Discovering the fitting gaming mouse amongst all of the choices generally is a battle. There’s a dizzying array of mice obtainable, from stripped-down, light-weight five-button mice for shooters to 17-button mice for MMOs. There are lots of components to contemplate: appears, grip model, consolation, sensor high quality, wired versus wi-fi, button choice and association, onboard settings storage, and RGB lighting (clearly), to call a couple of. These particulars can have a serious impression in your gaming expertise. However, typically mice have options which might be overhyped and never value the additional value for most individuals.
What we appeared for
Decision
One of many largest variations between gaming mice and non-gaming ones, decision is measured in counts per inch (CPI) — typically written as dots per inch (DPI). The upper the decision, the extra exact the mouse and the smaller the actions it may well register. 8,000 CPI is taken into account excessive for a non-gaming mouse, whereas the lowest-resolution mouse on this record has a 16,000 CPI sensor, and the very best can hit 30,000, which is (frankly) greater than you want. Many gaming mice allow you to swap resolutions on the fly or briefly decrease sensitivity whereas sniping.
Polling fee
That is how typically the mouse reviews its place to the pc. It’s principally a perform of connection sort and a serious differentiator for gaming mice. Wired gaming mice are normally no less than 1,000Hz. Corsair, Logitech, Razer, and others all promote wi-fi mice with 1,000Hz polling charges through proprietary 2.4GHz dongles. Bluetooth and most non-gaming 2.4GHz dongles, like Logitech Unifying, prime out at about 125Hz, which is mostly too gradual for shooters or different video games that require quick, exact mousing. Some mice assist 4,000Hz and even 8,000Hz polling, however that is pointless. You’re not that quick.
Wired versus wi-fi
Wired mice are cheaper than wi-fi ones and by no means run out of battery. However wi-fi ones are wi-fi, which is neat, and plenty of can now compete with wired mice due to these 1,000Hz dongles. However they do are likely to run out of cost on the worst time, so for wi-fi mice, we checked out battery life in addition to how and the way shortly the wi-fi ones recharge.
Buttons and customizability
What number of buttons does it have? Are they acknowledged in video games? How versatile is remapping? Are you able to bind macros and sophisticated actions? Are you able to alter DPI on the fly? How does the scroll wheel really feel?
Consolation and grip model
How huge is it? What grip types is it finest fitted to? Are the buttons straightforward to achieve? Is it heavy for exact motion? Is it gentle for whipping throughout your mousepad? Is it adjustable? How does it really feel to the touch?
RGB lights
These are essential for gaming, clearly. Does the mouse gentle up? What number of lighting zones does it have? How customizable are they? Are you able to sync them along with your keyboard or case lights or particular video games? (This has no bearing on efficiency however, hey, aesthetics.)
Between the oldsters that contributed to this model of our gaming mouse information, we’ve examined a whole lot of gaming mice. As with keyboards, you’ll be able to technically sport with any mouse. However for any sport the place response time and accuracy are components, there’s a much bigger hole between gaming and non-gaming mice than there’s between a very good gaming keyboard and a very good general-purpose mechanical keyboard.
Greatest wi-fi gaming mouse
The Razer Basilisk V3 Professional has 11 programmable inputs, a hyperfast scroll wheel, optical switches, and a ridiculous 30Okay sensor. It really works over Bluetooth, USB-C, or 1,000Hz HyperSpeed Wi-fi — which bumps as much as 4,000Hz if you happen to pair it with the Mouse Dock Professional, which additionally provides magnetic Qi charging.
Connection: USB-C, Bluetooth, 2.4GHz / Charging: USB-C, Qi (with wi-fi charging puck), magnetic Qi (with Mouse Dock Professional) Polling fee: 125Hz (Bluetooth), 1,000Hz (2.4GHz or wired), 4,000Hz (with Mouse Dock Professional) / Sensor and backbone: Focus Professional 30Okay / Weight: 112g / Inputs: 11 / RGB: Razer Chroma
The Razer Basilisk V3 Professional is a wi-fi gaming mouse with an extremely high-res sensor, a 1,000Hz wi-fi connection — which bumps as much as 4,000Hz if you happen to add the wi-fi charging dock — and 13 RGB lighting zones. It’s nearly indistinguishable from the wired Basilisk V3, which we additionally like, with the identical aggressive claw form and 11 programmable inputs. Much less apparent enhancements embody a ridiculous 30,000 DPI optical sensor and third-generation Razer optical switches.
The V3 Professional’s RGB lighting is extra sturdy than the wired V3’s, and its chassis is extra proof against smudges and fingerprints. The hyperfast scroll wheel mechanically switches to clean scrolling primarily based on how briskly you spin the scroll wheel, as an alternative of toggling if you push a button like Logitech’s implementation.
Most trendy video games acknowledge all the Razer’s buttons and inputs, so you’ll be able to remap them in sport settings, however you’ll nonetheless wish to obtain Razer’s Synapse software program, which helps you to program and assign macros in addition to customise the lighting zones. The V3 Professional can retailer 5 profiles on its onboard storage, which is sweet if you happen to use a number of computer systems.
By default, the V3 Professional makes use of Razer’s HyperSpeed wi-fi dongle, which has a 1,000Hz polling fee (about the identical as a wired mouse and far quicker than Bluetooth). If in case you have a HyperSpeed keyboard just like the BlackWidow V3 Mini we suggest in our gaming keyboard shopping for information or a HyperSpeed headset, they’ll share a dongle. (It additionally helps Bluetooth and wired connections.)
The Razer Basilisk V3 Professional is at the moment the one wi-fi mouse with a 4K Hz polling fee. Picture by Alice Newcome-Beill / The Verge
The V3 Professional can cost through USB-C or with any Qi-compatible wi-fi charger if you happen to add the charging puck. However you can too purchase the Basilisk V3 Professional bundled with the Mouse Dock Professional. Aside from including magnetic wi-fi charging, which simply appears cool, the charging dock ups the V3’s polling fee to 4,000 Hz, which is quicker than most wired gaming mice.
You possibly can anticipate the Basilisk V3 Professional to final round 90 hours on a single cost if you happen to put some power-saving measures in place, however even with the RGB lighting turned on and 4K polling fee enabled, the V3 Professional can final for effectively over 40 hours earlier than you’ll want to prime it off.
You may get the Basilisk V3 Professional for $169.99, with the Qi charging puck for $179.99, or with the dock and the puck for $202. The dock is $69.99 by itself, so if you need it, you must get it bundled. It’s a tall worth to pay for the entire bundle, but it surely nets options that you just received’t discover on different wi-fi gaming mice.
There’s additionally a brand new Basilisk V3 X HyperSpeed, which is $69.99, a complete Benjamin cheaper. It runs on a single AA battery, has 9 inputs as an alternative of 11, and doesn’t have wi-fi charging — and even wired. It does have 1,000Hz HyperSpeed Wi-fi and Bluetooth, although.
Greatest wi-fi gaming mouse you by no means must plug in
The G502 X Plus is Logitech’s equal of the Razer Basilisk V3 Professional — or vice versa. It makes use of Logitech’s Lightspeed 1,000Hz wi-fi tech and is suitable with the $120 Powerplay mat, which wirelessly expenses the mouse as you play.
Connection: USB-C, 2.4GHz / Polling fee: 1,000Hz (2.4GHz or wired) / Charging: USB-C, wi-fi (with Powerplay mat) / Sensor and backbone: HERO 25Okay / Weight: 106g / Inputs: 13 / RGB: Logitech Lightsync
The closest competitor to the Basilisk V3 Professional is the Logitech G502 X collection. The $160 G502 X Plus is similar to the V3 Professional, with a claw-style form, 1,000Hz polling fee, 13 inputs as an alternative of 11, and barely fewer lighting zones. (It doesn’t assist Bluetooth, although that’s not an enormous omission in a gaming mouse; it’s principally helpful for utilizing the identical mouse on non-gaming gadgets.)
The largest benefit the G502 X Plus has over the Basilisk is that it really works with Logitech’s $120 Powerplay mousepad, which expenses the mouse through magnetic induction as you utilize it. After all, that does require spending one other $120 on a mousepad it’s important to plug in, however the G502 X Plus can even cost through USB-C if you happen to don’t really feel like doing that. Logitech additionally has the G502 X Lightspeed, which drops the RGB lighting and lowers the value from $159.99 to $139.99. – Alice Newcome-Beill
Greatest wired gaming mouse
The wired model of the Basilisk V3 drops $100 from the value of the wi-fi one, and also you by no means must cost it.
Connection: USB-A / Polling fee: 1,000Hz / Charging: N/A / Sensor and backbone: Razer Focus+ 26Okay / Weight: 101g (not counting cable) / Inputs: 11 / RGB: Razer Chroma
One factor about wired gaming mice: they by no means run out of battery! They’re additionally lots cheaper! The wired Basilisk V3 has nearly all the identical options because the wi-fi one, together with that nice scroll wheel, for about $50 or $100 lower than the wi-fi model. Its sensor is “solely” 26Okay DPI as an alternative of 30Okay, its optical switches are second gen as an alternative of third, and it has 11 lighting zones as an alternative of 13, however who’s counting?
Greatest low-cost gaming mouse
The Prime is a no-frills, five-button wired gaming mouse with a 18,000 DPI sensor and a removable Micro USB cable so you’ll be able to merely exchange the cable if something occurs to it. And you’ll swap between 5 on-device profiles with a button on the underside of the mouse.
Connection: USB-A to Micro USB / Polling charges: 125Hz to 1,000Hz / Charging: N/A / Sensor and backbone: SteelSeries TrueMove Professional 18Okay / Weight: 69g (not counting cable) / Inputs: 5 / RGB: One zone
The SteelSeries Prime isn’t essentially the most luxurious mouse SteelSeries makes. There’s no OLED show, fancy lighting zones, or further buttons. As a substitute, you get a wired gaming mouse with 5 opto-mechanical buttons, one RGB lighting zone, and a sensitivity choice on the underside for underneath $40. That’s it.
SteelSeries did lower some corners to deliver the value down. The principle factor is that it feels prefer it’s produced from low-cost plastic — you understand, the type you’d discover on a mouse that got here bundled along with your desktop. It nonetheless feels strong sufficient, although, and its buttons are properly tactile.
One factor that I used to be stunned to see as quickly as I opened the Prime up, nevertheless, was the removable cable. It is a wired mouse, but it surely makes use of a regular Micro USB cable. That is one thing I’d anticipate to see in mice twice the price of the Steelseries Prime, and it means you don’t have to fret in regards to the mouse experiencing an early demise because of cable failure.
The Prime is true in the course of SteelSeries’ Prime lineup; the Prime Plus is nearly equivalent however provides an OLED display on the backside that makes it simpler to toggle by way of the on-device sensitivity profiles. It’s normally between $10 and $30 greater than the common Prime, however typically it’s truly cheaper. Relying on the value distinction, it’s value choosing up if you happen to really feel such as you’d use that function. – Jackie Thomas
Greatest mouse for MMOs and MOBAs
The Scimitar RGB Elite is a superb mouse for MMOs, MOBAs, motion RPGs, or actually any sport that advantages from having a complete quantity row’s value of buttons proper at your thumb. Swap weapons or skills with out taking your fingers off of the WASD keys!
Connection: USB-A / Polling charges: 125Hz to 1,000Hz / Charging: N/A / Sensor and backbone: Pixart PMW3391 18Okay / Weight: 122g (not counting cable) / Inputs: 17 / RGB: 4 zones
For most individuals, a gaming mouse solely actually must be good at pointing and clicking on an enemy’s head. However for anybody who performs MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or Last Fantasy XIV, if you happen to can add a bunch of buttons to your mouse, that’s free keybindings, child. There are tons of mice on the market with a complete keypad’s value of thumb buttons — the Razer Naga pioneered the style. I’ve tried all of them, and the Corsair Scimitar RGB Elite is the very best. It’s the one which feels finest in my hand — partly as a result of you’ll be able to alter the place of the quantity pad — which is essential throughout lengthy raids and dungeons.
The buttons on the facet of the mouse are numbered one by way of 12 and have RGB LEDs illuminating them. By default, they emulate the quantity row on the prime of your keyboard. And to be trustworthy, within the years I’ve been utilizing the Corsair Scimitar and mice prefer it, I’ve by no means as soon as modified that default setting. It is because, in video games like World of Warcraft, your entire skills are sure to keys one by way of = in your keyboard, which makes the Scimitar RGB Elite a plug-and-play affair.
Clearly then, the Scimitar RGB Elite goes to have an enormous following amongst MMO devotees, however even in different video games, the quantity pad on the facet is helpful as a result of so many video games bind weapons or skills to the quantity row by default. I’ve eased off of MMOs during the last 12 months or so, however I nonetheless use the Corsair RGB Elite as my day by day driver — and have for nearly 10 years.
There are a few downsides, although. There are two buttons proper between the left and proper mouse buttons. One in every of them switches between sensitivity settings. I can not inform you what number of occasions I’ve unintentionally pressed one in every of these buttons in the course of a raid and utterly screwed up my efficiency for like 10 seconds whereas I work out what the hell is occurring. It’s one thing that’s simply mounted in Corsair’s iCue software program, but it surely’s nonetheless annoying.
But when that’s the one dangerous factor I can say a couple of mouse that I’ve been utilizing for years, it should be a very good signal, proper? – Jackie Thomas
Different good gaming mice
The $89 Lamzu Atlantis Mini is a superb light-weight, no-frills gaming mouse with a high-precision sensor. It really works in wi-fi mode (125Hz) or wired (1,000Hz) and is widespread among the many aggressive shooter set. Sadly, it’s often out of inventory within the US. It’s value choosing up if you could find it, although.The Logitech G303 Shroud is a minimalist ambidextrous gaming mouse that works with Logitech’s 1,000Hz Lightspeed dongle. It’s good, particularly if you happen to choose its form to the extra aggressive right-handed claw shapes of the Basilisk V3 or Logitech G502 collection, however these two mice are a bit extra feature-packed. The Cooler Grasp MM720 wired gaming mouse is light-weight, at simply 49g, and low-cost — it’s typically underneath $30. However its design is just a bit bit extra divisive than the SteelSeries Prime, which has the benefit of a replaceable wire. The Razer DeathAdder V2 is an effective, cheap wired gaming mouse, but it surely’s largely outdated by the Basilisk V3 for not far more cash.
Up to date on August third 2023 with new picks and testing outcomes.
