This guide wont cover any specific brands or give advice on prices but cover the fundamentals of a Gaming Mouse and what design concious gamers should look for when buying one.
Generally your first and second gaming mouse will be a quick, rash decision made while picking the “more important” internals for your self build or gaming PC order, but after some time of using the options out there you will start to consider what mouse is good for you and why, that’s where this guide comes in.
Optical vs Laser
First lets consider what the difference is between these two technologies (there is also obviously traditional ball mice to consider but these are largely obsolete now after being developed in the early 70′s).
Optical mice are more common and use a red LED light to track movement. Think of this like an extremely fast camera, it fires the red light at the surface which then reflects back onto the mouse sensor which analyses the “picture” to see if the surface has changed between LED flashes, if the surface has changed it tells the computer to move the cursor. This is obviously quite a simplified explanation but it will serve for the purposes of this guide.
Optical mice have a general DPI (dots per inch) of between 400 and 800. The higher the DPI the more accurate the mouse movements.
Laser mice are coming up in the market quickly and are nearing the standard for high end gaming mice today. A laser mouse uses a similar tracking procedure to the optical mouse however it uses a tight beam laser as a light source and is therefore capable of much greater accuracy. You should however make sure that the laser mouse you choose offers “DPI on the fly”, this will allow you to quickly adjust your DPI up or down via a control on the mouse, usually it is two buttons which are easy to reach, this will let you lower your DPI for desktop browsing and raise it for in game accuracy.
Laser mice have a typical DPI of 2000 Plus which makes them excellent for precision movements, used mostly by graphic designers so that they can move one pixel on the screen, also excellent for the accurate gamer to get a headshot on the top of a head poking out behind a box.
Choosing between Optical and Laser is really down to personal preference, a laser mouse will work on almost any surface while an optical mouse will struggle on reflective surfaces, this rules out some of the new glass mouse mats available. If you feel you have a strong knack for accuracy it might be worth parting with the extra cash for a laser mouse.
You can tell the difference between them by holding the mouse up off the surface slightly, an optical mouse will emit a red light on the surface while a laser mouse will not, this is because the laser beam is invisible.
Wired or Wireless
Gone are the days where players would not even consider a wireless mouse. Latency and battery life were once the bane of a gamer but modern wireless mice have come a long way and offer excellent battery life and almost zero latency now.
Consider how often your use your mouse and if charging will become a pain, also seriously consider whether you need a wireless mouse as they are more expensive and ultimately will require more maintenance and fuss. The benefit of course is that you will not have a cable getting in the way of your movements, and with modern wireless mouse being roughly the same size as conventional wired mouse they feel the same in your hand. If you find the cable becoming a bother you can get yourself a “mouse bungee” which will hook the cable up in front of your mouse surface and allow you more freedom.
Hand Position
There are two main types of grip position on the mouse, you might not have thought about this but check how you are holding your mouse right now and you can probably classify yourself right away.
The Claw
This is where you grip the mouse with your thumb and pinky, rest your wrist on the table and use small movements to control the mouse while keeping your wrist in place on the mouse surface. I used to think that this was the least used mouse position and it possibly was 5 years ago but I have noticed more and more people using “the claw” recently.
The Palm
This is the more traditional way of holding onto your mouse, this is where the user places their entire palm on top of the curve of the mouse with fingers straight out on the buttons and then uses his/her entire arm to move the mouse around on the surface, competitive players using this method can be identified at events by massive mouse surfaces and sweeping movements on low sensitivity.
There is no right and wrong here, it is simply how you feel the most natural when holding your mouse. This should however strongly influence your choice when buying a new mouse, people using “the claw” should find a mouse that is short in general length and often a flatter top surface also helps. People using “the palm” should look for a mouse with a nice top surface area which they can use to place their hand on, if you feel uncomfortable with your new mouse take a look at how you are holding it, this will generally be the issue.
Other Gadgets To Look Out For
Like all commercialised products on the market gaming mice now come with a plethora of gadgets and gimmicks to lure potential buyers in. Some are useful and some aren’t so much.
Some useful things to look out for are:
Adjustable weights, most high end gaming mice now come with a small package of weights which can be added or removed from the base of the mouse, this should not be overlooked as the perfect mouse is different for every person, the ability to change the weight of your mouse is just another way to personalise it to your taste, try out a few combinations and find which is best for you.
Adjustable buttons, when buying a mouse check if the position of the “thumb” buttons can be adjusted, many mice offer this option and depending on your hand position you can tailor the mouse to your grip so that these side buttons are more useful and accessible.
DPI On the Fly, one of the most important features for a lot of users is the ability to switch DPI when in and out of game easily, this can turn a great mouse into a disaster if not done correctly.
Feet, have a good look at the bottom of the mouse and see how the feet are attached because after 10,000 movements (which is really no time at all with a mouse) those feet will look battered and worn, check what they are made from, they need to be firm and secure, generally they are glued on – make sure they are on tight and not just going to fall off or move about over time.
Bundled Software, mouse related software is becoming more complex with users being able to store profiles and even adjust polling, please be aware that there are issues related to polling changes, more information on polling is available in this great article.
Conclusion
When choosing a mouse you should always try your best to “try before you buy”. Even if you don’t plan to buy the mouse from a high-street retailer you should always try a mouse out at least once before you part with your money, it could look fantastic on the internet with hundreds of flashing lights and sound effects.. a disco in your hand if you will.. but if it gets to you at home and its uncomfortable it will just be a waste of time which could haunt you for years.
Decide between laser and optical, wired or wireless, check your hand position on the mouse, do some research, try before you buy and check for additional options. Remember that there are hundreds of different types of gaming mice on the market and you should not just pick the first one on the list of your favourite internet shop, do some shopping around and find the one perfect for you.
