It’s one of those perpetual conundrums faced by beginner gamers and occasionally, the casual desktop PC user.
Should you ditch the conventional mouse that came bundled with your PC for a specialized gaming mouse?
Is a gaming mouse worth it?
Can you use it for anything more than gaining an edge over your competitor in MMOPRGs? In other words, how well do these mice fare when used for casual, everyday computing tasks?
In all fairness, all of these are very legitimate questions because the price tags on some of these mice can leave you reeling from shock.
When you are considering spending ‘that’ kind of cash, you’d better have the reasons to do it.
Today, we will talk about the actual advantages of a gaming mouse and the differences that it can bring to both, your gaming and your everyday computing tasks.
By the end of this blog post, you’ll be able to separate the wheat from the chaff and make an informed decision.
Top Reasons To Switch Over To A Gaming Mouse
There’s a common misconception that only competitive gamers can benefit from switching over to a gaming mouse.
That’s not entirely true. Although it would make more sense to invest a significant amount of cash for an accessory like a mouse, if you game competitively for hours at end.
But even casual gamers who just dabble in some FPS games like Fortnite on their PC will appreciate the better ergonomics, the much improved clicks, the multiple buttons and the improved tracking that comes with a gaming mouse.
The efficiency is not limited to gaming alone mind you. The best-in-class sensor and the higher DPI settings can make a huge difference in your workflow. You will be saving time otherwise spent on missed clicks or inaccurate ones.
Have you ever grunted in dismay when your mouse cursor just floated on the screen refusing to budge no matter how hard you banged the dang thing? Those problems will be non-existent.
It all translates to saved time.
Most people who upgrade to a gaming mouse can never work with a normal mouse again.
And if you are a competitive gamer, then the verdict is clear.
- Think about the time saved with programming those frequent, repetitive macros into easily accessible buttons.
- Think about the speed and the accuracy that will come into your gameplay thanks to the superior hardware on these mice. Turns will be more precise. Shots will hit the targets every time.
- Your finger and palm muscles will thank you after a grueling, 12-hour gaming session.
- You will make fewer mistakes which should translate into better results.
Why Is A Gaming Mouse So Expensive?
There can be multiple reasons why the price tag on a gaming mouse may seem obscene in comparison with what you’d pay for a normal mouse.
- The Design: OEM brands just source pre-designed, mass-produced products and brand them. But a lot of the gaming mice brands actually design their products themselves, including the molds (shells), based on the constant feedback that they get from competitive gamers. That’s one of the reasons why you find these devices in strange shapes and sizes. They are constantly evolving to improve your comfort and ease of use. Let’s say that original design doesn’t come cheap.
- Superior components: Gaming mice are made to withstand the frequent and heavy usage that comes with competitive gaming. Hence, the components under that flashy exterior are way more superior to what’s used in normal mice. Omron mechanical switches, highly accurate sensors for increased DPI, customizable buttons, lighter weight shells and of course, custom ergonomic shapes, everything is tailor-made for smooth, error-free performance.
- Testing: Every new design undergoes a boatload of testing, right from the initial concept to the final product that hits the shelves.
- Marketing and advertising: A significant cost is incurred for marketing the products which is then passed on to the customer.
The Benefits Of A Gaming Mouse
If you have never tried a gaming mouse before then that $60-100 price tag may seem overkill at first.
But if you are a pro-gamer, then you may be limiting your potential by relying on redundant accessories like a normal mouse or keyboard.
A gaming mouse will allow you to unleash your full potential without being limited by the low polling rates or a tepid sensor.
- Better polling rates: Polling rate is the time taken by the mouse to send an input to the computer and for the computer to respond to it. Normal mice have very low polling rates, which means that it may take as much as 3-5 milliseconds for a click to be recognized. In a highly competitive gaming environment, that’s called a ‘lag’. Gaming mice have much better polling rates that range from 800-1000Hz at least. Lag is almost imperceptible.
- Custom fit: Gaming mice are designed to fit palms of different shapes and sizes. Some, can even be customized further to fit snugly in your hands. Tiny Steel bearings called weights can be added to change the weight so that it feels more comfortable moving it. The height, pitch, center of balance and the hotkeys, everything can be stripped and tailored.
- Anti-sweat: These mice have sweat-resistant shells which can be used for hours at end without your palm getting all sweaty and sticky.
- Hotkeys: Some gaming mice, particularly the ones that are used by MMO players come with an array of customizable keys which are generally positioned near the thumb. Each one of these keys can be used to store frequently used commands/macros. These work phenomenally well even for normal computing tasks as you can store email templates or frequently used shortcuts in this.
- DPI: The Dots-per-inch, which is the resolution range, or the speed with which your cursor moves can be a very useful addition, especially if you are playing in a 4K monitor. It allows extreme precision in both wide-sweep as well as fine-grain tracking.
Why Buy A Gaming Mouse?
A gaming mouse can be a very worthy investment if you are looking for high speed, more accuracy, better responsiveness and the ability to customize it for your palm and grip-style.
Irrespective of whether you are a competitive gamer or a keyboard warrior who spends a copious amount of time working on a computer, it will be a game changer for you.
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