Product Survey: Mice
1. Product Survey: Mice
Cabled or wireless?
In the past, gamers immediately responded, "cabled" because wireless mice were prone to lag. With wireless technology now leaps and bounds beyond where it was even a few years ago, this is no longer the case. Many gamers will still choose a mouse that’s physically attached to their computer, just to be on the safe side, but there are a few wireless models that can hang with wired bunch. The two biggest complaints about wireless mice are battery life and potential interference between the mouse and its receiver. Are you organized enough to keep an eye on the charge of your mouse, or are you likely to find yourself running out of juice minutes before a deadline or at a critical stage in the game?
These two worries aside, the main reason people choose cabled mice over wireless ones often boils down to the fact that the latter are more expensive.This roundup includes products released within one year preceding the publication date of this article. The product selection consists solely of review units made available to Tom’s Guide by vendors. While the products listed here do not constitute a comprehensive listing of all products in the category, they do represent a broad range of what is available to consumers in this category. We will quickly update this roundup with new products as they become available to Tom’s Guide, and soon add data relating to product specifications and test dates. In
other words, these roundups are a work in progress. Please check back frequently to see what’s new.
This roundup includes products released within one year preceding the
publication date of this article. The product selection consists solely of review units made available to Tom’s Guide by vendors. While the products listed here do not constitute a
comprehensive listing of all products in the category, they do represent a
broad range of what is available to consumers in this category. We will quickly
update this roundup with new products as they become available to Tom’s
Guide, and soon add data relating to product specifications and test dates. In
other words, these roundups are a work in progress. Please check back
frequently to see what’s new."
This roundup includes products released within one year preceding the publication date of this article. The product selection consists solely of review units made available to Tom’s Guide by vendors. While the products listed here do not constitute a comprehensive listing of all products in the category, they do represent a broad range of what is available to consumers in this category. We will quickly update this roundup with new products as they become available to Tom’s Guide, and soon add data relating to product specifications and test dates. In other words, these roundups are a work in progress. Please check back frequently to see what’s new.
In today’s computer-centric world, you spend copious amounts of time with a mouse in your hand. A high quality mouse will be comfortable, help ease strain from constant clicking, come with software for macros and other automation, and provide pinpoint accuracy and speedy response. The peripheral competition between Logitech, Microsoft and other big brands is as fierce as ever, and more and more companies are releasing mice for gaming and other specific uses every day.
Because the majority of computer users stick with whatever mouse that comes boxed with their computer or slapped on their desk by an IT department, many don't realize how much better a quality mouse is until they've tried it out. Spending a lot of money on such a basic peripheral may seem entirely irrational, especially when just about every computer includes one free.
If you’re looking into buying a new mouse, the best place to start is with friends and family who have already made the switch to a decent mouse, and compare it with your own. After a few hours, you should notice improved comfort, increased accuracy and response, and the ability to use the mouse on almost any surface. More advanced mice will also allow you to program their extra buttons or even change resolution on the fly depending on the software you're using.
If that doesn't convince you, there are plenty of other good reasons why a mouse upgrade can be a sound investment:
Design--modern mice are sculpted to be comfortable in the hand, with manufacturers paying a lot of attention to the position of the fingers and the palm to prevent strain.
Laser Sensors--while classic infrared sensors should really sit on a mouse mat, laser sensors can track your movement across a wide range of surfaces including your desk, the carpet on the floor or the fold out table on a plane.
Smart Scroll Wheels--some Logitech mice allow you to switch from a wheel that turns freely (useful for reading through long documents or websites) to a notched wheel, which helps prevent unwanted movement during gaming.
Higher Resolution--the higher the resolution, the faster the cursor will move across the screen. As a guide, 800 dpi is perfect for screens that are 19 inches or smaller, but 1200 dpi is more comfortable on 22-inch screens as it is easier to travel across them, while the same principle applies to 1600 dpi on 24-inch monitors. If you have two monitors on your desk, you might even want to consider going higher than that, and a lot of specialist mice allow you to customise the resolution, sometimes down to within a single dpi.
Greater Frequency--an average 125 Hz mouse sends its position to the computer 125 times a second, or once every 8 milliseconds, but a 1000 Hz mouse brings this interval down to an update every 1 millisecond. Latency drops and movement is naturally more fluid and accurate as changes in speed and direction are communicated earlier.
Tom’s hardware this article seems more focused on budget consumers, however you also included the steelseries MMO mouse which is expensive. So why no Microsoft Sidewinder X8, Logitech G9x(most recent and not be confused with the G9 however very much the same), and Razer Mamba. Would love to see a review on those mice and others like them. I mean you did mention gaming a lot and didn’t include mice geared mainly toward gaming. Why not even throw in there the VisionTek XG6 if it was budget based, and for it just being really odd.
I think the the Logitech G9 should be on this list as well along side with the MX Revolution. But I do like how on the side of each mouse they explain some more into the different tech specs and what they mean.
While not a perfect article, this is a major improvement from some of the crap that I've seen from Digital Versus previous to this article.
I have tried several different brands and styles over the years. I always go back to my old favorite I have had for years. It's a Microsoft IntelliEye.
The article omits a discussion and comparison of a profound aspect of mouses, the sampling rate.
Nothing beats gaming like my optical MX510
Nothing beats gaming like my optical MX510
I just bought a MX620 for 20 bucks (they had a instant 15 off and 25 bucks off ontop of that) I am very happy, so happy that I bought a second one for my mac.
Nothing beats my Logitech Click!
Why?
-Light, comfortable, smooth.
-I have had this mouse for over three years now.
-I have long fingers, and they fit comfortably on the mouse.
-The mouse is decently light. I've used lighter, but too light can cause issues. (not durable enogh for example. I have thrown this mouse many times yet it works like a champ)
-Wired (I do prefer wired. I have two wireless mice, but the batteries die too fast, and the batteries make it too heavy. Plus not having extra batteries around when they die is horrible... Even more important, they're easy to lose. Someone like me is better with a wired product. I lose my wireless products frequently. It's not a big loss)
-Comfort. I never have a proper stance while typing. Both my hands, even when one is on the mouse, are resting on the surface if possible. My mouse pad is about 9 years old. I think one of my brothers got it in a parade. Best mousepad EVER. So soft, so smooth. ~1/8 foam with a soft and smooth matertial on top. Extremely durable. It has held out for 9 years. Has had countless drinks spilled on it and a endless amount of oil. Has been brutalized with knives several times, yet the material holds. I currently have this actually stationary at my desk, with 3 nails and 1 screw. Because my wrist is always dragging on it, my wirst has built extra callious skin, which is actually useful. I have never found a mousepad superior to this (actually I don't even know if this is actually a mouse pad to be honest), all being uncomfortable and undurable plastic or crappy foam. /end rant on mousepad
-Infrared. I understand that newer mopdels are superior to what surfaces they can be used on, but regardless, I have used this on my bed, carpet, wglossy wooden table, couch etc. It works like a charm.
-Sexy. Something must be said to the ones that look simple yet elegant. Some of us want something that will look good foir years to come, not just for a month or so. The Logitech Click! Plus (wireless version) is actually less visually appealing in my opinion.
-800 dpi. Even when running a dual screen setup, with one wrist movement, I can get from end to end easily. The mouse is just right for me.
I paid $60 (well, someone else did with my money...) and I haven't regret it since. Nice to know they're like $15 now.
I don't like those fancy super modern mice.
Firstly, expensive.
Secondly, I don't need 20 damned extra buttons. I rarely even use the extra 1 button I have.
Thirdly, design. I am no fan of super modern mice. To me, they look like a gross attempt to show off. Like adding nothing but a bolt-on body kit, spoiler, cheap window tint, and wannabe spinning rims. Excess in a unproductive way.
It's like excessive "gaming keyboards".
The things are damned large, damned heavy, and damned expensive. My keyboard is as basic as it gets. Durable (I like to play with fire...), thin (but structuraly 100% stable), light (but not too light, so it doesn't constantly fly off my desk if I try to move it around), small (while retaining a full size keyboard, by having bottom and side edges less tham a centimetre), wired (I have a wireless keyboard, I even lose that), only the hotkeys I need (1 key I didn't, so I just removed the key), and can be picked up new for less than $5. Heres what it looks like: http://www.geeks.com/imageshare/5/ [...] 2-unit.gif
I have a $100 wireless gaming keyboard. This is a HP cheapo keyboard that I bought with a $600 debranded HP computer. After only a couple hours of use, I never used my heavy, large, wireless (battery wasting), grotesque looking keyboard. It's extremely simple, and works like a charm. The Apple aluminum keyboard interests me. Extremely basic and light, it just needs to have a magnesium option over aluminum (for strength), and to be a lot cheaper...
I want those exact same features in my mouse.
Who can offer that?
/end all rants
I just bought a MX620 for 20 bucks (they had a instant 15 off and 25 bucks off ontop of that) I am very happy, so happy that I bought a second one for my mac.
Good deal.
A actually sexy mouse.
I don't like the sharp tip to it, or that it looks like it's built for small hands, but it's better than anything in this article.
I still like my G5. My old one died (the trigger button started to lag just enough so I was missing a decent amount of kills when sniping). I'm on my second G5 and probably would get another until they stop selling. Imo, the G5 is one of the best mice(mouse?) ever made. The G9 and others are technologically much better, but I don't like the feel of the G9,etc.
Also, the review should have included at least 1-2 track ball mouse as quite a bit of designers (vid editors,CAD,etc) use them.
Mouses!
(mice are animals)