Peripherals Wireless Mice

[Mankz]

Taken from the Mechanical Keyboards thread:

Originally Posted by hamza_tm

Good job mate! A wireless mouse fan I see? Do you ever game with such mice?

Originally Posted by Mankz

I never understood peoples problem with gaming with a wireless mouse.. do those nanoseconds of delay (if they exist) actually affect you?

I personally cannot use wired mice anymore.. whether it be gaming or work.. I've now got an MX Rev at both places.

Originally Posted by hamza_tm

It's not hard to understand, reported problems include jitter, wake-up delay, battery issues (running out in the middle of a game, dodgy tracking when the power is low) and there used to be noticeable delay that does affect gameplay. Of course there's also the mental effect, where a wire just feels so much more stable and reliable. With newer wireless devices most problems are pretty much solved however. I would love to hear how people find new wireless mice in games.

Originally Posted by longweight

I hate wired mice, the cable actually created resistance when moving the mouse around.

Once you go quality wireless you never go back.

I was quite interested with this discussion, so it can have its own thread.

As before, thesedays, I only use wireless mice, I've got a pair of MX Revolutions, one at home and the other at work. I just find them far more versatile, and they let me watch stuff on iPlayer while in bed without having to get up and choose the next programme.

Back in the day I also recconed they were far more comfortable and better built due to the added cost of the wireless, but from those I've tried, the wired ones have caught up.

What are other peoples thoughts and opinions? As stated above, I know some people say you can't game on a wireless mouse due to the input lag, but do you think those extra thousandths of a second matter?

[Phalanx]

I have no preference over wired or wireless mouse. The only factor for me is the performance of the mouse, in any situation.

For example, I use a Razer DeathAdder, because I like the quality and performance of that mouse. The Razer Mamba is the wireless version, and I'd have no problem using it, but it is a really expensive mouse. If I get it as a present, fine. However, wireless mice seem to be overly priced in general simply because they are wireless.

[hamza_tm]

The latest reply:

Originally Posted by hamza_tm

Depends on the mouse.

The Zowie EC2 I have has an extremely good cable, very thin and light and totally unnoticeable in use, but still strong. A very ingenious thing I have no idea what material they used!

Edit: But yeah, when I was using a wireless mouse (old ones), the delay couldn't be felt if you looked for it, but when gaming you could tell something was wrong.

In my games, even single player, any input lag really hurts as I find I can't snap-aim properly or at all. For that reason I don't find anything under about 60fps to be "playable". Even if the visuals look smooth, most of the time if your system is struggling to get you to that 40fps, you will notice some input delay. Having played a lot of true delay-free gaming, the difference is very annoying! You can still play and aim generally well, but you can't perform like you would normally.

[ninjaplease]

I used to have a wired mouse but I found the cable was either too short or got caught on things a lot which led to more than a few embarrassing deaths. Also, my MX Performance is so comfortable it hurts.

In terms of price though, the wireless mouse market seems to be aimed at laptop users (~£20) and gamers (R.A.T. 9 ~£90), however £45 for my MX I'd say was a reasonable price.

[GeorgeStorm]

I've never even considered a wireless mouse, just asking for trouble in my opinion from the ones I've used in the past.
Don't see any benefits really, might keep an eye out for when I want to get a new one to replace my CMStorm Sentinel though.

[The_Beast]

Mx518



/thread

[hamza_tm]

Originally Posted by The_Beast

Mx518



/thread

Bet you wish it were so

Unfortunately for non palm-grip users (and even some palm-grip users too) the MX518 is lacking. Just how it is in general terms.

[wuyanxu]

Originally Posted by The_Beast

Mx518



/thread

Originally Posted by hamza_tm

Bet you wish it were so

Unfortunately for non palm-grip users (and even some palm-grip users too) the MX518 is lacking. Just how it is in general terms.

+ G5 / G500 / G400

/thread

[ninjaplease]

Looks like someone set it on fire then tried to put it out with a gun.. Just saying

[hamza_tm]

Originally Posted by wuyanxu

+ G5 / G500 / G400

/thread

Good mice!

You forgot the G9X for claw grippers though

But even with that, none of those have 1:1 perfect tracking (which matters to <1% of the population, I know..) except the G400, and that mouse isn't very good for any grip except palm.

[.//TuNdRa]

I'm still running around on the RAT9, to anyone getting this mouse; two words of caution. One: The low-battery alert triggers at 20%. It'll usually last for up to another hour after that, so don't just change it that instant. Two; The sensor is ridiculously sensitive to dust and debris, keep the mouse surface clean or the tracking goes to heck.

It does have low power and sleep modes, and it's generally a wonderful mouse to use. The software is a little lacking, i'll admit, but Cyborg could easily redesign it if they so wished (The RAT9, unlike some other mice, doesn't have internal memory or processing space for macros. So all macros you make run through the software.) The only other thing I would caution people about is the customization; You spend hours a day tweaking and fiddling, trying different setups and lengths. It's a right time-waster, but eventually you find something you really like to use.

The low-power mode engages and the lights just turn off, it'll come back on the instant it's moved though, no perceptible delay from me. The sleep mode actually turns the whole mouse off, so you have to click a button or flick the mouse-wheel to re-engage it, it does take about three seconds to reacquire the reciever and start transmitting again. The low-power mode kicks in after 10 minutes of idle, the sleep mode after 20. So it's not as if it's going to drop to sleep in the middle of a match, not unless you are the god of all campers.

The only other thing of note is the DPI switcher. This isn't a function i'm used to having in this form. Most mice i've seen have one button, that just cycles through the options. This thing has a wonderful little rocker switch, so you can scale up and down as you wish without having to go the whole way around. The DPI is also easy to read from the four LED's on the side of the mouse, dependent on the setting, and the software lets you change the sensitivity of each.

As someone who rarely needs to drop mouse sensitivity; i've not used the Sniper button that much, mostly because I don't think about it when I'm actually Sniping, but sometimes, in some games when I do remember; it's bloody handy. You can adjust the percentage it'll drop sensitivity by within the software, and it's a marvel if you need to accurately point at something very small, either within windows or within games.

I am still adjusting, though. I went from a 3200Dpi wired mouse with Mouse Precision enabled (Somehow. I thought i'd turned it off.) to 5600DPi wireless without Windows' shiny precision, in games; i'm mostly unchanged, I do overshoot a little, but that's simply due to the sensitivity difference, same with selecting text in windows and such. I've accepted it's going to take me a few more days to get used to it. I'll gladly take those issues over an almost non-functional left and right click.

[Margon]

I used to use a mx900 religiously which was wireless, the only reason I stopped using it really was because it either chewed its way through batteries at a rate of nots, or my rechargeable batteries were a bit passed it, full charge on my batteries would get about a days usage! the dock also broke, but I just charged the batteries manually with a charger, had 2 sets so I could always have one set on charge! I had absolutely zero problems with that mouse, even gaming. I use a wireless with my lappy now an m505 which is great, though, its a bit rubbish for gaming - but thats not it's intended purchase nor why I got it!

at home I have a g500 mouse now - having had the g500 for a couple of years, I do not think I would be able to go back to a mouse with just a ratchetted scroll wheel, the free wheel I have gotten so use to that any mouse without that feature just won't cut it.

[Mankz]

Originally Posted by Margo Baggins

I do not think I would be able to go back to a mouse with just a ratchetted scroll wheel, the free wheel I have gotten so use to that any mouse without that feature just won't cut it.

I take this feature on my MX Rev utterly for granted, but yeah, the second you go onto a mouse without one, it just feels awful. I really think the free scroll wheel has actually increased my productivity as I can sail through documents and spreadsheets at lightening speed.

[Krikkit]

You know what I like best? The fact that you can switch it on/off.

I usually have mine on for forum browsing, makes it really easy for post navigating purposes, but documents etc just a quick click and sail away!

[hamza_tm]

Originally Posted by Krikkit

You know what I like best? The fact that you can switch it on/off.

I usually have mine on for forum browsing, makes it really easy for post navigating purposes, but documents etc just a quick click and sail away!

They sound really fun! A mate of mine said his messed up his gaming completely though (the free wheeling scroll wheel) even when switched off. I think in some games they come up as analogue signals or something like that?

[MSHunter]

Rocking a G700 for gaming and an MX Performance at work, Just love the huge shape and thumb rest.

[hamza_tm]

Another aspect to think about: wireless mice tend to be very heavy. For RTS players that do a lot of quick movements and fast clicking they would benefit from light, fast mice.

[.//TuNdRa]

I haven't found my Rat9 to be that heavy, not if you remove the weights. The batteries are about the size of an AA cell, and they don't even weigh as much as one of those, so it's a wonderfully light mouse.

[hamza_tm]

Originally Posted by .//TuNdRa

I haven't found my Rat9 to be that heavy, not if you remove the weights. The batteries are about the size of an AA cell, and they don't even weigh as much as one of those, so it's a wonderfully light mouse.

On the other hand the G700 is quite heavy and known for it!

Another thing that comes to mind is wireless interference at LAN events. Could be a factor

[.//TuNdRa]

I should be prime example for wireless interference with this wee beasty for a wireless card. I've not noticed any dropouts on either, but i'm in a rare scenario, to be honest.

I'm not sure how I could easily create a scenario where I could force the thing to drop out. I'm not even sure if it's bluetooth based or 802.11, tbh. I suspect it's 802.11, because i've managed to use it at fair ranges without an issue, but I've not got a spectrum analyzer sat here with me that I can use to check if it's on 802.11 or not, it could equally just be bluetooth.