Best Gaming Mouse
Likely, this guide may not contain your favorite gaming mouse or the one you have planned to buy, but at the same time, it is possible that in case you have no idea what to buy, here is the best solution for you. It is not easy to find the ideal gaming mouse because this choice depends on your habits, the style of play, and the favorite game genre. An alternative is exceptionally subjective, and that is why we wanted to go into great detail, in this article.
As a good video game enthusiast, have you decided to trash the old mouse from your PC and replace it with one optimized for gaming? Great decision, as gaming peripherals offer performance and functionality that a traditional mouse can never give you. And who said that to buy the best gaming mouse for your taste, you have to spend a fortune?
Of course, if you are unwilling to compromise, the expense to be made is pretty substantial, but now several companies can offer good quality gaming mice even at low prices.
At the end of the page, I will provide you with a long list of gaming mice, but first, let me explain where you need to observe during the process of purchasing a new pointing device for the game.
But don’t worry, because the choice is straightforward and anyone can make it without making mistakes. However, you must know some definitions, such as the meaning of PPE,
what type of socket you usually use, and some characteristics – also aesthetic and not just functional – that distinguish gaming mice from traditional ones designed for productivity. Let’s get started right away!
How to choose the gaming mouse
Let’s start with some general explanations: we believe that only by possessing these concepts can a careful choice be made. A gaming mouse usually boasts superior performance compared to traditional models, precisely because gamers need to make lightning-fast and exact choices. But how do you check the qualities of a mouse? Here are some tips to understand it from the simple datasheet!
Grip
A guide on the mouse to buy cannot separate from the handle. It varies from player to player and depends on the habits developed by each of us during the videogame career.
There are three reference handles palm grip, which requires the palm to be extended entirely on the peripheral; claw grip, with hand arched over the mouse and drooping fingers on the main buttons; fingertip grip (fingertips), the mouse is moved only with the fingertips without resting the entire palm on the peripheral. Usually, the position of the hand, in this case, is slightly back.
Personalization
Many gaming mice on the market allow you to have sufficient room for intervention on the characteristics, even the main ones.
First of all, it is almost always possible to configure the functions associated with programmable buttons on the peripheral through the software. This category includes the possibility of configuring macros or sequences of pressures with well-defined delay times from each other.
But in some cases, it is also possible to vary the weight, ergonomics and even disassemble the peripheral to replace the switches for clarification on how this type of customization works, explaining as clearly as possible.
However, further study must make about switches. As in mechanical keyboards, they have different actuation methods: some can press more quickly, others have an essential resistance.
It is also an utterly subjective preference because overly sensitive mice often cause accidental pressure, while the more resistant ones return non-optimal feedback.
Some mice allow you to even modify the ergonomics, for example, by transforming the device from palm grip to claw grip or vice versa. Moreover, the side buttons can cause annoying accidental presses, and the problem can overcome by replacing the cover with one that inhibits the pressure of the button below.
DPI
Generally expressed in DPI (dots per inch) and indicates the number of pixels by which the mouse moves on the screen about the physical measure expressed in inches of the movement on the support surface. Therefore, the 800 DPI measurement indicates that the mouse moves 800 pixels for each inch on the surface.
For marketing purposes, very often manufacturers focus a lot on the number of DPI: a sensor with high sensitivity, however, does not always correspond to the necessary precision, indeed very often we prefer to play with a low setting in terms of DPI, as we explain in the video.
Opt for mice with the necessary DPI if you have a very high-resolution display, for example, if you need to scroll through a massive map in an RTS.
Players often express themselves in terms of the distance the mouse travels to complete one full-screen turn. This data usually represented with the unit of measurement cm / 360. There are various tools to calculate the cm / 360 for each game on the net, including Mouse Sensitivity.
Sensor
The latest generation mice can equip an optical or laser sensor. The former is usually very precise and reaches increasingly essential speeds. But in some cases, they don’t work on smooth surfaces or glass. On the other hand, laser mice do not cause too smooth surfaces and can work on glass.
To detect movement, mice, be they optical or laser, emit a beam of light reflected on the surface and then return to the sensor. The procedure creates an image stored in the sensor.
For this reason, very often, among the technical specifications, the value of the frames per second that the mouse can manage is indicated. Above all, the data on “IPS” (Inches per second) is essential, that is, the maximum speed at which the mouse can move over the surface before the sensor loses precision and fails to detect.
Based on the user’s time to move the mouse, then, in some instances, the cursor moves differently: this concept is defined within the configuration software as acceleration.
Typically, gamers prefer sensors without acceleration to be sure that their interaction is faithfully reproduced.
The response time is the time taken by the device to receive user input. It is strictly related to the polling rate value, that is, the frequency with which the mouse communicates its position to the operating system. The more frequently this communication occurs, the more responsive the mouse will guarantee.
Equally important, then, is the so-called lift-off distance, i.e., the maximum distance at which the mouse’s movement continues to track. A type of player, defined as a low sensor, loves to move the mouse a lot and raise it to reposition it differently from the initial one. They like to have shallow, lift-off distance values. In contrast, however, high sensors move their hand a little to perform larger cursor shifts.
The mouse sensor then usually integrates a jitter reduction technology, which, in some cases, can cause delays in tracking. With mouse jitter, we mean those irregularities the mouse reproduces, for example,
Due to the presence of dust on the surface, due to an intrinsic imprecision of the sensor, or the degradation of the components again problem communications between peripherals and computer. If you draw a line in an image editor, then in the presence of mouse jitter, it will be irregular and “jittery.”
LED And Software
There are more other features to study when buying a gaming mouse. Many of these are offered with a sceno graphic LED system that provides a more aggressive look. Unlike keyboards, LEDs are utterly useless on mice in functionality; they are just beautiful to look at.
The lighting system can often be customized in colors (if the LEDs are RGB), in brightness, or lighting mode through dedicated buttons or software installed on the computer.
This software is also used to manage each customizable option on the mouse, such as setting the sensitivity, macros, or keys and wheel feedback.
Connectivity
Gamers are usually very demanding, especially when it comes to performance and speed. A minimal delay in the pointing system (input lag) can make the difference between a game won or lost, which is why gaming mice usually interface with the computer with the cable.
The wireless ones are more comfortable, but they could add a delay (almost completely imperceptible) to the user’s command. Precisely for this reason, wireless gaming mice are sold with wireless technologies promoted as extremely fast and performing. If you are not a video game professional, the latter is sufficient too.
Number Of Keys
A vital feature instead is the number of buttons along the body. Many gaming mice have a few more than traditional productivity devices, but how many do they have to be? There is no absolute answer, as it strongly depends on the games you prefer.
Lovers of FPS (First Person Shooter, first-person shooter) prefer a mouse with the ability to change sensitivity on the fly (as I told you before) or with a dedicated “sniper” button that lowers the sensitivity to a specific level to improve the accuracy of the aim.
If you prefer MMOs (Massive Multiplayer Online games), like World of Warcraft, or MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena), like League of Legends, I recommend a mouse with many buttons. Some have even more than 10, even 15, and they are perfect if you play games that need tons of shortcuts.
There are also customizable mice. They usually cost more, but you can do what you want with them, and they adapt to any socket or video game, for example by changing the shape of the body with a system of gears and springs, or the tactile sensation of the keys. If you play all kinds of games, these are the right mice for you.
Wired or wireless
There are some gamer mice, and in this comparison, you will find a few, which operate wirelessly. The fact of moving the peripheral freely on the surface, without the encumbrance that the wire could give, can be particularly welcome.
But the other side of the coin is that the battery can run out, which is extremely annoying if it happens in the middle of a gaming session. There are hybrid solutions that allow both wired and wireless connection through small and simple customizations.
In the case of a wireless mouse, it is also essential to know the connection with the primary system, which can make via Bluetooth or wireless technology, usually at 2.4 GHz.A receiver must be installed on the system, which generally occurs in the form of a USB dongle in wireless technology, while it’s integrated into the system, therefore invisible externally, as regards Bluetooth. As for wireless, we must then analyze the range within which the peripheral continues to work.
