In this post we will explain How to choose a gaming mouse. There are various important aspects that you should know before choosing a gaming mouse.
You’ve come to the perfect place if you’re unsure about which mouse to buy and want to make sure you don’t overlook anything when shopping for a new mouse.
By the end of this essay, you’ll be able to accurately assess the gaming mice that are optimal for your hand’s shape and your preferred genres of games.
So, let’s get started!
How to Choose A Gaming Mouse
Here are some things you should know to choose a good and right gaming mouse:
Mouse Shape
Everyone has various-sized hands and holds their mice in different ways, thus what constitutes a decent mouse form is purely arbitrary.
A good gaming mouse will have a form that works with a variety of grips and sizes.
You need to pinpoint a few aspects of your gaming style in order to find different mice forms that you would enjoy.
Mouse Grip
Choose your preferred grip style and continue from there. The three most popular mouse grip styles are palm, claw, and fingertip.
The optimal mouse should allow you to choose and move without tiring your fingers, thus check that the size of the mouse fits your hand. We divide mice into three categories in our reviews: small, medium, and large hands.
You should aim for a mouse that is roughly 60–70% the size of your hand’s length and width. Therefore, with your fingers tightly clasped, measure the length of your hand from the base to the tip of your middle finger.
Generally speaking, width is more crucial than length. Consider the breadth of the mouse more than its length if it fits your hand size.
Palm grips call for a more precise length fit.
Claw and fingertip grips can fit more people.
You can obtain a decent fit by using dimensions and reading reviews, but nothing beats getting your hands on a mouse and playtesting.
The two main shapes of mice are ambidextrous and ergonomic.
Ambidextrous mice are symmetrical and balanced and can fit either hand, whereas ergonomic forms strive to fit the right hand and have thumb grooves to facilitate pick ups. Both are competent gamers and neither is better than the other. However, some people prefer the ergonomics of ergo mice and others the balance that an ambidextrous mouse offers.
Choose a mouse with a secure form and soft curves for comfort. Not so deeply grooved that you have to hold the mouse in a particular position to use it comfortably.
The Logitech G703, Razer DeathAdder, and Zowie FK1/2 are all generally adored shapes, while the Logitech G Pro and Zowie FK1/2 are both ambidextrous shapes, if you need to start someplace.
Build Quality
Plastic is plastic, right? Yet the materials used to make the mouse play a significant yet underappreciated impact in how it feels. No!
The density and finish of the ABS plastic, which is used to produce the majority of mice, greatly affects the final product. Look for a mouse with material that isn’t overly slippery and that can withstand the sweaty, greasy palms of nerds.
The grips of a mouse are typically made of silicon or rubber. You want the grip to be firm enough to allow you to pick up and move the mouse with ease, but not so firm that it sticks to dust or is painful for your thumb.
When you twist the mouse, it shouldn’t creak, and there shouldn’t be any soft plastic spots. There shouldn’t be any internal rattling when you shake the mouse.
The ideal mouse weighs under 100 grams and has a high build quality. Most gamers find that lighter mice perform better.
In contrast to shape, you can check internet reviews to see if the mouse’s build quality is to your taste and how well it has kept up over use.
Sensor
How do mouse sensors function?
An infrared or red LED strong light is shone down onto a surface protruding from the bottom of the mouse to activate a contemporary optical sensor. A complementary metal-oxide semiconductor sensor receives the returned light. The digital signal processor examines how the light that reflects back changes when you move your mouse to decide how the mouse cursor should move on your screen.
Why is a perfect sensor necessary?
The majority of gaming mice available today have excellent sensors; if you purchase a reputed mouse, you are likely to receive a sensor in perfect condition. The best sensors excel at three crucial areas.
A good sensor will have the features listed below:
- Accurate tracking across a large DPI range
- No jitter
- No acceleration
- No prediction and angle snapping
- No axis asymettry
- A fast poll rate
- Low lift off distance
Only a few sensors may truly be referred to as perfect sensors because they possess all of the aforementioned characteristics.
Here is a glossary of words related to mouse sensors.
Dots per inch (DPI)/Counts per inch (CPI)
DPI is a measurement of a mouse’s sensitivity to movement. Your cursor will go farther every mouse inch as the DPI increases.
Although the perfect DPI for performance is a matter of personal opinion, most professionals prefer a low DPI so they can fine-tune their aim without having to move the mouse by a few millimeters.
The difficulty with some mice at high DPI is that the sensor is no longer tracking one to one to physical movement and employs software to boost sensitivity, which might create inaccuracies. The majority of modern mice are able to track accurately at low DPI.
Jitter
A smooth line on the screen should correspond to a smooth line moved along the mouse pad. The sensor’s inability to monitor can cause jitter. For instance, certain sensors interpolate (fake) greater sensitivity rather than measuring the dots per inch, which typically produces a jumpy mouse pointer.
A sensor may have problems tracking movement if you’re playing on a non-standard surface like glass, which will also cause jitter, or if a speck of dust gets on the sensor’s lense. Use of a mouse pad and airbrushing the sensor clean are quick remedies for both of these issues.
Acceleration
To develop muscle memory for consistency, your mouse movement should always directly correspond to the movement of the cursor.
Software can also try to help by using acceleration, which makes the cursor move faster as you move the mouse. The pointer will be in a different location if you move your mouse 20 cm slowly and with acceleration as opposed to 20 cm fast.
Since it is supposing that you want to travel across the screen, it makes the process easier and more efficient.
Prediction and Angle Snapping
When the mouse’s software (or Windows software) tries to anticipate where you’re trying to travel with the mouse and straightens up your line, this is called prediction.
Angle snapping – what is it?
Angle snapping occurs when a mouse intentionally tries to make your mouse move in a straight line in an attempt to forecast your motions. This prediction will have a significant impact on the precision and fluidity of your aim.
The “Enhance pointer precision” checkbox in your Windows mouse settings—which does exactly the reverse of what it sounds like—is where prediction occurs most frequently. Turn it off.
Why would you want to improve pointer precision?
According to howtogeek, enhancing pointer accuracy is a type of acceleration; when enabled, Windows tracks how quickly you move the mouse and automatically adjusts the sensitivity. This Windows setting, which is automatically enabled as an accessibility feature to support extremely old low DPI mice, should be disabled.
In order to develop muscle memory for mouse flicks and tracking, you need your mouse to act consistently. Enhance gets in the way of this when used for gaming.
Axis Asymmetry
Some defective sensors can monitor movement differently along the x-axis and the y-axis, so a cursor movement from left to right or up to down by one inch may differ from the other. No matter how you move your mouse, it is evident that you want the tracking distances to be consistent.
Polling Rate
The polling rate of a mouse, expressed in Hz, reveals how frequently a mouse communicates with the computer. The more often your mouse communicates with the computer to report on location and tracking, the greater the poll rate. Most contemporary sensors have a good poll rate, which is what you want in a mouse.
Anything above 500 Hz is basically indistinguishable, and most current mice let you set your poll rate. The only drawback to a high poll rate is CPU consumption because your computer now needs to communicate with your mouse more regularly.
Lift off distance
Every sensor has a required minimum lift-off distance in order to function.
When you take up a mouse with a low lift off distance from the surface, it practically immediately stops tracking. To allow you to maneuver while picking up the mouse, a mouse with a higher lift off distance will nevertheless lift the pointer a few millimeters off the ground.
Low DPI/sensitivity players may need to take up the mouse multiple times to complete a full 180-degree rotation; if the sensor follows while the mouse is lifted up, it will interfere with your vision and cause you to lose your line of sight.
Laser vs Optical
For this reason, all contemporary gaming mice use optical rather than laser sensors.
While lasers’ deeper sensing technology allows them to operate on materials like glass, this technology also results in laser sensors detecting even the mouse pad’s fibers, which results in mouse jitter and inaccuracy when all you want to do is move the cursor from point A to point B.
Additionally, laser mice malfunction more slowly, becoming less precise as DPI rises.
List of good mouse sensors
You can be sure that the mouse you’re looking at will track very well if it has any of these sensors. Although every sensor has a useful range of DPI before jitter, these sensors essentially track flawlessly from 100 DPI to 1800 DPI.
Top Tier
- Pixart PMW3366
- Pixart PMW3360
- Pixart PMW3361
- HERO Sensor
- Mercury Sensor
- TrueMove 3 (custom 3360)
- Pixart PMW3389
- Owl Eye (custom 3360)
Good Tier
- Pixart PMW3310
- TrueMove 1
Cord/Cable
The mouse cord’s sole requirements are as follows:
- Keep a reliable connection
- Be flexible and don’t impede mouse movement
- No fraying or weak connections
Beware of mice with thicker cables; while they may prove to be more robust, they may restrict mouse movement.
Mouse Feet
Most stock mouse feet are very decent, but if you want to replace or upgrade your current feet, Hyperglide is a firm that creates great mouse feet for a range of gaming mice models. Mouse feet gradually wear away due to friction.
Mouse feet are simple to replace; all you typically need to do is heat them up with a blow dryer to melt the adhesive and remove the old feet. then swap out for t
The new feet, which ought to be marked with a label. Naturally, you should read the directions for each mouse carefully before replacing the feet because they may vary.
Buttons
There are two major button manufacturers: Omron and Huano. Omron switches are found in the majority of mice and are reliable.
Because Huano switches are a touch firmer and have occasionally had QA problems, they work better in FPS games. If I had to choose, I would choose a mouse with Omron switches just to be cautious.
Each gaming mouse manufacturer adjusts the button tension a little bit differently, so keep an eye out for the button tension that best suits your preferences and the games you enjoy playing.
You should be able to spam click instructions without becoming tired in RTS and MOBAs, therefore you probably want a softer click with a distinct click and little travel.
For shooters (FPS and Third Person), buying a mouse with heavier buttons ensures that you don’t have any unintentional shots or skill firing that gives away position. Of course, this relies on how heavily your hand rests on the mouse in its normal posture. Since you’re not continually clicking with shooters, tiredness shouldn’t be as much of a problem.
All mouse have double clicking concerns, though at different rates, so you should be on the lookout for these.
The amount of buttons is entirely up to you, but unless you’re playing an MMO, I’ve found that the typical configuration of five buttons—left, right, two sides, and a scroll click—is more than sufficient for the majority of games.
Scroll Wheel
A decent scroll wheel should have distinct steps so that you, the player, can tell when you’ve made a mouse input. This is important for games that require you to use the scroll wheel to switch between skills and weapons, or for crouch spamming or bunny hopping in some games.
Noise can be a trade-off for precise stepping; the more precise the mouse wheel, the noisier it might be to wheel through.
Although it isn’t that important because most gaming mice have a good wheel, some scroll wheels have textures to help you get a better grip on them. We appreciate this feature because it lets you truly feel the wheel moving in your finger.
The scroll button should be responsive once you press the middle click and should not wiggle to the right or left (unless it already has those clicks).
Features & Software
RGB Lighting
There isn’t much real instruction for RGB here, but it should have all the standard settings, including color cycling, breathing, brightness level, color change pace, and the ability to modify each part independently. RGB is the main feature that all mouse currently have (aside from Zowie).
Additional capabilities for RGB include the ability to sync RGB with in-game actions or the ability to sync RGB with many devices so they may all share the same color profile.
If keeping your colors in sync is vital to you, go to Logitech, Gigabyte, Asus, and Razer for peripherals because they are the industry leaders in RGB sync solutions.
Wireless
While preventing cables from obstructing your vision and movement, wireless mice enable for a workstation that is much cleaner.
The input lag you would often experience with wireless mouse has been much decreased by modern mice, particularly Logitech mice. Gaming-friendly wireless Logitech mouse include the G704/G403, G900, and G305.
With wireless, battery life is another factor to take into account. Fortunately, most contemporary wireless gaming mice have enough battery life to last through a whole day of gaming while still having the option to switch to corded mode when necessary.
Some gaming mice, like the Corsair MM1000, support Qi wireless charging, while other gaming mice have switched to charging mousepads, allowing the mouse to be charged continuously on the mouse pad.
Weighting System
If you like a heavier mouse, make sure the one you choose includes a weight system that maintains the mouse’s balanced balance.
Reliability & Warranty
Gaming mice naturally malfunction because of their numerous moving components and heavy use, but they should endure for at least two years before they do.
Make sure to seek up “[model] troubles” before purchasing a mouse to discover what kinds of problems other customers have experienced. Keep in mind that only individuals will voice their complaints about a problem; the vast majority of users who experience no problems will remain silent.
The warranties offered by the major gaming mouse manufacturers in the US differ per manufacturer, according to what I could find:
- Logitech: 2-3 years
- Razer: 2 years
- Steelseries: 1 year
- BenQ Zowie: Nothing public, case by case basis?
- Asus: 1 year
- Corsair: 2 years
- Coolermaster: 2 years
- Nixeus: 3 years
- Finalmouse: 3 years
- HyperX: 2 years
- Roccat: 2 years
Mouse Setting Tips
For your gaming experience to be at its best, you need make sure that a few Windows options are disabled.
In Windows 10, turn off mouse acceleration.
You should turn off mouse acceleration in Windows if you want to have a consistent experience and develop your muscle memory.
- Open your Control Panel, select Mouse
- On the popup Mouse Properties, click on the tab Pointer Options
- Uncheck Enhance pointer precision
Middle the mouse pointer’s speed
Any other setting in Windows outside the middle one wastes information or generates coordinate data that is either up-scaled or down-scaled relative to the movement.
The best way to change your mouse speed settings is to alter the sensitivity of the game and the DPI of your mouse.
DPI and Sensitivity Settings
Once they become accustomed to a lower sensitivity level, most individuals aim better.
DPI and sensitivity settings together make up your sensitivity.
You want your mouse to be set between 400 and 1800 DPIs because, despite marketing claims to the contrary, most gaming mice perform best in this range without the aid of software compensation or prediction.
Adjust the sensitivity ranges in accordance with the game. Varying sorts of games demand different sensitivities; for example, PUBG may benefit from a lower sensitivity due to its narrow hitboxes and emphasis on long-range combat.
You might choose a higher sensitivity in comparison to a game like Fortnite with faster mobility.
I advise choosing a starting point and playing for a while at that setting in order to find your sweet spot for sensitivity. Once you’re accustomed to it, consider lowering your DPI setting by 50 or 100 points for a while to see if your aim improves.
For Overwatch and Fortnite, a reasonable starting point may be 800 DPI and 5 sensitivity, and for Overwatch, 0.05 sensitivity. Start there, assess how it feels, then make upward and downward adjustments until you find the ideal setting for you.
