Get a smooth cloth pad for high-DPI gaming.

Yes, you want a consistent, low-friction surface—cloth or hard, but skip anything with patterns or grit.

Pixel skipping at 16000+ DPI isn’t about DPI itself; it’s about sensor jitter from inconsistent tracking. If the mousepad has uneven weave, shiny spots, or rough texture, the sensor gets confused and skips. A smooth cloth pad (like a Steelseries QcK or Artisan Zero) gives the sensor a uniform surface to work with. Hard pads can work too, but they need to be matte—glossy surfaces cause reflections that mess with optical sensors.

Avoid: cheap pads with printed designs, textured plastic, or “speed” coatings that wear unevenly.

Your sensor expects a flat, predictable world. Give it one.