Introduction
I’m a huge fan of haptic feedback on my PS5 controller. It creates a more immersive experience for console players when playing video games. But then there’s the community of players who use a gaming mouse with their PC, and in some games it’s not the most ideal feature to experience.
In this article, I’ll clarify the vibration feature on a gaming mouse and elaborate on the new trend of “haptic feedback” that we’re starting to see in game controllers.
So can a gaming mouse vibrate?
Gaming mice don’t vibrate like controllers. They prioritize precision with laser tracking, ensuring accurate movement. Shaking a mouse can disrupt tracking, affecting gameplay. Unlike controllers, they don’t incorporate haptic feedback for immersion.
6 Reasons a Gaming Mouse Doesn’t Vibrate
1. Precision tracking is more important
A gaming mouse is designed to be as accurate as possible. While online gaming is a smaller portion of the gaming community, a gaming mouse will always give players a competitive edge over controller gamers. This is because a controller vibrates when the player fires their weapon or receives damage, which can lead to minor joystick inaccuracies with aiming.
“There is a reason why mice with rumble are constrained to dead Kickstarter projects. It doesn’t work well. All it does is make it hard to grip the mouse and it just doesn’t work well enough to be considered. If you want rumble stick with controller.”
— Reddit user Zucini-Noodles
Because a gaming mouse doesn’t vibrate, it won’t rumble and shift the players hand around while they are trying to engage an enemy player and throw off their aim.
2. Mouse vibration can cause issues in tracking
According to Corsair, the average polling rate of one of a gaming mouse is 1,000hz. Vibration and haptic feedback would disrupt the fine process by which the mouse is tracking its own movement across a surface.
A gaming mouse uses something called a “polling rate” this is a laser underneath the gaming mouse. The polling rate of a gaming mouse refers to how often it reports its position to the computer. It’s typically measured in Hertz (Hz) and represents the number of times per second the mouse sends data to the computer.
3. Vibration can effect ergonomic comfortability
For gamers that spend long hours holding a mouse, vibration can start to become a nuisance to comfortability and could irritate your wrist over time. This is another consideration gaming companies take when they design gaming mouse for gamers that intend to play for a long time
4. Vibration mechanics degrade over time
I’ve had the same Xbox controller for almost 8 years, but I noticed that after 2-3 years the vibration mechanics on it started to glitch or not respond to the same gaming ques. I did some research and found that the vibration mechanics actually cause the rest of its sensors to degrade over time because of the rattling effect it creates.
Gamers often will spend $60-200 on a gaming mouse with the intent to not need to upgrade it for years on end. This is another reason gaming companies removed this feature so it won’t disrupt the internal workings of their product.
5. It’s cost effective to remove the vibration feature
A gaming mouse is generally $100 more expensive than a standard XBOX or PS5 controller. The small motors that spin and rattle in the controller add to its overall cost.
By the same token, adding these motors into a gaming mouse would simply drive up the cost of the product. The gaming community already understands that if they want immersive gameplay, they will simply just game with a controller.
Unlike controllers, which have a more standardized design for incorporating vibration features, integrating such mechanisms into gaming mice could require significant redesign and engineering efforts, further adding to production costs.
Moreover, the gaming community’s acceptance and preference for controllers as the primary device for immersive gameplay suggest that investing in vibration features for gaming mice may not align with market demands or consumer expectations. Therefore, from both a manufacturing and consumer perspective, opting to exclude vibration from gaming mice remains a more practical and cost-effective choice.
6. There isn’t any market demand for a gaming mouse that vibrates
I did several hours of research trying to find a gaming mouse that vibrates and there isn’t any! After reading some reddit comments, it sounded like the gaming community just simply wasn’t interested in having this feature in the mouse they use to game with.
This goes back to the point because gamers prioritize accuracy and responsiveness.
Can I buy a gaming mouse that vibrates?
After doing hours of research, I found that the only well-branded gaming mouse with a vibration feature is the Steelseries Rival 500.
The vibration feature is not meant to be used as haptic feedback for firing the players weapon or indicate taking damage. Rather, it is mainly a signal method for notifying a player their power up timer is ready to use so they don’t have to look back at the icon on screen.
Conclusion
While the idea of a gaming mouse with vibration feedback might seem appealing at first glance, the absence of such a feature can actually be a positive aspect.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to entertainmentden.ns@gmail.com and I’ll do my best to respond.
By prioritizing precision, stability, and comfort, gaming mice without vibration ensure a distraction-free and immersive gaming experience. With advanced technologies like precision tracking and customizable features, gamers can enjoy heightened control and responsiveness without the potential drawbacks of vibration feedback. Ultimately, the absence of vibration in gaming mice underscores a commitment to enhancing gameplay through reliable performance and ergonomic design, making it a welcomed characteristic for serious gamers.