There are a few basic considerations when choosing a mouse, it should be functional, comfortable and perform consistently.
In regards to functionality this generally refers to how many buttons there are and where are they situated or perhaps if it is wireless. For first person shooter (FPS) games you typically only need a couple buttons on either side of the mouse however when playing a real time strategy (RTS) game or massively multiplayer online (MMO) game you may need to bind actions to a large number of buttons or keys to work efficiently.
Comfortability relates to the shape and size of the mouse, is it ambidextrous, ergonomic, small, or large?
As for performance, most modern mice and even those made in the past 10 years will perform reasonably well, if you're looking for cutting edge technology with the latest optical or laser sensors you'll likely need to pay extra.
- Measure the length of your hand in centimeters (cm) or milimeters (mm) starting from the base of your palm to the end of your index finder then measure the width of your palm.
- Choose a mouse that is approximately 65% the length of your hand, and has a center width that is roughly 75-80% the size of your palm.
- Mice may vary in size from the front to the back of the mouse, the back of the mouse is typically larger than the front.
- Choose a mouse that can provide a polling rate up to 1000hz (1ms) response time, use a polling rate of either 500 or 1000hz.
- It always recommended to read both positive and negative reviews for mice to ensure there are no ongoing or known issues with the peripheral software, hardware or build quality in general.
- A higher dpi doesn't necessarily mean better, most FPS professionals play with 400 or 800 dpi with great results. On higher resolution settings there may be some modification to the input signal which could negatively impact the intended outcome of a mouse gesture. Also some games may exhibit strange behavior with higher dpi, it's best to see what feels and performs best for you in each game.
- Most people tend to lean towards optical mice versus laser mice, optical mice tend to give a more raw feeling where as laser feel like the movement is smoothed. Many laser sensors have been known to have inconsistent acceleration which can make it difficult to repeat gestures accurately.
- A mouse can only improve your game so much, the rest will come down to consistent practice and development of your skills and techniques.
- Zowie - https://zowie.benq.com/en-ca
- Logitech - https://www.logitech.com/en-ca
- Razer - https://www.razer.com/ca-en
- Roccat - https://en.roccat.org/
- Steelseries - https://www.steelseries.com