Razer Megasoma Gaming Mouse Pad Review
Total Rating: 
(2.8 / 5.0)
Performance: 
Value: 
Durability: 
Recommendation: We were skeptical of the Megasoma at first… and we were right to be. With serious durability issues, the mouse pad is impossible to recommend to anyone who thinks about cost.
Standard retail: $49.99
Check price on Amazon
Specifications:
- Material: Silicon hard/soft combination
- Size: 13.78″ x 9.06″ x .08″ (350mm x 230mm x 2mm)
- Works with: Laser and Optical
- Surface texture: Very smooth
What we liked:
- Fantastic precision and accuracy on most mice
- Combines the features of a soft and hard mouse pad
- Large size makes it great for high or low-sensitivity gaming
- Comfortable and portable
What we disliked:
- Expensive
- Does not work with some mice (especially non-Razer mice)
- Low value: durability is poor, especially for the price
Razer typically names their mice after snakes, but the Megasoma, like some of their other mouse pads, is named after a beetle the size of a human hand. I felt much the same about the Razer’s Megasoma as I feel about beetles: meh.
You know how you start researching something, get side-tracked, then spend an hour looking for beetles instead of mouse pad research? Well, check out the massive beetle picture at the end of the page. IT’S ANUB’ ARAK! Where is that Pokeball when I need it? It bears a striking resemblance to your mother-in-law! Back to the Megasoma, though – the mouse pad, not the beetle.
The first thing we do with a mouse pad is try all the mice we can get our hands on. It worked fine with the Logitech G500 and tracked perfectly with the Razer Lachesis and Mamba. In fact, it was supremely accurate, and made the most of the Mamba’s high-DPI sensor.
We were getting excited about the Megasoma pad, but then we turned to read what people who had bought the mouse pad were saying. First, there are conflicting reports of the Logitech G5 – a mouse that is no longer sold – not working on the Megasoma. The G5 (replaced with the G500) was a big seller, so this impacts many people.
More disappointingly, we learned that the Megasoma has horrible durability ratings from consumers. As far as mouse pads go, it’s hard to find a pad that loses its edge more quickly. Normally, when a pad wears down, it just becomes a little too smooth or too rough in the middle, making it inconsistent. With the Megasoma, the top layer peals off, but the underlying layer is sticky! This makes it totally unacceptable for gaming purposes.
In summary, the Razer Megasoma is an extremely high-performance mouse pad with excellent tracking, but I do not recommend it to anyone, as it becomes completely unusable in only 3-6 months. It’s a pity that Razer discontinued the low-durability eXactmat only to create another sub-standard product.
We believe that Razer was attempting to mimic the success of the hard/soft hybrid Steelseries 5L, but I’m sorry to say that Razer has failed in that regard. The 5L offers similar features, but will last six to ten times as long for a similar or lower price. On the other hand, the retail packaging on Razer Megasoma is about ten times cooler:
Go to the mouse pad review main page
View the Steelseries 5L on Amazon
Here’s the beetle I was telling you about!
