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Sunday, July 31, 2011

Choosing The Best Gaming Mouse

Choosing the best gaming mouse for your PC isn't easy these days, with so many features and loads of good mice to choose from. Various dpi settings, infrared or laser optical sensors, different numbers of buttons that might or might not be programmable ... you need to know what you're looking for. What manufacturer should you go for ... Logitech, Razer, maybe Microsoft? Quite simply, what's the best gaming mouse you can buy?
You could easily spend anything up to $100 and for that money you don't want to be making the wrong choice. To help you out, here are my recommendations.
IMPORTANT FEATURES
When it comes to playing computer games a mouse is not just a mouse - it's the most important interface between you and the game. So what is it that makes a gaming mouse special? How are they different to a 'normal' mouse?

  • High Sensitivity (DPI/CPI)
    The higher the DPI or CPI value the better, up to a point. Higher sensitivity means less physical movemement of the mouse to move the cursor a set distance on screen, but very high sensitivity (5000dpi or more) needs an extremely steady hand to get the best out of it.
  • Adjustable Sensitivity
    With a highly sensitive mouse it's good to be able to adjust that sensitivity without having to take your hand from the mouse. Some mice feature buttons or keyboard shortcuts to swap between different levels, so you can go for full sensitivity in-game and turn it down for desktop apps.
  • Programmable Buttons
    Some mice allow the buttons to be programmed to perform specific actions, or even a series of actions (a macro). Great for gaming, and obviously the more programmable buttons the better.
  • Lighting
    Purely a question of taste, some mice have cool lighting effects to make them stand out from the crowd. Glowing or pulsing, red, green or blue, you should be able to find a mouse to suit your taste.
  • Adjustable Weight
    Some gamers prefer a light mouse, others prefer something a bit more chunky - being able to customise the weight of the mouse gives you the best of both worlds.
  • Claw versus Palm Grip
    How you hold your mouse can play a big part in choosing the best gaming mouse for you. If you hold the mouse with your fingertips (claw grip) you should pick a smaller mouse, whereas if you rest your hand on the top of the mouse (palm grip) you need a bigger mouse to be comfortable

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