[0:00] Have you ever felt like you can't find
[0:02] your perfect gaming mouse or don't even
[0:04] know where to begin? This often results
[0:06] in you buying countless gaming mice
[0:08] expecting to find your end game only to
[0:11] end up with no money and worse, no
[0:13] [ __ ]
[0:15] Well, I've got five things that you
[0:17] should look out for when buying a gaming
[0:19] mouse. By the end of this video, you
[0:21] will have the clarity and understanding
[0:23] needed to find the best gaming mouse for
[0:25] you. If at any point you go pro in any
[0:27] esport as a result of this video, you
[0:28] owe me a 10% cut of all learnings.
[0:31] Most gaming modes that are marketed for
[0:33] competitive games have sensors that are
[0:35] more than good enough. There's going to
[0:37] be technical differences between various
[0:39] sensor generations, but none of these
[0:41] will be noticeable by you in game. If
[0:43] you look at benchmarks and people's
[0:45] wacky graphs with dots on them, then
[0:47] yeah, you're going to see a difference,
[0:49] but these are almost always negligible.
[0:51] Anything that says it has a DPI of over
[0:54] 12,000 is likely going to be suitable
[0:57] for most people. But to make it a bit
[0:59] easier, if it says 3311, 3950, or 3395,
[1:03] which are the most common sensors these
[1:05] days, it will very likely be fine. For
[1:08] things like higher polling rates, there
[1:10] can be a benefit when combined with high
[1:12] refresh rate monitors. But most of this
[1:14] is still largely anecdotal on whether or
[1:17] not the difference is actually
[1:18] significant. For the average gamer,
[1:20] there's far too many variables that play
[1:23] into whether or not you'd experience the
[1:25] difference anyway, as it can be
[1:26] dependent on the game that you play,
[1:27] your PC hardware, monitor, the DPI you
[1:30] use, and so on. Basically, just buy a
[1:33] mouse, plug it in, and pop off. If
[1:35] you're bad on 10,000 hertz, you're still
[1:37] going to be bad on 8,000. The harshest
[1:39] truths always hurt the most.
[1:43] If you are playing a game that requires
[1:45] you to move your mouse around a lot, I
[1:47] feel that it is necessary to get a
[1:49] lightweight mouse. They require less
[1:51] effort to move around the mouse pad. And
[1:53] I feel that combined with the shape,
[1:55] which I'll look at next, lightweight
[1:57] mice have played a key role in making me
[1:59] able to play games well into my 60s
[2:02] without feeling any wrist or arm pain at
[2:04] all. For a game like Counter-Strike
[2:06] that's more horizontal, requires
[2:08] precision, and is a bit slower paced,
[2:10] you can get away without having an ultra
[2:12] lightweight mouse, but I'd still
[2:14] recommend getting something under 65 g.
[2:17] For the games that I play, like Deadlock
[2:19] or TF2, I personally play better with
[2:22] mice that weigh around 35 to 40 g for
[2:25] these kind of games, maybe even lower.
[2:28] There's a teaser on our Patreon if you
[2:29] want to have a little peep. And
[2:30] remember, switching from a heavier mouse
[2:33] to a lightweight model requires an
[2:35] adjustment period, so be patient. With
[2:37] consistent use of at least a couple of
[2:40] weeks, you will adapt to the lighter
[2:42] feel, and I really think you'll be
[2:43] better off as a result. I'd highly
[2:46] recommend getting a mouse that is at
[2:47] least under 55 g if you play shooters.
[2:50] I'll put a link in the description below
[2:52] of some affordable lightweight mice if
[2:54] you wish to dabble without shelling out
[2:56] an insane amount of money.
[3:00] Finding the right shape is the most
[3:02] important part. It will help you aim
[3:04] better and be able to play for longer.
[3:06] So, how do you pick the right one?
[3:08] People will often give me their hand
[3:10] size and be like, "Best mouse for me."
[3:13] Which means nothing. When most measure
[3:15] their hands, they have them flat on the
[3:17] table with their fingers together. I
[3:18] think it's best to measure it when it's
[3:20] in a relaxed and natural position as
[3:22] that's closer to how your hand is going
[3:24] to be when it's on a mouse. My 18x 10 cm
[3:28] hands when flat on a desk are actually
[3:30] 15x 10 cm in a relaxed position. That's
[3:34] similar to how I hold a mouse. And if I
[3:37] go one step further in my own theory,
[3:39] which is by measuring the width based on
[3:41] pinky fingertip to my thumb tip, it's
[3:44] like 15 by
[3:48] Even that doesn't provide much
[3:50] information. What helps is knowing what
[3:53] you're looking for by using what you
[3:55] currently have. Find out what grip type
[3:57] you're using and look at how you hold
[3:59] your mouse in and out of game. What do
[4:01] you like about the shape of your mouse?
[4:02] Is it the support for your ring and
[4:04] pinky? Is it the hump being tight into
[4:06] your palm or out of the way? What do you
[4:08] dislike about it? Do you struggle to
[4:10] reach the side buttons? Do any areas dig
[4:12] into your hand? Then there's the impact
[4:14] on your aim. Do you find that you can't
[4:16] shift the mouse vertically fast enough?
[4:19] Are making micro adjustments a bit too
[4:21] awkward and unstable? Understanding this
[4:23] first will make it easier to find the
[4:26] best shape for you, and it provides
[4:28] whoever you ask for help with more
[4:30] information to work with than just
[4:32] numbers. I often ask the above questions
[4:35] when I write my reviews to help describe
[4:38] the impact the shape will have on your
[4:40] hand or aim. You can use ELO shapes, but
[4:43] be careful with this as it misses a lot
[4:45] of detail as it's just outlines. I
[4:47] believe that Bardles is working on an
[4:49] alternative website that would be far
[4:51] more valuable as it will be 3D scans
[4:53] instead, similar to what Artings had
[4:55] before it all got locked behind a payw
[4:57] wall. By following this, you might be
[4:59] able to find your perfect shape without
[5:01] having to buy 10 mice or realize that
[5:03] what you have now is actually perfect
[5:05] for you already.
[5:09] This is one of the biggest pet peeves I
[5:10] have these days. A lot of companies are
[5:13] experimenting with different materials
[5:14] and then charging a premium price for
[5:17] it, like carbon fiber composites or
[5:19] magnesium. Maybe because there's higher
[5:21] profit margins. Most, if not all, gaming
[5:24] mice I have tried that have been made by
[5:26] using an alternative material have never
[5:28] really made me think, "Wow, this is
[5:30] better than plastic." Some have gotten
[5:32] close, and most of the time it's just so
[5:34] that it can make a cooler looking
[5:35] design. But it's still not worth the
[5:37] premium price that some of these mice
[5:39] have in comparison to standard plastic
[5:41] ones. These are to me just vanity
[5:44] products for people who are rampant
[5:46] consumers of a particular brand or are
[5:49] designed solely to look good for
[5:50] marketing to give out to influencers. Do
[5:52] not be fooled. Carbon fiber just looks
[5:55] and sounds cool because it's used in
[5:57] Formula 1 cars. It's completely
[5:59] redundant for most full shell gaming
[6:01] mice that just sit on your desk.
[6:06] This is the big one and due to recent
[6:08] and completely unavoidable events has
[6:11] become a bit more important.
[6:14] I think the average person shouldn't
[6:16] spend over $130 on a gaming mouse. There
[6:19] are benefits with some mice that cost
[6:21] over this amount. However, those
[6:23] benefits are minor, even if I consider
[6:26] them to be perfect. Despite them being
[6:28] perfect, that does not mean they provide
[6:30] value for money. Nor could they be
[6:32] considered a must buy or a product that
[6:35] will win you games. The gap between the
[6:37] low to midbudgets and premium tier has
[6:40] shrunk massively over the past 2 years
[6:42] in terms of quality, largely influenced
[6:45] by China.
[6:52] For example, we have mice like the ATK
[6:54] VXER R1 Pro, MAD R, MH Chose L7 or A7V2,
[6:59] etc. These are undeniably endgame level
[7:02] mice and have great performance quality
[7:04] and are lightweight. These can cost
[7:06] anywhere between $45 to $65 on Amazon.
[7:09] Bigger brands do have their benefits.
[7:11] They often have an extra year of
[7:13] warranty, higher quality control
[7:14] standards, and provide more reliable
[7:16] firmware and software. learned they are
[7:18] largely responsible for most of the
[7:20] innovation that we see in gaming mice.
[7:22] Those benefits don't always justify the
[7:25] cost of their product and excluding
[7:27] Logitech and Hits, most of the
[7:29] innovation provide marginal gains. On
[7:32] the other hand, it doesn't mean that the
[7:34] cheaper mice are perfect. The quality
[7:37] control for some of the cheaper Chinese
[7:39] clones can be really poor. Often, you
[7:41] might struggle to get a response when
[7:43] filing a warranty claim. And there's
[7:45] other cases where you have to cover the
[7:46] shipping costs to send it back to China.
[7:49] If you are wanting something cheap, the
[7:51] mice I mentioned previously are ones I
[7:53] personally recommend and are considered
[7:55] to be reliable. If you want to mouse
[7:57] from a more trusted brand and don't mind
[7:59] spending a bit more, I'll put my
[8:00] recommended selection in the description
[8:02] below with affiliate links. I suggest
[8:04] you check out my full reviews on these
[8:05] for in-depth analysis. This will help
[8:07] ensure that if you do decide to spend
[8:09] more, you select the mouse that is
[8:11] absolutely right for your needs. If you
[8:13] enjoy this content, please check out my
[8:14] Patreon where I provide free reviews for
[8:16] other products that I don't have time to
[8:18] do a full review for.