Is a gaming mouse worth it? In this article, we are discussing the difference between a gaming mouse vs a regular mouse, giving you a clear perspective on what features that you can expect if you choose to get a gaming mouse.
Sure, a gaming mouse is often a bit more expensive than a regular mouse, but they also come with other bells and whistles that you may want for your gaming sessions. Even if you don’t need all the features, there are so many mice on the market today so that you can most likely find the perfect mouse for you anyway. But first, what’s the difference between a gaming mouse vs a regular mouse.
The Look
One of the most obvious differences between a gaming mouse and a traditional mouse isn’t necessarily its specs but rather its appearance. If you’re not a console gamer like PS5 or Xbox series X you’re most definitely aware of gaining mice.
Gaming mice have a very characteristic appearance, especially compared to the typical office mice that you can find in your local supermarket. Gaming mice tend to be illuminated by RGB lights, have a special shape to them, and are generally made from higher-quality materials.
RGB lights, while a common feature of gaming equipment, do not serve much purpose when it comes to functionality. They can emit a small amount of light but they are mainly there because having colorful lights on your mouse is something that many people can appreciate.
The shape and design of gaming mice are pretty iconic. They tend to be angular with silver or black colors as their main focus. Depending on the type of mouse you are looking at, there will be rubber grips somewhere on the mouse for you to hold onto.
In some ways, the rubber grips can help you keep a solid grasp on your mouse during a fast-paced game where even a split-second delay can cost you the entire tournament. This is something that you are going to want to look for when you begin your search for a brand-new gaming mouse.
As for the actual mouse itself, in exchange for a slightly increased price, the materials are often better quality. If there is plastic, it will be more durable and will feel much better underneath the palm of your hand and your fingertips. For style, some gaming mice will have glossy accents to them, which you can’t really find elsewhere.
Compared to the typical office mouse, the gaming mouse can even seem intimidating with its angular, colorful appearance. This is not all that a gaming mouse has to offer, though. It could even be argued that the appearance of the mouse is the least of the benefits.
The Functions
The functions of the mouse are what separates gaming mice from office mice. This is where the differences truly come to light.
To sum it up in one word, the largest advantage that gaming mice have over office mice is customization. You can customize anything from the cycle of the RGB lights to the DPI and even the weight of the mouse. You can’t find anything close to this in your typical office mouse.
Higher DPI for Sensitivity Customization
The DPI, or the dots per inch, that your mouse has is how sensitive your mouse is. For instance, with a higher DPI, a single twitch of the hand can send your cursor halfway across the screen. While there are some office mice that have customizable DPI, the range is not nearly as expansive as gaming mice have.
Some people associate the highest DPI with the best gaming mouse. This isn’t always the case. For some games, a lower DPI is best as it gives you the most accurate aim. However, if you are playing a game where reaction times trump aim, then a high DPI might be best for you.
DPI for a mouse is almost like a gearbox for a car
The range for DPI on gaming mice is absolutely massive with some of the highest-end gaming mice reaching about 16,000 DPI and being able to go down to 200 DPI. By comparison, office mice have a range of 400-1200 DPI at best.
Customizable Weights
For some people, the weight of the mouse is crucial. Nobody wants to accidentally fling his or her mouse across the room because the mouse was about as light as cheap, hollow plastic can be. Some of the better gaming mice come with customizable weights.
These weights might change the weight of the mouse by a few grams apiece and there are usually multiple pieces that you can stick into the mouse. This allows you to have complete control over just how much your mouse weighs.
When it comes to competitive games, sometimes a heavier mouse is best as you won’t really be throwing a heavier mouse as easily. You will also want to consider the strain that a heavy mouse could put on your wrist during a long session of gaming, though.
Compared to an office mouse, once you purchase a mouse, you are more or less stuck with what you got, save for some small DPI adjustments. With gaming mice, you can customize just about every feature that’s there.
Extra Buttons
Another prominent feature of gaming mice is the additional buttons. There can be anywhere from two additional buttons on the side of the mouse to twelve small buttons all crammed onto the one side. There are even some mice that have upward of 14 additional buttons.
The purpose of these buttons is simple: macros. When reaching a certain combination of keys on your keyboard becomes tedious, particularly in MMOs, having a macro on your mouse can save you the fractions of a second that you need to win a battle.
This also makes it easier to perform more complex spells or combinations in games that have them. When you can assign a certain set of keys to a single press of a mouse button, you will begin to find that your gameplay experience becomes significantly easier.
You usually will not need more than a few macros for shooters or similar games. Other games, such as MOBAs, might need between two and five extra buttons if you don’t want to press any other buttons on your keyboard at all. MMOs, with the vast number of spells they have, usually require mice with 10+ buttons.
Benefits of Using a Gaming Mouse
The answer to the age-old debate of gaming mouse vs. regular mouse can be settled pretty easily nowadays. If you plan to do anything even remotely competitive, you are going to want a gaming mouse.
Of course, the appearance of the mouse is going to play a role in your decision but it shouldn’t be the deciding factor. The design of a mouse will be pretty similar throughout the many different brands of gaming mice, meaning that you will be able to find what you want pretty easily.
Gaming mice tend to also have drivers and software that drastically improve their capabilities. Depending on the type of mouse you get, you will be able to track things such as how many times you have clicked the mouse and where you click most.
In some cases, you can even create different profiles where you can change the RGB light colors and the DPI of the mouse. This can be helpful for when you want to switch from your gaming profile to a normal one for everyday use or just browsing the web.
If you are looking to get a new gaming mouse, you should check out our best gaming mice buying guide. Here, we have listed our top mice for different gaming genres as well as written down what you should about when buying a new gaming mouse.
