For any gamer, selecting a mouse is always a challenge, especially if you don’t know what you are looking for. There are several factors to consider, like shape, weight, price, and brand. As someone who has been playing competitive games since childhood, I have had the opportunity to test various mice of all shapes and sizes and from various brands.

From bulky and heavy monsters like the G402 and G502 to lightweight mice like the Glorious Model and Finalmouse series, I have tried a lot of mice. Here is my definitive guide to buying a solid gaming mouse.

Purpose

Before you go into the technical dos and don’ts of buying a mouse, it’s important to know what you are buying a mouse for. If you play a lot of shooters like CS2, CoD, or VALORANT, going for a lightweight mouse with a precise sensor is a good idea.

On the other hand, if you play games like Dota 2, LoL, WoW, or MMORPGs or RPGs, then going for a mouse with more side buttons might be beneficial.

If you are looking for an all-rounder that allows you to game and work, something a bit more simplistic and ergonomic might be your best bet.

Shape and Size

Photo by Bruno Yamazaky

No matter how premium the build quality is or how responsive the sensor is, a mouse will never be good if it’s not comfortable for you. Knowing the shape and size that will fit your grip style and hand size perfectly is hard if you haven’t tried a lot of mice.

When it comes to shapes, there are predominantly three that you need to know.

• Ambidextrous: Ambidextrous mice are symmetrical, meaning they are the same on both left and right sides. This is the most popular shape when it comes to gaming mice. You will notice that a lot of the most bought or used mice are ambidextrous in shape. This is why, if you don’t know what you are looking for, going for an ambidextrous mouse is the safest bet. However, you should still research before buying one. Popular ambidextrous mice are Logitech G Pro X Superlight, Razer Viper V3 Pro, and Zowie FK-2.
• Ergonomic: Ergonomic mice are designed for a more natural hand position. This means they have a groove on the left side of the mouse for your thumb to rest and are slightly slanted. Ergonomic mice are still quite popular, albeit not as much as ambidextrous ones. Ergonomic mice are not good blind buys, because if the shape does not fit your hand size, they can be very uncomfortable. Razer’s Death Adder series and Zowie’s EK series are all ergonomic mice.
• Egg: Egg is a variant of the ambidextrous mouse. They are quite wide in the middle, which gives them the egg name. It’s not a shape you would usually go and buy unless you have a reason to. These have grown in popularity in the last few years, so do check them out. Egg-shaped mice are mostly used by players with a fingertip grip style.

There are variants of these shapes, but most of them can be fit into these categories. It’s important to note that two mice sharing the same shape type can be vastly different. For example, Logitech G Pro X Superlight and Zowie FK-2 are both ambidextrous mice, but they have a completely different feel. It can be hard to find a mouse that fits you perfectly if you haven’t tried a lot of mice.

How to Find the Shape that Works for You

Of course, the shape and size factor in choosing a mouse is purely personal preference. The best way to know what your preference is to just try out some mice. Ask your friends to let them play with their mice, or go to computer stores where they have mice on display to try out. Once you find something you like, you can find the measurements of that mouse and find something in the same shape.

Eloshapes is a great website for this; you can enter any mouse that feels comfortable to you, and it will show you a lot of mice with similar measurements. This will help you narrow down your search and help you find a mouse that fits your hand like a glove.

Another important thing is grip styles. They can heavily impact your decision in choosing a shape. You will probably have one of the following grip styles.

Palm: The entire hand rests on the mouse. It’s a more natural way of holding the mouse. Palm grip users prefer larger and ergonomic mice. However, do take that with a grain of salt as it’s massively personal preference.

Claw: As the name suggests, you claw the mouse. You grip the mouse with your fingertips, and the base of your palm rests on the back of your mouse. The center of your palm does not touch the mouse. Claw grip style users prefer small and ambidextrous mice.

Fingertip: You only hold the mouse with your fingertips, and your palm makes little to no contact with the mouse. This is a very loose grip style, and players with this style prefer smaller and lightweight mice.

Weight

Photo by Bruno Yamazaky

Weight is another important factor when it comes to choosing a mouse. However, it’s not as complicated as shape and size. While people say that lighter is always better, it’s not true.

A super-light mouse can be as problematic as a heavy mouse. It’s about finding the right balance. A good range to aim for is 55-70g, even up to 80g if you like heavier mice. Anything lighter will feel cheap and hard to be precise with, and anything heavier will feel like holding a bulky paperweight in your hand.

Thankfully, most modern mice are usually in the aforementioned range, so weight has become less of a problem now. But it’s still important to check the spec sheet of your mouse to know how much it weighs. Brands like to market the weight of a mouse, so it’s not hard to find.

DPI, Sensor, and Polling Rates

These terms might be technical if you are new to the peripheral space. DPI, Sensor, and Polling Rates are things that are used to gauge a mouse's performance. The sensor is the most important of all.

You can buy the nicest and sleekest-looking mouse, but if it’s got a bad sensor, it’s pretty much useless. Always look for mice with optical sensors. Popular brands like Logitech and Razer have their own line of sensors that are excellent. To be fair, most modern mice have capable sensors and are almost indistinguishable from each other. Unless you are buying a cheap mouse, you won’t have an issue with the sensor.

DPI (Dots Per Inch) is a measure of a mouse’s sensitivity, indicating how far the cursor moves on-screen to physical movement of the mouse. Most modern mice allow you to choose a DPI, either through a button on the mouse or the software. You will often see brands marketing mice with a lot of DPI, like 4000 or 5000. This is just a gimmick. Most players opt for somewhere between 400-1600.

Polling rate is the frequency, measured in Hertz (Hz), at which a mouse reports its position to the computer. It’s a measure of how responsive the mouse is. A higher polling rate usually means low latency. However, anything above 1000 Hz is hard to notice. But you will still see brands marketing their mouse with high polling rates. In short, just look for a mouse with a 1000 Hz polling rate and only opt for a higher polling rate mouse if it has other features as well.

Related: Best Sensitivity for Fortnite on PC

Durability and Reliability

If you are spending money on a good mouse, it’s important to ensure that it lasts. You can easily ensure this by checking out consumer ratings, reading detailed breakdowns from trusted sources, or the good old trusty Reddit reviews.

Mice are likely to develop durability issues if you buy the wrong one, even if it’s from a trusted brand. As someone who has been through two Razer Viper Minis and two Logitech G102s, trust me when I say even brands can have poor mice.

The things you predominantly need to look out for are the build material and switches. Read some reviews to know that the mouse you are buying has good build quality and isn’t made with cheap plastic, as that can give you a poor experience.

For switches, always opt for optical switches over mechanical ones. It might cost you a premium, but they are better in the long run. The metal contacts in mechanical switches can wear out over time, which can lead to inconsistent input, causing issues like the double click. Optical switches work on light, so they rarely get this problem. These switches are also more responsive, which makes them ideal for competitive titles like VALORANT, CS2, and Fortnite.

In short, do a lot of research before you buy a mouse, especially when it comes to reliability, and read long-term reviews to get a better picture.

Price and Brand

Photo by Higor Hanschen

When it comes to choosing a brand, going with renowned ones like Razer, Zowie, Logitech, or HyperX is a safe bet. However, these mice can be expensive (>$100). Both Logitech’s and Razer’s top-of-the-line series can range from $100-$200. There is a sense of security when you buy from a trusted brand, so people justify paying the premium. But that doesn’t mean expensive mice are better.

There are tons of brands that make sub $100 mice that are identical, if not better in performance, than popular brands. I have been running an Attack Shark X3 for a year now, and it has served me well. Some good niche brands you can trust are:

• Glorious
• Endgame
• Attack Shark
• Xtryfy
• Lamzu
• Fantech
• Pulsar

You can find great mice from these brands. Fantech Helios II, Attack Shark X3, and Glorious Model series are all community-approved mice that won’t leave a dent in your wallet.

Conclusion

Buying a mouse is a canon event for all gamers, and you will go through a couple of mice till you find the one that works for you. Whether you want a swift and precise mouse for clicking heads in shooters or something with a lot of buttons to help keep up with the inputs in MOBAs and MMORPGs, this guide will give you a general idea about what to look for.