If you are using a perfect gaming PC, you need the best accessories too. At the very least, these include a good quality keyboard and mouse. The kind of mouse you choose determines how easily you want to be playing and the amount of fun you can expect to enjoy.
There are different styles of mouse on the market today, some bigger than others and in different designs. There are mainly two types that one can choose from which are the optical and the laser mouse.
Each of these types has its strengths and weaknesses in areas where they are used. The challenge is in determining the right one to choose for gaming.
What are they?
Contents
A laser mouse is the type of mouse that uses laser light to detect movement. This type of mouse does not have any moving part inside it. It is more accurate than the standard mouse and can provide better sensitivity and precision. This type of mouse can work on any surface.
An optical mouse on the other hand is the type of mouse that uses LED (Light Emitting Diode), optoelectronic sensor and digital signal processor to detect changes in the light reflected from one image to another.
Their difference
The main difference between the two types of mouse lies in the kind of light they use to track movement. A laser mouse will use laser to track movement while an optical mouse will use LED light.
These two types of mouse also differ in their DPI. This is basically the number of dots a mouse can track per inch. It is used to determine the sensitivity of a mouse.
The laser mouse has a higher DPI of around 6000 when compared to its Optical counterpart, which has a DPI of about 3000. This may not be very important to an average user, but gamers and graphic designers will always prefer working with a more responsive mouse.
How they work
The main determinant of the kind of mouse that is good for gaming is the way the mouse works.
Speed, sensitivity and accuracy are the top factors a gamer will consider when buying a mouse. Other factors include the cost and reliability of the mouse.
To understand better how these two types of mouse work, let’s analyze the depth of their illumination.
An optical mouse will only sense the top surface where it is used, whether it is a fabric or a mouse pad. The laser mouse on the other hand will sense deeper than the top surface. For this reason, the laser mouse can detect any variation on the surface where it is used.
In times of slow movements, this may make your mouse a little jittery because of picking even the less important information. This may slow it down or make it hard to work with.
The depth of mouse’s illumination determines the extent and speed of movement.
Top 3 best laser mouse for gaming:
- UtechSmart Venus 16400 DPI High Precision Laser MMO Gaming Mouse
- G.SKILL RIPJAWS MX780 Cutting Edge Ambidextrous RGB 8200 DPI Laser Gaming Mouse
- Redragon Gaming Mouse for PC Games M901 Perdition Redragon MMO Mouse
Top 3 best optical mouse for gaming:
- Razer DeathAdder Elite – Chroma Enabled RGB Ergonomic Gaming Mouse
- CORSAIR SCIMITAR Pro RGB – MMO Gaming Mouse
- HAVIT HV-MS735 MMO Gaming Mouse
Laser or optical mouse for gaming?
With all this information, gamers should now be able to pick the best type of mouse for a better gaming experience. Here are the determining factors:
1. The cost
The cost of a mouse is always very important whether you are buying it for regular computer use or for gaming. For a long time now, the laser mouse has been highly perceived and seen as better than the optical mouse. That is why the price of laser mouse was always on the higher side.
These days, the optical mouse work just as well as the laser mouse and their difference is no longer significant. Today, you can buy an optical mouse at a very similar price of a laser mouse. The highly priced mouses are those that come with additional features and in better designs.
The cost should therefore not be the main determining factor as to whether laser mouse is better than optical mouse for gaming.
2. Button functionality
Optical mouses feature two buttons and a single scrolling wheel. Laser mouses on the other hand come with more features and extra buttons, which make them more functional than their counterpart. Laser mouses are more programmable, to work better for individual users.
3. Sensitivity
A mouse’s sensitivity is determined by its DPI. In this case, the laser mouses are more sensitive than the optical mouse. However, this is no longer very important due to technological advancements. The mouses used today have more advanced CMOS and this makes even those mouse with low DPIs more sensitive.
You may not be able to choose a perfect mouse for gaming based on its DPI. However, you can easily find a more sensitive optical or laser mouse, depending on your preference.
4. Accuracy
The accuracy of a mouse is determined by how good it is in analyzing the surface where it is placed. In this case, a laser will be more accurate than an LED light. Lasers do not miss a thing when it comes to analyzing what is beneath them. This is the same kind of accuracy they manifest when it comes to analyzing data. For that reason, a laser mouse can work perfectly on any kind of surface.
Optical mouses on the other hand are less accurate. LED light is not sufficient to get into more detail. This limits it to just a few types of surfaces. Since it uses light for illumination, an optical mouse will work better on a non-reflective surface because it will be unreliable on shiny surfaces.
On slow speeds though, a laser mouse will be a little jumpy and this may make it difficult to work with. While it is not as perfect as its counterpart in analyzing data, an optical mouse will work accurately on non-glossy surfaces like a mouse pad.
5. Battery consumption
Gamers will have to choose between wired and wireless gaming mouses. Wireless mouses are preferred more than wired because of their flexibility. They also look and feel better. They however use batteries, and, in this case, you must choose a mouse type that has a better battery life. Laser wireless mouse are known for their good battery life. They can run for more than 8 months on Li-on batteries. Optical wireless mouses on the other hand have terrible battery life.
Rechargeable batteries are however better to use on wireless mouse because they are more reliable and economical.
Conclusion
When choosing a mouse for gaming, one needs to be very careful to choose what works perfectly for them. Both optical and laser mouse are very good, depending on what you are hoping to accomplish. However, for gamers and designers, an optical mouse will always work better than a laser mouse. This is because of several reasons.
Optical mouses are more responsive and therefore can be more reliable when compared to a laser mouse. Sensitivity and dependability are two very important aspects in gaming especially for intense gamers. This is the kind of mouse that will move quickly and accurately throughout the gaming session. Gamers using optical mouses will however have to stick to mouse pads.
Some gamers who move a lot and are looking for greater flexibility will find that a laser mouse will be a better option.
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