// PC GAMER — GAMING
I've spent four months testing control pads in Counter-Strike and I've finally settled on my fave
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Most gamers enjoy a speedy or balanced feel to their mouse pad, but there are a few of us out there who have a penchant for stopping power. If you're into tactical shooters that require very steady aim plus occasional flicks with a precise stop on your enemy's head, slower control pads are for you.
I've been trying out some different control pads in Counter-Strike 2 for months now and I feel like I'm finally able to draw some solid conclusions over which are best. At least as far as my own fingertips are concerned. Your mileage may of course vary.
Personal favourite: Zowie H-SR IIINoteworthy: Wallhack CR-005
Razer's Gigantus V2 Pro is great if you really have a thing for slow pads and don't much care what you have to sacrifice to get it. The surface, which Razer says was made to match the pro player's NiKo's preference, is indeed very slow—slower than any I've used. This means little chance of accidentally nudging your crosshair out of line when holding an angle.
However, it's a bit too slow for my liking, and I'm saying this as someone who massively prefers control pads to speed ones now for playing CS2. I think the slowness is in part thanks to how soft the pad is as it's noticeably softer than any other I've tried.
But if something super-slow is your thing—and who can argue with one of the best Counter-Strike players of all time?—it'll serve you well. Also note there's even a Max Control version that is, presumably, even slower than this one.
Corsair's new pad is the one I like the least out of those I've tried. That's not to say it's bad, it just doesn't stand out in any particular way. It's smaller than the others and is a little too quick for my liking in a control pad, feeling a bit closer to a regular cloth pad than I'd like. In particular, I notice that with this pad I have to try a little harder to keep my crosshair steady when holding a headshot angle.
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Still, it does look nice and it is slower and more controlled than many other (non-control) options on the market—it's certainly slower than speed pads. If you prefer a little more speed to your control and don't mind your competitive pad being a bit on the smaller side, the MM Pro is a reasonable choice.