Introduction
SONY INZONE has been putting out new peripherals in collaboration with Fnatic. Since this team is one of the most successful esports teams in the world, people obviously expected a lot. We’ve already reviewed the keyboard and their flagship monitor, and now we’re taking a look at their premium mousepad. Read everything you need to know in our full SONY INZONE Mat-F review.
At A Glance
SONY INZONE MAT-F
Ignoring price, this is a great pad if you’re looking for something that’s different from the usual ‘high static friction, low dynamic friction’ affair. If you can get this on sale (or you’re in the USA, where the MSRP is quite a bit lower than in the EU) then it’s a great one to consider.
Pros
- Interesting glide
- Consistent and reliable base and foam
Cons
- Not very crease-resistant
- Very expensive (at MSRP)
- Doesn’t lay flat immediately
Specs
| Height | 48cm |
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| Length | 40cm |
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| Thickness | 6mm |
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| Stitched edges | Yes |
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| Material | Cloth |
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| Glide | Speed |
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| Static Friction | 39.5 |
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| Static Friction Angle | 6.79 |
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| Glide Difference X/Y | 14.4 |
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| Dynamic Friction | 1.67 |
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First Impressions
First things first: my experience with this pad did not quite match the data that you’ll see in our test results. Usually, the data and my experience with the pad do match up quite well, but this time the test results should be taken with a grain of salt. It could be that the mouse in our testing rig wasn’t heavy enough to truly make the pad ‘come alive’, but it does show that one can’t rely on only numbers when evaluating a product.
Moving on to notable things about the pad, I have to start with the price. Online, I’m seeing it on sale for as low as $29.99 at the time of writing, but it seems like the MSRP in the EU is a whopping €99.99 (and a more reasonable $59.99 in the USA). I don’t usually harp on about prices in reviews, so I won’t do it here either, but you should know that this makes this the most expensive cloth mousepad (based on EU pricing) that I’ve reviewed so far. If I seem more critical than I usually am, that’s part of the reason.
The pad itself doesn’t look like anything special. It is notable that this is a 6mm pad with stitched edges, but otherwise this is a plain black mousepad. I don’t personally mind that, but I do wonder why they didn’t go for a more striking finish (or at least give people the option to get a more striking finish) seeing as they had that beautiful purple fade on the Mat-D. I do realize that this is subjective though, and that pros and competitive gamers (the target audience) don’t really care for fancy designs, generally speaking.
Finish and Overall Quality
Getting the stitching right on a 6mm pad can be quite a daunting task, but SONY INZONE has mostly pulled it off here. Sadly, there is one section with noticeable fraying on my unit. This is quite easily fixed by cutting off the frayed ends, but it’s still not a good look for a premium pad like this.
Thick pads can take a while to lay flat or roll out completely, and that’s also the case here. I had to put my pad underneath some books overnight before it completely flattened, so that might be good to know in case you’re considering purchasing this one.
I also tried to counter-roll it, but that’s not something I would recommend. The SONY INZONE Mat-F isn’t very crease-resistant, and counter-rolling it adds a bunch of creases to the surface that take quite some time to go away. Granted, I did not feel those creases while gliding over them with my mouse, but I would still avoid rolling it too tightly or tucking it away between a bunch of other peripherals without a box.
Performance
Glide
When I first put this pad to the test in actual gaming scenarios, I noticed two things. The first thing was—as I explained already—that the real-life experience didn’t quite live up to the numbers I saw in testing. The SONY INZONE Mat-F feels a bit more controlling than what it looks like in the numbers. The second thing was that it really reminded me of one of my favorite pads of all time: the Fnatic FOCUS 3 MAX.
Much like that pad, the SONY INZONE Mat-F has a rather low static friction in the ‘lab’ with a rather high dynamic friction. This means that making micro-adjustments feels quite smooth, while big swipes give you a lot of resistance comparatively. On the Fnatic pad, the slightest bit of pressure on the mouse causes it to dig in, thus slowing down the pad. Whereas, on the SONY INZONE, the surface feels tighter, and the foam, while not fully hardened, takes quite some force to push in. This means that the speed of the surface is maintained unless you really dig in.
All of this results in a pad that feels quite unique, with pretty fast micro- and small aiming movements and more controlled swipes.
Base and Softness
As I mentioned already, there’s definitely some give to the foam. However, you need to press down quite hard before that actually starts impacting the glide. I am someone who puts a lot of pressure on my mouse in tense scenarios (I’m trying to work on this) and I only really noticed an effect with smaller skates. So if you’re someone who likes to ‘modulate’ their glide by applying various amounts of pressure, you will most likely have to resort to dot skates or smaller skates.
The SlimFlex bottom layer is very mildly textured, but it stays in place well during gameplay. I had no slippage issues with this pad at all.
Everyday Usage
The SONY INZONE Mat-F is not a pad that you can throw around willy-nilly. You’ll want to store it properly, and avoid rolling it up too tightly.
If you do that, however, you’re unlikely to run into any problems. The stitching is sub-surface and is comfortable for long periods of time. The same can be said for the surface. There is a little bit of grit to the top, but unless you’ve got extremely sensitive skin, I don’t think you’ll get annoyed by this.
In general, the Mat-F is a comfortable and pretty well-made pad that feels like it can stand the test of time.
Alternatives
There aren’t that many 6mm pads that I would consider to be a true alternative to the SONY INZONE Mat-F. I think its closest competitor (out of all the pads I have tested, at least) is the Fnatic Focus 3 Max. Given how this SONY INZONE pad was co-developed with Fnatic, that perhaps shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. The Fnatic offers a similar overall gliding sensation, but it has a softer foam and a slightly coarser surface, which results in a pad that feels quite a bit more controlling in practice.
As such, I’d say that you need to decide whether you prefer a more controlling surface or a more speed-oriented surface when deciding between these two.
Conclusion
The SONY INZONE Mat-F is an interesting mousepad. On the one hand, it’s a decently well-finished pad with some minor flaws here and there that offers a glide that’s quite unique. On the other hand, it’s also the most expensive cloth pad I’ve reviewed so far, and that makes those minor flaws more difficult to overlook.
Ignoring price, this is a great pad if you’re looking for something that’s different from the usual ‘high static friction, low dynamic friction’ affair. If you can get this on sale (or you’re in the USA, where the MSRP is quite a bit lower than in the EU) then it’s a great one to consider.
This product was received for free from the manufacturer and given to our reviewer to test and review. Brands and manufacturers have no editorial control over our reviews. For more information, check out our review FAQ.
Former semi-pro gamer turned writer, product reviewer, and community manager.
