Why Serious Gamers Won't Go for Wireless Mice

Ashbringer said:
I remember that I even increased my mouse polling rate, so that it would refresh more often. Pretty sure that's something you can't do on wireless mice.
Click to expand...

Some wireless Mice have adjustable polling rates up to 1000Hz.
The Mamba has 125Hz, 500Hz and 1000Hz. 1000Hz is for maximum connectivity.

I get your point though, but only the original hardcore old skool players or Pros still worry about those things that obsessively.
 
I have the MX1000 laser mouse and it works great with one exception. When I move across the screen, it comes to a stop at random points and I have to wait for it to free itself to move it again. It usually only lasts about 2 seconds, but it does get annoying
 
Competitive gamer here. Been playing UT2k4 since release, with most of those years using a wireless mouse. I love my Mamba and never plan on going back to wired. The added weight of the cord drags me down.
 
Ultima99 said:
I loved my Logitech MX1000. Never had drop outs, the charge lasted for hours of play for several days even after years of use and I loved the ergonomics and button placement. Why did I have to retire it? Well, it got so much use I had worn the feet down, my thumb and pinky finger had worn the paint off on each side and my palm had worn off the Logitech logo, and the charging contacts were starting to wear and getting it charging in the cradle was getting tricky. After several years of heavy use the buttons were all solid, the battery still held days of charge, and the wireless was no problem at all.
Click to expand...

If you still have your MX1000, a new pair of feet: http://slicksurf.com/ I ordered up a pair about a yr into mine and they are awesome feet.

As for the contacts, a pencil eraser to them works wonders.
 
I've been using a Microsoft Standard Wireless Optical Mouse for years now and have never noticed any issues gaming with it over a wired mouse, even in twitch shooters like UT04. That said, I have used plenty of other supposedly "superior" wireless mice and couldn't stand the extremely high DPS, poor acceleration, lag, or what-have-you. Maybe it's just luck of the draw, but it will be a sad sad day for me if this mouse of mine ever dies as they no longer sell the same model - the replacement Wireless Optical Mouse 2000 feels too light to my hand.
 
Wow, techradar is so full of shit. I guess they never heard of the G7, or any of the many wireless gaming mice that have been out for YEARS!. Yeah maybe the super hardcore playing for cash gamer won't touch wireless but I know many gamers who have and continue to use wireless keyboard and mice without any problems. Hell I have see quite a few online matches won by friends with wireless keyboards and/or mice.
 
This article is just full of speculation. No shred of evidence that a wireless mouse does any worse in a game matches. It just doesn't have any facts, just a bunch of opinions. If you want my Opinion I'd say that Wired Mice are terrible because the stupid cord can get in the way and doesn't give you the freedom that you need. How about that?
 
DeathFromBelow said:
I've never liked wireless mice. Their range was always terrible (getting worse as the battery level dropped) and the batteries would die in the middle of games.
Click to expand...

This is why I always make sure wireless mice I buy are RF instead of IR. I dislike IR not only because of range, but also because they're unforgiving when it comes to line of sight.

My Media center absolutely must have an RF mouse. There's no way an IR mouse would work from across the room. My main rig is fine with an IR mouse. My Logitech VX Revolution works perfectly fine. There's no lag that I can see and the battery life is awesome - about 5-6 months to a set of double A's. No charger. There's a battery indicator on the mouse plus the Logitech SetPoint software (with uberOption in my case) has an indicator that'll tell you with near precision how long your battery has left to live, so you have more than enough warning when your mouse will die, so it'll be your own fault if it dies while you're in the middle of a game.
 
wtf article? i switched to wireless because my desk has shelving and other crap on it. tru i could just keep my desk perfectly clean, but then what use is it. im using a logitech g7 and it has never impacted my gaming negatively, but has helped me to never get snagged any more. the base is a couple inches from my ratpadz, so i never get a bad signal. i love this mouse so much, and would never suggest that a wired mouse is faster. is batteries are a problem for you, just swap a new one in before a gaming session and itll last longer than you need. i have 2 batteries so theres always one charged long before the one im using dies. theres just no reason to stick with wired any more unless youre trying to save money. i can also take my mouse across the room to my bed so i can control the computer when watching movies, etc. still have a wired keyboard though. :)
 
What a load of crap. Logitech's prior wireless gaming mice are just as good. I've been using a G7 for years and the input lag is nil.
 
BloodyIron said:
I'm a pro gamer and I use a Razer Mamba. This article is now defunct.

My TF2 team placed 2nd in Canada 2008 as an average of the two larges TF2 tournaments in Canada in 2008, Fragapalooza and Lanageddon.

IMO though, the Mamba is the only wireless mouse worth using for pro gaming.
Click to expand...

Below is user opinion from Cnet review. Is this correct? If it is I would never buy that mouse. I remember losing access to my old wireless Logitech keyboard while MP gaming and it was not a pleasant experience.

http://reviews.cnet.com/mice/razer-mamba/4505-3148_7-33625723.html#reviewPage1

Cons: Battery life 3 hours max
Charge time 4 hours
No power to cradle so cant charge when computer is off
 
soulman901 said:
This article is just full of speculation. No shred of evidence that a wireless mouse does any worse in a game matches. It just doesn't have any facts, just a bunch of opinions. If you want my Opinion I'd say that Wired Mice are terrible because the stupid cord can get in the way and doesn't give you the freedom that you need. How about that?
Click to expand...

Yup. The cord creates drag. I hate that.
 
ive been using a logitech G7 for years and havnt had a single dropout issue, and the battery problem isnt a problem because it uses battery packs and caem with 2, by the time the one your using is almost dead the other one is fully charged.

my Razor Diamondback vs my G7 and ill pick the G7 every time.
 
Bgrngod said:
Yup. The cord creates drag. I hate that.
Click to expand...

Not if you give the cord a bit of slack and then tape the cord to the back edge of your desk. It is the cord scraping on the back edge of the desk that causes the drag.
 
I never found a problem with wireless mice when it comes to actual playing. Feels no different than my wired mouse. Now, I dislike when the battery starts dying out. I get no indicator that it needs charging and it just start lagging and random drop outs later on. I hate having to charge it, so I've stuck with wired.

Was considering the Sidewinder X8, as you can just attach the cable for charging and not sit the thing in a dock. Still using the regular Sidewinder. Not a fan of the other mice, as they aren't comfortable to me. Like the Logitechs, Razers, etc. I'm sure they're good, just not comfortable.
 
This review says that Razor Mamba has very bad battery life too. No way would I pay $130.00 for one.

http://www.maximumpc.com/article/reviews/razer_mamba

There’s really nothing worse than an otherwise wonderful product with one fatal flaw that brings its whole score down. The Razer Mamba is a wonderful wireless gaming mouse, with an absolutely devastating power problem.
 
krotch said:
I never found a problem with wireless mice when it comes to actual playing.
Click to expand...

That's because the difference is measured in milliseconds, not something anyone can detect but it does make a difference to your kill to death ratio if you were to do a proper test.
 
I went from a G7 wireless back to my G518 because it wasn't as responsive, eventually upgrading to the two different G5 as they were released and I'm now using a MS SideWinder. All the wireless mice I tried had noticeable lag compared to the wired counter part (not to mention batteries). I did like my VX Nano, but that was only for my notebook and when I got my second (yes second) MS Sidewinder (love that thing) I replaced that too, only use the VX Nano at cafes and stuff, not LANs.

I don't see myself taking another $100 leap on a wireless "gaming" mouse (especially since I got both my sidewinders for $25 each, the VX Nano I got for a pricing mistake of $20). I still have some Razors (3rd gen opticals) and various Logitechs around I use for loners.
 
mortonP said:
That's because the difference is measured in milliseconds, not something anyone can detect but it does make a difference to your kill to death ratio if you were to do a proper test.
Click to expand...

The problem is, how can you prove this is fact? We don't test these mice with professional gamers to see if there is a difference. We can measure the difference in wireless and wired, but we don't measure to see if it makes a difference.

Is it just psychological? Just the fact that using a wireless mouse somehow creates a placebo effect that causes you to do worse than a wired mouse.
 
krotch said:
The problem is, how can you prove this is fact? We don't test these mice with professional gamers to see if there is a difference. We can measure the difference in wireless and wired, but we don't measure to see if it makes a difference.

Is it just psychological? Just the fact that using a wireless mouse somehow creates a placebo effect that causes you to do worse than a wired mouse.
Click to expand...

Not only I think it's psychological, but can we measure each human reflexes equally? Is it really the mouse that throws you off 10th of a millisecond or did the player react a little too slowly by a 10th of a millisecond?
 
Not sure how you can ever measure such a thing, when the human body can be different one second to another, not to mention different from one person to another. It's possible that there is a difference for wireless and wired. It's possible there is absolutely no difference.

For me, I never noticed a difference. Course, I'm not good enough to be at a professional level either. I do notice the other problems of wireless. Before reception was an issue, but that's long gone now. I just don't like dealing with the batteries, charging, etc.
 
I prefer wireless over wired, and I still use a couple CRT's for when 'speed counts'.

1. Why not? What, you really like having a cord? I hate the tangle, how it catches on things sometimes, how it limits my movement, etc. I prefer to strip down the mice I use as much as possible for weight, and with a corded being that much lighter, the stiff cords tend to 'push' the mouse more than anything. I hate that crap... its like being a dog on a leash... even if you dont plan on leaving the back yard, its still annoying to be on one. If wired wants to win me back, they need to make a mouse with a cord so light and flexible that I cant tell it is there.

2. It IS just as fast as wired (as far as a human can tell). Like it has been mentioned, if you notice lag from a mouse, then you better be using CRT's for gaming as well...

3. Batteries, as long as they are not unique but standard format (AAA, AA, etc.) are just fine. They are easy to replace should they wear out, or you could recharge some while you use one if you really didn't want any down time. My x8 charges very fast though with a cord (for no down time), and lasts for days. If it was a problem, I could buy a A-cell battery with a higher charge density.

The only problem I can think of is that no matter what, because of the battery, a cordless will weigh more than wired... batteries will get smaller and lighter, but all other components being equal, the battery version will weigh more. As batteries mature, or mice get more and more efficient, this will be a negligable amount. My MS x8 is not light... but it is a heavy mouse even without the battery so you cant say all wireless mice need to be that heavy.
 
computerpro3 said:
I game with my G7 on a monitor hooked up by a 50ft HDMI cable that is in a room 30ft away from the actual PC and G7 reciever. The mouse works perfectly and I can throw up 10:1 KD ratios in source, and am doing pretty damn well in BC2 as well (which has horrible mouse mechanics compared to source).

I also game on my projector which is 5 feet away from the PC. There is no difference whether I am using the G7 30ft away or 5ft away, and the science behind it backs me up (there is literally around 1ms transmission time for 2.4ghz wireless).

Either your mouse sucks or it's in your head.
Click to expand...

Must be in my head with the voices...lol
 
I've been using a Logitech G7 for a long time now. Quick swappable batteries have kept me from being killed while gaming. (Takes me a full 3 seconds to swap the battery.)

I had mine die about a year ago, and there just wasn't another wireless mouse with the same features out at the time, I so I wound up getting a used one from ebay. Used ones were selling for the original retail price of $80, while new in the box units were going for $125. It was a very popular mouse. I still can't imagine why they discontinued it.

I hate wired mice because the stupid wire gets in the way. I couldn't count how many times I've been killed because the stupid cord got caught on my monitor stand. So I went wireless and have never looked back.
 
Uh, I still get a lot of use out of both my MX1000 and my G7 mice. I bought my MX1000 pretty much the day they were available, and though it shows plenty of wear and tear, it still continues to perform flawlessly every day. I've been gaming for plenty of time and don't see a need to move back to a wired mouse.
 
Raptor_007 said:
Uh, I still get a lot of use out of both my MX1000 and my G7 mice. I bought my MX1000 pretty much the day they were available, and though it shows plenty of wear and tear, it still continues to perform flawlessly every day. I've been gaming for plenty of time and don't see a need to move back to a wired mouse.
Click to expand...

Have you ever had your MX1000 just stop moving on the screen when moving from one side of the screen to the other? Mine has always done it.
 
mortonP said:
The Razer Mamba is a wonderful wireless gaming mouse, with an absolutely devastating power problem.
Click to expand...

Misinformation. It doesn't last "several days" or whatever they say on the Razer site, but I've never ran out of batteries during heavy gaming, if I had charged the mouse previously. Just stick it on the charging base when you go to bed at night and in the morning it will be fully charged and ready for a full day of continuous use.
 
I've always liked the idea of wireless mice. I've tried many of the higher end wireless mice and played games with them. I've personally owned or currently do own the MX700, MX1000, G7, G7 Revision 2.0, MX Revolution, and now the Bluetooth MX1100. I've found pretty much the same problems with all of them with the exception of the G7. Now I no longer use the G7, but not for the same reasons I stopped using all the others.

A friend of mine had the MX700 because he wanted a wireless version of the MX500 I was using. One day I decided to give some FPS game a shot on his system while I was testing out a new video card. I immediately noticed the terrible lag. Instantly I knew the MX700 wasn't fit for gaming duty. Later the MX1000 came out and I fell in love with the shape and several people recommended it for gaming. So I bought one and gave it a try. I was disappointed in it right away. I loved the ergonomics of it and the superb battery life. Unfortunately there was lag. Relocating the receiver helped quite a bit but it still didn't match up to my MX510 or MX518. (Which ever I was using at the time.) I returned it and tried another. Same result. I returned the second one and decided that the technology wasn't there yet. Then a new revision of that mouse was released. I scoured the stores for the "C" revision of it. I found one and snatched it up only to find nothing had changed. I returned that one and decided that wireless wasn't ready.

Then I upgraded to the G5 which I enjoyed immensely. Then Logitech released the G7. I gave that a shot given that it was designed for gaming. I was blown away. On the same machine I couldn't tell the G5 and the G7 apart when it comes to responsiveness. I bought the G7 but grew to hate the slick surface it had compared to the G5's rubberized texture. Then Logitech released the black version with rubberized sides. I snatched that up and continued to use it for some time. Then Logitech released the MX Revolution which I figured would be great because it had ergonomics more like the MX1000 and had a ton of buttons and features. I grabbed that one and tried it for a day or two. I hated it. The thing felt sluggish and unresponsive. Again I found it to be pretty laggy. I returned it and went back to my G7. I found the lack of buttons to be annoying and when the G9 came out I went back to a wired mouse. I'm now on the G9x and love it. Compared to the MX/Gx/G5xx series mice all based on the MX500 body the ergonomics are far superior. Granted I'm a minority on that but I think its due to the fact that I'm one of those few people that uses the claw/fingertip type grip rather than palming my mice. I've got two thumb buttons again a decent scroll wheel and life's good.

While I still think the G7 is the finest wireless mouse produced to date, it wasn't without issues. The lack of a second thumb button was one of the biggest problems. Lag can still occur if your receiver isn't placed just right. If anything metal or even thick enough wood are in the way, then it doesn't work right. Even the computer itself can interfere with the signal. At least that's been my experience. I've always had to plug the receiver into the front of the machine or into the monitor or keyboard's USB ports in order to have a lag free gaming experience. The last problem is the terrible battery life. They used those quick change battery packs to save weight and while they do last 8 hours, it always seems like they have to die while you are in the middle of the action in your favorite game. So while I think the technology is there to do it right, it hasn't been done 100% right just yet. I think Logitech has come closer to putting out the right wireless gaming mouse than Microsoft or anyone else has based on the various mice I've tried thus far.
 
Been using a wireless mouse for years. Don't see any lag issues with it. Love not having a cord to get snagged.
 
On my laptop, I need a wireless mouse. Bluetooth even. On a desktop ... well, it's on a desk. Why would I need wireless there? Just something I have to recharge all the time. Blah. Plus the extra cost versus a good wired equivalent. Keep it simple on the desktop rig. One (or two) less variable(s) to worry about.
 
obviouslytom said:
Have you ever had your MX1000 just stop moving on the screen when moving from one side of the screen to the other? Mine has always done it.
Click to expand...

That's never happened to me that I can recall. The receiver has always been pretty close to the mouse though.
 
Sycraft said:
So wait... Your thesis is that I am a jerk because I personally don't use a wireless mouse. I didn't say I have a problem with them (I don't) or that I wouldn't use one if I had a reason. But you think I should ditch my wired mouse and get a wireless mouse just because?

Why? what does it gain me? Please note that I like my mouse. I'm happy with it, I don't want anything different. Why should I spend additional money on a wireless mouse? Just to make you feel like your purchase was validated?

I don't hare wireless mice, we use a wireless mouse that can be used in the air (Gyration mouse) at work in the conference room. However there's no need at my desk. My wired mouse reaches where I want it to, and works great, never needs batteries. I could go out and get a nearly similar wireless mouse now, the G700, but it would cost me twice as much as my wired mouse did, never mind that I already own the wired mouse.

To me it sounds like some wireless mouse buyers aren't secure in their purchase and thus need to push it as the One True Way(tm).

Either way works just fine, so long as you get a mouse that meets your needs. There isn't a right kind of mouse.
Click to expand...

I'm quite pleased with my current mouse, and was quite pleased with my previous mouse, both were wireless.

I'm just disappointed (and really didnt mean to single you out in particular) in all the posts I see here where the theme is "Wireless mice suck. Sure I've never used one, but I'm sure they do." or "Wireless mice suck, sure the one I tried was either cheap or just poorly designed, but I'm going to let that one experience determine my opinion on all wireless mice."

I think if lots of the people here tried a good wireless mouse they would be surprised. Good is the key word, there are bad wireless mice just as there is bad anything including wired mice. The Logitech MX1000 was a winner, then they put out the MX1100 and MX Revolution which I think were inferior, but then they released the Performance MX which I now use and love on a daily basis.

Again, sorry if you felt I was specifically calling you out. I probably could have found a better poster child to quote for my post, but you happened to be right there at the end of the thread calling wireless mice pointless.
 
BallerX said:
http://www.google.com/products/cata...og_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CCwQ8wIwAw#

This is the exact mouse I have. It is cheap enough, that I challenge anyone who thinks there is something wrong with a wireless mouse to try it. One Duracell AA lasts around 17days. The rechargeable that I use now last around 14 before I have to swap with the one in the charger. A tiny red light comes on about 16 hours before the mouse just shuts off. During that time, the mouse never has tracking errors or anything like it. This was the first wireless mouse I have ever bought for my gaming rig.

I like it better than any other mouse I have used to date. It tracks on every surface. Even clear glass.:eek:
Click to expand...

I'm serious. Try this mouse. The fact that some of you have had bad experiences with Logitec mice is no surprise. I have a corded Laser logitec that locks up every five seconds. Logitech has always been crap to me. Never lasts.

It's cheap. I have experienced zero lag or drop outs in the four months I have owned it. I bought it at Walmart, in a hurry because they didn't have any wired Laser mice and I knew that this one would at least track well. I like it so much I haven't bothered to look for another one. It has full sized feet that go across the entire bottom. Not crappy little nubs you will wear out in a few hours.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top