You don't see hardware articles covering mousepads very often, but when you're presented with the Ferrari of mousepads, there's no way to resist.

From the very beginning of gaming, the way we interact with the objects that we see on our screen – whether they’re Pong paddles or Modern Warfare machine guns – has been augmented by the peripherals we use to control those items. Anyone who’s ever tried playing on a foreign controller, mouse, or keyboard knows exactly what we’re talking about, so finding that perfect piece of gaming hardware is key to an engrossing playing experience.

Even though ZAM continues to be a site that focuses squarely on games and the people who play them, every so often it makes sense that we take a step back and check out products that we feel are important to truly enjoy your experience. Recently, we had the opportunity to check out Razer’s latest high caliber mousepad entry, the Vespula, and we’re pleased to report our “gamer impressions” to our readers.

In many regards, the Vespula has exactly what most gamers would want in a peripheral: options. Unlike most mousepads that you see on the market these days, the Razer product does not try to sell itself on fancy graphics or over-the-top flash-and-bang, but instead relies on a fairly simple solution to a hardcore gamer problem… do you want a mousepad that allows for quick sliding across its surface, or do you want something that’s a bit more textured, allowing for greater control?

To solve this probem, the Razer Vespula actually comes in two parts. On the bottom, you have what I call the “grip pad” which provides the foundation and desktop gripability to the surface. The top, however, is a relatively weighty piece of hardened plastic sandwiched between two mouse textures. One mousing texture (which has a convenient “fast” speedometer icon on it) represents the slicker, faster side, while the other side is the rougher, more control oriented mousing side.

Obviously every gamer has different preferences when it comes to the surface to mouse feel, but I’m much more of a speed option sort of guy, so I immediately switched to the fast side and really have had few complaints ever since. The texture itself is great and whenever I put a drink or something on the surface, I don’t get the visible wear that I might from a more graphics-oriented gamepad. Additionally, the form-fitting, gel-wristguard is a nice addition (this is located on the “foundation” of the pad) and definitely helps keep those long gaming sessions comfortable.

My only complaints concerning the Vespula stem from a cosmetic (but ultimately important in a desktop accessory) addition that Razer included on the pad. On each of the four corners of the plastic, texture surface are these rubber grips that provide an additional level of stability to the mousepads structure. While these are great for stability, they’re dyed in the standard Razer green. While this certainly makes it a Razer-branded product, the green grips just seem to really stand out against the black and gray design of the rest of the pad.

However, that criticism is fairly nit-picky, and overall the mousepad definitely serves its purpose and then some. The $34.99 price tag is a bit much for a mousepad, but it’s definitely the Ferrari of mouse-based surfaces.