Best gaming mouse rundown
PC gamers have never had it so good. While the e-sports scene is ramping up to enjoy unprecedented popularity, powerful graphics cards are becoming more affordable than ever, finally allowing PC to serve as a viable alternative to consoles.
But, whether you aspire to be the next League of Legends or Call of Duty superstar or, more likely, just enjoying a few rounds of Overwatch, you'll assuredly find yourself at a disadvantage if you skimp on your choice of mouse. And assuming you've already shelled out the dough for a robust gaming rig straight out of science fiction, there's no excuse for cheaping out on control inputs.
How to choose the best gaming mouse
Your choice of mouse depends very much on your gaming preferences: if you're into first-person shooters, say, finding the right balance of sensitivity and responsiveness is vital, so you'll need to pay attention to DPI ratings and decide between optical or laser sensors (fear not – leave the technical stuff to us). Whereas if you're into real-time strategy, MMOs or MOBAs, it's vital to pick a mouse that lets you map macros triggering the actions you use most to specially configured buttons.
So, we've picked the 10 best gaming mice: whatever your gaming preferences or needs, one of these will complete your ultimate PC or Mac gaming setup.
1. Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum
The ultimate wireless gaming mouse
DPI: 12,000 | Interface: Wired/Wireless 2.4GHz | Buttons: 11 | Ergonomic: Ambidextrous | Features: Customizable RGB Lighting, 30 hour battery life, removable side buttons
Wireless gaming mice have a bad reputation and the Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum will completely change your mind on them. With DPI scaling between 200 and 12,000 plus no perceptible lag this gaming mouse is ready for everything from your next game of Hearthstone to tournament level Heroes of the Storm. The ambidextrous design is a rarity these days and better yet, Logitech has implemented magnetic buttons that you can simply swap out for a black spacer depending on your handiness.
2. Corsair M65 Pro RGB
A smooth operator that's more sensitive than most
DPI: 12,000 | Features: Advanced weight tuning system, Aircraft-grade aluminium structure, Extra-large glide pads, High-mass scroll wheel, 8 buttons
Few gaming mice manage to squeeze in as many features as the M65 Pro RGB while remaining comfortable during long gaming sessions. Corsair's incredibly well-built gaming mouse fits the hand like a glove and its huge 12,000 DPI sensors allows for silky smooth gliding in any game. Once you've navigated the sometimes confusing mass of options in Corsair's CUE software, the M65 Pro RGB can display some impressive and subtle lighting effects. Other features are novel yet welcome: a sniper button positioned on the left-hand edge, three-point weight customization and a DPI switcher that lights up all the colors of the rainbow. Well: blue, green, yellow, white and red, anyway.
3. Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum
DPI: 200 - 12,000 | Features: 11 programmable buttons and controls, including DPI shift, Customizable lighting from a palette of 16.8 million colors, Up to five 3.6g weights for personalised mass and balance, Surface-turnable gaming sensor with Delta Zero tech, 5 on-the-fly adjustable DPI settings, 3 on-board profiles
Logitech's gaming mouse turns being heavy handed into a good thing. Its hexagonal core can be customized with up to six 3.6 gram weights, giving you a lighter or heavier mouse to wield. Adjusting the mass and balance isn't the G502's only trick: its surface-turnable gaming sensor packs Logitech's Delta Zero tech, which lets you use it on a wide variety of surfaces beyond your regular mouse mat.
Clicking a middle mouse button lets the G502's scroll wheel spin freely, which helps prevent knuckle strain when navigating long webpages and forms. Add to that 11 customizable buttons including four on the left-hand side, a three-speed DPI shift under the scroll wheel and a logo that lights up 16.8 million colours in the dark using RGB backlighting, and you have one attractive, tech-stuffed gaming mouse.
4. Roccat Nyth
The most customizable mouse, bar none
DPI: 12,000 | Features: Custom button layout, Mid-finger fin switch, AlienFX Illumination, 3D printing support, 2x hotswappable sidegrips
Roccat's Nyth is one of the more innovative mice in recent times. Clicking a button pops out its 12 side buttons, which you can then re-configure in any order you like - giving you a potential 36 side button combinations. Mapping is done using Roccat's Swarm driver, which lets you create custom button configurations and map buttons to programs. That makes it suitable for not just MMOs, but a whole range of genres - from FPS to MOBA titles. If you've got a 3D printer, you can even 3D print your own buttons for it.
5. Razer DeathAdder Chroma
Sports a classic design and has an insane DPI
DPI: 10,000 | Interface: USB Wired | Buttons: 5 | Ergonomic: right-handed | Features: Textured rubber side grips, Chroma lighting, 1000Hz Ultrapolling, On-the-fly sensitivity adjustment, Always-on mode
Many pro gamers swear by Razer's PC peripherals, and the Death Adder Chroma mouse is one of the most popular gaming mice around. There's nothing too flash about it (except for the ability to make various bits of it glow in different colours), but it feels right in the hand, is light, the rubber side-grips come in handy at frenzied moments, its optical sensor is tried-and-tested and it goes up to an insane 10,000DPI (probably too sensitive for mere mortals, but it's there if you need it). MMO fans may be slightly disappointed by a less-than-generous allocation of macro buttons, though. But in the world of gaming mice, it's considered something of a design classic.
6. Corsair Sabre
A swift, accurate and lightweight weapon
DPI: 10,000 | Interface: Wired | Buttons: 8 | Features: Four-zone 16.8 million color backlighting; 10,000 DPI optical sensor and multi-color DPI indicator, 100g weight, 1,000 Hz USB refresh rate, Braided easy-flex USB cable
Another impressive mouse from Corsair, the Sabre is comparatively stripped down compared to the M65 Pro leaving just the essentials for a reasonable price. The first thing you notice is how light the mouse is. Its lightweight body combines excellently with its fast and accurate optical sensor to feel like a durable mouse you can wield in your hand for playing games of any genre. Corsair's CUE software is a little fiddly to get to grips with, but once figured out can be programmed to cycle colors around the Sabre's four RGB-lit zones.
7. Razer Naga Chroma
The most colourful MMO mouse around
DPI: 8200 | Interface: Wired/Wireless | Buttons: 19 programmable | Features: Tilt-click mechanical thumb grid, Wireless gaming-grade tech, Charging dock, Chroma lighting with 16.8 million customizable color options, Razer Synapse software, 1000Hz Ultrapolling, up to 200 inches per second/50g acceleration
Razer updated its Naga MMO mousse with Chroma lighting, and once again there's more than enough buttons for fans of the genre to customize their moves. The Chroma Naga is connected using the supplied charging cable, which can be disconnected to provide up to around eight hours of charge. Sporting a sleek black matte design that contrasts well with the shifting colours, the Naga Chroma is a slick addition to Razer's line-up of gaming mice.
8. Mad Catz R.A.T.M
Small rodent
DPI: 6400 | Interface: Wireless | Buttons: 12 (10 programmable) | Feature: GameSmart Multi-platform, USB Nano Dongle, Bluetooth, 1 year from 2 AAA batteries, Adjust grip in 0-15mm in 5mm increments, dang
Finding the right mouse is a perennial problem for gamers who prefer laptops to PCs, but Mad Catz's R.A.T.M has been specifically designed to solve that conundrum. As is typical for laptop-specific mice, it's tiny (which could prove problematic for the giant-handed), but at least it's size-adjustable, and packs surprisingly decent specifications for such a tiny package, with 6,400DPI sensitivity and a clever four-way button that can run five macros. And it's wireless – with a built-in Bluetooth dongle so it works even if your laptop doesn't have native Bluetooth. Worth considering for those who place portability at a premium, but like to play MMOs and MOBAs.
9. SteelSeries Sensei
A shot in the (32-bit) ARM
DPI: 6400 | Interface: Wireless | Buttons: 12 (10 programmable) | Features: Customisable lift distance, Button functionality and CPI, Ilumination, Macros, SteelSeries Engine, 32-bit ARM CPU, 1 - 5,700 CPI, 10.8-MP HD image correlation at up to 12,000 FPS, Tracking movements of up to 150 inches per second
SteelSeries peripherals have a huge following among the professional gaming community, and many pros swear by the Sensei. With 11,400DPI sensitivity and a handy eight macro buttons, it comfortably straddles the first-person shooter/MMO/MOBA divide. Meanwhile, underneath its deceptively conventional looks, it's precision-engineered for all the precision and sensitivity you could desire. And it even lets you customise its "lift distance" – so whatever surface you use it on, you can get it performing perfectly. We can't vouch for your general level of talent, but the SteelSeries Sensei will at least put you on a par with the pros in terms of equipment.
10. Cougar 550M
Responsive and well-built, it's ready to pounce
DPI: 50-6400 | Interface: Wired | Buttons: 6 | Features: Braided cable, Omron micro switches, Gaming-grade scroll wheel, Programmable trigger buttons, Anti-slip flanks, Premium gaming surface, 1000Hz Polling Rate/1ms Response time, 3-stage DPI LED display, Multi-colour backlight system (2 zone RGB)
The Cougar 550M is a durable gaming mouse with a fast 1ms response time. Its side panels feature a mesh design that lend it some Crysis-esque cool and feel great to grip, and its two roomy side buttons on the left-hand edge are easy to press. We wish more manufacturers would make gaming mice with braided cables like the one on the 550M - they do a better job of staying untangled and add to your confidence levels in-game. Located under the scrool wheel, the 550M's DPI switch feels curiously satisfying to press - like changing the gear stick in a sports car. The mouse feels solid in the hand, but its size doesn't make it a great fit for small hands.
