding support. You will find it hard to move the pad itself – the last thing you want when playing a game is for the pad to move. This is especially important to those who take their online gaming seriously, movement of the pad can cause your aim to stray which of course leads to defeat!

With the XT-R there are some Glidz bundled with the package. Glidz help enhance traction and in previous reviews we have used them and can say that they are a useful little addition to your mouse. In this review I used the Logitech MX-518 which suited the pad and the Glidz very well.



To test this pad I played a group of games for just under 2 hours. The games played were:

Unreal Tournament 3
Crysis Warhead
Age of Empires

I can say that the whole gaming experience was very pleasing. There was quite a leap in difference over using any other pad and especially when just using the bare desk. The surface is just so durable, even and precise. It really does enhance the games I played, it made them that bit more enjoyable. The only downside really is the size of this mat, it could do with being slightly bigger. I didn’t have any problems but low-sense gamer’s will probably feel the overall surface area needs to be bigger.

What I like especially about this pad is that It’s so easy to clean. All it takes is a few wipes and It’s fresh again. I’d give the material a thumbs up, It’s definitely a lot better than other pads I’ve used for the simple reason that other pads mark so easily but the XT-R doesn’t at all.

Conclusion

To conclude then, the QPAD XT-R is definitely a high-end gaming surface. It provides excellent traction and glide and will last you an awful long time due to the high quality of materials that have been used to produce this pad. I found the XT-R impressive from all angles and I would highly recommend this to the hardcore gamer who requires a top of the range pad, that looks, performs and lasts.

I would like to thank QPAD again for supplying us with this pad.