I think I've found my gaming mouse heaven but it's on the other side of the world in Tokyo
At the risk of being known as even more of a dork around these parts, I am now going to publicly admit that I have long fantasised about living near a big mouse and mouse pad testing facility. I'm in possession of enough mice and pads now that I could probably recreate that myself, but not quite. So imagine my joy when I discovered such a thing actually exists. And now imagine my jealousy and disappointment when I discovered it exists halfway across the world, in Tokyo.
It's called the Pulsar Playstore, and it looks like a veritable palace, I tell you. A true wonderland for the rodent rabble. In addition to the numerous mice and pads available for testing, there is also a mouse wall, because why not? So, Japanese folk: congrats. Happy for you. Nice.
It's actually the company's second Playstore in Japan, and it opened at the end of January in the "heart of Tokyo’s premier gaming district, the store is located on the 7th floor of the Sofmap Akiba PC & Digital Store."
This might seem like a bit of corporate buttressing, a little like fawning over an Apple store. But mice and pads are products that are actually very useful to personally test, because how good they feel to use is a very subjective thing.
I suppose one thing that makes Pulsar well-suited to such a retail store layout is the sheer—and to be honest, baffling and overwhelming—number of different SKUs they have. Do you want the X2 CrazyLight? How about the X2H? How about the Mini version? Or the X2N? Why not the X2H360noscope? (Okay, that one's not real.) It might be worth visiting the store just to help wrap your head around the cornucopia of different Pulsar mouse models.
In many ways, I'm glad the store isn't nearby, actually, as I'd probably spend an inordinate amount of time in there trying out mice without ever actually making a decision. I'm not sure they've accounted for shoppers like me.
At any rate, if you happen to be passing through Tokyo and want to check out what gaming mice have to offer these days, without having to rely on second-hand accounts like those from yours truly, I'd say this would be a perfect place to do so. Just don't send me any pictures of you doing so; I don't particularly fancy turning green.