Buying a gaming PC or a gaming laptop won’t make any sense if you don’t have the right gaming mouse to play with.
No matter how amazing and technologically advanced your gaming mouse is, without the right USB port to plug into, it is of no use.
That being said, there is that one thing that your gaming mouse needs to do better – the right USB port.
Here is the thing – if you are buying a gaming laptop, chances are it would already have a good many USB ports.
However, not all USB ports are created equal. Some of them are made to perform better than others, and knowing what type of USB ports you have on your machine will ensure that you make the right choice.
The Top USB Port Options for You
The USB port gives you a competitive advantage, especially if you are a professional gamer and participate in competitions frequently. Before zeroing in on your laptop, take a look at the number of USB ports it has. Then, see the different types of USB ports it has to offer.
There are three USB ports to choose from:
USB Port 1.0
One of the first types of USB Port, it can only handle 12 Mbps and is a good choice for beginners.
USB Port 2.0
USB Port 2.0 can handle up to 480 Mbps and is a recommended choice among gamers.
USB Port 3.0
With the launch of USB Port 3.0, professional gamers switched to it immediately as it can achieve up to 5 Gbps of speed.
You can just simply go to the store and get USB Port 3.0 and start gaming.
The mouse, itself, is a slow device, so you are going to need some connectors for high-speed transfers. However, you should also look at your gaming mouse’s polling rate. It is usually 125 Hz.
Three bytes of data is sent every cycle, so 375 bytes of data is sent every second. Looking at the numbers, it doesn’t really matter if you choose USB Port 2.0 over 3.0 because they will function in the same way.
In case, your mouse is still slow, you should look for problems in the CPU and give it a service.
How to buy a good gaming mouse?
The very question in your mind will be — is it really necessary to get a gaming mouse? The answer to your question is — yes, you do.
There isn’t much difference between a regular and a gaming mouse except that it has a laser sensor for faster and precise movements and user customization.
All gaming mouse are wired because wireless ones are slower. Now that you know the basics of a gaming mouse, let’s talk about how to select one for your gaming console:
1. Grip style
You might have either of these three grip styles, which include claw, tip, and palm. The palm grip is the most commonly used one where your fingers lay flat on the mouse, while your hand rests on the body. In tip grip, you use the first digits of your fingers to use the mouse, while your hand concaves and your thumb holds the body for support.
A person who uses claw grip has their hand resting on the back of the mouse body while the thumb and finger are placed at an angle. Use a wider mouse if you have a palm grip and a slender model if you have a tip grip. People with a claw grip should opt for the even narrower mouse.
2. Software customization
A gaming mouse comes with its personal PC software, which you can use to customize button assignments and set DPI options. You can change the mouse’s sensitivity that helps in accurate tracking. It also lets you make unique adjustments for particular mousepads, customize macros, and create custom button profiles.
If more than one people use the gaming mouse, you can save your settings in the profile and use whenever you are playing.
3. Cost
Gaming mice start at $40 and go up to $200. You don’t have to buy the most expensive one if you don’t use it that often. Turtle Beach Grip 300 costs only $40. If you are looking at a high-end gaming mouse, go for Mad Catz R.A.T. Pro X that costs $200. The only difference between the two is that the cheaper one might not last as long as the costlier mouse.
4. DPI or sensitivity
Gamers with multi-monitor setup should opt for a gaming mouse that has a DPI (dots per inch) of 8,000 or higher. For a single monitor setup, a model with DPI between 200 and 2,600 will be just fine. It doesn’t matter if your choice of gaming mouse has laser sensors or optical sensors.
5. Connectivity
We’ve kept this point for the end for a simple reason. Connectivity matters only when you have the entire gaming console of one brand. It enhances the gaming experience and also makes the unit look better. Some brands to consider for entire gaming setup include Roccat, SteelSeries, Logitech, and Razer. When you sync the devices, you can run them one software, which is so much better than having three different software for three different devices.
Final Thoughts
Finding a gaming mouse is no easy task. You can go to any e-commerce stores and personalize your search by selecting the grip, genre, price, and DPI. ]You can shortlist the gaming mouse that you want to check personally and then visit your nearest tech shop to try them out.
Do note that a lot depends on the games you want to play as well. For instance, if you want to play in action shooter games more, you would want a gaming mouse that offers higher responsiveness and sensitivity levels.
On the other hand, if you are looking for games that do not need much mouse control, which is common with sports games like FIFA, you could do with a mouse with a lesser DPI as well.
