(Interview Series) - We are back with yet another report from Razer, who was anxious to get us answers to our questions (submitted by readers) in a timely manner. The question this time was, "Is there a possibility of having a "Certified List" of sort that lists mousepads that are guaranteed to be compatible with laser mice?"

Before you continue, we recommend you read our other reports that cover the issue of premature laser technology in gaming mice, the issues that users have been facing lately, and what manufacturers are doing to remedy them.

Related Articles:
- Logitech G7 Laser Mouse: An In-Depth Look
- Logitech Talks Laser Technology in Gaming Mice
- Logitech G5 Laser Mouse: The Wired Edition
- Razer’s Strategy Behind Laser Technology in Gaming Mice
- The Woes of Laser Technology in Gaming Mice
- Readers Annoyed with Laser Technology in Gaming Mice
- Razer Recommends Mousepads for Laser Gaming Mice

Razer was upfront and satisfied with the idea, but said that it would take cooperation from a number of mousepad manufacturers to make sure that each and every model in their product line works best with laser technology. So, even though Razer may be open to this option, the sheer amount of work involved and cooperation from a substantial group of manufacturers may not be feasible.

That was Razer’s official reply to us, however, we happen to think that this would be fairly redundant in the long run. Are some users having problems with their laser mice? Yes. But as laser technology matures, and manufacturers get a chance to refine the technology, the compatible mousepad list would be rendered useless. Moreover, there’s no way to generate a fixed compatibility list, as products vary from one manufacturer to another. For instance, Logitech’s laser mice are prone to more surface tracking issues (or compatibility issues) than Razer’s because Razer has issued a firmware upgrade with the necessary tweaks to correct many problems. Therefore, a single "Certified List" would not work with both companies and their product lines. The same scenario applies to other mice manufacturers as well. Besides, as Razer pointed out, this list would not be possible unless mousepad manufacturers work in conjunction with mice manufacturers, and that will require a substantial effort on everyone’s part in terms of manpower, and ultimately, financial support, which we doubt mousepad companies would be interested in.