Hard plastic vs metallic mouse pads: Hard plastic wins for multi-mouse setups and reliability

Hard plastic is safer for consistent tracking across mice, while metallic pads can cause spin-outs and jitter with older or lower-end sensors. Hard plastic works with almost any optical or laser sensor, but metal is fine if you only use one high-end gaming mouse with a modern sensor like PixArt 3360 or 3370. Don’t let the shiny surface fool you.