WHAT MAKES A GREAT GAMING MOUSE?

No gaming mouse is perfect, and there are a number of things that make us choose one mouse over another. Firstly, there’s the comfort level that depends on the way you hold the mouse. Some people prefer to grip the entire mouse with their palm while some others use two fingers to move it around - usually, the thumb and the little finger. Large, taller mice tend to be more comfortable if you hold the mouse in your palm, and thinner, smaller mice are suited to the claw-style of holding the mouse. Look for gaming mice that come with enough buttons for the weapons and controls in-game. This way, you won’t have to use the scroll wheel all the time to switch between items or map keys all over the keyboard. Most high-end mice also have the option to switch sensitivity levels of the sensor on-the-go without having to depend to software drivers. Older PS2-based mice had low refresh rates of 125 Hz. Some of the USB-powered optical mice also have had similar refresh rates for a while. These days, look for gaming mice with refresh rates of 500 Hz and 1000 Hz. A higher refresh rate often means a slightly more responsive mouse.

Overall quality of the mouse is also important. Mice are used extensively even while you aren’t gaming. With such heavy usage, they tend to wear off. The scroll wheel and the mouse clicks are usually the first to fail. The pads at the bottom of the mouse also take a battering. Look for mice with solid mouse clicks and scroll wheels. Opting for smooth fabric-based mousepads over hard pads might be a good investment as well. They help the mouse glide and so wear on the mouse feet is also reduced drastically. There are some other nifty features being added to new mouse, such as the ability to store your settings and profiles in the mouse’s internal memory, so you can move from one PC to another without losing your customized settings. Once you do get the mouse you wanted, you're ready to take on the world of competitive gaming. Just make sure you have the sensitivity for the mouse setup right, and you're good to go!

Get gaming with budget Mice

No PC gaming enthusiast is ever going to be content with a typical  5.38 $ mouse from the local store. He’s looking for something that’ll give him the edge over the rest when it comes to online multiplayer games. When someone decides to spend 896.70 $ on a high-end gaming rig, it’d be wrong to skip out on a decent mouse. While mice start from as low as a 1.79 $ and go right up to 143.47 $ and more, the sweet spot for a good gaming mouse is between Rs 17.93$ and 44.84 $. Here are a few such options that should get you on your way.


GiGabyte m6800

There used to be a few good gaming mice under the 17.93 $ bracket. The Logitech MX310 used to be popular while the MX518 was new, but since then, very few manufacturers have been able to offer good performance, let alone features and design, at that cost. The most unlikely brand has an offering though. The Gigabyte M6800 happens to be a solid performer and a decently sized mouse for gamers. Priced at around 12.55 $, it’s easily one of the cheapest performance mice around.




Logitech mX518

The Logitech MX518 is legendary. It’s more than four years old now and it’s still got a ton of firepower.  There have been some revisions and changes since the first model launched, but the recipe hasn’t change a lot – a 1800 DPI sensor, a fancy looking design with great quality click buttons, DPI switches, an ergonomic design, and solid build quality. If you’re looking for a newer model with similar traits, look out for the Logitech G400. It’s almost identical in terms of size and ergonomics, but has an upgraded sensor. Although not officially released in India, you may be able to find it on some online stores or with some retailers.

Razer DeathaDDer 3.5G

Razer has been in the gaming mice market for more than a decade now. Their DeathAdder mouse has gained a reputation for being one of the best and popular mice for competitive gaming. The DeathAdder 3.5G, like the newer MX518 mouse, is updated with a new sensor while the rest of the mouse has stayed exactly the same for a while.

RAZER ABYSSUS

The Abyssus is at the base of the product pyramid from Razer. It offers a good amount of performance in a simple body and a simple set of buttons. For most gamers, this is more than enough. The price of  26.45 $ makes it as affordable and lethal as the MX518, although it isn’t as solidly built.



COOLER MASTER SPAWN

The Cooler Master Spawn is the weirdest looking mouse of the lot, but it’s quite a performer and the comfort level of the mouse is pretty impressive. Priced at just under 35.87 $, it’s a great purchase if you have a large palm and use the palm grip. It uses a 3500 DPI sensor, supports 1000 Hz refresh rates and supports storing of profiles in the internal memory.