Wireless Mouse -- for gaming?

[KeithTalent]

Um, wireless mice are nearly always going to be heavier due to batteries/etc. My mx1000 is pretty heavy, but I've gotten use to it. Still I suspect I have a mild handicap because of it. Sometimes I'm tempted to get a wired mouse just for gaming.

The Mamba weighs less than the Logitech optical wired mouse I use at work. The thing feels light as a feather.

I'm not saying the Mamba is the perfect mouse or anything, but it weighs next to nothing.

KT

 

[Sacraster]

I use a MX1000 for everyday use and a G7 for gaming. The MX1000 is a tank and not very responsive for gaming. The G7 is very lite.

agree, G7 is really light

 

[PieIsAwesome]

I have a question about Microsoft mice. I have been avoiding them for years ever since they started adding this "Magnify" button standard, releasing mice with four buttons (with Magnify on the side as a thumb button). Now I see that they have mice with five buttons (two thumb buttons) one of which is still Magnify. Can that button be customized or is it Magnify only? Can those mice be used for gaming? These are the X000 mice (ie, MS 6000, MS 7000, etc.).

(I actually have the two thumb buttons on my current mouse set for "Copy" and "Paste" for general use, and they become weapon choice buttons for FPS or Move and Attack for Sins of a Solar Empire. I like a free program called "X-Mouse Control".)

The magnify button only magnifies when drivers are installed. By default, its just button 4 (browser back button). The 5 button MS mouse probably behaves like any other 5 button mouse without drivers. With drivers the buttons can be mapped to something different which, iirc, includes whatever you want.

 

[minmaster]

i wouldn't for FPS games. i tried mx revolution and it had issues in fps games. just get a nice wired and use mouse bungee and you won't feel much mouse cord slack.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I like the mouse bungee idea but I don't feel like paying ~$25 shipped for it (which seems to be the price on eBay).

 

[minmaster]

i think i ordered mine from their site for less than 20.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

They're advertising it for $9.95 + shipping which might make it intriguing, but their website seems to be messed up. I can't figure out where I would go on their site to determine the shipping and to order it (if I wanted to).

<Edit>. It just occurred to me that it would get in the way of my right-side (dual) monitor. Bah. Oh well, I think I could live without it but I'll keep my eyes open in case I can ever find one mucho cheap.

 

[HeXen]

Stop spreading lies guy. It does not go to sleep in a few seconds. If you're gaming or using your computer and the mouse sits long enough for it to go to sleep you're either gaming wrong or typing a very long letter.

lmao, did i not just say "if idle for a period?" why does no one read clearly, i have to explain, re-explain, clarify and dummify everything.
Obviously if your moving the mouse, the laser stays on...duhhhh
and all wireless mice have more lag than USB...look it up, its usually not noticable but it is measurable. and all rechargeable batteries lose capacity, losing faster if you charge too often...look it up, its stated in manuals, its stated online, even the fastest wireless mice have more lag than its usb counterpart. geez

 

[Capt Caveman]

lmao, did i not just say "if idle for a period?" why does no one read clearly, i have to explain, re-explain, clarify and dummify everything.
Obviously if your moving the mouse, the laser stays on...duhhhh
and all wireless mice have more lag than USB...look it up, its usually not noticable but it is measurable. and all rechargeable batteries lose capacity, losing faster if you charge too often...look it up, its stated in manuals, its stated online, even the fastest wireless mice have more lag than its usb counterpart. geez

And you would be incorrect again. Standard USB mice use the default usb polling rate of 125mhz. Gaming mice(including wireless) have drivers that will increase the polling rate up to 1000mhz.

I can adjust the polling rate on my G7 up to 500mhz. The Mamba can be adjusted up 1000mhz.

CNET Razer Mamba Review

More universally useful is the 1,000MHz polling rate, which ensures no connection lag in either wired or wireless modes. That will surely appeal to anyone who plays hard but also wants to go cable free. It's also twice the polling rate of the SideWinder X8, which had a noticeable performance drop-off in wireless mode at high sensor resolutions.

Note, there are ways of overclocking the polling rate of your usb connections for any usb device but it can create instability issues if you don't know what you're doing.

In regards to battery life, I've had my G7 for over 3 years and both battery packs are still going strong. If they've decreased in capacity, it's been unnoticeable.

 

[Continuity28]

all wireless mice have more lag than USB...look it up, its usually not noticable but it is measurable

Oh noooooooes!

Oh wait, I can still play games well. The battery still lasts days too. And it's over 4 years old.

I guess I'm one of the lucky few (in this thread) that doesn't become crap at games because my mouse is wireless? More power to me I guess.

 

[minmaster]

They're advertising it for $9.95 + shipping which might make it intriguing, but their website seems to be messed up. I can't figure out where I would go on their site to determine the shipping and to order it (if I wanted to).

<Edit>. It just occurred to me that it would get in the way of my right-side (dual) monitor. Bah. Oh well, I think I could live without it but I'll keep my eyes open in case I can ever find one mucho cheap.

it's worth its weight in gold.
just about every professional starcraft player in korea uses the mouse bungee. that should say enough. :awe:

 

[jlee]

I've been using my mx1000 for years and managed fine with it. I don't really know if going to a good wired mouse would help any. One advantage would be that wired mice are often much lighter. Batteries don't bother me too much as I just have to remember to charge it every 1-2weeks, and I usually just let it sit in there overnight then.

Yep, I've been using my MX1000 for years as well. I'm not exactly a professional gamer, though...so I might not be the best one to talk to.

 

[konakona]

second that,

switching from a logitech MX518 to a Sidewinder x8, I saw incredible performance gains, this mouse is just flat out amazing for gaming, very accurate.

interesting. I have used mx518 in the past, liked db3 better, g9 better yet. but to me, it was more about ergonomics more than anything. by more accurate you mean the sensor tracks better? kinda wanna try it sometime, but the price looks a bit steep. got my db3 under $20, g9 was under $30. yeah, I am that cheap

 

[DefDC]

I'm in IT, and get to use a lot of different mice. I was quite the UT1 ace back in the day and used a mix of wireless mice as they started appearing. I had no problem pulling headshots with the crappiest of ancient wireless mice, so I don't think there is much to worry about lag-wise. I certainly didn't notice. I've kept up to date with online shooters and tested all the mice I've come across. I haven't come across anything that I would call unaccecptable. (However, I haven't actually sought out known crappy hardware)

Any current mouse should serve your purpose just fine. I have noticed that cheap wireless mice do sleep and take a second or two to wake up, but you need to let it sit for quite a while (minutes) before it would affect you. Just make sure you get a mouse with removable batteries. If you go dead in the middle of a frag-fest, you can be back up in a few seconds.

My MX500 series had WEEKS long battery life with the stock batteries. I'd periodicly switch them with other rechargables when I'd forget to charge the mouse. I used that mouse for 5 years+ and eventually wore it out before the batteries gave or showed any sign of wear. (I'd usally switch back to the stock batteries after a gaming session.)

I'm using the MX Revolution now. Even with rechargable batteries, it's the lightest mouse I've ever used, wired or wireless. (Hmm.. now that I think about it, I don't think it has replacable batteries...) It's a good mouse, but certainly not cheap.

 

[minmaster]

that's odd, i immediately felt slight lag when i tried fps games with wireless. to me it was very noticeable and unacceptable.

 

[DefDC]

It could depend on the mouse. I didn't use many generics. Mostly Logitech and MS. A few cheapo "CompUSA" branded. All of them were up to the task.

Many people used to complain about 1st gen optical mice. Those were always fine to me. (As long it it was on a proper surface.)

 

[pmv]

My MX500 series had WEEKS long battery life with the stock batteries. I'd periodicly switch them with other rechargables when I'd forget to charge the mouse. I used that mouse for 5 years+ and eventually wore it out before the batteries gave or showed any sign of wear. (I'd usally switch back to the stock batteries after a gaming session.)
.

For whatever reason I found batteries would run out far more frequently than that, both with a logitech wireless (can't remember which) and a lesser brand one. Switching them with other rechargeables never worked because the 'other rechargeables' would have lost most of their charge while sitting in the drawer unused. Honestly I tried so many different types of rechargeable, none of them came anywhere close to their claimed life (same problem with the radio headphones I briefly used).

And the 'charging cradle' thing is useless - if its USB its only powered when the PC is on, and when the PC is on I'm using the mouse so how can I charge it! If its mains powered I don't want to waste the electricity of leaving the thing on charge all the time just in case - anything not being used gets turned off.

Not that I care what anyone else does of course, but I just get irked remembering the exasperation of endlessly trying different batteries and having to scramble to put the last lot in the charger again.

I guess having a lead you can plug/unplug so its wired or wireless according to taste or battery state, as someone mentioned, sounds like a good idea.

 

[minmaster]

It could depend on the mouse. I didn't use many generics. Mostly Logitech and MS. A few cheapo "CompUSA" branded. All of them were up to the task.

Many people used to complain about 1st gen optical mice. Those were always fine to me. (As long it it was on a proper surface.)

i used MX revolution.

 

[Hadsus]

The Mamba doesn't charge unless the computer turned on (battery is charged via USB port) so you often have to keep an eye on battery drain. And it charges slowly if it is left 'on' so you have to turn the switch 'off' while charging. Also I find the workmanship shoddy.....feet coming off and the battery cover coming in contact with the mouse pad (used hair dryer to bend it back where it should be). Still....I don't like wired mice and with the Mamba there is zero lag that I can tell and it is very precise. If I knew what I know now, I'd look at other wireless mice. I wouldn't buy this again.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

it's worth its weight in gold.
just about every professional starcraft player in korea uses the mouse bungee. that should say enough. :awe:

Ive used it for a long time. Its probably one of the most worthwhile purchases and it was only $10. I've gone through three generations of mice with it, MX510, MX518, and now my Steelseries Xai. It literally makes you forgot that you have a wired mouse. The cord is never a problem, no tug or hitches ever.

Its pretty short. Not quite understanding how it would block your monitor?

 

[KeithTalent]

The Mamba doesn't charge unless the computer turned on (battery is charged via USB port) so you often have to keep an eye on battery drain. And it charges slowly if it is left 'on' so you have to turn the switch 'off' while charging. Also I find the workmanship shoddy.....feet coming off and the battery cover coming in contact with the mouse pad (used hair dryer to bend it back where it should be). Still....I don't like wired mice and with the Mamba there is zero lag that I can tell and it is very precise. If I knew what I know now, I'd look at other wireless mice. I wouldn't buy this again.

I have not had any of those problems yet, but I only purchased the mouse a few weeks or so ago. I've never had the battery die on me while playing, but maybe that is just luck because I do not really pay much attention to charging it.

I kind of wish the Mamba weighed a bit more, it's a tad too light for my taste. Honestly I did not see many other decent options when I was looking for wireless mice, this one sort of just won out by default.

KT

 

[Hadsus]

I have not had any of those problems yet, but I only purchased the mouse a few weeks or so ago. I've never had the battery die on me while playing, but maybe that is just luck because I do not really pay much attention to charging it.

I kind of wish the Mamba weighed a bit more, it's a tad too light for my taste. Honestly I did not see many other decent options when I was looking for wireless mice, this one sort of just won out by default.

KT

Mine was a few months old before I had issues....but the charging system is just stupid. Now, if you're the kind who never turns their computer off, then you're fine. If you work during the day, come home at 4 or 5 turn on the computer to game later, the battery drain will catch up with you. Especially if you've gamed alot the past previous days. Instead of putting money in that overdone display case, they could have put money on having a powered charge station.....how hard can it be. Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention. Customer support sucks! I email them about the feet falling off after a few months, and they send me an automated reply that I can buy feet at their store. I reply, same automated message back. So I mocked them about their automated system but by then I purchased the feet. When I got a real human to replay I just ignored him. That's the Razer folks for ya.

 

[KMFJD]

Batteries/Charging...unless your box is a ways away from where you sit, wireless is not worth it.

 

[0roo0roo]

I've been using my mx1000 for years and managed fine with it. I don't really know if going to a good wired mouse would help any. One advantage would be that wired mice are often much lighter. Batteries don't bother me too much as I just have to remember to charge it every 1-2weeks, and I usually just let it sit in there overnight then.

me too, i got decent kills in cs source and such, its not like you totally suck from a little mouse lag, but i use my g9 now. there is a difference, its subtle..like how you can get away with 30fps for gaming, but 60fps is so much better.

whether it makes me better at the game i dunno, it feels better hell i can set it to a 1000hz polling rate

i still use a revolution and such for desktop as well though.

i've not used the newest performance mice, but so far my experience with half a dozen higher performance wireless logitech mice through the years they never have matched wired mice when it comes to lag. maybe the newest ones have some new tech i don't know of, but i haven't' seen anything on it. i'd need an explanation of how this new breakthrough tech solves all wireless issues because since the mx700 little has changed. that was when it got passable for gaming, but i haven't really seen much of a difference since no matter what they claim.

I have not had any of those problems yet, but I only purchased the mouse a few weeks or so ago. I've never had the battery die on me while playing, but maybe that is just luck because I do not really pay much attention to charging it.

I kind of wish the Mamba weighed a bit more, it's a tad too light for my taste. Honestly I did not see many other decent options when I was looking for wireless mice, this one sort of just won out by default.

KT

yea i load up the g9 with the heaviest weights its the heaviest of all my mice. the mx1100 is second place, the v550 weighs about the same as the rev even with 2 aa's inside.

I like the mouse bungee idea but I don't feel like paying ~$25 shipped for it (which seems to be the price on eBay).

you can keep some slack threading the cord through a binder clip handles clamped on the back of the desk.
http://www.grynx.com/projects/binder-clips-and-cables/
http://lifehacker.com/257913/diy-binder-clip-cable-catcher
all kinds of useful, and cheap

 

[0roo0roo]

And the 'charging cradle' thing is useless - if its USB its only powered when the PC is on, and when the PC is on I'm using the mouse so how can I charge it! If its mains powered I don't want to waste the electricity of leaving the thing on charge all the time just in case - anything not being used gets turned off.

either the cradle has an extra connector to a power plug or is simply not connected to usb at all as in the case of the revolution. so charge is always possible for all the models ive had.

(I actually have the two thumb buttons on my current mouse set for "Copy" and "Paste" for general use, and they become weapon choice buttons for FPS or Move and Attack for Sins of a Solar Empire. I like a free program called "X-Mouse Control".)

with the g9 theres auto profile switching, so the keys can be different for each app.

logitechs funky with drivers though, you cannot expect features to increase or to be normalized across all models, they are part of a model line so lower level mice do not have such profile features.

Um, wireless mice are nearly always going to be heavier due to batteries/etc. My mx1000 is pretty heavy, but I've gotten use to it. Still I suspect I have a mild handicap because of it. Sometimes I'm tempted to get a wired mouse just for gaming.

kinda the opposite, though its just a personal preference, the g9 comes with a tin of weights. i prefer it heavy.