No matter if you want to get into PC gaming for the first time or have been gaming since MS-DOS, a gaming mouse can be a fantastic addition to your setup.
Even if you do not play PC games at all, this type of mouse can still offer plenty of advantages for average daily use. Gaming mice are available in many shapes and sizes, offer customizable buttons, and are some of the most ergonomically comfortable. Not to mention there are dozens of models from a variety of manufacturers available in a slew of colors as well as different models offering either wired or wireless connectivity.
Let’s take a look at the many different reasons why you want to make the switch to a gaming mouse today and which ones you should look at first.
Choosing Between Gaming and Regular Mouse
Before jumping right into the reasons why you should buy a gaming mouse, it’s important to know how they differ from regular mice. Aside from the notion that gaming mice are often more expensive overall, they offer a few different features that help them stand out. First and foremost is cost as gaming mice can get into the hundreds of dollars, whereas regular mice shouldn’t be more than $100.
Gaming mice offer different levels of DPI support (dots per inch) which regulates how fast your mouse icon moves on screen. Ergonomics are almost always at the forefront of any gaming mouse decision, whereas a regular mouse may not have the same level of focus and instead emphasize cheap pricing.
Reasons to Buy a Gaming Mouse
Dots Per Inch
While many people can go their entire computing life without ever worrying about dots per inch (DPI), it’s an advantage only gaming mice will offer. A mouse that allows you to adjust the DPI will enable you to better customize your overall computing experience around how quickly you can move your mouse cursor from item to item on the screen. It’s likely something you’ve never even considered as something to change, but once you have the option with a gaming mouse, you are unlikely to go back.
For gamers, the higher the DPI, the better it is for gaming titles like first-person shooters or other types of gaming genres where having a quick response is critical. Depending on the mouse, DPI can go upward of 35,000 (regular mice only go as high as 1,200) and many competitive gamers are likely to play with higher DPI scores. A good gaming mouse will allow its owner to quickly adjust the DPI speed with a click of a button so they can make adjustments on the fly.
Strong Ergonomics
There is no denying that gaming mice are not the only ergonomically friendly mice you can find overall, but there is no question they tend to focus more on ergonomics than a non-gaming mouse model.
Companies that manufacture gaming mice know their audience tends to use their mouse for hours on end, so comfort isn’t just a secondary consideration. There is a good chance that even an inexpensive gaming mouse will offer a natural grip for right or left-handed users as well as a very specific spot to comfortably rest your thumb. It doesn’t matter what type of grip you use on a gaming mouse, whether it’s the good old claw, palm, or fingertip grip, there is an ergonomically comfortable gaming mouse out there for everyone.
Many non-gaming mice tend to be flatter overall, or even if they offer something of an arch, they are not a one-size-fits-all approach for different comfort levels. If you want something that is going to be comfortable for a full day’s worth of gaming or creating spreadsheets in Excel, a gaming mouse is undoubtedly going to offer more comfort.
Customization
When you buy a non-gaming mouse, the idea of customizing it through software has probably never entered your mind. The opposite is likely true if you are purchasing a gaming mouse as companies like SteelSeries, Razer, and Logitech all offer proprietary software that can help customize the many different gaming mouse models they sell. Each company offers something slightly different with their software and some gaming mouse models are more customizable than others, but being able to customize them at all is a big win.
Aside from being able to adjust basic things like DPI, some mice can adjust their button functions with different shortcuts, which can be especially helpful while gaming. Imagine if you can set up a mouse button to quickly reload in a first-person shooter. The milliseconds it saves you each time can add up over the course of a match and make the difference between victory and not.
Separately, mice like the Razer G502 Hero gaming mouse can actually offer swappable sides or adjust the tiny weights that are inside the mouse frame for even more comfort.
- Hero 25K sensor through a software update from G HUB, this upgrade is free to all players
- With 1:1 tracking, 400-plus IPS, and 100 - 25,600 max DPI sensitivity plus zero smoothing, filtering, or acceleration
- 11 customizable buttons and onboard memory
- Assign custom commands to the buttons and save up to five ready-to-play profiles directly to the mouse
- Arrange up to five removable 3.6 grams weights inside the mouse for personalized weight and balance tuning
- Programmable RGB Lighting and Lightsync technology: Customize lighting from nearly 16.8 million colors to match your team's colors, sport your own, or sync colors with other Logitech G gear
- Metal spring tensioning system and pivot hinges are built into left and right gaming mouse buttons for a crisp, clean click feel with rapid click feedback
RGB Lighting
The inclusion of RGB lighting feeds a bit off the idea of additional customization but it’s a nicety many people enjoy. Realistically, adding RGB lighting as part of your reasons to buy a gaming mouse is more aesthetic than anything else, but it’s the fun that counts.
Allowing yourself to add a little something extra to your mouse through the use of RGB lighting adds a little bit of personality whether you are deep in The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt or building out a PowerPoint for Thursday’s presentation to your CMO. RGB lighting can often be relaxing too, and the good news is that if it starts to become a distraction, you can just turn it off.
More Buttons
Whereas a nongaming mouse might include an extra shortcut button or two on the side by the thumb, a gaming mouse can offer upward of 18 different programmable buttons. The SteelSeries Aerox 9, for example, does offer 18 different programmable buttons, which is a huge number of shortcuts that can help you move quickly throughout different tasks you regularly perform. This is true for non-gamers who can use these buttons to quickly access a folder or application on a computer as much as it can be for gamers.
As soon as you load up the manufacturer’s proprietary software, you can start customizing each of the different buttons for another purpose. This goes back to being able to use a dedicated button just for reloading in a first-person shooter. You can just as easily set up a button to open your email application of choice on a PC or Mac as well. Even if you don’t use every shortcut button on a mouse, having the ability to constantly repurpose different buttons with a gaming mouse sets them apart from regular mice every time.
- 18,000 CPI
- TrueMove Air Optical Sensor
- Water-resistant
- 180 hour battery
- 18 programmable buttons
Longer Lasting
When it comes to overall use, a gaming mouse is designed and tested to be used for a longer period of time than a non-gaming mouse. The Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro, often considered one of the best wireless gaming mice around, can last somewhere in the range of 90 million clicks.
You might get more battery life on a single charge out of a non-gaming mouse, but recharging a gaming mouse takes only a few hours at most. Longer lasting is really focused on how many clicks you will get out of a mouse before it needs to be replaced, and there is little debate whether they will outlast non-gaming mice each and every time.
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Best Gaming Mice Available Today
Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro
- Focus Pro 30K Optical Sensor
- Fast Optical Switches Gen-3
- HyperSpeed Wireless
- 5 programmable buttons
- 90-hour battery
- Black
- 63g ultra lightweight
Don’t let the silly name fool you, this wired or wireless gaming mouse from Razer is a standout option in every way. At only 63 grams, it’s ultra-lightweight so it’s easy to move around every day.
Razer has designed the DeathAdder’s ergonomics to be incredibly comfortable for all-day use, and with 90 hours of battery life, you can easily game for a week before needing to recharge. Perhaps the most notable feature of this Razer option is that it can last for up to 90 million clicks before you even need to consider replacing it with something else.
Razer Naga V2 Pro
- Up to 150 hours of play on HyperSpeed or 300 hours on Bluetooth
- 30K optical sensor delivers excellent tracking performance on a wider variety of surfaces
- Swappable side plates with button configurations designed for multiple types of games
- Customizable scroll configurations
When it comes to button shortcuts and customization, few gaming mice on the market compete with the Razer Naga Pro. Not only does it offer up to a 20,000 DPI optical sensor, it adds three different interchangeable side plates. Between the three different plates that live on the left side of the mouse by your right thumb, you can choose from a two, six, or 12-button configuration plate.
If you opt for the latter with 12 different programmable buttons, the Razer Naga Pro offers a whopping 19 total programmable buttons that can all be remapped through Razer’s Synapse proprietary software. Add in up to 300 hours of battery life when using Bluetooth and a 90 million click lifecycle, and it’s easy to see why Razer is one of the best names in all of gaming.
Logitech G305
- Hero 12K Sensor
- 12,000 DPI
- Lightweight
- 6 programmable buttons
- 250-hour battery life
- On-board memory
- PC/Mac
- Blue
Arguably the best budget gaming mouse around, the Logitech G305 is an ergonomically friendly mouse with an equally friendly price point.
Available for $39 through Amazon, you get up to 12,000 DPI plus 250 hours of continuous battery life on a single AA battery. Weighing only 99 grams, the Logitech G305 is lighter than most non-gaming mice, which makes it even more comfortable to use for both gaming and regular computer activities.
As a wireless model, portability is easy as you can grab the built-in USB receiver and easily transport it with a laptop. Available in five different colors, the Logitech G305 is immediately compatible with both PC and macOS.
Corsair Harpoon
- Play with hyper-fast, sub 1ms Slipstream Corsair Wireless Technology
- Connect with low latency Bluetooth or USB wired
- Weighs just 99 grams
- Just connect the wireless adapter to a USB port and switch the mouse on
- Contoured Shape and Rubber Side Grips for long-term comfort and a confident grip
- Up to 60 hours of battery life
A stand-out wireless option, the Corsair Harpoon offers excellent ergonomics with textured grips that help keep your hand in place. The contoured shape adds long-term comfort, which makes it one of the best inexpensive options for finding excellent ergonomics.
Battery life is only around 60 hours in wireless mode before you can plug the mouse in with a wire and keep playing while charging at the same time. The Corsair Harpoon is good for up to 50 million clicks and is compatible with Xbox for playing mouse-enabled games on the big screen. Up to six programmable buttons add a heightened level of customization.
Razer Basilisk V3
- Ergonomic design with thumb rest
- 11 programmable buttons
- Hyperscroll tilt wheel that free-spins until it's stopped or switch to tactile mode for more precision and satisfying feedback
- 11 Razer Chroma RGB lighting zones: Customize each zone from over 16.8 million colors and countless lighting effects, all while it reacts dynamically with over 150 Chroma integrated games
- Optical mouse switches Gen-2: With zero unintended misclicks these switches provide crisp, responsive execution at a blistering 0.2ms actuation speed for up to 70 million clicks
The most ergonomically friendly gaming mouse on this list, the form factor offers a deep groove for your thumb and one of the most comfortable contours across the gaming mouse lineup.
On top of ergonomics, you get up to 11 different programmable buttons plus Razer’s excellent hyperscroll tilt wheel that helps you speed through content while reading or when cycling through weapons during a game.
As if the Razer Basilisk V3 wasn’t already selling you, it adds 16.8 million colors for RGB lighting zones plus a long-lasting lifecycle of 70 million clicks. Up to a 26,000 DPI places this Razer mouse at the high end of the DPI scale, which is all the more reason its sub $60 price point feels like an incredible bargain.
Wrapping Up
When it comes to the reasons to buy a gaming mouse, there are plenty of reasons why they are preferred over a regular gaming mouse. From customization to ergonomics, they offer plenty of value for the money and generally last far longer than nongaming options when evaluating the number of clicks throughout a mouse’s life cycle.
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