Want to Learn How to Choose a Gaming Mouse?
If you want to choose the best gaming mouse for you, be sure that you do not blindly buy what someone recommends. You want something that is great for you.
Here is what you have to know about choosing a gaming mouse.
The Ergonomic Impact
Gamers spend hours and hours at a time playing games. It is important to feel comfortable as you do this. There is such a thing as hand injury when you are gaming.
You need to buy a gaming mouse that has an ergonomic design, one that fits your personal style. The best gaming mouse grip style for you is not necessarily the one that is best for someone else.
Identify The Best Mouse Grip For You
The things you need to consider are:
- Palm Grip
These are built to perfectly fit in the palm of your hand and are best for high duration use. When you play an MMO game, this is definitely something you want since with such games you need an accurate and delicate glide control.
The mice with a palm grip are wider. They are also the most popular ones on the market right now and are also used for non-gaming.
- Claw Grip
This type of gaming mouse requires a much tighter grip than the palm grip option. It is better suited for RTS games as you often move the mouse over the entire screen. This style makes your hand arch up, so fewer contact points exist. The fingers are practically forming a claw shape. Usually, such a mouse is thinner and shorter.
- Fingertip Grip
This type of mouse is designed so your middle finger, pointer and thumb tips make direct contact with the primary buttons of the mouse. Fingers control movement more than your palm.
Such a gaming mouse is better for competitive PFS games because it allows really fast twitch reactions and movements. They are the shortest and lightest of all mice.
Mouse Weight
Mouse weight is often not considered but this is very important. There are nowadays even manufacturers that create gaming mice that allow users to remove or add weight.
Mouse weight is important since it makes mouse gestures and movement much more precise. It is great for any mouse but it is not actually a fundamental feature.
In the event that you need some extra customization and configuration, this is something to consider. It is just rarely used.
Programmable Buttons
Customizing the additional buttons of the mouse is very valuable in gaming. This allows you to create different configurations based on what game you play. There are games that do not allow you to configure some macro options though so you have to be careful with online gaming. There are games that detect non-supported macros. You can end up banned due to these buttons if you are not careful.
Always be aware of whether or not using programmable buttons is allowed as you play an online game or if it is against the rules.
Gaming Mouse Form
No matter what you might be told, the best way to choose the shape that is perfect for you is to actually try the gaming mouse. If this is not possible, look at ratings and ergonomics. Opting for the funky modern designs that are rare and unique is not necessarily good, no matter what the manufacturers tell you.
As an extra tip, consider making a change in the form of the gaming mouse you use only when you can allow yourself enough time to get used to it. If performance is needed now, you are better off using the mouse form you are already used to.
Gaming Mouse Size
Three gaming mice sizes exist: small, standard and large. You can rarely find a small one these days and the standard option is highly recommended if you want to use the claw grip. If your hand is small, the big mouse is obviously not a good idea. Your goal is to be sure that you can easily move the mouse and get the reactions you need while playing the game you love.
Technical Aspects To Consider
When you buy a gaming mouse you normally first look at the appearance. Then, you need to focus on some technical aspects, which is so often neglected. Do not make this mistake.
You will look at things like cord type or its presence and cord length. But besides this, also analyze the following.
Sensor Types
With gaming mice, you need a laser sensor. There are 3 types, with minimal differences between them:
- Laser
- Optical
- Infrared
When you look at the sensor type, the important thing is to know what is the distance at which the gadget cannot work anymore as it is lifted. You want this to be under 5 mm.
DPI – Points Per Inch
There is a huge debate in the gaming community about the best DPI for gaming mice. At the end of the day, this is a highly subjective topic.
DPI is a measurement of how the mouse discriminates between 2 points. It is normally mentioned as mouse sensitivity.
When you compare a laser mouse with an optical mouse and they both have 2000 DPI, they are equally accurate. Lasers tend to achieve a higher precision though, even if sensitivity is exactly the same.
More Tips When Choosing A Gaming Mouse
Besides what was mentioned above, you should also think about the following:
- Price – This is always an important factor for a gamer. The cheaper gaming mice will be of a lower quality and do not have much research baking them. At the end of the day, you do get exactly what you pay for. You just need to be sure that you do not overpay.
- Left-Handed Mice – People that are left-handed need to be extra careful. Make sure that the mouse you buy was actually manufactured for a left hand user. Alternatively, consider an ambidextrous design.
- Extra Buttons – Most gamers out there do not actually use the extra buttons on the gaming mice, except for the MMO players. If you play MMO games, having these extra buttons can be beneficial. If not, you might simply pay for something that you do not need.
- Mousepad – Never neglect the mousepad. A large article can be written about the best mousepad for gaming but the bottom line with this is that even the best gaming mouse in the world will perform at a substandard level if the mousepad is not good.
