In the following gaming peripherals guide we will talk about mice, especially how to choose a gaming mouse? We want to give you some initial recommendations on the products you need based on your tastes and the type of video game you play.
What characteristics should you take into account before purchasing a peripheral? This is the question we want to help you answer.
Table of Contents
What do I Need and Why?
Before commenting on what gaming mice are and the different types, we will see an important aspect: what do you usually play? Certainly there are generic mice, but sometimes we can count on specialized mice.
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The two most distinguished genres when buying a mouse are: MOBA and Shooter.
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MOBA: Speed and Versatility
If you are a MOBA player (League of Legends, Heroes of Storm, and DOTA 2…) you need speed and great versatility for the large number of actions that you will have to carry out in a short period of time.
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Shooter: Precision and Comfort
If you are a shooter player (Battlefield, Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty, over watch, Fortnight…) you need precision and comfort at all times.
The speed of reaction at all times is the key to victory. Shooter players tend to be especially demanding with mice, as they will take care of the character’s eyes and weapons.
What is a Gaming Mouse?
A gaming mouse is one that makes the difference with any generic mouse and has dedicated features that, used correctly, can swing games in our favor.
Once we are clear about the video game that we want to focus on our tool, the mouse, it’s time to get into technical matters.
The choice of a mouse is built on the do I need and for what? And the Technical Aspects, but these aspects in turn are based on a premise:
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We don’t all have the same hand size, shape and mobility. We don’t even play the same position. We are the factor on which we must base the technical and aesthetic choice of our mouse.
Things You Need to Consider Before Buying a Gaming Mouse
Even our environment plays an important role in our choice. Now let’s check below things you need to consider before buying a gaming mouse.
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Technical aspects
What mouse should I choose if I play LOL? What if I play Rainbow Six Siege? There is a wide variety of mice focused on a specific gender.
The variety of shapes, colors, functionalities, lights, weight, sensitivity… All of this (almost) assures us that we will find our ideal mouse.
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Optical and Laser
What is the difference between an optical and laser mouse? Also what is the speed and accuracy of the mouse?
A laser gaming mouse is usually faster, while an optical one is usually more precise. DPIs appear on the scene.
The DPI provides us with information on the maximum speed reached by the movement of the pointer or on the screen with respect to the movement of the hand.
See Also: Best Claw Grip Mouse for Large Hands
The more DPI, the less we will have to move our hand. The less DPI, the more displacement we will have to do with the hand.
In relation to this aspect, an optical mouse would be the best option for a shooter. The perfect companion will be a speed mat to gain speed.
The laser mouse would then be the best choice for a MOBA, since it gives us more speed and the number of DPI that they usually reach is much higher.
The good news is that all these mice are highly configurable and we can customize their buttons to obtain shortcuts during gameplay. This will allow us to specialize our expertise.
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Configuration and Customization
Who is looking for a gaming mouse, is looking for specialization. Mice are usually focused on one gender, however, the work of adaptation does not end there.
The number of configurable and customizable elements should be one of the highlights when choosing. We are not only referring to the color and lighting pattern to choose from, but also to the number of buttons, their location and the possibility of customization.
How quickly you cast ability in a MOBA or switch to a secondary weapon in a shooter will be very different with and without a mouse shortcut button.
Choosing such a button will not only give us speed, but it will not take away mobility or the possibility of chaining movements.
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Ergonomics
Unless we have a test mouse (on a display, for example), this will be one of the aspects that we will have to choose by eye. Ergonomics is the shape, feel, and size of the mouse.
Choosing good ergonomics with respect to our hand and playing posture will offer us greater comfort and we will be able to avoid injuries.
It is not right to take injuries for long hours of play and bad positions lightly or with laughter. Like any athlete, we will have to take care of our body, specifically those vital parts to play.
The choice of ergonomics is entirely up to us. If you can try it before buying it, it would be better. If you don’t have the possibility, look at comments and ask advice from those who have already purchased it.
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Weight
Certainly weight could be part of ergonomics, but we wanted to dedicate a section to it due to its special importance.
Some mice incorporate a weight system, which allows us to add or remove weight from the mouse. In this way we can make the movement more fluid and/or precise.
This aspect also depends on us: We will have to find the weight of the mouse with which we feel comfortable.
Personally, I prefer mice with a certain weight, I have been uncomfortable with lighter mice for a while.
I always remember Mark Wahlberg’s phrase as Bob Lee Swagger in the movie The Shooter: Slowness gives you precision, precision makes you fast.
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Mats: The Perfect Complement
The complementation with the appropriate mat can make a difference in our experience. There are three types:
- Standard: Like the mice of the same type, it is used for all types of games and is the most common on the market.
- Speed : Thanks to its texture, it gives us greater scrolling speed. This is the recommended choice for MOBA.
- Control: Thanks to its more textured surface, it will give us more precision. This is the one indicated to play shooter and even for graphic design.
The choice of mouse pad should complement the type of mouse we have chosen.
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We live in boom times for gaming peripherals. The market is full of possibilities: Brands and types of mice to choose from. We are not only referring to the technical, but also to the aesthetic.
We are lucky to be able to have a mouse that suits us and to be able to choose its appearance. That’s how big the market is! We encourage you to explore the market.
One last piece of advice: Remember that the mouse is one of the most important tools and the one you are going to use the most as gamers, so don’t skimp on expenses.
Faizan Ali is a Master in Computer Sciences and has been writing content for computing, gaming and mobile technologies since 2016. He has written content for number of online magazines, websites and blogs and now writes for “the buyers trend”. Feel free to contact him for any sort of writing for your technology related blog, website or magazine.