When Sony first introduced its InZone range of gaming gear, you couldn’t accuse it of aiming low. The PlayStation creator’s monitors and headsets were out to take on the established names, with prices to match. The line-up expanded earlier this year in the same vein, with mice, keyboards and this: a mouse mat that’ll set you back almost three figures. That’s right, the InZone Mat-F costs a whopping £89 in the UK.
Is it especially whizz-bang for that kind of cash? Not particularly. The 480x400mm mat isn’t especially huge, is made from fabric rather than anything exotic like glass or metal, and doesn’t have any kind of RGB illumination – rivals that do are the only alternatives that command equally high prices at PC gaming specialist Overclockers. There’s no desk pad version with room for your keyboard, and no eye-catching design. Just a subtle InZone logo in the bottom right corner.
Sony will tell you that it was developed from the ground up with esports team Fnatic, and optimised for first person shooters. That the surface texture is speedy when you want rapid swipes but with enough friction for instant stops, and that the “SlimFlex” material on its base gives a suction-like grip to your desk. But was my Battlefield 6 K/D ratio genuinely any better with the Mat-F underneath my Deathadder V4 Pro? Not to any noticeable degree.
It doesn’t move around my desk during hectic skirmishes – but neither did the Glorious GMP V2 I was using previously. A mat that costs a fifth of the Sony. Perhaps professional gamers will feel the difference, but I’m betting 99% of Sony’s InZone audience aren’t drawing a salary based on their Counter Strike 2 abilities.
I don’t deny it’s well made. I haven’t spotted a single fray to the edge stitching, and none of the corners have curled up at all. The 6mm padding is also especially kind to my wrist, being twice as thick as my usual mouse mat and with plenty of cushioning. But not £89 of the stuff.
Perhaps Brits are just getting the raw end of the deal here. In the US, Best Buy wants just $60, making it much easier to recommend over rivals that aren’t nearly as generous with the padding.
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