We've wrapped our hands around more than our fair share of gaming mice here at Gearlog. And while it's rather puzzling how so many companies can successfully compete in what seems to be a niche market, at least the majority of the mice we've looked at are fairly solidly performing peripherals.

That's all well and good, but if you're a gaming peripheral company like SteelSeries, which doesn't have the same name recognition as Logitech or Microsoft, it means you have to deliver quality products or sink quickly. Considering that the Danish company has been around since 2000, its products can clearly hold their own in a fragfest. But we took the company's latest gaming mouse and surface for a test run, to see how well they stack up against the abundant competition.

There's not a whole lot to be said for the SteelSeries SP gaming surface, other than it works well. A large (12 by 10 inch) rubber-backed plastic pad emblazoned with tasteful abstract designs and the SteelSeries logo, it never once slid around while I was gaming. And the textured surface worked well with the Ikari mouse and a handful of other gaming mice. But if the material or aesthetic isn't exactly what you're looking for, the company sells eight other gaming surfaces of various materials and sizes, with prices ranging from $25 to $60. At $39.99 direct, it isn't cheap, but it certainly feels more upper-class than middle-of-the-road. And if you own a quality gaming mouse, you want a surface to match. You certainly could do worse than the SteelSeries SP gaming pad.

Things aren't that cut-and-dry for the company's Ikari Laser gaming mouse, however. It has its good points, including an uber-precise sensor, and is quite comfortable in the (right) hand, but overall its build feels a bit cheap for the hefty $89.99 asking price.

Over several hours of gaming--primarily with Penumbria, which requires some deft mouse maneuvers--the Ikari performed very well. A bottom-mounted LCD shows the dialed-in sensitivity, and the included software allows for an incredible 3,200 selectable levels of sensitivity. Combine that with seven levels of FreeMove selection, which attempts to compensate for exaggerated wrist movements, and the Ikari Laser Mouse is a tweaker's delight. Added to the Ikari's 40,000 samples per second, the sensor in this mouse might be the most precise on the (relatively saturated) gaming peripheral market.

The Ikari feels good in the hand, with the two programmable thumb buttons in just the right place so they're out of the way, and large and tactile enough that they're easy to find when you need them. But unlike Razer's gaming mice, the Ikari isn't symmetrical, so lefties are out of luck.

One potential issue with this mouse is visual flair, or lack thereof. Sitting on a desk, the Ikari looks like a run-of-the-mill desktop mouse. While function is certainly more crucial than form, competing mice from Microsoft and Razer easily look more interesting than the matte-black Ikari. Sure, it's purely a matter of taste, but sitting next to its many competitors, the Ikari Laser looks fairly bland.

It certainly has the goods under the hood, but with companies such as Microsoft, Razer, Saitek, and Logitech making gaming mice with blinking LEDs, adjustable weights and even titanium shells, the Ikari Laser Mouse looks a bit bland and feels a bit cheap to justify its $89.99 price tag. But if you're a right-handed gamer who prefers your desktop looking more like it belongs in an office than a rave, the SteelSeries Ikari Laser Mouse might be the best choice for you.

Both the SP gaming surface and the Ikari Laser mouse are available now, direct from SteelSeries.

Post by Matt Safford