Best Gaming Mouse in 2018 | What You Need To Know Before Choosing
For non-tech-savvy PC users, having a computer mouse means nothing more than getting hold of this input device to move a cursor on their desktops or laptops with. The rationale behind this attitude is pure and simple – any low-price mouse will do if your daily computer routine boils down to working in a word processor or just surfing the internet.
Gaming mice are quite another matter. All modern games, especially top action games, set a high bar for mouse tech requirements such as sensitivity and polling rates. Gamers must react quickly on time-critical actions and navigate smoothly with the game cursor without any stuttering, freezing, or lag glitches.
Also, there are different mouse grips that every gamer should be aware of when it comes to playing MOBA/MMO, action FPS, or eSports games. Tastes differ, and usually pro players combine various grips to create their own unique playing style.
Let’s see how you can choose a pitch perfect mouse to enjoy seamless game playing.
Criteria for Choosing a Gaming Mouse
What Is Mouse DPI?
DPI stands for Dots Per Inch, meaning how many dots a cursor will move on a display for every inch you go with your mouse. Technically speaking, this mouse capacity is called CPI (Counts Per Inch), whereas DPI commonly refers to characteristics of printing peripherals.
However, consumers got used to the latter term and most vendors usually mark it as DPI. The higher your DPI is, the faster your cursor moves on the screen. Keep in mind though that a higher DPI is not always a better option. You are unlikely to be happy with the cursor flying like crazy across your display.
So do not fall for marketing gimmicks offering you 16,000 max DPI benefits when choosing the best gaming mouse. The DPI setting is adjustable, and you can tailor it to your monitor resolution and body movements.
DPI vs. Sensitivity
It is totally wrong to mix DPI with mouse sensitivity. Bluntly put, DPI is a hardware feature, while mouse sensitivity relates to software settings. Ideally, you have both acceleration and precision.
To get a perfect playing experience, you need to fine-tune both characteristics. Setting the right DPI value gives you smooth mouse movements, and adjusting a sensitivity level grants you great speed, enough to play the best PC games.
MMR or USB Polling Rate
Mouse report or polling rate is yet another feature that influences the quality of your mouse and affects the gameplay experience. It describes how often your input device reports back the moves you perform to the CPU.
The response frequency is measured in Hertz, ranging from around 150 Hz for ordinary office mice to over 1000 Hz for premium gaming devices.
For instance, a 500 Hz rate means that the information is transferred from the mouse to your computer 500 times per second. Unlike DPI or mouse sensitivity, here it is the case that the higher you set your MMR/polling rate, the better performance you have in games.
Mouse Types: Pros & Cons
Depending on the tech specs, computer mice fall into several types. Mechanical mice feature a rubber ball that can rotate in any direction and therefore invoke display cursor movements. They are easy to use, but the mouse ball needs regular cleaning. This type of mouse is almost obsolete now.
Mechanical mice made way for optical input devices. Optical mice use LEDs (light-emitting diodes) to detect mouse movements against the surface. They are great for most office activities and less dynamic games. However, they require special mouse-pads with rough surfaces to perform properly.
Any guess why LED lights are usually red? It’s simple – the red diodes are just the commonest and cheapest to use.
The most advanced type of optical mouse is a laser mouse that use laser light to detect mouse movements. A laser mouse is much more precise when it comes to glass or glossy surfaces. Pinpoint accuracy and high sensitivity make this type of computer mouse absolutely indispensable for the most anticipated games of 2018.
Wired vs. Wireless Mice
Beside the structure type, users usually choose between wired and wireless (cordless) mouse types. What should you consider before buying the right mouse for your PC? Let’s see the difference. Wireless mice largely have USB receivers or are connected to a PC via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth channels.
They give you more comfort in use as you are free from cord tangling and restrictions due to its length. There are some cons though that you should know about. Wireless mice require AA or AAA batteries to work. What’s more, a USB receiver is too easy to lose, making your pricey cordless mouse completely useless thereafter.
Wired mice, on the other hand, can brag about better precision, which is very important for action-driven games where accuracy is key. Moreover, wired mice are generally cheaper than cordless devices. However, they may not not be great for gamers with portable laptop computers who often go to different placesto play their favorite video games.
Gaming Mouse for Small Hands
As a rule, computer appliance vendors quickly react to ever-changing market trends to meet evolving consumer needs and demands.
Which is why incumbents like Logitech, Microsoft, Razer, A4Tech, Asus, and others have rolled out exclusive series of ergonomic gaming mice, specially designed for users with small hands. You can find some of them in our top list further down the article.
Best Budget Gaming Mouse of 2018 under $50
Simply buying a pricey mouse for playing games is sometimes not the best choice. Today mouse manufacturers offer decent gaming mice under $50 that suit every pocket. We have tested some cheaper devices to come up with a list of most viable variants.
Logitech G403
Price: $40
Type: wired, optical
Prodigy RGB Gaming Mouse. This is a good choice for gamers, especially if you like to play FPS. The mouse provides an improved gaming experience due to its enhanced optical sensor with robust FPS accuracy and performance.
On top of this, its ergonomic and lightweight design in tandem with rubber side grips allows users to spend many hours playing their favourite games. The price, hovering around $40, makes this mouse affordable for most gamers.
Mionix AVIOR 7000
Price: $50
Type: wired, optical
Avior is a multi-color ergonomic laser gaming mouse featuring ambidextrous control. Great shape design with nine fully programmable buttons mean this mouse doesn’t rattle and spin out at critical moments.
An improved optical sensor with native 7,000 DPI makes it quite comfortable to play both high and low sensitivity games like CS2, Dota 2, Battlefield, Overwatch, LOL, and many others. Avior can be found in the under $50 range.
Razer Deathadder Elite
Price: $45
Type: wired, optical
This mouse can be a perfect fit for thrifty gamers as it boasts a high-end 16,000 DPI 5G optical sensor. What’s more, this model from Razer ensures high durability – up to 50 mln clicks and nearly 100% resolution accuracy.
Also, with its true tracking at 450 IPS (inches per second), the mouse is geared up to meet every single eSports professional requirement. And the fair price of around $45 speaks for itself.
Logitech G602
Price: $40
Type: wireless, optical
Another awesome mouse engineered specifically for gamers by Logitech. This is a high-accuracy wireless model allowing you a seamless lag-free gaming experience. It runs on batteries and provides up to 250 hours of uninterrupted service while playing your favorite games.
Moreover, you can easily operate the Logitech G602 on almost every surface (even Surfing in CSGO) thanks to a high-end Delta Zero sensor. With 11 programmable buttons on board, this mouse perfectly suits most resource-intensive games. As of now, the mouse will cost you not more than forty-something dollars.
Redragon M901
Price: $30
Type: wired, laser
And last but not least is a budget gaming mouse that features an unbelievable 24,000 DPI supported by a high-precision optical sensor. With 18 (sic!) customizable buttons and durable Teflon feet pads, it is an indispensable investment for hardened MMO players as well as eSports professionals.
Coupled with a very reasonable price in the region of $30, the Redragon M901 is one of our personal favorites among budget gaming mice.
TOP Gaming Mouse Brands
For those gamers who are not short of money and ready to cough up a pretty penny, there is a rich range of state-of-the-art gaming mice. We at DMarket have broken down some of the most exclusive gaming-grade models from the leading mouse vendors.
Razer Mice
Razer Naga Trinity
Price: $85
Type: wired, optical
This mouse has a 5G optical sensor with 16,000 DPI and 19 fully programmable buttons. What’s more, it enjoys an interchangeable set of side plates to customize your MMO/MOBA gameplay with the most comfortable number of buttons.
However, if your gaming surface is not optimized, you’d better pick another mouse of the same price tier that has a laser sensor instead – say, the Razer Naga Hex V2.
Razer Mamba Elite
Price: $85
Type: wired, laser
If you have about $85 to afford this mouse, I am sure you won’t be disappointed. The Mamba Elite has a number of advantageous features like unique Chroma side lighting, true 16,000 DPI, optimized side grips, and hybrid on-board memory.
The only downside is Razer Synapse software settings, which makes it difficult for users to fine-tune the characteristics.
Razer Orochi
Price: $110
Type: wired/wireless, laser
This is a Bluetooth-backed gaming mouse with mind-blowing 1 ms response time for smooth cordless gameplay experience. Smart calibration tools enable you to fully customize the mouse to your personal needs. Despite the high regard from gamers, the model has some drawbacks like signal lags and rattling noises.
Logitech Gaming Mice
Logitech G700
Price: $95
Type: wireless, laser
A perfect wireless gaming mouse under $100 with great shape design. Thirteen programmable buttons let you use various macros with a single click. Nano USB receiver and recharging data cable is what gamers really need in critical game situations. It’s a sad fact, but some users mention a short battery life and scroll wheel backlash.
Logitech MX Master
Price: $115
Type: wireless, optical
This model is priced at $110–115 and features a one-of-a-kind side wheel for horizontal control. If you buy this mouse, you won’t have any issues with your gaming surface, as the MX Master has a high-accuracy laser sensor enabling navigation even on the most glossy and glass surfaces. However, some gamers find it rather heavyweight and noisy.
Logitech G903 Lightspeed
Price: $95
Type: wireless, optical
A $90–95 gaming mouse with a unique wireless charging system to keep your mouse charged while playing as well as in stand-by mode. The G903 shares the same problems with the previous G900 series, namely scroll wheel looseness and double-clicking issues.
SteelSeries Gaming Mice
SteelSeries Rival 600
Price: $90
Type: wired, optical
This mouse is ideal for eSports pros as it features exclusive TrueMove3 technology with 350 IPS and 12,000 DPI. Moreover, the Rival 600 has UX-improved silicone side grips and dual optical sensor for smooth performance and high precision.
Apart from cool ergonomic design, some users have detected minor issues with lighting zones and an easily soiled mouse cover.
SteelSeries Kinzu V3
Price: $40
Type: wired, optical
A decent wired computer mouse with four buttons and optical sensor. The model has ergonomic design and is quite adequate for gaming purposes as it provides up to 2,400 DPI and 1000Hz polling rate. However, the mouse has poor gliding ability on glossy surfaces.
SteelSeries Sensei 310
Price: $70
Type: wired, optical
A great mouse specifically designed for flawless ambidextrous navigation, which has a high-precision sensor with Omron-driven 50 mln click switches, which are so highly valued in eSports. Besides, DPI toggling can be useful for gamers that change between FPS and MOBA/MMO play styles.
Some starting players can’t make head or tail of the multiple mouse functions; still, the overall impression of the Sensei 310 is quite pleasing.
Roccat Gaming Mice
Roccat Kone Pure Owl-Eye
Price: $60
Type: wired, optical
The model takes its great ergonomic design from its larger-sized Roccat Kone EMP counterpart. The mouse enjoys 12,000 DPI with a durable 50 mln operation lifecycle.
The Owl Eye built-in optical sensor, a Pro-Grip surface, and optimized 88-grams weight allow for an impeccable gaming experience. This said, some users criticize this model’s poor build quality and occasional double-clicking issues.
Roccat Kone EMP
Price: $80
Type: wired, optical
A larger sibling of the previous mouse in the list. The Kone EMP shares the same design and functionality, being however of a slightly size and weight (116 g). Two side illumination stripes improve gamer experience and can be customized to your own taste. Unfortunately, this mouse has similar cons to the above-mentioned model.
Roccat Nyth
Price: $80
Type: wired, laser
This unprecedented gaming mouse series comes in two variations: black and white, the latter being $20 higher, and hovers around $80. To ensure smooth gaming flow, the Easy-Shift technology provides intuitive assigning of multiple core and secondary functions.
On top of this, Roccat Nyth features the powerful Twin-Tech laser sensor with 12,000 DPI. The only things users question about this model is its high weight and unusual shape.
Corsair Gaming Mice
Corsair Scimitar Pro RGB
Price: $80
Type: wired, optical
This optical gaming-grade mouse is an awesome option for MOBA/MMO fans. It boasts high-precision 12,000 DPI zero-acceleration sensors empowered with an unparalleled Key Slider control system allowing you to easily navigate during the most action-driven game moments and grants you high-level resolution and control over your cursor movements.
A reasonable price of about $80 really shows. In spite of its advantageous features, some users cannot recommend purchasing this model because of the poor build quality and frequent breakages of the mouse wheel. So try to test the wheel before buying a Scimitar Pro RGB.
Corsair Dark Core RGB SE
Price: $130
Type: wireless, optical
This is a more expensive model that will cost you around $130 on the manufacturer’s website or a bit more if bought from popular online retailers like Amazon. Custom design enables you to choose between your playing styles with two interchangeable side grips.
The model boasts a native 16,000 DPI optical sensor that allows for high-precision performance. The only thing to complain about is its size, so if your hands are big it’s better to pick a larger gaming mouse. Also, the price tag is a bit steep.
Corsair Glaive RGB
Price: $50
Type: wired, optical
Another of Corsair’s offerings, the Glaive is a great gaming-grade mouse that incorporates ergonomic design, comfort and ease of use. If you opt for this model, you’ll get a great surface calibration tuning utility, dynamic multi-color backlighting, and interchangeable thumb grips, all backed by a high-accuracy 16,000 DPI optical sensor and brand new Omron switches.
On top of this, a fair market price makes the Glaive a perfect choice for any devoted gamer. The model comes with one shortcoming only: the quality of the side buttons, which appear to malfunction at times.
Best MMO Mouse
What factors should you consider when choosing the best MMO gaming mouse? There are several things you should focus on:
- Intuitive software support with macros enabled.
- Robust design allowing for various mouse grips.
- High-precision optical (or preferably, laser) sensor, which works smoothly on every playing surface, including glass and glossy.
- Customizable buttons (the more the better). MMO game dynamics demand a high sensitivity mouse with decent DPI index and great UX design. Our editor’s choice for the best MMO gaming mouse is the Razer Naga Chroma.
Razer Naga Chroma
Price: $90
Type: wired, laser
This model can absolutely satisfy any MMO gamer’s needs, as it has a 16,000 DPI sensor, 12 programmable thumb buttons (19 total), up to 210 IPS, and 50 G acceleration. You can unlock the power of the best MMO gaming mouse while playing the new WoW expansion – World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth.
Best MOBA Mouse
Razer Deathadder Elite
Price: $45
Type: wired, optical
MOBA games require fast reaction time from you and high accuracy from your mouse. Choosing among all the pretenders for the best MOBA gaming mouse is a hard task. So we’ve weighed all the pros and cons to finally come up with Razer Deathadder Elite as our top pick.
Due to nearly 100% resolution accuracy, an outstanding 16,000 DPI sensor, and incredible acceleration, this model is an ideal choice for Dota 2 fans, making it a piece of cake to win and afford to buy Dota 2 skins with ease!
Best FPS Mouse
First-person shooters like CS:GO (check out the best csgo mouse settings), PUBG, or Overwatch are extremely intense and take blink-of-an-eye reaction rates to prevail over the opponents. Which is why a high FPS coefficient with adjustable polling rate are essential.
A full-featured mouse can help seasoned FPS players prevail in matches, get high scores, and then buy CS:GO skins of any rarity grade. The gaming market is littered with FPS-oriented mice of various sizes, prices, and build quality.
Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum
Price: $120
Type: wired/wireless, optical
To help you out with this, we have tested and picked the Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum as the mouse that boasts the best quality-to-price ratio. This model has exceptional tracking accuracy and consistent responsiveness at any speed with a wide 200–12,000 DPI range. Either way, the price of $110–120 is quite fair for such a great performance level.
Best Gaming Mousepads 2018
No matter what games you are into – an action-driven Fortnite or a creepy Vampyr, an immersive Monster Hunter World or a stunning Far Cry 5 – it is crucial to pick a robust gaming pad to dovetail with your perfect mouse. What should you consider while buying a gaming mouse pad?
Gaming mouse pad size
Regular mouse pads usually come in around 7.9 x 9.8-inch size. Gaming pads, however, can be much larger, say “36x16”, allowing devoted players to enjoy more free space for any possible mouse movements and get a better gaming experience. Still on the fence about the right mouse pad size for you?
If you play games like a pro and have extra space on your desk, then an XL-sized gaming mouse pad would be the best bet. An expanded playing surface can greatly enhance your mouse functionality and playing style. If not, then buy a mid-sized pad instead.
Gaming mouse pad extended
What are the other factors affecting your choice of a decent mouse pad for games? First of all, hardened FPS players should think about buying pads with a special wrist support as the claw and fingertip mouse grips they use while playing create much tension on their wrists.
Material
is also important for mouse pads. More textured pads improve cursor precision, while smoother surfaces can enhance in-game reaction times. Rubber backing helps avoid slipping issues. Custom mouse pad design decorated with some fantasy patterns or your favorite game characters can add much fun to your gameplay.
Gaming mouse pad for low sensitivity
There is a tried-and-true practice to lower mouse sensitivity for the sake of precision maximization in action-fueled games like CS:GO and Overwatch. Sensitivity downgrading lets your crosshair move more accurately across a display and streamlines targeting.
However, it requires a gaming mouse pad of a greater size. Also, CG:GO fans should definitely opt for a gaming mouse pad with a playing surface made of cloth or other soft material. Soft surfaces improve precision and give better control over mouse movements.
Corsair MM800 Polaris
Price: $50
A high-endurance gaming mouse pad, specifically designed to enhance mouse sensor performance. It boasts a built-in USB mouse port and micro-textured surface. The average price is around $50.
Roccat Taito
Price: $45
The model has firm rubber backing and highly durable playing surface. A size of 15.8x12.6 inches makes it very comfortable for most action games. If you really like this model, you’ll have to plunk down about $45 for the Taito.
Logitech G440
Price: $100
This is a gaming mouse pad with a hard playing surface. The G440 is made of heavy-duty material that is very easy to clean. Of course, it requires more skill to adjust your mouse settings to tap into its functionality to the fullest. Moreover, the model is slightly overpriced, and will cost you around $100 per unit.
Razer Sphex V2
Price: $30
Unlike the Logitech G440, the Razer Sphex v2 is ultra thin, meaning you can place it on almost every surface while getting the same brilliant gaming experience.
On top of this, the firm no-slip polycarbonate backing delivers unparalleled professional-grade performance. The fair price tag of not more than $30 makes the Razer Sphex our editor’s choice.
SteelSeries 63003 QcK+
Price: $25
SteelSeries presents a robust soft surface gaming mouse pad with a rubber base. Due to its thickness, the 63003 QcK+ can be applied to any uneven surface, and its extra large size makes this model an indispensable part of most professional eSports events. You can also use this mouse pad during school LAN parties, after buying it for only $25 or so.
Best Gaming Keyboard and Mouse Combo
Scimitar Pro MMO + Corsair K95 RGB Platinum
How to make up an actionable set of gaming mouse and keyboard? We went deep into the topic while writing this article to figure out what is the best pairing for gamers in 2018. Now we dare to suggest to you a perfect gaming set that really cuts the mustard.
This is the awesome Corsair K95 RGB Platinum mechanical gaming keyboard teamed up with the great Scimitar Pro MMO gaming mouse. High-accuracy optical mouse sensors alongside six programmable G-keys for in-game macros create a powerful synergy.
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