The world of high-end PC mice has changed dramatically over the past decade, and it's high time we started talking about it. Here we discuss some of the features that appear in modern mice, information needed before buying a mouse, and an in-depth look at our top picks for high-end mice.
Summary Features To Look For In High-end Mice Does High DPI Really Matter? What Distinguishes Optical Sensors From Laser Sensors? Why Do Some Newer Mice Have Holes? Best High-End Mice For Gaming FPSBest High-End Mouse for Productivity and MOBA/MMO Parting WordsEven if you're not buying a mouse today, we hope this article will be informative on the high-end mouse market. If you don't buy high-end products, you can check out this more general mouse buying guide.
What kind of features do you get when you go for a high-end mouse? Let's talk about a few that are most useful to you.
A big feature of high-end mice is low-latency wireless connectivity. Your typical wireless mouse comes with significant input lag, but high-end wireless gaming mice like Logitech and Razer have recently introduced a nearly lag-free wireless experience.
Another feature you might be looking for is a mouse with lots of extra buttons – or even a built-in keyboard. These are useful for storing macros and defining custom bindings, both for productivity and gaming.
A long time ago, it was, but nowadays, not so much. One reason is that trying to use some of the astronomically high DPI numbers available on modern mice results in near-impossible-to-control sensitivity in most games. You don't need a very high DPI to have accurate mouse input. Once you get to around 1600 DPI and above, any pixel jump concerns should go away.
Make no mistake about it, DPI still matters, but you don't need to pick the mouse with the highest DPI number if you care about precision.
Even then, many professional gamers with maybe twenty times your skill set are still using old 800 DPI mice, so the DPI by itself obviously doesn't scale to the precision of real-world mouse usage. .
What matters much more than that is your sensor.
A mouse's sensor is arguably the most important part as it is responsible for reading all of your movements as inputs. There are two main types of mouse sensors:laser and optical.
While we didn't put any of the mice that use holes to reduce weight on our list of the best, they're certainly worth checking out if a lightweight experience is your top priority. You won't get all the best features and you'll be stuck with wired mice, but many users swear by mice that embrace this design philosophy.
If you are interested in this type of mouse, we recommend the Glorious Model O on the high end and the Cooler Master MM710 on a budget.
Our pick for the best high-end mouse for FPS gaming is the Logitech G Pro X Superlight, but you can find a cheaper alternative in the Logitech G Pro Wireless or the Razer Viper Ultimate.
Our main pick and its alternatives all have a symmetrical shape ideal for FPS grips and a completely wireless interface with no noticeable input lag. The G Pro X Superlight achieves this while being the lightest of the three at 63 grams, although the Viper Ultimate is close behind at 74 grams. The standard G Pro Wireless is the heaviest at 80 grams.
A lightweight, wireless, low-latency mouse with the right shape is any FPS professional's dream mouse. The G Pro Wireless, G Pro X Superlight, and Viper Ultimate should all achieve this with ease.
Right now, the best choice for a mouse with macro keys in mind is in the Razer Naga Trinity. Whether you are a pro who wants access to lots of macros or an MMO/MOBA player who wants to access lots of macros, you should be pretty well covered here. You can also swap out the side panel if you ever fancy LESS keys, but this mouse's bulky form factor makes it less ideal for shooters and other games. And yes, gaming mice also tend to make good productivity mice.
If you want to improve the build quality and wireless connectivity, you can go for the Naga Pro. Alternatively, you can downgrade to a Logitech G600 if you just want the extra macro keys and don't need the wireless capabilities or other extra features.
Even if you don't end up buying a mouse or one of our picks, we hope our picks make sense to you and that the insights we've shared will help you choose the best high-end mouse for your needs at the future. If you have any questions, leave them in the comments below!
Image credit:Harikrishnansk
