Do gaming mouses make any real difference when playing FPS games?

[Joab4652]

Hi,Im pretty new to online gaming on the PC so I don't really have all that much knowledge or experience when gaming on a computer, I've built myself a gaming PC to play BF3 and other games but i've stayed with my old hp keyboard and mouse. I've been playing BF3 more than any other game so far and i've heard that a gaming mouse is absolutely necessary for playing FPS games. Now I've looked it up and have been getting mixed answers... Some say it makes a small difference and others say it's a night and day difference... others say its makes no difference,but the people that do notice a difference say that a gaming mouse is much more precise... And 95% of the time the mice I see recommended are the Logitech g500 and the Razer Deathadder.

So what I really want to know is if there's actually a difference between a cheap hp mouse and and actual gaming mouse like the ones mentioned above, I personally don't think it will make a difference, my mouse goes where I tell it to and I think thats enough but correct me if im wrong, I want to know if im missing out on something here.
If it does make a difference I want the Deathadder as i've read that it is very comfortable.

Razer Deathadder:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002Q4U5DK/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[benski]

I like the extra thumb buttons on the G500 and the fact that you can switch tracking speeds with just a button press, and I think the tracking is much smoother than with my old logitech MX or any other cheap mice. The biggest thing for me is consistency in swipes, like if I swipe to turn my head around really quickly I like to know my head will be back in the same position if I return my mouse to that same position. Cheap mice tend to be inconsistent tracking at really high speeds and often the cursor will just start skipping in place if you try to drag it really fast. Personally I would never go back to a cheap mouse after getting used to a gaming mouse, it doesn't make sense to use a 10 dollar device to interface a $1000 rig.

 

[jaguarskx]

I would say it depends on the person. I used to play games with my wireless Logitech Performance MX mouse. Overall, I really liked that mouse for everyday use and while not specific designed to play games it does a pretty good job in my opinion. Unfortunately, I dropped the mouse at it became somewhat irratic from time to time. I was looking to replace it with another MX, but I decided to switch back to a wired mouse; Logitech G500.

I bought the G500 because it was somewhat similar in shape to the MX, but smaller. I prefer the feel of the MX. I mostly bought it because I can adjust the weight of the mouse to my liking. The ability to change DPI on the fly is a nice feature, but I don't use it much. I most keep the mouse set to 2600 DPI all the time and if I decide I want to snipe someone/something in a game, then I can easily drop it down to 800 DPI. The G500 can store 5 DPI settings.

While the G500 is a good mouse, I still prefer using the Performance MX mouse. Good thing it has gotten less erratic now. I mainly use it with my laptop now, but if I see the MX for sale again, I'm gonna buy another one as backup.

 

[Joab4652]

Wow... very good,informative answers, you guys convinced me to buy one,it'll be here in a couple of days...thanks for your help

 

[Stringjam]

Once you start mapping those side thumb buttons in games, you'll never be able to play without them.

I map my tac light to one of my thumb buttons for BF3 - - that way I can flick it on and off without moving any of my primary movement / shooting fingers.

In games where you're pulling up a map or inventory a lot (like STALKER), tying the side buttons to pull up those screens makes the game flow SO MUCH more smoothly.

 

[casualcolors]

The fact that they are "gaming" mice does not necessarily give any direct advantage. Barring the mice with many many buttons geared toward MMO gamers who aren't dexterous enough to handle large numbers of keybinds on their keyboards, there isn't really another mouse that qualifies as "gaming" in any specific way. And since those MMO gaming mice aren't overtly beneficial in many other genres of gaming (FPS for instance), giving them the honorary moniker of "gaming mouse" could even be considered somewhat misleading.

At the end of the day, in most* instances of PC gaming the most important qualities for your mouse to have are a good sensor and good in-hand comfort, which are important qualities for any mouse regardless of what you're doing with it.

With regard to the second bit there, the Deathadder does in fact have a good sensor. It's good in the legitimate way that it has an accurate and reliable sensor, and doesn't rely on "high dpi" marketing gimmicks to qualify itself as a good high-end mouse. So if a Deathadder is comfortable in your hand, and you can test that at almost any Best Buy by simply holding one, then it's certainly not a bad mouse to purchase. It's the best product Razer makes in the opinion of most people who have an interest in the subject of peripherals.

 

[bystander]

There is another factor to consider, and that's polling rates. Gaming mice typically have higher polling rates, which means it updates the position of the mouse more often. A good gaming mouse will have between 500-1000 updates a second. Non gaming mice will update less often (unfortunately, they rarely tell you this info unless a gaming mouse).

This is pretty noticeable with a 120hz monitor and scrolling the mouse across the screen. A non gaming mouse will kind of jump across the screen, most gaming mice will more smoothly move across the screen. This reduces a bit of latency from your actions.

 

[casualcolors]

There is another factor to consider, and that's polling rates. Gaming mice typically have higher polling rates, which means it updates the position of the mouse more often. A good gaming mouse will have between 500-1000 updates a second. Non gaming mice will update less often (unfortunately, they rarely tell you this info unless a gaming mouse).

This is pretty noticeable with a 120hz monitor and scrolling the mouse across the screen. A non gaming mouse will kind of jump across the screen, most gaming mice will more smoothly move across the screen. This reduces a bit of latency from your actions.

Interesting to note that some pro FPS players prefer lower polling rates because the fewer cursor updates leads to it's own form of prediction when the computer estimates positioning between point A and point B (on a line where points A-Z are repeated almost infinitely for instance). I don't prefer any form of prediction but it's just worth mentioning for the sake of discussion. Truly many things are subjective when it comes to peripherals.

 

[ssddx]

EDIT: i prefer the original solution, ps/2 connections on keyboard and mouse. (see next post for details)

does a gaming mouse make a difference? i believe the question should be reworded to does a higher end mouse make a difference and the answer is yes. both high end office mice and gaming mice both offer noticible performance over freebie mice.

the first non freebie/giveaway mouse i used for gaming was a logitech mx1000 which actually was an office mouse. it worked great. it was also wireless which most gamers also think is a bad idea. to be truthfull, as long as a mouse can get between 450-1200dpi minimum and has a good sensor and perhaps a few extra buttons it should be fine. a good tracking sensor is of course the most important feature and is why there is a difference between freebie/giveaway mice and top end products.

i currently use a razer deathadder and it works fine. the rubber coating is a nightmare to keep clean but the mouse performs well enough.

--

as long as you buy a mouse with a decent tracking sensor and a decent dpi resolution you should be fine. comfort is the next most important issue. if the mouse fits your hand and tracks well then you need to fine tune the dpi, speed and sensitivity to your own tastes.

personally... i tune even the new 5000dpi+ mice down to about 450-1200. chalk it up to personal preferences.

 

[bystander]

i prefer the original zero polling solution. ps/2 connections on keyboard and mouse for perfect force interrupt performance.

does a gaming mouse make a difference? i believe the question should be reworded to does a higher end mouse make a difference and the answer is yes. both high end office mice and gaming mice both offer noticible performance over freebie mice.

the first non freebie/giveaway mouse i used for gaming was a logitech mx1000 which actually was an office mouse. it worked great. it was also wireless which most gamers also think is a bad idea. to be truthfull, as long as a mouse can get between 450-1200dpi minimum and has a good sensor and perhaps a few extra buttons it should be fine. a good tracking sensor is of course the most important feature and is why there is a difference between freebie/giveaway mice and top end products.

i currently use a razer deathadder and it works fine. the rubber coating is a nightmare to keep clean but the mouse performs well enough.

--

as long as you buy a mouse with a decent tracking sensor and a decent dpi resolution you should be fine. comfort is the next most important issue. if the mouse fits your hand and tracks well then you need to fine tune the dpi, speed and sensitivity to your own tastes.

personally... i tune even the new 5000dpi+ mice down to about 450-1200. chalk it up to personal preferences.

Do have a link that explains this "zero polling" solution, because technically speaking, that is an impossibility.

 

[ssddx]

response to EDIT

@bystander. technically it is not impossible but you are correct in wanting clarification. see below for what i dug up with a little research and see what you make of it.

http://wiki.osdev.org/Mouse_Input
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2727474

apparently the topic is not so black and white.

it seems that button presses on a mouse are not polled, but sensor tracking is. at least that is my understanding after reading more into it. ps/2 keyboards are definitely force interrupt though so the comment was only misleading not untrue. the keyboard option does have zero polling as it is force interrupt based, while the mouse option seems to be half and half. one thing that is also true is that using the ps/2 port will not delay mouse input if your usb bus is under heavy use.

clarification: i do use a usb razer deathadder currently, however i still do prefer ps/2 connections if available.

 

[AntiZig]

he's equating zero polling to the interrupt driven input, aka PS/2.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS/2_port

 

[casualcolors]

personally... i tune even the new 5000dpi+ mice down to about 450-1200. chalk it up to personal preferences.

You, and almost everyone else. 5000 dpi isn't comfortable to hardly anybody, and I certainly don't know any professional gamers who play at a dpi like that. It's just a marketing gimmick because big numbers are good right? Right?

Sort of like Sony's way of measuring response time for VAIO monitors by simply turning it on.

 

[Guest]

I like the extra thumb buttons on the G500 and the fact that you can switch tracking speeds with just a button press, and I think the tracking is much smoother than with my old logitech MX or any other cheap mice. The biggest thing for me is consistency in swipes, like if I swipe to turn my head around really quickly I like to know my head will be back in the same position if I return my mouse to that same position. Cheap mice tend to be inconsistent tracking at really high speeds and often the cursor will just start skipping in place if you try to drag it really fast. Personally I would never go back to a cheap mouse after getting used to a gaming mouse, it doesn't make sense to use a 10 dollar device to interface a $1000 rig.

dude i have a 1900 $ rig and my keyboard and mouse cost 12 $ both xD

 

[benski]

^Good for you if you like your $12 dollar mouse and keyboard, nothing wrong with being cheap. For me though the 2 devices that actually connect me to the computer are not the place to go for the cheapest available. I'm as cheap as anyone, I bought my G500 off ebay for 25 bucks because it was missing the weights and taped some quarters together and stuck them in the weight slot to make up the difference lol.

 

[bystander]

response to EDIT

@bystander. technically it is not impossible but you are correct in wanting clarification. see below for what i dug up with a little research and see what you make of it.

http://wiki.osdev.org/Mouse_Input
http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2727474

apparently the topic is not so black and white.

it seems that button presses on a mouse are not polled, but sensor tracking is. at least that is my understanding after reading more into it. ps/2 keyboards are definitely force interrupt though so the comment was only misleading not untrue. the keyboard option does have zero polling as it is force interrupt based, while the mouse option seems to be half and half. one thing that is also true is that using the ps/2 port will not delay mouse input if your usb bus is under heavy use.

clarification: i do use a usb razer deathadder currently, however i still do prefer ps/2 connections if available.

Even interrupt driven commands are polled, though it all depends on what parts poll. Windows polls for interrupts, but when it comes to movement on a mouse, there has to be polling at the hardware level too, as you figured out.