The Importance of Shape
The most important, and incidentally the hardest thing to get right when choosing a new gaming mouse is finding one that is the most comfortable. The best way to solve this conundrum is to think about how you grip your current mouse. Despite us all having different shape and size hands, most people hold a mouse in one of three grips, and so different mice are designed for these three grip styles.
Red areas highlight where your hand and fingers are in actual contact with the mouse.
Palm Grip
The palm grip is the most popular way to hold a mouse and as the name suggests you rest your palm and fingers on the top and sides of the mouse. Mice designed for the palm grip tend to be wider, longer and have a steeper top arch to provide your hand with more support. Palm mice provide accurate control but are less suitable for repeated rapid movements.
Claw Grip
The claw grip is a lighter version of the palm grip, but with your palm and fingers lifted off the mouse, leaving just your fingertips and wrist in contact with the mouse. Mice designed for the claw grip tend to be shorter than palm mice with a shallower top arch. Claw mice enable faster movement than palm mice.
Tip Grip
As its name suggest the fingertip grip means holding onto the mouse with just your fingertips. Mice designed for the fingertip grip are normally very light and very short with the flattest arch of the three mouse shapes. Due to the limited contact between the hand and mouse, fingertip mice are the quickest to move around but are less suited to precise and delicate movements.
Gaming Mouse Features
Now that you've decided which shape of mouse you want the rest of this guide will walk you through what else to consider when choosing a new gaming mouse.
Wired Vs Wireless Mice
Gaming mice connect to your PC in one of two main ways, wired or wireless. When first introduced, wireless mice had higher latency than wired mice, but this really isn’t the case anymore, high-end wireless mice are competitive with wired mice. The decision on which to buy is more a matter of a taste now, as explained below.
Wired Mice
Wired gaming mice are the most common type, using a long cable to plug into a USB Type A port. Wired gaming mice are cheap, simple and available in a huge range of styles, but some people find the cable clutter unsightly and annoying.
Wireless Mice
Wireless gaming mice connect to your PC via a dongle that plugs into a USB Type A port. This reduces cable clutter, although you’ll need to recharge the battery inside the mouse every few days via a USB cable. Wireless mice are a little heavier and more expensive than wired mice.
| Wired | Wireless | |
|---|---|---|
| Pros |
|
Cable free during everyday use |
| Cons | Cable clutter |
|
Weight
While most gamers favour mice around 100g in weight, everybody has different strength hands and wrists. For example, a recent trend is super lightweight mice, with some tipping the scales less than 60g. Being lighter, these mice help reduce fatigue from fast movements.
If you’re not sure what’s right for you it’s worth considering an adjustable weight mouse. These have removable weights, enabling you to increase or decrease the weight and balance to whatever you find the most comfortable.
For example, the highly configurable Corsair Nightsword gaming mouse has two sets of weights and six mounting locations for a possible 120 different combinations of weight and balance.
| Weight Range | Use Cases |
|---|---|
| Light (≤ 60g) | Pro gamers, FPS |
| Medium (61 - 100g) | Most games |
| Heavy (≥ 100g) | MMO, strategy games |
The Great DPI Myth
Some gaming mouse manufacturers claim outrageously high DPI numbers in the tens of thousands to try and differentiate their mice from competitors. In reality, while the DPI of a mouse is important, such huge numbers are actually pretty meaningless when gaming. DPI, dots per inch, sometimes also referred to as CPI, counts per inch, is the measure of how sensitive a mouse is, with a higher number meaning the mouse will smoothly respond to small and precise movements. However, most games and mice will not benefit from such a high DPI as it could cause you to overshoot in your movements and miss enemies in an FPS or hit the wrong menu item in an MMO or RTS. For this reason we recommend using a DPI setting of between 400 and 1600 when gaming.
Fortunately, you can adjust the DPI rate of high-end mice using the bundled software. The best mice also include a button that enables you to switch between different DPI pre-sets, for those rare instances, such as taking a sniper shot in an FPS or some precise work in Photoshop, when a high DPI rate is beneficial.
Ultimately, the quality of the sensors used to track movement is more important than a ludicrously higher DPI/CPI number.
Although not all brands specify these values in their datasheets, it’s also worth keeping an eye on the following specs:
| Spec | Description |
|---|---|
| Acceleration | Measured in g, is a measure of how the sensors accurately track movement at different speeds. This is important when gaming as moving 10cm quickly across a mouse mat will affect the cursor differently from moving the same distance slowly. |
| IPS | Inches Per Second, is the measure of the maximum tracking speed of the sensor, a higher IPS sensor will track faster movements better. |
| LOD | Lift Off Distance is the height above the mouse mat at which the mouse will lose tracking. Choose a mouse with a lower LOD if you tend to play by flicking around the mouse a lot as this will stop the cursor moving around so much when you lift the mouse up. |
Poll Rate
Some mouse manufacturers also make a big song and dance about the poll rate. This is the speed at which the mouse reports changes in its position to your PC, with a higher poll rate, measured in Hz, decreasing lag. Much like DPI, the important of poll rate has also been blown out of proportion, with a poll rate of 1,000Hz serving most gamers well.
If you're a pro gamer using a really high refresh rate monitor (240Hz or faster) you may be able to reduce lag by increasing the poll rate above 1,000Hz; just be aware this will put more strain on the CPU and could actually decrease performance.
It's also worth noting that a really high poll rate has a significant impact on the battery life of wireless mice, dropping it from a hundred plus hours to less than twenty-four hours before you need to recharge.
How Many Buttons Does a Gaming Mouse Need?
While a left click, right click and scroll wheel with selector is enough for everyday Windows applications, having more buttons is really beneficial when gaming. How many times have you lost a game because you had to reach for the keyboard to hit an extra key? Extra buttons enable you to keep your hand firmly on your mouse, speeding up your rate of response and making you a better gamer.
For these reasons advanced gaming mice will have at least six buttons, which you can also bind to specific tasks via the bundled software. If you're a fan of MMOs its worth looking for a mouse with even more buttons so you can bound key skills and spells to your mouse.
Corsair Sabre V2 Pro Ultralight Wireless
Has a fairly typical seven buttons, suitable for most gaming needs such as FPS and MOBA games.
Corsair Scimitar Elite Wireless
Packs in a whopping 17 buttons, ideal for MMO and MOBA gamers who need quick access to multiple commands.
Button Actuation
Another area of difference to look out for is how the buttons are actuated, with higher spec gaming mice using optical switches rather than mechanical switches. Optical switches are faster than mechanical switches, having zero debounce delay, the period when a mechanical switch is making physical contact, but has yet to close the circuit and send a signal to your PC.
They are more durable too, for instance it's not uncommon for optical switches to be guaranteed for as many as 100 million clicks, around 60% more clicks than mechanical switches.
RGB Lighting
As with anything to do with gaming, you can also get mice with RGB lighting to add extra standout to your rodent friend. Some RGB mice include multiple LEDs, enabling you choose individual colours for different parts of mouse, select moving patterns, or simply choose a static colour to match your keyboard or mood.
It’s worth bearing in mind that RGB lighting will reduce battery life for wireless mice, so they will need recharging more often.
Mouse Software
It's also worth looking at what software (if any) a gaming mouse is bundled with and what features it provides. At the very least you want unobtrusive software that provides easy customisation of key features such as DPI, poll rate and RGB lighting (if the mouse has any).
More sophisticated software such as Corsair iCUE and Razer Synapse provide even more features, such as the ability to create custom profiles and macros. They can also help synchronise RGB lighting with the other components and peripherals such as Elgato Stream Deck in your PC if you’ve bought them from the same brand, easing management and cutting down on the number of background applications, optimising system performance.
Corsair Web Hub Software
Web Hub Software provides a centralized interface for managing your Corsair devices, allowing you to customize settings, monitor performance, and update firmware.
Corsair iCUE Software
iCUE Software allows you to customize and synchronize your Corsair devices, including RGB lighting, macros, and performance settings, providing a seamless and integrated experience.
Mouse Mats & Pads
Finally, its worth pointing out that whatever gaming mouse you decide on you should also should invest in a mouse mat, sometimes also referred to as a mouse pad, and never use a mouse directly on a desk or table. This is because such surfaces will not be smooth enough to give accurate control and will also damage the underside of the mouse.
You can also choose between soft fabric mats and hard mouse mats, choosing one over the other is mostly down to personal preference. That said, it’s worth noting that although hard mats are favoured by pro gamers as they are more slippery, soft mats have a bit more traction and can provide greater precision.
Finally, some mouse mats also include RGB lighting and Qi wireless charging when wired up to your PC over USB.
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Frequently Asked Questions FAQ
Here are some common questions and answers to help you find the information you need.
Gaming mice are definitely worth it, as they are available in a much wider variety of shapes and sizes than home/office mice, so you're much more likely to find one that fits you best. In addition, gaming mice are available in a variety of weights and have advanced features such as faster DPI and poll rates than standard mice.
You should definitely buy a gaming mouse mat, sometimes also referred to as a mouse pad, and never use a mouse directly on a desk or table. This is because such surfaces will not be smooth enough to give accurate control and will also damage the underside of the mouse. Gaming mouse mats/pads are typically larger than standard mats/pads, giving you more control in games.
When first introduced, wireless mice had higher latency than wired mice, but this really isn't the case anymore, high-end wireless mice are competitive with wired mice except for competitive FPS games. Just don't forget to charge your wireless mouse every few days.
A gaming mouse is just as good for everyday work as a home/office mouse, providing an equal, if not superior level of control and often (but not always) more buttons.
There are three main ways to hold a gaming mouse, the palm grip, claw grip and tip grip. Read The Importance of Shape section in this guide to find out which one best describes the way you hold a mouse.
The best gaming mouse is one that matches the shape and size of your hand – using either the palm grip, claw grip or tip grip. You can also get different weight gaming mice; a lightweight gaming mouse will be good for FPSs and a heavier one for MMOs.
The main specs to look for after shape are weight, maximum DPI/acceleration and poll rate. You need to find a mouse with a good balance of all three of these factors. If you're into MMOs it's also worth looking at a mouse with 6+ buttons so you can map spells and action skills to specific buttons.