SteelSeries announces Qck Prism dual-surface RGB mouse mat

Gaming peripherals specialist SteelSeries claims to have made a better mouse mat, creating what it says is the 'world's first dual-surface RGB illuminated mousepad' in the form of the Qck Prism.

Make a better mousetrap, the saying goes, and the world will beat a path to your door; SteelSeries is clearly hoping for similar reaction from gamers for the Qck Prism, which it bills as a world-first mouse mat with integrated programmable RGB LED lighting. 'Every aspect of this peripheral was built with purpose,' burbled SteelSeries' Jason Christian, apparently in an effort to distinguish it from products which are built without purpose. 'It delivers premium surface performance with brilliant lighting and zero mouse cable interference.'

The key modification which brings the Qck Prism above rival light-up mouse mats, the company claims, is the positioning of the cable which provides power and data connectivity for the RGB LED strips: Rather than exiting the mat from the upper edge, where it can interfere with the mouse cable, it exits from the left side - something which may make it unsuitable for those who prefer to operate their mouse left-handed.

The Qck Prism also includes two functional mousing surfaces. The upper side is finished in a micro-textured cloth, while the lower side is finished in a hard polymer - though flipping the mat over does hide the RGB LED strips and flip the cable to the right-hand edge. The LEDs, meanwhile, are located in strips around the edges of the upper surface and are programmable in a 12-zone split. Support for SteelSeries' GameSense software is included, allowing the lights to change colour or animate according to in-game activity such as low health or cool-down timers, as is Prism Sync for configuration alongside the company's other Prism-compatible RGB LED devices.

All this, naturally, brings the price of the Qck Prism considerably above a plain-old cloth pad: SteelSeries has launched the device at £69.99 (including VAT), with more information available on the official product page.