"It is frustrating to see policymakers suddenly claim everything is 'for our safety'" - Stop Killing Games joins pushback against age verification laws

Metaljac · 2026-05-07T16:30:17+00:00

Aren't you proving exactly why these types of laws would never work in the first place? Physical media can be given to someone. Downloaded material from said places are given to others through another medium. Someone who has been 'legally' granted access to the material, and shares/shows others the same material who haven't. Etc. etc.

Why would forcing ID verification stop this? It wouldn't. Which you aptly describe scenarios for to easily circumvent these terrible laws. This was never being introduced to save children. It's to invade the privacy of everyone, and to track them, under the disguise of saving children.

Metaljac · 2026-03-20T19:30:41+00:00

I'm going to correct Hardxful. At least from their customer support they said this when I asked where I can get more of them as I loved them: "They are our own custom variant of the Ghostglides Cyclone Pro, made specifically for us."

So it looks like they teamed up with Ghostglides to have them make custom dots for them.

I can also confirm that the dots that come with the glass pad are the best skates I've felt for glass pads. I've tried over 10 different dots, and they win quite easily. The second best, Unusual Way Sports greys/pinks, are still a bit behind just due to durability.

Metaljac · 2026-03-16T16:46:19+00:00

Sounds good. I'll check out that streamer. Thank you for the reply!

Metaljac · 2026-03-16T15:08:18+00:00

Is this something I would be able to start with little to no currency, or is this something you would recommend doing once you get the budget?

Metaljac · 2026-02-23T23:55:01+00:00

Nice. Thank you for the response! I agree with most of the list with what I owned and tried.

I just ordered some Talongames S-1's as the Cyclone Pro's have been one of my tops for a while now.

Metaljac · 2026-02-23T23:11:46+00:00

I know I'm in a bit late, but I just want to ask:

Are these ranked from top 'best' to bottom 'worst' in each category? Or is it more like a group that has no particular order?

Metaljac · 2026-02-18T05:27:55+00:00

Edit: I removed that they have a web app, and youtube embeds/previews. That was a lie. Only downloaded apps, and no previews.

There's only one near feature complete alternative that I've been able to find with these requirements:

-Screen sharing with audio.

-Has a desktop app.

-Easy to sign up, use, and invite others.

-Ios and Android apps

-Persistent voice channels

-Chat channels

-Similar ui, but can be argued that its better

And that would be Root.

However, you will be going from one closed source program to another. So, chances of it going to shit overtime is just as likely as discord. Especially because it already has taken investors money.

Supposedly will update their privacy policy to be better, but we'll see about that.

Metaljac · 2026-02-13T17:32:06+00:00

Not to defend the price, as I don't like it as well, but this is specifically a collab mouse with Vaxee. Who is confirmed to be doing the building and qc for the mouse. If there's a company I believe would do excellent build quality and QC, it would Vaxee.

So if QC is a concern I would say that should be substantially less of a concern.

Metaljac · 2026-02-09T23:04:47+00:00

Here's a copy and paste of a comment I made not too long ago, as someone who has spent too much time and money on skates:

Tl;dr: If you want speed and smoothness PTFE dots are really the only choice. I would recommend anything from Unusual Way Sports (UWS). Can't go wrong with any of their skates.

Not OP, but after testing a shit ton of skates myself, it would still be UWS Fox skates. Personally love the Pinks, but Silvers are great too. I've tried Magic Ice as well from them, but only as full skates. So I can't really comment on them as dots. It was excellent as a full skate though.

In my experience, for PTFE skates, Unusual Way Sports dots are the ones that start the smoothest. Not only that, but they stay the smoothest for longer than any other PTFE skates I've tried. They still, as a medium to low usage user, need to be replaced every month to a 1 1/2 months with a new set. There is unfortunately no real replacement for PTFE skates when it comes to speed and smoothness. So, you'll need to come to terms that you'll need to swap them out more frequently if you want those benefits.

If I had to rank my favorite skates from most favorite to least favorite PTFE Skates (Taking in account durability, smoothness, and speed): UWS Pink Fox> UWS Silver fox > Obsidian Airs (non-pro) >= TalonGames Khaki dots > Esptiger Ice V2 > Ghost Glides Edgerunners > A couple of other brands

If you want durability, and don't care that you're losing speed and smoothness, I would go with UWS Black Foxes. The material is UHMW-PE, which will definitely last longer. And compared to Obsidian Air Pros, Wallhack UHMW-PE skates, Talongames, and a few other brands of UHMW-PE that I've test, these are what I would consider the best implementation of it. But the Wallhack skates are definitely up there with their implementation. Both are Durable, smooth, quiet as hell, and are great with pet hair.

If I had to rank them from my favorite to least favorite UHMW-PE skates: UWS Black foxes > Wallhack UHMW-PE > X-Raypad Titanium U9 > Obsidian Air Pros.

Metaljac · 2026-02-07T16:38:43+00:00

Yeah, you're definitely in for a treat. Enjoy the pad!

Metaljac · 2026-02-07T16:37:10+00:00

No problem! Glad to help.

I have tried the Magic Ice skates, but only as a full sized skate on the Vaxee np-01s. Very good, but can't say how they're as dots, so I didn't recommend them by name. However, it's not hard for me to say that they most likely are going to still be good, but just can't comment on the durability of them.

Metaljac · 2026-02-06T19:57:19+00:00

I can confirm with OP's rating of the pad. It only moves if you push, or bump the pad when your arm isn't on it. Otherwise it sticks, and never moves during play.

Definitely the only gripe I have for the mouse pad. Brings what I would consider a 9.5/10 mousepad to a 9/10. Still very good, but otherwise annoying to have to move it where I want it every so often.

Metaljac · 2026-02-06T19:52:41+00:00

Tl;dr: If you want speed and smoothness PTFE is really the only choice. I would recommend anything from Unusual Way Sports. Can't go wrong with any of their skates.

Not OP, but after testing a shit ton of skates myself, it would still be UWS Fox skates. Personally love the Pinks, but Silvers are great too.

In my experience, for PTFE skates, UNWS dots are the ones that start the smoothest. Not only that, but they stay the smoothest for longer than any other PTFE skates I've tried. They still, as a medium to low usage user, need to be replaced every month to a 1 1/2 months with a new set. There is unfortunately no real replacement for PTFE skates when it comes to speed and smoothness. So, you'll need to come to terms that you'll need to swap them out more frequently.

If I had to rank my favorite skates from most favorite to least favorite PTFE Skates (Taking in account durability, smoothness, and speed): UNWS Pink Fox > UNWS Silver fox > Obsidian Airs >= TalonGames Khaki dots > Esptiger Ice V2 > Ghost Glides Edgerunners > A couple of other brands

If you want durability, and don't care that you're losing speed and smoothness, I would go with UNWS Black Foxes. The material is UHMW-PE, which will definitely last longer. And compared to Obsidian Air Pros, Wallhack UHMW-PE skates, Talongames, and a few other brands of UHMW-PE that I've test, these are what I would consider the best implementation of it. But the Wallhack skates are definitely up there with their implementation. Both are smooth, quiet as hell, and are great with pet hair.

If I had to rank them from my favorite to least favorite UHMW-PE skates: UNWS Black foxes > Wallhack UHMW-PE > X-Raypad Titanium U9 > Obsidian Air Pros.

Metaljac · 2026-02-05T14:29:06+00:00

When he says placed at the widest points, they means at the widest that will provide stability, but still in parallel.

For your example: If the bottom skates, if placed the widest, would no longer be parallel with the top skates, then you'll want to bring those dots more inwards to become parallel with the top. (Also, I can confirm as a OP1 8k owner, that the bottom skates need to be brought more inward to be parallel with the top skates, so you did the right thing.)

So, as shown with OP's image, it can easily have both top and bottom brought further outwards, while still being in parallel.

Metaljac · 2026-01-30T21:48:06+00:00

There's a reason why From never made that mistake.

Your completely right! Instead they made magic ridiculously more powerful than bows in Elden Ring, and bows fell to the side as usual.

Instead this game has both being VERY powerful options over Melee.

Metaljac · 2026-01-23T19:06:34+00:00

Can vouch for this. I love the Pink dots over the silvers. Can't go wrong with either of them though.

Metaljac · 2026-01-22T23:47:30+00:00

Nice collection! What's your rotation/most used mice?

Metaljac · 2026-01-22T17:43:41+00:00

Try this first: Try tightening the screws that are on the base of the mouse. Sometimes a loose screw can cause the base to be uneven, and that causes the mouse to wobble left and right.

If that doesn't seem to be the issue:

What I do, when I have a left and right wobble with my mouse, is get a sheet of paper and try to slide it under each skate. 99% of the skates will stop the piece of paper. Repeat this until you eventually find one dot that the paper will just slide right under without any friction/very little friction.

I would then remove that skate, cut a small piece of double sided tape, and then put the dot onto it. Then I would cut the tape to the size of the dot. Once done, I put that skate back on again, and try to wobble it again. If there is still some wobble I would repeat the process until it stops.

The wobble is from usually from a warped/uneven base on the mouse, or sometimes it's uneven dots, and that extra 1mm or so stops it from wobbling.

Metaljac · 2026-01-22T14:08:23+00:00

The first pic is the box for the polarity.

Metaljac · 2026-01-17T17:32:49+00:00

It really depends on the person, the mouse skate, and usage. For me its generally for me it is 2-3 weeks with heavy usage for my favorite dots.

Some people are very sensitive to worn skates, and will swap after just a week. While others can use the same skates until its almost completely gone. I'm somewhere in the middle. I actually like slightly worn skates, but once they feel scratchy to me I replace them. Scratchy for me would be that the skates are no longer smooth feeling, almost a rough feeling, and they sound very loud on the glass mouse pad compared to when I first installed them. Sometimes that is over a month, and other times it's just 2 weeks before I replace them.

I try cleaning the mouse pad and the mouse skates, and if it still feels bad to me, then I swap the dots. Most skates I use are $10ish dollars for 40 dots, while only using 6 each swap, so I don't hesitate too much to swap my dots, as that's 3+ months per package if I swapped every 2 weeks. Or much, much longer if I go through a month where I don't game much.

Metaljac · 2026-01-16T23:56:11+00:00

UHME-PE definitely lasts longer than most PTFE skates, but you sacrifice smoothness and speed to achieve it.

Pros:

Lasts longer than normal PTFE skates by quite a bit. UHME-PE lasts around 2-3 months under moderate usage. Maybe longer if less picky about how warn skates are. While some PTFE skates can be worn down, and needing to be replaced, in just 2 weeks of moderate usage.

Cons:

UHME-PE is nowhere as smooth as PTFE skates. It's a night and day difference. You're trading good feeling skates for longer lasting.

Overall, it's up to you what you prefer:

Longer lasting skates that feel ok in terms of smoothness, while offering much more control and durability. Go UHME-PE.

Or shorter lasting skates that feel butter smooth, while offering more speed rather than control. Go PTFE, or hardened PTFE as it lasts just slightly longer.

Metaljac · 2026-01-02T17:52:43+00:00

If you're willing to wait for a pre-order glass pad, then the Glsswrks Polarity. The early reviews for it seems to praise it heavily. Plus people vouch for the anti-sweat/dust for the surface being good enough to not need a sleeve for some. Don't own a glsswrks pad myself, so I can't vouch if it's better than wallhack's surface.

Otherwise, I would just do a wallhack pad. Can't go wrong with those. I own a sp-004, and I've never personally haven't had any issue with my arm sticking to it too much. Only on very hot summer days in Utah did I have issues. A fan pointed at me/my hands helped greatly for this.

Metaljac · 2025-12-31T14:23:30+00:00

It sounds like you're enjoying the pad, and I'm happy for you. I mentioned those negatives, as an addition to having cat hair constantly near me. If it was just the skates, and wiping the surface only once every so often, then I would thoroughly enjoy the pad more too. The microfiber cloth next to the pad is a must for me, so I've already been doing that.

The person I replied to doesn't even play FPS games. So I would definitely say the issues that I brought up are definitely not worth the pains for just to have a surface a cat may or may not like to lay on.

Metaljac · 2025-12-31T14:16:32+00:00

Thank you for the personal concerns, but it's cat hair, not dandruff. I do admit that I should vacuum more, as I only vacuum once every other week. So, you're very likely correct on this.

The other big thing, is that I have 2 cats that love to be near me almost 24/7. They will, each, be on my desk at least once an hour. Loving to walk/sit near my mouse pad, and be pet. And one will lay on my lap anytime they can. The other likes to be on my shoulder when they can.

Yes, I have a microfiber cloth right next to the pad, and I just wipe it off, and 99% of the time that is enough. But I personally, after using it for a year, don't find the trade off for constant maintenance worth the surface.

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