Introduction
This year I finally decided to get a new Logitech Gaming mouse with adjustable DPI. Little did I know a year ago that I had several reasons to buy a gaming mouse long before I actually did.
I played online games with friends and always managed to be one of the last players every match despite hours and hours of practice. I play casual games with a controller, but I finally realized things like Dots per Inch (DPI), polling rates, macros keys, and ergonomic fit actually mean something in the competitive E-Sports community.
Check out the top reasons you should consider getting a gaming mouse if you’re on the fence.
1. You Constantly Find Yourself Adjusting Mouse Sensitivity Settings for Each Game
Every game is different even if it’s a competitive shooter or team based online game. By default, a mouse has decent optical or laser sensors to provide a somewhat consistent experience. But you’ll find there’s ideal settings for each competitive game.
A gaming mouse allows you to easily change sensitivity, polling rate, and button shortcut settings with the click of a button on the mouse.
If you play a wide spread of games, then you’ll need to adjust your DPI (how frequently the mouse position is reported to your pc) for each one
| Game | DPI Needed |
| Fortnite | 400-1000 |
| Valorant | 800 |
| Counter Strike | 700 |
| COD Warzone | 400 (mouse acceleration disabled) |
| Apex Legends | 900 |
| Rocket League | Controller |
| Overwatch | 800 |
Above are the recommended DPI settings that professional gamers use for maximum kill streaks.
Important note: you can still be good at competitive games with a regular mouse but it’s annoying to have to adjust DPI manually in game (especially since not all games save your moues settings).
If you don’t even have a regular mouse to begin with, that brings me to the next point.
2. You Use a Controller For Online Gaming
I’m part of a super nerdy group on Facebook called Gaming PC Enthusiasts. I polled the community with hundreds of members to see who used a controller and who used a mouse for competitive gaming.
Below are the results:
Clearly, 76% people use a keyboard and mouse combo for online gaming. This also ties in with statistics that show gamers who use a controller die more frequently because they can’t target opponents as quickly.
Why controller players perform worse than mouse gamers
If a player is pushing the joystick left and then flicks it to look right, the joystick crosses an axis of zero movement (the default middle position).
This means that for a millisecond or longer, there is zero turning movement. The opposing player using a mouse can swipe the mouse across their mousepad much faster than a controller gamer can.
Additionally, controller joysticks wear out faster and become less accurate within a few years. Here’s my article on why controllers die faster than mice if you’re interested.
Now if you don’t game on a TV, you might find yourself gaming on a less-than-ideal surface.
3. You Use a Mouse to Game On Uneven Surfaces
Not all surfaces are created equal. The sensitivity of the mouse is affected by even the smallest cracks and surface imperfections as you pan across your desk. test
The table below explains which surfaces interfere the most with gaming mouse sensitivity and which ones are more ideal than others.
| Surface | Effect on Gaming |
| Wood | Underneath wear and tear |
| Laminate | Mouse jumping / inconsistent panning |
| Mouse Pad / Polyester | Ideal for all types of gaming |
Mouse pad materials vary on what type of material they are made out of but they typically consist of polyester and rubber binding.
Best Mouse Pad Textures for a Gaming Mouse
The higher the DPI you need for a game (from the table above) the faster the mouse pad texture should provide.
For more tables on mousepad speed / material type, check out my article here.
Someone on reddit made a super useful google spreadsheet that will help you find the exact mouse pad you need to pair with your gaming mouse once you’re done reading this article.
4. You Use a 120hz Refresh Rate Monitor or Better
Gaming specs matter towards your performance.
Gaming monitors and mouse performance go hand in hand because a good gaming monitor will update your mouse position faster than a normal monitor would.
Professional gamers like Shroud took place in the study.
Example: If I game using a GTX 650 (an old budget graphics card) as well as a budget Acer QL monitor with 60hz refresh rate, I can’t expect to put a Logitech G305 Lightspeed mouse to full use because my monitor can’t even achieve a smooth FPS rating (frames per second).
An interesting case study was done to confirm the effect of how a gaming mouse and monitor affect performance at the professional level which you can checkout in the link.
5. You’re Willing to Spend $50-120 on a Mouse
From all my research and experience as a gamer, any mouse below $50 is considered average or not a real gaming mouse.
When I do my research, I always first try to find out what professional gamers use for the games I play.
To save you time, here is a table of the best gamers of each game and the specific mouse they use to be the best:
| Pro Gamer | Game | Mouse |
| MrSavage | Fortnite | ROCCAT KONE Pure Ultra |
| Tenz | Valorant | Finalmouse Starlight Pro |
| S1mple | Counter Strike | Logitech G PRO X Superlight |
| Tommy Trewren | COD Warzone | custom Scuf Infinity4PS PRO Tommey |
| HusKers | Apex Legends | Logitech G Pro Wireless |
| GarretG | Rocket League | Sony Dualsense |
| JJonAk | Overwatch | Logitech G403 |
You don’t have to know who some of these guys are but you can trust that the gaming mouse they picked is the best they could find.
Some of these mice have different grip styles such as claw, palm, or fingertip grip. The best way to know what’s right for you is to try them out yourself.
These grips have to do with where the weight of your hand primarily rests.
The most common gaming mouse is the Logitech G Pro series. It’s the most user friendly, easy to customize, and even professional teams use it because of how reliable it is.
Another reason this mouse is so awesome is because it comes with several customization settings. You can find a model series that allows you to choose the weight, side buttons, and even style preference.
If you think that the G Pro looks like a regular mouse, then that takes me to my next point.
6. You’ve Never Actually Used a Gaming Mouse to Tell The Difference
My brother got into competitive gaming before I did. When he started playing Fortnite and Rainbow Six Siege, he purchased the BenQ Zowie gaming mouse series and noticed his kill/death ration dramatically improved.
“The top three beginner gaming mice I tried out were the Logitech G305, Razer Deathadder, and BenQ Zowie series”
— Adam Dinos, amateur gamer on Gaming PC Enthusiasts Facebook
I finally decided to give it a try when I kept getting out-gunned by opponents in Apex Legends. Once I switched to a keyboard and mouse combination, I actually stood a chance against other gamers. My teammates appreciated it too.
Important note to all beginners:
Wired and wireless are preferences. Unless you’re on a professional gaming league, there is a negligible difference in input lag due to modern wireless gaming technology.
7. You Want a Stylish Gaming Setup
Below are some pictures for ideas of how much styles a gaming mouse can add to your setup.
The RGB lighting is an absolute must if you want a stylish setup. Some gaming mice don’t come with this feature but I honestly recommend it. It makes it satisfying to sit down and turn on all your lights when it’s time to game.
Keyboard and mouse combo themes go great together. I like the sublte LED lighting on the Logitech Logo that looks good in low light settings.
I like the combo of the purple and green RGB lighting between the PC and the mouse. Adding a level of contrast makes a gaming setup exciting to sit down at.
Even when you’re not using it, it still looks good from a distance and raises your setup to be above average.
8. Your Kill / Death Ratio Doesn’t Improve After Practicing The Same Game
Playing against bots on Apex or Halo Infinite is a great way to gauge your current skill level. However, you’ll notice that even if you use the same difficulty bot AIs, your kill death ratio won’t improve.
This is because there’s usually a cap to how well you can do with an average controller or office mouse.
The harsh reality is that real human players are always going to be tougher to face than bots, so you need gaming gear that allows you to compete at their level.
Often times pro gamers get really good at one or two games. After 20 hours is usually when you’ll be able to tell if you need to upgrade your gaming gear to your current skill level.
9. You Still Use an Office Mouse for Gaming
At first glance, you might think an office mouse is comparable to a gaming mouse.
Below is a table of the slight, but critical differences between an average office mouse and a gaming mouse.
| Office Mouse | Gaming Mouse |
| Inconsistent tracking | Perfect tracking |
| Locked sensitivity/ DPI settings | Customizable sensitivity / DPI settings |
| 125hz average polling rate | 1000hz average polling rate |
| No shortcut buttons | Extra buttons and side features |
| Lightweight | Customizable weight |
Even though Windows 10 and in-game settings allow you to adjust the mouse sensitivity, the hardware of the mouse plays a huge role in how accurate you’ll actually be.
Important note on customizable weight: for first person shooters like Warzone or Rainbow Six, it helps to have a slightly heavier mouse so your aiming isn’t as sporadic. Controlled shooting through crossheirs is the name of the game.
10. You Game In Front of a Desk Instead of a TV
I used to game with a controller in front of a TV. When I started playing online games I realized this wasn’t ideal for my best performance so I purchased an ultrawide monitor.
If you already use a desk to game, then implementing a gaming mouse and keyboard setup is super easy.
11. You Use a Gaming Laptop
Gaming laptop hardware can easily keep up with the demands of competitive gaming. You definitely can’t expect to be a good gamer unless you have a mouse setup.
Wired or wireless is personal preference, but remember a controller will not be ideal if you actually want to win in competitive gaming.
12. You Play Against Gamers That Use a Gaming Mouse
Most E-Sports are cross-platform, which means console players (PS5, XBOX, and PC) can all play in the same lobby together. This isn’t ideal for console players unless they have a mouse plugged into their device to have the same advantages of PC gamers.
You can plug a mouse into any console as well as a keyboard. The only thing you would still be handicapped on is the resolution / refresh rate of the XBOX or PS5 compared to PC graphics cards.
13. You’re Researching Gaming Mice
I wrote several other articles relating to gaming mice with useful infographics which you can check out here. That article compares some of the best ones on the market if you want more details on how the mice mentioned in this article measure up to each other.
So is a Gaming Mouse Worth It?
A gaming mouse is a worthwhile and affordable investment that improve the accuracy, ergonomics, and functionality of e-sports gamers. They have superior optical sensors for all grip styles with customizable weight and button features.
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Thanks for reading! If you have any further questions or comments, feel free to reach out at entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to respond. I’m still taking article suggestions so feel free to send those over if you have any as well. Check back regularly for the next article.