How to choose a gaming mouse
Need help finding a gaming mouse? Check out this in-depth guide on how to find the best gaming mouse for your use-case.
Shopping for a new gaming mouse can be a lot of fun, but it can also be a complete headache. With so many choices available on the market, knowing where to start or what to buy can be tricky.
But rest assured, there is a mouse for you, and with a little bit of trial and error, you can find that mouse quickly and painlessly.
So, let’s get to it!
Picking a Shape
When it comes to picking a gaming mouse, the shape just might be the most important characteristic to consider. If there’s anything that I’d hope my readers learn from this article, it’s that shape truly trumps everything else.
Gaming mice typically come in two shapes: ergonomic and ambidextrous—and if you’re just starting, picking between these two shapes can be tricky.
My advice would be to visit your local electronics store to see if they have any mice on display for you to try.
A store like Best Buy, for example, will probably be your best bet if you’re interested in mice from Logitech and Razer.
Of course, “trying out” a mouse in a retail store isn’t the best solution: to get a feel if a mouse is going to work for you, you’ll need to take it home and give it a whirl in your favorite game.
Luckily, all retail stores (that I know of) have return policies, so if you can buy both an ambidextrous and an ergonomic shape to try out, then we recommend that you do so.
To help you get started, below are some of the best ergonomic and ambidextrous mice on the market:
Ergonomic Recommendations
Ambidextrous Recommendations
· Vaxee XE
What About Grip?
Without diving into too many details, grip style does play an important role in picking a mouse, but when you’re just starting, you might not even know what kind of grip you prefer.
However, if you’re currently using an office mouse for hours on end at work or school, and the shape seems to suit you, consider picking a gaming mouse that is similarly shaped.
Once you have an idea of what kind of grip you prefer, your choices should become a little clearer. For a better understanding of your grip style, below is a short breakdown of the 3 most common grip types:
Palm Grip
Users of the Palm Grip tend to rest their entire palm on the mouse, with their fingers sometimes laying completely flat on the mouse buttons. Mice that allow for this grip usually feature a hump at the back or in the middle of the mouse, and what’s more, they’re usually larger in scale; however, this is relative to the user’s hand—so even a “small” mouse can be “palmable” if the user’s hand is also small.
Below are some great choices for palm grip users:
Fingertip Grip
Users of the fingertip grip control their mouse with their fingertips and nothing else. Typically, fingertip grip users can get away with using a variety of mice because it doesn’t necessarily matter how long or how tall the mouse is because only their fingertips will be controlling the mouse.
For me, the best fingertip mice usually don’t have a pronounced hump and are rather flat throughout.
Fingertip mice recommendations are as follows:
Claw Grip
The Claw Grip is a kind of hybrid between the Palm and Fingertip grip, as the mouse will contact the user’s palm; however, instead of the user’s fingers laying flat on the mouse, they will grip the mouse in the same style that a fingertip user would—hence the “claw” moniker.
Mice that are suited for this grip style are typically shorter in length and feature a hump at the back of the mouse for the user’s palm to rest on. Mice that have their hump in the middle of the mouse also work, it just depends on the user’s preferences.
Recommendations for Claw Grip users:
How Do You Know if a Mouse is Right for You?
First and foremost, a gaming mouse should never hurt your hand, especially within the first hour or so of use. In short, a gaming mouse should “feel” right from the get-go, that is, it doesn’t distract you from playing. Indeed, the right gaming mouse should feel like an extension of your hand—not something that you’re fighting to maintain control of.
This is especially true if your shiny new mouse is causing you hand pain. If a mouse is causing you any kind of hand discomfort, especially within the first few minutes of use, return the damned thing immediately. And I don’t care if the mouse is helping you aim well—a mouse that is causing you pain can cause serious, long-term damage to your and. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve tried to tough it out before, and the result wasn’t pretty. My hand was so inflamed that I couldn’t even make a fist.
However, if you’re pulling an all-day gaming session and your hand is feeling sore, that probably has less to do with the shape of the mouse and more to do with not taking breaks.
In summary, comfort trumps all, and even if you don’t aim well at first, sick with it: your aim will improve over time.
How to Pick a Gaming Mouse: Other Considerations
Besides shape, there are several other features and characteristics that gamers should be aware of, including:
· Sensor
· Polling rate
· Weight
· Size
· Software
· Button switch type
· Wired vs wireless
· Type of game
· Your sweaty, disgusting hand
And while all these attributes are important, I’ve found that they come secondary to shape, grip, and feel.
Sensor
Next to shape, the sensor is the 2nd most important part of choosing a gaming mouse, as having a top-performing sensor can make a world of difference.
That isn’t to say that you couldn’t get used to a “bad” sensor; after all, a quick search on YouTube for old-school frag videos will show some incredible feats, and I can assure you that not everyone in those days was using a “perfect” sensor.
But it does make a difference—so much of a difference that you’d be hard-pressed to find a competitive gamer that doesn’t at least use a Pixart 3310 or a 3360 variant.
Shape does trump all when it comes to gaming mice, but if you’re interested in competitive FPS titles like CS:GO or Valorant, you might as well pick a mouse with a great sensor.
In 2023, these are the sensors to beat:
· 3370
· 3395
· 3389
· Logitech HERO 16k Sensor
· Focus Pro 30k Optical Sensor
To know what sensor you’re buying, you’ll need to read the back of the box or visit the mouse’s product page to read its specifications.
One final note about sensors: if you currently own a gaming mouse and have been using it for a while, pay attention to where the sensor is positioned on the bottom of the mouse.
While it doesn’t really seem like a big deal, the position of the sensor can play a significant role in how a mouse feels and plays. In general, gaming mice will typically have their sensors positioned in line with the thumb groove on the side. However, this isn’t always the case: sometimes the sensor is just above this point or below it.
So, take a look at your mouse: if the sensor position is in line with your thumb, you’ll probably want to find a mouse that is constructed in the same manner; otherwise, getting a mouse with a different sensor position might take some time getting used to, and if you’re like me, adjusting your muscle memory can be a huge pain in the you know what.
Polling rate
There’s not a whole lot to say about polling rate, other than the fact that you’ll want a mouse capable of at least 1000Hz.
That said, Razer does offer an 8000Hz dongle, which should provide an appreciable improvement over 1000Hz.
Size
Many of you who are familiar with shopping for mice might find it unusual that size is so far down this list—but allow me to explain.
As a fingertip/claw grip user, I’ve never found the size of a mouse to be an issue per se; the shape and feel of a mouse are generally what I react to the most, followed by the weight.
Logic would say that if you have a bigger hand, a large mouse would be more ideal; however, as someone with medium to large hands, large mice have never really “done it” for me. On the flip side, my wife, who has much smaller hands than I do, prefers to use the Logitech G502 X Plus, which as many of you know, is quite the behemoth in both size and weight.
That being said, the size of a mouse does play a role, and for you, it might be the most important, but I would implore all of you to consider the shape and feel of a mouse first as opposed to shopping solely on size.
Weight
Thanks to FinalMouse, weight has become a controversial subject. Whenever a new mouse is announced, the first thing that many gamers ask is how much it weighs.
And, thanks again to FinalMouse, it seems that any mouse over 90 grams is simply a non-starter.
But does weight really matter all that much?
Truth be told, like high-end sensors, it does, and it doesn’t.
Can you be a professional gamer with a mouse that weighs over 100g? Sure. Will using a mouse that is feather-light help your aim? Maybe.
So how do you choose?
Well, if weight is really a big deal to you, consider this question: are you a low or high-sensitivity gamer?
If you’re a high-sensitivity gamer, you’re probably going to want a relatively heavy mouse (90-110 grams). This is because a heavier mouse will be more stable and easier to control at high sensitivity.
If you’re more of a low-sensitivity gamer that uses a large mouse pad, you’re probably going to be happier with a mouse that is as light as possible. Don’t know if you’re a high or low-sensitivity gamer? Play it safe and pick a mouse between 80 and 90 grams.
Software
While not usually a big deal, the software can play a role in choosing the right mouse.
Personally, I’ve never been a fan of mouse software: most of the time, it’s simply not good enough.
For example, Razer Synapse gets a lot of flak, and I have to say that I agree. I recently started trying out the Death Adder Elite again and having to install and operate Synapse was not a pleasant experience.
As a matter of fact, running synapse in the background (for some reason) automatically enabled Chroma Sync (?) while I was trying to play Doom 2016, which caused the game to lag and drop frames.
Unfortunately, it took me quite a while to try and figure this out, leaving me to reinstall a bunch of drivers and even reinstall the game before I realized it was this Chroma Sync that was ruining my experience.
On the other hand, I’ve never had a problem with SteelSeries or Logitech, but as an individual who likes to regularly swap out their mice, seeing 3-4 mouse applications running in the background is kind of annoying.
So, if you’re the kind of user who would rather not bother with mouse software, I would recommend a mouse from either Zowie, Vaxee, Finalmouse, Dream Machines, or Glorious.
Button Type
Gaming mice typically come equipped with three kinds of button switches: Omron, Huano, and Optical.
Omron switches are the most common switches that you’ll come across, and they’re known for their light, responsive clicks.
Huano, on the other hand, are stiffer and more tactile, which can be off-putting at first but are great for first-person shooters that don’t require a lot of jitter clicking. With enough practice, you can certainly click fast with Huano switches, but it will require more effort than an Omron switch.
Optical switches, in my experience, sound hollow and kind of clunky; however, they’re still easily spammable and provide acceptable feedback. The benefit of optical switches is that you should get a more reliable click activation at a lower latency.
There are only a few companies that feature optical switches in their high-end gaming mice (e.g., Razer, Roccat, Logitech, etc.), so they’re not as ubiquitous as say, Omron switches.
Wired or Wireless
For competitive gaming, the choice used to be simple: wired all the way.
However, thanks to advancements in wireless technology, wireless gaming is almost non-distinguishable from wired gaming.
That said, wireless mice tend to cost more too, so if you don’t mind a cable, wired is still the way to go.
Game Type
The game you play can play a huge role in the mouse you choose…sort of.
If you’re an avid player of first-person shooters, you’ll want to stay away from more MOBA or MMORPG-focused mice like the Logitech G600 for example. See those buttons on the sides? Yea, those buttons will prevent you from obtaining a secure grip on the mouse, which is what you’ll need for precise aiming.
On the other hand, if you are an MMORPG player, then the G600 might be perfect for you. If you play a range of games, then something like Logitech G502 X Plus would probably be ideal (if you don’t care about the weight that is).
Hand Sweat
If you have sweaty hands, you’ll want to pick a mouse that has enough grip. And when I say grip, I don’t mean mice that have rubberized grips on the side; in fact, many of these grips can exacerbate the issues associated with playing with sweaty hands.
Take, for instance, the old Steelseries Sensei 310: though comfortable, this mouse features rubberized sides that are 100% incompatible with sweaty hands. Indeed, sweat on this mouse simply just hangs out on the surface of these rubberized sides, making them feel slick, oily, and downright gross.
This was a major problem for me when playing games like PUBG because the mouse felt like a slippery bar of soap by the final circle, which wasn’t very confidence inspiring.
If you have sweaty hands, consider mice that have a matte finish, like the Logitech G Pro Superlight or any of the mice from Zowie, as the matte coating on these mice is perfect for absorbing sweat.
This isn’t to say that all rubberized textures are bad; in fact, the new Razer Viper has rubberized sides, and so far, it’s handled my sweaty hands like a boss. Why is the Razer Viper different? I’m not entirely sure, but the rubberized sides do appear to have a rougher, matte texture to them, so that might be the reason.
The point here is that rubberized or not, if you have sweaty hands, the side textures of the mouse need to have some sort of matte finish; otherwise, you’ll have a hard time maintaining grip and achieving consistent, reliable aim.
My Giant Wrinkle
Thanks for reading this guide on how to choose a mouse for gaming, and I hope that the information above was useful. It’s a lot of information—maybe too much information—but sometimes it helps to really think about what makes a gaming mouse “work” instead of just buying the first thing you see.