The Best Mouse for Every Kind of Gamer

[Karlston]

The Best Mouse for Every Kind of Gamer

Whether you're into esports or casual fragging, these are the greatest gaming mice we've tested.

 

 

Picking a gaming mouse is a very personal endeavor. Everyone's hands are different, everyone's preferences and needs are different, and we all play different games. That's why we're lucky to live in the golden age of gaming mice, with major manufacturers pouring engineering muscle into one-upping each other. The result is a market loaded with high-quality yet relatively inexpensive gaming mice.

 

I've tested quite a few before and during quarantine. Being stuck inside means a lot of time in front of a computer, for work and for play. While I can't tell you precisely which mouse is right for you, I can give you a few recommendations. So, here they are: the best gaming mouse for every kind of gamer.

 

Be sure to also read up on our favorite gaming headsets, wireless gaming headsets, and keyboards.

 

Updated for June 2020: Updated pricing on a few items, added Roccat Kain 120/122 AIMO.

 

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  Photograph: Razer

  The Best Wireless Mouse

  Razer Viper Ultimate

   

  There's a lot of technology packed into a top-of-the-line gaming mouse. The Razer Viper Ultimate features optical switches and industry-leading wireless response times lower than 0.195 milliseconds. But the most important criteria for a gaming mouse is a simple one: how often do you think about it? A good gaming mouse has helpful features; a great gaming mouse should be an extension of your hand—it should be practically invisible. You shouldn't have to think about it. It should be intuitive. The Razer Viper Ultimate is all of that and a bag of chips.

   

  It comes with a charging dock and an itty bitty wireless dongle. The dongle even stores inside the mouse when it's not in use. Oh, and it's also ambidextrous. It's designed for both right-handed or left-handed use.

   

  $150 $130 at Amazon

  $150 $130 at Best Buy

   

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  Photograph: SteelSeries 

  The Best Corded Mouse

  SteelSeries Sensei Ten

   

  This mouse is a modern take on a classic design. The Sensei Ten is ultra small, super lightweight, and packed with impressive technology. It features a built-in tilt-tracking sensor that ensures the mouse doesn't lose its place even when you pick it up and move it—for instance, when you're at the edge of your mousepad and need to quickly get back to the center of it. It can save you precious milliseconds when you need to move your mouse, making the Sensei Ten well suited to competitive play.

  Its sleek and approachable design also makes it a killer choice for anyone looking for a quick, light, and comfy gaming mouse.

   

  $70 at SteelSeries

  $70 at Best Buy

   

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  Photograph: Steelseries

  The Best for Under $50

  SteelSeries Rival 110

   

  Budget gaming mice often forego a lot of the conveniences and performance you get out of nicer models, but the Rival 110 from SteelSeries never feels like it's lacking. It's shockingly inexpensive, but can compete with much pricier gaming mice. The sensor has a lower maximum sensitivity than you'll get out of a more expensive offering, so if you need that top-end DPI (dots per inch) you'll want to look elsewhere, but otherwise this mouse is great—much better than its incredibly cheap price implies.

   

  $23 at Walmart

 

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  Photograph: Logitech

  For Easy Wireless Charging

  Logitech G Pro Wireless

   

  Logitech's G Pro series mouse was designed with input from esports professionals. Lightning-fast response times and proper ergonomics ensure that the additional buttons are right where your fingers rest. The wireless receiver delivers one-millisecond response times, so you don't miss those headshots due to lag, either. The buttons are satisfying and sturdy, with mechanically tensioned springs underneath both the left and right buttons and separate key plates for accuracy.

   

  It lasts around 48 hours on a single charge, but if you want to completely forget about charging, get the wireless charging mat bundle.

   

  $150 at Amazon

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  Photograph: Razer

  For Lefties

  Razer Lancehead Tournament Edition

   

  The Razer Lancehead is a great mouse for anyone, including left-handed players. Unlike some of its competitors, the Lancehead is designed with an ambidextrous chassis that easily fits in your right or left hand. Plus, it's a high-quality Razer gaming mouse, so the sensor is quick on its feet and the buttons are every bit as responsive as they should be.

   

  $80 at Amazon

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  Photograph: Logitech

  For No-Frills Traditionalists

  Logitech G Pro Wired

   

  Tried and true, simple and straightforward, the Logitech G Pro wired mouse is a workhorse. It's sturdy, with satisfyingly responsive clicks and an elegant design language—custom-tuned with feedback from esports professionals. The lighting on the back of the mouse is just right, enough to mark it as a gaming mouse, but not so much that your desktop becomes a trippy planetarium show. This mouse provides the responsiveness you need for competitive play, without any frills or design flourishes that get in your way. It's a pro-grade device, through and through.

   

  $60 at Amazon

  $60 at Best Buy

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  Photograph: Razer

  For Tinkerers

  Razer Naga Trinity

   

  Most gaming mice have a couple extra buttons, but sometimes you need more. Like, 19. The Razer Naga Trinity has you covered. Not only does it have more than a dozen programmable buttons for all your MOBA and MMO needs, it comes with three removable side-plates with different button configurations so you can choose which one is right for you—or right for each game. This is the Swiss Army knife of gaming mice.

   

  $100 at Amazon

  $100 at Best Buy

 

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  Photograph: HyperX

  For Renegades

  HyperX Pulsefire Surge RGB

   

  The HyperX Pulsefire is a solid all-around gaming mouse at a reasonable price. It features customizable RGB lighting, quick response times, a comfortable chassis, and a couple extra buttons right under your thumb. While it might not have all the bells and whistles of more expensive offerings—like removable side plates or a wireless charging mat—it's a great choice for most gamers. It's a snappy performer, and it's not going to break the bank.

   

  $55 at Walmart

  $51 at Amazon

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  Photograph: Roccat

  For a Tactile Click

  Roccat Kain 120 AIMO

   

  The Roccat 120 AIMO is a solid all-around mouse. It has four buttons, a clickable scroll wheel, and a button to adjust DPI on the fly. Solid. Straightforward. When you actually use it though, that's when things get interesting. The Kain 120 features Roccat's proprietary internal "Titan" switches, promising a quicker reaction time than the competition and a satisfying click. I can't speak to the reaction time it may or may not give you, but that click is uniquely satisfying. It's literally like each button is a key on a mechanical keyboard—each left or right click gives you a crisp tactile click. Note: the Roccat 120 and 122 AIMO are the same mouse, the 122 is just the white colorway.

   

  $64 at Amazon

  $64 at Newegg

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  Photograph: Ryan King/Getty Images

  What Makes a Good Gaming Mouse?

  There's more to it than RGB lighting

   

  There are a few features that really separate a gaming mouse from a regular came-with-my-PC kind of mouse.

  • Extra Sensitive Optical Sensors: Gaming mice should have more sensitive optical sensors that can detect smaller movements more quickly than a standard mouse.

  • More Buttons: At a minimum, a good gaming mouse should have a clickable scroll wheel, a button for adjusting sensitivity, and two buttons where your thumb rests. Those extra thumb buttons can be lifesavers in competitive games.

  • Better Buttons: They should also have higher-quality buttons than a standard office mouse, and more of them. The left and right buttons should have individual switches inside the mouse, tensioned to register rapid clicks and reinforced to withstand more frequent clicks than a normal mouse might. Top-of-the-line gaming mice often feature proprietary mechanical switches inside that give them a more tactile feel when you click.

  • Be Wary of Dots Per Inch: DPI stands for dots per inch. It’s a metric used to describe a mouse’s overall sensitivity. A higher DPI means a mouse can respond quicker, which is helpful for competitive online games. However, even if your mouse can go all the way up to, say 20,000 DPI, most people (even in online games) tend to keep their sensitivity around 800 to 1600 DPI. So, more doesn’t necessarily mean better.

 

 

The Best Mouse for Every Kind of Gamer

 

[Nastrahl]

They're all the same anti ergonomic shape.

 

They have to get fingers rests !

[Karlston]

29 minutes ago, Nastrahl said:

They have to get fingers rests !

 

I rest my fingers on the mouse. IMO, the last image shows a bad way to hold a mouse, the wrist should be moved further back so the fingers and upper hand follow the mouse contours,

[dark0]

the best gaming mouse I have ever had ❤️ for less than 12 euros you can take home a masterpiece

 

Sharkoon SGM-SFB Mouse

 

https://www.amazon.it/Sharkoon-000SKSFW-Shark-Force-Mouse/dp/B00L6HCXCE