How we test gaming mice at PCWorld

If you’re on the hunt for the quickest wired gaming mouse for aggressive play or a wi-fi gaming mouse for gaming on the go, take a look at our roundups of the best gaming mice, best wireless gaming mice, and budget gaming mice. We’ve examined and rated the perfect mice in every class and throughout the totally different value factors so there’s choices for everybody — from esports professionals to informal players.

But how do you resolve on what’s best for you particularly? The following information will assist. Here we offer you a complete rundown of how we check gaming mice at PCWorld. It’s a radical course of, so buckle up!

What we check in gaming mice

The design and luxury

For the uninitiated, a gaming mouse is simply that — a gaming mouse. But peripheral geeks know higher. Gaming mice are available in various shapes and configurations and with totally different options. Those issues dictate how one can maintain them, which video games they’re good for, and even which hand you need to use them in. We examine all these issues, however we additionally examine how trendy the design is — whether or not or not the mouse has RGB lighting, logos, or an aesthetically pleasing look.

A cushty design is of paramount significance in terms of gaming mouse design. Hours can fly by whereas gaming, and it’s not unusual for sore shoulders or wrists to set in, so we check out every mouse to guage its consolation stage or lack thereof.

The most comfy gaming mice are likely to have options like tall backs, humps, and ergonomic thumb rests that assist gamers’ palms throughout lengthy play classes. They’re contoured to suit the mould of your hand too. Size additionally counts, so we contemplate what sort of hand dimension the mouse most closely fits: small-, large- or medium-sized palms.

Suitability for various grip varieties

Player grips are often considered one of three important varieties — a palm, fingertip, or claw grip. Consequently, we test to see which mice go well with which grip varieties. Mice appropriate for palm grippers are likely to have excessive backs for supporting the palm. The Glorious Model O 2 Pro is an efficient instance of this. In a palm grip the participant’s hand stretches out alongside the mouse’s entire size, so the mouse has to have good size to it too.

Alternatively, lower-backed mice and mice with important button casings that attain a good distance again on the mouse’s chassis, just like the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2, greatest go well with gamers who use claw or fingertip grips. These attributes enable gamers to simply curl their palms over the mouse’s physique and set off from additional again too.

The sensor

The mouse’s sensor is the one issue that producers place a whole lot of emphasis on as key to its efficiency. In reality it’s simply considered one of many options that decide efficiency. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless crucial.

In evaluating the sensor, we first sum up its specs. Mice just like the Razer Cobra Pro (pictured under), have a few of the highest specs at the moment on provide for high-performance gaming.

We’re excited by components like its most decision measured in dots per inch (DPI), most polling charge (1,000Hz to 8,000Hz), and the mouse’s most velocity and acceleration. These components often decide what the mouse is able to at its higher efficiency limits. Then once more, nothing replaces a playtest for an actual gauge of a sensor’s efficiency, so we load up some video games.

In our playtesting we watch carefully to see how the attributes of the sensor fare in key efficiency metrics. Specifically, we take a look at how the mouse’s DPI impacts its sensitivity; how its polling charge impacts how shortly we will goal and whether or not or not the mouse strikes with velocity and precision.

We additionally test to see if there are defects within the mouse’s motion — like stuttering or smoothing — which might level to the sensor not functioning because it ought to. These defects will adversely have an effect on gaming efficiency.

The buttons and weight

The variety of programable buttons a gaming mouse has tells us its greatest use case. For instance, mice with a lot of buttons, just like the 16-button Corsair Scimitar Elite Wireless, are usually higher for video games the place you want a lot of instructions, so RPGs or MOBA video games. It’s the alternative for fast motion video games like first-person shooters. For these, a mouse just like the five-button Alienware Pro Wireless is what you’ll ideally need.

That brings us to an vital level you’ll need to contemplate in shopping for a gaming mouse — its weight. As a basic rule (however not at all times), a gaming mouse’s weight is proportionate to the variety of buttons it has. Hence why mice made for the quickest FPS video games have so few buttons and are ultra-lightweight (some even weigh lower than 60 grams).

Dario Lo Presti: Dreamstime

Dario Lo Presti: Dreamstime

Dario Lo Presti: Dreamstime

Lighter is mostly higher in terms of gaming mouse weight, it doesn’t matter what kind of gaming mouse you’re after; it makes a mouse faster to maneuver and fewer fatiguing on the hand and arm. Button sizing and positioning will be totally different in each mouse too, so we sum up whether or not these components assist or hinder efficiency.

We additionally analyze the switches within the buttons. These are the small plates contained in the button casings that relay your clicks to the pc. In analyzing the switches we’re making notes about the kind of switches they’re (optical versus mechanical), how the buttons really feel, how briskly they click on and, most significantly, how briskly they register clicks in a recreation. Again, a playtest is the easiest way to do that.

How we check wi-fi gaming mice in another way

The above testing pertains to wi-fi gaming mice as a lot because it does wired gaming mice. But there are components we particularly search for in wi-fi gaming mice.

The forms of connectivity they’ve is one huge issue. Almost all wi-fi gaming mice function low-latency 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connectivity, however not all have Bluetooth or wired connectivity. These additional choices add to a wi-fi mouse’s versatility, so if they provide these choices they often rating nicely for connectivity.

They additionally rating nicely if they’re ultra-lightweight, because the additional {hardware} in wi-fi gaming mice could make them comparably heavier than their wired brethren. Finally, wi-fi gaming mice have to have lengthy battery lives in order that they can be utilized for lengthy gaming classes untethered, in order that’s one other key metric we search for.

Gaming mouse software program

Most gamers gained’t assume a lot a few mouse’s software program app once they’re buying one, however it may go an extended approach to figuring out what you are able to do with the mouse and the sort of efficiency you’ll get.

In truth, the perfect software program apps transcend simply permitting you to tweak frequent settings like DPI and polling charge. They dig deeper, providing you with performance that you just gained’t discover elsewhere — like the choice to calibrate your mouse to your most well-liked gaming floor, the power to set macros, or to assign a second command to your buttons.

One instance of a really complete app is Razer’s Synapse app. For instance, for our evaluation of the Razer Cobra Pro, the Synapse app allowed us to alter the mouse’s carry off distance to considered one of 26 granular ranges — that’s 23 extra ranges than some gaming mouse apps at the moment enable, in order that function impressed us. We had been additionally impressed by the choice to increase the mouse’s battery life with a number of easy settings modifications.

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Gaming mouse worth and remaining scoring

After all the professionals and cons have been weighed up, it’s time to take a look at the worth proposition. It primarily comes all the way down to asking what we expect the mouse ought to price primarily based on the stability of its greatest and worst options, but in addition in comparison with what competitor gaming mice are fielding in the identical value class.

Premium mice price probably the most, so we anticipate premium-grade options with all of the mod cons and glorious efficiency to match. That’s to not say mid-range or price range gaming mice can’t have optimum options and glorious efficiency. They definitely can as we’ve seen in mice just like the Logitech G 502X.

In truth, mice that punch above their value grade for performance and efficiency often rating very extremely for his or her distinctive worth for cash.