Since the dawn of computer games there has been a drive to improve the way we interact with games. There have been numerous different input methods, including joysticks, gamepads, steering wheels, and even mech control centers complete with hundreds of buttons. Aside from all that, the best input method is still the gaming mouse and keyboard.
Now you are surely wondering, “with so many options on the market, how do I know which mouse to buy?”. This is purely a matter of personal taste, but I can help you learn how to choose the best gaming mouse for you by considering just four qualities when deciding on your best gaming mouse. The qualities are: level of customization, functionality, number of buttons and DPI.
Customization is very important because you can change the way your mouse feels in your hand, making you feel one with your game or not. One of my favorite gaming mice is the cyborg RAT 7 gaming mouse. This mouse has the ability to change the weight of the mouse to make it feel heavy or light in your hand. The length of the mouse can also be adjusted by sliding a piece of plastic on the bottom of the mouse forwards or backwards. Also, you can modify the thumb and pinky rests on the mouse so your hand won’t feel tired after long gaming sessions. All of this is important because it affects how you interact with the mouse, but when you’re trying to play a computer game with the highest precision, that’s where functionality comes into play.
Different computer mice have different levels of functionality. Some features are designed for specific games. With the RAT 7 mouse, there’s a sniper button that lowers the DPI in case you’re playing a first-person shooter and want to increase your accuracy. This feature, and all other features, are generally controlled by the firmware included with the mouse. With most good computer gaming mice, you’ll be able to have multiple profiles where you can tweak everything, including macros, quick commands for faster gameplay, buttons mapping. With the Razer Naga Epic Gaming Mouse, there are 12 buttons on the left of the mouse that can be specifically assigned to cast different spells when playing games like World of Warcraft or Everquest. Basically, the functionality of a mouse largely depends on the firmware that comes with it and how well that firmware allows you to change how the mouse buttons are used.
Mouse buttons and DPI are the two most important things to consider when choosing the ideal gaming mouse for you. Personally, I love playing World of Warcraft, so I chose a mouse with 17+ buttons that can be remapped however I like. However, if you’re playing a first-person shooter like Call of Duty or Counterstrike, the number of buttons isn’t as important as the DPI of the mouse. DPI stands for Dots Per Inch, and in technical terms it translates to the number of steps the mouse will report back to the computer when it moves one inch. For fast speed and fast shooting, the higher the DPI the better, with some mice these days going as high as 8600 DPI. However, as I wrote above, when shooting or doing something that requires greater precision than speed, it’s important to choose a mouse that can lower its DPI to a lower number like 800-1000 DPI for slower, more precise movement.
I hope this article has helped you become a more discerning gaming mouse shopper. Now stop reading and get back to your games!