Can synthetic mousepads cause issues with ungrounded mice?

Yes, synthetic mousepads (nylon, polyester) can cause erratic behavior in mice with capacitive touch sensors due to static buildup, especially if the PC isn’t grounded or you’re on a laptop battery. The fix is to use a grounded mouse, switch to a static-free cloth pad, or touch a metal part of your desk before use. I’ve seen this with Razer and Logitech touch scroll wheels—swapping to a cloth pad fixed it instantly.