X-raypad has been putting out a lot of great mousepads recently, and the Origin Pro line is one of their newest efforts. Released as both a soft and xsoft pad, this control pad can (currently) be bought as either a single color version (black/orange) or a version with a printed design on it called the Cerberus. We’ve sent the latter over to our reviewer to see what he made of it. Read our full X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus review to find out everything you want to know!
At A Glance
X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus Xsoft
The X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus doesn’t offer anything new to the world of (control) mousepads, but it is a premium offering with an interesting glide. The ‘base glide’ is on the faster side (for a control pad) and once you apply a bit of pressure, the pad slows down a lot. The difference between the two is larger than on most pads of the same type, giving this a very interesting glide experience.
Pros
- Extremely smooth surface
- High quality finishing
- Good moisture resistance for a control pad
Cons
- Takes some time to break in
Specs
| Height | 50 |
|---|---|
| Length | 45 |
| Thickness | 4mm |
| Stitched edges | Yes |
| Material | Cloth |
| Glide | Control |
| Static Friction | 47 |
| Static Friction Angle | 8.7 |
| Glide Difference X/Y | 6 |
| Dynamic Friction | 2.23 |
First Impressions
X-raypad wouldn’t be X-raypad if there weren’t multiple versions of this pad available. There are a total of four different versions available at the time of writing. When it comes to speed, they rank (from slowest to fastest) as follows:
- Origin Pro Black/Orange Xsoft
- Origin Pro Cerberus Xsoft
- Origin Pro Black/Orange Soft
- Origin Pro Cerberus Soft
For this review, I have tested the Xsoft Cerberus.
This pad has a striking dark blue/red/black drawing of Cerberus on it. This drawing was made by a Japanese artist called TERU and it’s without a doubt an extremely high quality piece of art. The drawing itself is very detailed, the colors work together beautifully, and the printing is done to a high standard.
I personally prefer ‘calmer’ designs on mousepads but I can definitely say that -on its own- I love the illustration that they’ve used here and the way that it comes to life on the cloth surface. Kudos to X-raypad as well for not releasing yet another anime girl mousepad.
Leaving the printing, design, and overall looks aside for a moment, the Origin Pro also feels like a high quality pad right out of the box. It doesn’t come flat-packed but it laid flat immediately and everything about the pad feels high quality.
Finish and Overall Quality
The Origin Pro is a nicely finished mousepad. The sub-surface stitching is done incredibly well, apart from a small section on the bottom that isn’t visible on the top. At no point on the pad do you feel the stitching scratching at your arm, which is great news for low sensitivity players like myself.
The soft base feels consistent all over, and there are no softer/harder spots or any other inconsistencies on the pad that I got for testing.
Finally -and perhaps most impressively- the surface is also very soft to the touch. Control pads -and especially X-raypad control pads- tend to have a rougher texture which might annoy people with sensitive skin, but that’s not the case here. The X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus has a really soft surface, and I highly doubt that anyone would have any real difficulties using this pad for extended periods of time.
Couple that soft surface with the sub-surface stitching and what you get is one of the more comfortable control pads I’ve tried in recent times. X-raypad have really delivered on the overall quality here.
Performance
Glide
The glide of the X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus comes in two different phases. Due to the printing, the surface of the pad has been treated, so it takes a bit of usage before the pad is broken in. Once you’ve broken the pad in, it gets a tiny bit faster (mostly on the Y axis) and the surface becomes even smoother when gliding.
The final glide is still very much a controlling glide, but with a twist. If you put little to no pressure on your mouse when moving, the Origin Pro Cerberus is on the faster side for a control pad, but once you press down even a little bit, it slows down dramatically.
For reference: our testing setup uses a 200g weight on top of our testing mouse. It came out of those tests as one of the slowest pads we’ve evaluated so far, and that’s true for both dynamic and static friction.
Given the fact that almost everyone puts at least a bit of pressure on their mouse, I’d say that this is very much a controlling mousepad, but your experience may vary depending on your grip style, mouse weight, and mouse skates. Dot skates, for example, tend to dig into the very soft surface a little easier, making the pad feel even slower. This can result in different mice feeling drastically different on this mousepad.
All of this does result in a pleasant glide for me personally. I don’t apply a ton of pressure when tracking, so the surface is smooth enough to allow me to reliably track targets. Once I need to focus on hitting a couple of pixels it gets a little more controlling due to the fact that I instinctively add a bit more pressure to my mouse.
Base and Softness
As I mentioned, the Origin Pro is available in both a Soft and an Xsoft version. I only tested the Xsoft version, and that does live up to its name. The surface has a ton of give; so much so that I even felt the bottom of the pad when using certain mice/skate combos, causing a scratchy feeling.
I personally like soft foams that allow me to modify the resistance of the pad by changing the pressure, but if you want a consistent mousing surface at all times, you should steer clear of the Origin Pro.
The base is made out of a honeycomb polyurethane material, and it does a great job at keeping the pad in place on most surfaces. On my leather-topped desk at home, I sometimes had to reposition the pad after a couple of really intense and long gaming sessions, but I wouldn’t say that there’s an overly annoying amount of movement here.
Everyday Usage
Testing a pad in ‘lab conditions’ is all well and good, but there comes a time where you have to use it in actual gaming scenarios. I did just that and, for me, it’s a bit too fast to be in contention as my new main mousepad. I like (very) controlling mousepads, and the ‘base speed’ (without any pressure applied to the mouse) of the Origin Pro is just a little too fast for me. Whether or not that’s the same for you comes down to your preferences of course, but I’m just saying that you shouldn’t only look at the numbers if you’re considering this mousepad.
Aside from it being not-quite-perfect for me, using the Origin Pro Cerberus has been really enjoyable. It’s comfortable, has a consistent glide, and it handles humidity really nicely. On particularly hot days and sweaty days, you can kind of feel the parts of the pad that are visited most often if you pay attention, but the glide itself doesn’t get impacted in a meaningful way unless you’re sweating buckets.
X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus Alternatives
There’s no shortage of control pads with a soft foam these days, so there are quite a couple of similar alternatives to consider. If you have any questions about the Origin Pro Cerberus versus other pads, feel free to reach out in the comments.
X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus vs Lethal Gaming Gear Saturn Pro
The Lethal Gaming Gear Saturn Pro is perhaps the closest to the Origin Pro of all the pads that I’ve tested. The static friction on the Saturn Pro is a bit lower, whereas its dynamic friction is a touch higher, but on paper they’re very similar. How both of the pads feel ingame comes down to your playing style and gear of choice, as especially the Origin Pro’s glide can vary greatly depending on the amount of pressure that’s being applied to the pad.
Both pads are well-finished control pads, but the Saturn Pro does not have sub-surface stitching like the Origin Pro does. Additionally, the Saturn Pro comes flat-packed and has a stickier base. The Saturn Pro’s base speed (without any pressure applied) also feels lower than that of the Origin Pro. It also has a PORON base, whereas the Origin Pro Cerberus has a PU rubber base.
Choosing between the two will mostly come down to availability and price, I would say.
See our Lethal Gaming Gear Saturn Pro review
X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus vs Endgame Gear EM-C
The Endgame Gear EM-C is another control pad with a soft foam, but it is a bit faster on all fronts than the Origin Pro Cerberus.
The EM-C does not have sub-surface stitching and also has a rougher surface. Additionally, the EM-C does not handle moisture as well as the Origin Pro Cerberus. The EM-C does come flat-packed and has a stickier base than the Origin Pro Cerberus. The EM-C also has a PORON base, whereas the Origin Pro Cerberus has a PU rubber base.
See our Endgame Gear EM-C review
X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus Review – Conclusion
The X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus doesn’t offer anything new to the world of (control) mousepads, but it is a premium offering with an interesting glide. The ‘base glide’ is on the faster side (for a control pad) and once you apply a bit of pressure, the pad slows down a lot. The difference between the two is larger than on most pads of the same type, giving this a very interesting glide experience.
The super soft base is what enables this behavior, so if you’re someone who likes that kind of action from a mousepad, you should definitely take a look at the X-raypad Origin Cerberus Pro. If you want a pad that remains consistent at all times, you should look elsewhere.
In summary, the X-raypad Origin Pro Cerberus is another high quality offering from X-raypad.
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.
