Having the best gaming mouse for the game at hand is critical to pulling off those deadly 360 degree instant head shots from 40 yards away. If your gaming mouse is not up to the task at hand its very easy to get frustrated in the heat of the game.
Choosing the best gaming mouse is something many PC gamers don’t even think about until the last-minute (unless you are extremely organized), It’s the most vital part of your computer because we use it everyday and to do everything.
Here is my round-up of the best gaming mice in 2014
Best All-round Mouse for Gaming
Logitech G500 Gaming Mouse
Some people play one type of game while other play a plethora of genres, its at these times an all-purpose mouse comes into play.
The Logitech G500 which features a gaming-grade laser, an extra 27g of interchangeable weight and on the fly adjustable DPI is based on the legendary MX-510 / G5 Template with that same slick ergonomic feel, braided cable and the trademark mouse 4 / 5 and 6 buttons on the left ridge we are all used to.
The G500 is an amazing piece of hardware which performs well in all applications and gaming genres, I had both the MX-510 and G5 for many many years, having played a few games of cs:go and wow on my friends G500, I give this a solid stamp of approval.
While it did not have the extreme precision of the Corsair Vengeance M65, it still performed very solidly and just as comfortable in the hand as its predecessors. In WoW it was a little frustrating not having the extra key-binds on the side of my mouse, but maybe that might be my muscle memory coming into play.
Best Gaming Mouse for First Person Shooters (FPS)
Corsair Vengeance M65 Gaming Mouse
When it comes to selecting the best mouse for First Person Shooters (FPS) your needs are much different to an MMO Player, rather than requiring 101 different programmable buttons you need a high-DPI mouse that will move with pin point precision, have quick-change sensitivity buttons, possibly the ability to change the weighting at the back of the mouse and most of all it must sit ergonomically in your hand to reduce cramps from hours of sustained head shots.
I personally have one of these now as I play a lot of counter strike when I am not developing websites, as you know counter strike has notoriously sensitive aiming that really does require pin point precision.
The Corsair Vengeance M65 Gaming mouse comes with an impressive 8200 DPI Laser based tracking sensor, interchangeable weighting, profile management software and even a dedicated sniper button which effectively changes the mouse sensitivity on the fly for those critical opening counter strike dust_2 sniper fights, out of all the gaming mice I have owned in my lifetime the only one that comes close to this for accuracy was the Logitech G-5.
This is a serious piece of kit for a very decent price and a purchase I do not regret.
Best Gaming Mouse / Mice for MMO Games
G600 Review by Reader Vitaliy Yurkin
The Logitech G600 comes with better side buttons, LED color customization, a much better grip, specialized anti-stain surfaces on different parts of the mouse, a ring click, and a higher potential DPI, and I personally have found I greatly prefer Logitech’s software over Razer’s.
The only thing I can say the Naga has on it was that the scroll wheel had a LED while the G600 does not (only the side buttons), and that the fourth mouse button can’t be pressed down with the middle of my pointer finger like I could with the Naga, so I actually had to move the tip of my pointer finger to press it.
Overall, however, the G600 is a ridiculously superior product.
My Thoughts
On the surface the Logitech G600 MMO Gaming mouse looks pretty similar to the Razer naga mentioned below. Just by looking at the promotional photography on Logitech’s website that although they look very similar, as usual Logitech have taken it that a step further with contoured buttons and a much more ergonomic feel.
This mid-high range gaming mouse which comes in at just shy of $63 (or £44 for those of you in the uk) is available in white or black is a serious contender to Razers previously unchallenged Naga coming with 20 programmable buttons and led lighting, however as Vitaliy points out in the comments, the mouse wheel does not come with led lighting.
Razer Naga
Note: This post has been revised, since using the Naga for an extended period of time, I can confirm there is better out there. It was nice having all those button at my fingers but it feel apart in my hand..literally. Please see the above Logitech G600 recommended by one of our Reader Vitaliy.
Any hard-core MMO player understands the need to have a plethora of programmable buttons at your finger tips. Take a shadow step rogue in World of Warcraft for example, if you are playing without add-ons it takes a lot of time and forward planning to key-bind everything, even then it’s not adequate and find your fingers getting caught up.
The Razer Naga MMO Gaming mouse is the perfect solution for all MMO players. It’s a right-handed mouse that comes with 12 programmable numbered buttons that fall comfortably around your thumb with generous spacing around each so you don’t accidentally hit another key.
I had one of these in my World of Warcraft days and I must say it improved my game play considerably. My fingers were freed up and had found my hand movements a lot smoother giving me more time to think about enemy positioning.
Splitting up tasks between the left and right side of the brain helps keep your key strokes smooth.
Best Mouse for Left-Handed Gamers
Roccat Kova
The Roccat Kova is a v-shaped mouse that is suitable for both right and left-hander and features a 3200DPI Optic Sensor, 7 fully programmable mouse buttons and the ability to change the LED colors between 7 different colors.
With its slick v-shape design this mouse is perfect for right and left-handed gamers with amazing tracking precision and even the ability to change the mouse sensitivity via desktop software.
The Roccat Kova is a good all-round mouse, while it wont excel in MMOs and especially FPS it will definitely provide a very smooth motion with decent accuracy.
Conclusion
Personally, I have never been a fan of budget mice and often find myself getting frustrated by the inaccuracy of budget models. They often lack the ability to sensitively track the surface below and often are very jolty ( especially in first person shooters or PC games with a lot of camera work ), much like investing in a decent gaming keyboard these gaming mice will serve you well for a good few years.
How would the Corsair Vengeance M65 Gaming Mouse compare to a sidewinder x8. I’m not sure if it’s worth changing or not as it’s the only gaming mouse I’ve used
I would say the Corsair is worth an upgrade Kev especially over the sidewinder, never been a fan of Microsoft hardware they should just stick to software IMO.
- Andy
I have a nice gaming surface, takes up the whole desk. Will look into a new mouse, along with a new keyboard and a new ssd and a new. …
I would REEEAALLY recommend the Logitech G600 over the Naga in terms of an MMO gaming mouse- in terms of features, it’s superior in every respect. I got it after my Naga went kaput after ust a few months, and reading online you can find that many people have had issues with the reliability of Razer products in general (My Razer Black Widow died on me after just FOUR months.)
The Logitech G600 comes with better side buttons, LED color customization, a much better grip, specialized anti-stain surfaces on different parts of the mouse, a ring click, and a higher potential DPI, and I personally have found I greatly prefer Logitech’s software over Razer’s.
The only thing I can say the Naga has on it was that the scroll wheel had a LED while the G600 does not (only the side buttons), and that the fourth mouse button can’t be pressed down with the middle of my pointer finger like I could with the Naga, so I actually had to move the tip of my pointer finger to press it.
Overall, however, the G600 is a ridiculously superior product.
Hey Vitaliy,
Thanks for your input, Razer products reliability is indeed flaky at times and when I wrote this post I had just got my one however it has since gone kaput also!
I will revise this post over the weekend and I try to locate a G600 so I can offer a fair opinion and update my post and offer it as an alternative.
The main reason I suggested the Naga was because I play alot of WoW and SC2 HOTS in my spare time
Andy
Oh yeah I totally understand, I actually bought my Naga just for WoW as well (both of them, actually- I had one ways back, then it broke down and Ig ot a regular mouse. Got another one after I couldn’t handle having access to only ~5 mouse inputs, haha).
In my anger after it breaking, I browsed the web looking for ANY alternative, and I’m glad I did. A fellow bro ont he PCMR recommended the G600, I snagged one, and never looked back.
Well when you go from a nagga to a brand like logitech everything
feels a bit touchy! Razer spend all their money on branding and not
enough on quality merchandise.
I will most certainly be reviewing
the article and adding an update, explaining what happened to my razer
naga gaming mouse and find some alternatives
“When it comes to selecting the best mouse for First Person Shooters (FPS) …. you need a high-DPI mouse that will move with pin point precision”
do u even fps bro? The higher the DPI, the less accurate you will be unless you’re lowering your sensitivity to under 1. (Do you even understand the basic concept of ‘DPI’? What it stands for? lol)
If you want precision in FPS games then a low DPI mouse is best.
If you generally suck at FPS’s and/or you have slow reaction times, then maybe you will see a benefit if you pair a high DPI mouse with your spray and praying ‘skills’.
Hi Actual FPS Gamer,
I have played CS since 1.6 and still play to this day, I use high-CPI mice in conjunction with ultra low settings in CS:S as well as disabling all hardware acceleration.
The simple fact is everyone plays different, I have recommended what has worked for me in my 12 year relationship with the counter strike franchise of which 5 years was spent playing semi-pro, so I cant be doing it all wrong.
Andy
One thing I will say Actual FPS Gamer, is this post is quite old now and there is a much much much better mouse for counter strike and FPS in general. I never liked the built in mouse acceleration from laser mice but it was not as noticiable with the M65.
That being said, I will revise the post with a much better suited IR mouse.