Soft surfaces ruin mouse tracking.

Yes.

The sensor on a mouse — optical or laser — expects a flat, consistent surface to track against. A mousepad on a couch or blanket sinks unevenly, creating dips and wrinkles that make the sensor lose its reference point. The cursor will skip, stutter, or drift.

You might think the mousepad itself solves it, but it doesn’t. The pad is flexible, so it just mirrors the softness underneath. The sensor still sees a moving, unstable surface.

If you have to work from the couch, get a rigid lap desk or a clipboard. Something hard and flat. A piece of cardboard from a shipping box works in a pinch.

This is not where you save twelve bucks.