Shifting from a standard office mouse to something more appropriate for gaming is worthwhile if you care about your performance, but investing $60 or more in handful of plastic might seem silly if you've never experienced the realm of difference a proper mouse can make. Taking that plunge isn't any easier these days considering how many major manufacturers have entered the ever-expanding arena.
With many hot PC game releases scheduled over the coming months, it seems like a fine opportunity to step up your game with a new mouse this holiday season if you were thinking about pitting your trusty, dusty retail rodent against Battlefield 4. Come along as a dozen mice compete for spots in our holiday and PC buying guides, and ultimately for your cash.
There seems to be an abundance of gaming peripherals to choose from, with many manufacturers coming up with very unique offerings in style or shape. Based on the mice tested in this roundup, none of the products left us severely disappointed and that might suggest that manufacturers are learning from past mistakes -- or simply from each other -- and we hope it's some comfort to know you can't necessarily go wrong.
In This Roundup...
Prepare for this one as it's a long one, but it condenses two months of testing across FPS, RTS and MMO games as well as general productivity.
Corsair Vengeance M65
Available in three colors (Gunmetal Black, Arctic White and Military Green -- the latter of which we'll be reviewing), Corsair's Vengeance M65 is supposed to be all about lethality in FPS gaming, and that's enough to intrigue us.
The M65 comes with a braided tangle-free cable, a six-piece weight tuning system and a soft plastic-feeling shell with an aluminum frame that provides a great edge without having to impress by lights or logos. It measures just under 120mm long x 80mm wide x 40mm tall and weighs 135g with all weights included (minus the cable).
Corsair has upped the specs from the M65's predecessor (the M60) by adding an Avago ADNS-9800 8200 DPI sensor along with a bit of texture to the device's surface for a great combination of grip and comfort. It's really easy to handle for long periods without sweat, grease or cramping being an issue.
With eight programmable buttons, the M65's 'sniper' button is probably the most noticeable and can be programmed to do basically anything. Aside from the usual left and right mouse buttons, there is the aluminum/rubber scroll wheel, DPI up/down just below that, and two buttons within reach of your thumb on the left side -- all of which have nice tactile feedback.
Corsair's software provides basic features such as macros (although a little harder to setup than what we would expect), DPI, lift-off distance and report rates, while onboard storage keeps your settings.
Corsair Vengeance M95
As would be safe to assume, Corsair's M95 is a refresh of the M90. It's geared toward MMO and RTS players, comes in black or white (our preference) and brings upgraded DPI support, tweaked thumb button sensitivity and a matte finish that extends to the sides. It's a fantastic touch -- literally -- sweat be damned.
While the M95 lacks the M65's weight tuning system, this may not be an issue for most as the mouse is already 142g (sans cable) and a bulky 120mm long x 76mm wide x 40mm tall, though it feels a little wider in the mid-section. Like the M65, the M95 isn't littered with LEDs. In fact, most of Corsair's gaming mice keep lighting at a reasonable level.
At first glance, you probably wouldn't guess that the M95 packs 15 buttons -- nine being macro-enabled keys which are well-designed enough to be reliable during intense situations. People with small to medium hands may struggle with one or two of the macro buttons and the DPI controls.
Its aluminum unibody feels solid while its left and right mouse buttons are rated for some 20 million clicks with a two year warranty.
It's worth noting that Corsair's website only shows two PTFE glide pads on the M95's base, but the unit we have has four, which seems like the appropriate number.
As with the M65, Corsair's 'high-mass' scroll wheel is well-developed with just the right amount of resistance. Our only issue with the M95 was some lag before applying the latest updates, but it still didn't feel as accurate as other mice in this roundup. Meanwhile, its software is nothing to write home about but it covers the basics.
Corsair Raptor M30/M40, SteelSeries Sensei
Corsair Raptor M30
Corsair realizes not everyone can, or will, spend upwards of $60 to $90 on a gaming mouse, but may bite on something a bit more affordable. Enter the Raptor M30, Corsair's $45 solution that comes with a 4000 DPI Avago ADNS-3090 optical sensor and 1000Hz response time -- enough to satisfy any weekend warrior.
The M30 has a generous 6' USB cable protected with standard braided material, while its rubberized/matte finish is comfortable and attractive. It also has a larger raised thumb-grip area on the left side, making this a right-handed mouse.
The two thumb buttons are above the grip area and provide great feedback. Being a five-button mouse comes offers limited options, but you can still assign your settings in game. There are limited buttons, you can still assign your settings in game and it works out to be enough to help out a little in most games.
When toggled, Corsair's DPI button triggers LEDs to switch in the clear scroll wheel. Speaking of which, the scroll wheel lacks a little weight or something and its feedback isn't as nice as Corsair's pricier models.
At a much lighter 120g and With a substantially larger glide pad and a lighter weight of 120g, the M30 can sometimes feel a little too nimble and may frustrate those used to a heftier mouse. We miss the rigid aluminum frame of Corsair's other models also, though the company's two-year warranty suggests that the cheaper version should hold up.
There isn't any software to speak of and without slick macro support we can see MMORPG players scratching this one off the list. You also can't modify the polling rate, but this isn't as big of a deal.
Corsair Raptor M40
Next up, Corsair's Raptor M40 is a 'budget' optical version of the company's heavier M65 FPS Laser mouse. While only available in black, it still looks fantastic, though we wouldn't blame you for disliking its glowing red Corsair logo.
While similar in size, the M40 is a fair drop in weight at 115g compared to the M65 at 135grams. This is probably mostly due to its plastic body versus the M65's aluminum parts. Along with being 20g lighter, you can still remove 16g with its familiar-looking six-piece weight and balance tuning system.
This makes the M40 a good choice for those who prefer something snappier, especially considering its PTFE glide pads, while its grip and build quality are both solid.
With the Avago ADNS-3090 4000 DPI optical sensor, buyers should be happy to get a tried and true part with some quality tracking and enough DPI to cover most gaming scenarios.
Switching between FPS and RTS was effortless and the optical sensor was comfortable after a short warm up and setting up the mouse buttons in Corsair's software. There are seven programmable buttons and the two nearest the thumb are well-placed and feel great. Again, as per the M65, this design just feels right and the slightly reduced weight on the M40 may suit you.
The M40 has the same onboard profile storage as all of Corsair's mice aside from the cheapest option, the M30. We're not sure if this is a key feature, but it ultimately depends on how often you reformat or play on different machines. We were pleased to find the same textured side grip and quality high-mass scroll wheel. We hope Corsair either keeps or tune these features slightly to keep them present in upcoming models. The company's software is reliable and relatively well coded with no lag, shortcomings or frustrations to note.
SteelSeries Sensei
SteelSeries is next in the firing line with its Sensei, which seems to be aimed at gamers who love precision and customization. In our opinion, this mouse seems a little bland, if not cheap at first with its 'metal' styling. Judging from looks alone, this mouse may lose a few buyers.
Weighing only 108g (without the cable) and measuring 123mm long x 67mm wide x 36mm tall, this silver surfer is one of the lightest and smallest in our roundup. While usually a claw gamer, it became almost second nature to use more of a palm grip with this mouse for several unfortunate reasons.
First, sweat. Slick palms kept us constantly switching from claw to palm because of hand cramping while trying to maintain a tight grip. Second, while in claw grip, we accidentally pressed the two buttons on the right too often to dismiss it as a non-issue. The same misclicks occurred while in palm grip, just less frequently. On top of all that, the cable tends to bunch up pretty easily, which can be frustrating.
On the bright side, the Sensei Pro Grade's buttons feel great while its scroll wheel has a simplistic precision about it that gives the right results every time. We found six to be the number of buttons that is natural, so eight should be plenty for the average FPS and RTS gamer. Additionally, it feels pretty solid so we doubt it'll wear out quickly.
SteelSeries' software is probably our favorite part of this package as you can create as many profiles as you want and store five of them on the mouse's onboard storage -- plenty to cover most gamers. There are also a few pre-programmed for popular games.
These can be set to auto-load as you run the specified EXE, which is great for image editing, browsing, gaming customization etc. Everything works well including the customization of nearly everything about how it interacts with the mouse pad and your PC with settings for CPI (up to 11,400), acceleration, aim, lift, polling rate, LCD brightness/contrast etc. Combine this with the advanced macro editor, less than noob-friendly design and frankly, you could quite easily spend a few hours tweaking in the first few days.
It seems strange to make a mouse with so much customization yet not allow some sort of weight tuning for mass appeal, which is arguably one of this model's key selling points to begin with considering its simple ambidextrous design. We also wish SteelSeries would move the Sensei's LCD panel to the rear of the mouse so you can truly use your own logo. It was disappointing to see the box mention a customizable LCD panel with support for your own logo, only to open the box and find out it was on the bottom. We did enjoy the LEDs on top however, with nearly any color possible across the three lit areas.
Gigabyte Aivia Krypton, Tt eSports Volos/Theron
Gigabyte Aivia Krypton
Gigabyte may not come to mind when thinking about gaming peripherals, but they are certainly not one to forget if judging by our first impressions of the Gigabyte Aivia Krypton.
Aside from what we class as a killer looking design, this mouse has the features to back it up. With fairly aggressive lines, LED lighting and a sleek logo we can't see this design disappointing too many people.
Out of the box this mouse weighs only 110g (without the cable or tuning weights), which felt a little light and unbalanced, especially on the front end. But that's no issue thanks to the included weights, as you can add up to 39g in increments of 1.8 or 5.3grams. We added 14.2g with the two heavier 5.3g weights towards the front and didn't experience any cramping after a straight four hour gaming session. Size is nearly spot on for our liking, with the Aivia Krypton measuring up at 128mm long x 67mm wide x 41.5mm tall.
We should mention this unit comes with probably the best designed box and accessories package out of all the products we've tested here, with the weight adjustment case an impressive little addition. The dual chassis adds another layer of customization that may help some. We enjoyed trying the speed chassis (abrasion-free ceramic feet) when used with all the weights.
There's not much to fault with the Krypton. With no sweaty palms or cramping, the only issue is that you may have a problem reaching the odd-shaped buttons on both the left and right sides toward the front if you have small to medium sized hands.
While we're discussing negatives, we'd like to point out that the scroll wheel's feedback is a little disappointing. It just seems to be a little too spongy after using Logitech or SteelSeries mice. The rest of the buttons are balanced well between the fine line of too easy to press or too firm, with all being well within reach of my fingers. On-the-fly DPI switching is easy with both up and down available on the same button in the center of the mouse.
With an Avago ADNS-9800 and up to 8200 DPI, the Aivia Krypton felt appropriately responsive in any game we played. Combine its easy-to-use software with on-board profile storage as well as sensitivity, wheel, profile, report rate, hand mode settings, and Gigabyte sits among the best for customization.
For macro fiends, Gigabyte's Ghost software allows up to 70 of them -- far more than we can use as avid gamers, so kudos to anyone who needs that many! Of course, LED customization is also provided, with enough choices (up to 10) for the profile lights on the sides as well as some brightness settings. The downside currently is that the software doesn't support Windows 8.
Gigabyte also provides a great Aivia Krypton gaming mat to complete the experience. While it isn't the largest mat we've seen by far, it certainly commands some presence on the desk at 425mm long x 287mm wide x 6mm thick -- of this, about 9cm is lost to the rubber edging. They also had the sense to use both sides: the 'precision' side uses relatively standard fabric while the 'speed' side is topped with slick PVC.
Tt eSports Volos ColourShift
Tt eSports' first contender is a heavyweight with aesthetics that may divide shoppers more than any other model in this roundup. If nothing else, while it may be ugly to some, it's interesting to see new designs like this -- especially if they're relatively functional and affordable ($70 in this case).
At 153g, it seems a little excessive to add tuning weights, which can push that figure to 175.5g with five 4.5g pieces. While we would almost class this as a bodybuilder's mouse on those specs alone, it actually doesn't feel too bad in use thanks to quality PTFE glide pads and a balanced body. At 129mm long x 79mm wide x 43mm tall, the Volos' dimensions seem to work very well with its weight, and its contoured lines feel natural over long periods.
Equipped with fourteen buttons, we were pleasantly surprised that most are easy to reach and have nice feedback. The blue and orange buttons on the left side are a bit too far for claw grips, but the right side buttons can be reached fine and work quite well in this stance.
For palm grip users with average to large hands, all of the buttons can be used well, though some are still a little more awkward than others. Overall, the packaging and presentation are good, coming with stickers, a warranty card and a handy travel case.
Funnily, the manual mentions a CD that is not included, but most people should be fine getting the software off the company's site. We had a little trouble during installation and although it wasn't a major issue, Thermaltake should provide better support online.
After overcoming the minor setback, we were greeted with a well-presented interface to personalize as many as 10 profiles (all custom color-matched on the mouse) to manage your advanced macros (with easy delay settings etc.), lift control, polling rates and the usual basics.
Tt eSports Theron
Tt eSports' next entrant is lighter on the wallet, but not so much on features. For $60, the Theron seems like it has a strong chance of making the top of our recommendations.
At 124mm long x 74mm wide x 40mm tall, the device sits just right for a claw grip, but it does seem a little light at around 105g. That, of course, is without the cable or any of the five 4.5g tuning weights -- three of which we added for the best balance.
The addition of 'ridges' on the main left and right buttons gives an extra sense of control that we like and when combined with the matte rubberized finish it's no sweat to maintain an iron grip.
Although you could learn to deal with the polling rate and profile switches on the bottom, we found them inconvenient. Eight buttons are present with all being reasonably accessible, though the DPI up/down buttons could be a little further up to save some time, especially in fast-paced shooters. Five LED colors appear on six spots to match your profile selection so you don't have to guess which one you're using.
We've had some issues with the 'ridge' side buttons on some other mice, but these offer just enough resistance to avoid accidental clicks yet remain light enough trigger easily.
As with Tt eSports' website, the company's software is lacking a little support, but once set up you have the power to use both normal and 'response/battle' modes with the LED lights, up to 40 macros with delays, DPI adjustment as well as the other normal settings. All told, Tt eSports' gaming mice are a welcomed addition to the roundup and with some minor improvements to a few areas we think the company could easily top future roundups.
Logitech G500s, Logitech G700s
Logitech G500s
Logitech came out swinging this year with several 'S' variants, including a refreshed version of the popular G500 (now theG500s), which is set around $70 and has features on par with that sum. The overall design is not too far from its predecessor and we don't mind a lack of flashy LEDs, which makes this model more appropriate for an office or other environments where muted aesthetics might be valued.
Weighing 120g, we found the G500s a little light for its size and felt more comfortable after adding half of its 27g worth of weights. There are a handful of 4.5g and 1.7g weights and you can insert up to six of either at once.
Measuring 128mm long x 76mm wide x 43mm tall, the G500s is quite comfortable using a claw grip, but we found ourselves moving to a palm grip more naturally. Meanwhile, the device's slip-free coating protects against sweat and fingerprints.
Ten fully programmable buttons will cover most gamers (or at least offer the basics to MMO players), with each one being well placed. After an hour or so, we felt right at home with the side buttons and the tilt-scroll wheel, with few if any misclicks from the jump -- something that always spoils the fun of a new mouse.
As is slightly customary with the Logitech mice, one side slopes away a little more than usual in a shape that we find really comfortable.
As is also typical of Logitech mice, its quality exterior is matched inside with a superb 8200DPI sensor that feels deadly accurate from browsing to editing to fragging.
It's apparent that a ton of thought has been put into Logitech's software. It installs easily, it has a simple UI, and the onboard memory lets you take your settings with you. The software comes with basic preset profiles for a good portion of the games out there and covers the usual gamut of features along with detailed macro builds.
Logitech G700s
Continuing with the S series from Logitech, we have the company's G700s wired/wireless rechargeable gaming solution, which is set at a reasonable $80 considering its spec sheet, though some people will be turned off by the paint job and right-handed orientation (lefties should definitely keep looking).
At a fairly solid 150g (without the charging/data cable) and 127mm long x 79mm wide x 45mm tall, this is a hefty unit to be swiping about your desk and although it doesn't have any weights, its rechargeable battery contributes to its bulk.
That said, after giving the G700s a chance, it proved to be extremely comfortable and well balanced despite lugging extra junk in its trunk. While claw grip can be used, we prefer to palm it. Of note, folks dragging gorilla mitts might have a hard time thumbing the rear side buttons.
The G700s has been upgraded with new grip sections, however some of us found both the G500s and G700s skins to feel a little too grainy. It's probably best you try one in a store if you feel this could be an issue for you.
As with the G500s, the G700s' 13 programmable buttons are fantastic to use. The top two buttons from the four on the side are molded to stick out further, meaning there should be no excuse for misclicks with all of them easy to find and reach for those with small to average hands at least.
The sloped right side takes some time to get used to if you typically use pinky buttons as there aren't any here. Those types of issues are easily forgiven if you care about wireless performance though, as our accuracy and scores remained consistent in shooters when switching from Razer or Gigabyte models and we honestly forgot it was even wireless during productivity.
Unfortunately, there's a but: the data/charge cable is just too stiff and annoying. However, with daily use we managed to get through nearly a week on average (without turning it off either) before eventually recharging.
Between that and the LED display that shows battery and DPI levels, we're sure you can manage recharging around your work and/or gaming schedule without much hassle. If it ever becomes an issue, you could always look into buying a second rechargeable battery.
As would be expected, the G700s' onboard profiles make it easy to take it on the go, as does the fact that you can store its wireless receiver inside. Its software seems identical to the G500s' with macros and all.
Razer Taipan, Razer Naga 2014
Razer Taipan
Razer's Taipan has been out for a little while but it certainly deserves a spot in our roundup as it's built from the start to be the company's all-around elite gaming mouse and it's priced as such at $80.
We thought the Taipan felt a little light during our first use and we were right to think so as it weighs only 110g -- a potential deal breaker for some since there's no weight system. Combine that weight with a small frame (124mm long x 63mm wide x 36mm tall) and big-handed palm users are mostly out of luck.
In saying that, we managed to use it for hours with a typical claw grip and the lightness wasn't too bothersome as it's very well balanced. That's partly thanks to the contoured rubberized sides that flare outwards too, giving excellent grip for decent gaming sessions.
If you're worried about accidental clicks, Razer used pretty sturdy silver/chrome buttons on the side. As right handers, we found those buttons a little hard to use at first (as was the case with most mice in this roundup), but we imagine this won't be an issue after regular use.
The Taipan has nine solid-feeling programmable buttons and its ambidextrous design checks nearly all the expected boxes.
Razer did an exceptional job with the Taipan's hardware and the company's Synapse 2.0 cloud software does equally well at maintaining your settings across Razer's products, offering lighting changes (only green, which may upset some people), lift-off/surface calibration, the usual sensitivity and acceleration tweaks. Recording macros is all too easy.
As the cherry on top, the Taipan's 4G dual sensor setup offers lethal accuracy in games, relying on a combination optical and laser sensors to provide a DPI of 8200.
Razer Naga 2014
Razer isn't new to the peripherals market and its latest efforts have been as fierce as ever. Along with its Taipan, the company supplied us with the $80 Naga 2014 to show how it has improved an already well-respected mouse.
The Naga also stands on the lighter side of things at around 105g (sans cable) and as with the Taipan, it lacks weight tuning. To be honest, we were a little surprised it weighs so little because it doesn't feel light, and certainly not cheap.
Thanks to its well-designed form (offered in both left and right hand versions), the Naga's balance is right on and it measures a comfortable 119 long x 75mm wide x 43mm tall. The 2014 version also fixes the side MMO pad with more pronounced mechanical switches and a more contoured shape to better match your hand.
The Naga 2014 is well suited for both claw and palm grips. When using the latter, we had no trouble reaching all of the device's 19 buttons. Meanwhile, its matte anti-slip, anti-fingerprint finish is a step up from the Taipan's extra rubberized side grips, while Razer's Snyapse software is equally powerful here.
Creating or recording macros is easy, even with delays. We also like the addition of the in-game configurator being easy to bring up at your will, by setting your own shortcut. This could save quite a few alt-tabs in your favourite MMO, and adding your own images to each button adds a little more personalisation that we liked.
This is one impressive MMO mouse with our biggest gripes being its price, even though it's justified in our opinion, and the fact that you can't change colors is a bummer, though Razer also offers a wired/wireless multi-colour Naga Epic.
Closing Thoughts
Needless to say, the result of this roundup will be a little different than one from our infamous GPU roundups as we can't simply crunch a few numbers and tell you which product offers the best value or performance. There are too many great options to bother crowning one of them, so we've sourced a mix of mid to high-end mice hoping to cover a bulk of what's popular these days.
As a side note, before testing we made sure to use the latest firmware (including betas) on Windows 8 64-bit, which helped iron out some of the floaty or laggy input on a few of the devices. It's also worth noting that we think the debate between optical and laser sensors is pointless for most gamers.
Of the top pricing tier, we have the Logitech G700s ($70), the Razer Taipan ($62) and the Razer Naga 2014 ($77). All three offer unique benefits for specific situations, but the G700s stands out as the best all-rounder with its quality wireless support, comfortable ergonomic shape and plethora of programmable buttons.
If accuracy matters most, the Razer Taipan or SteelSeries Sensei ($70) are probably more your speed, but there's honestly a really small margin of difference between most models. Those two are lighter and feel snappier, though we still wanted some weight tuning. Less importantly, we aren't overly fond of either model's looks.
If you have large hands or simply like a heavy mouse, the Tt eSports Volos ($68), Logitech G700s and Corsair M95 ($80) are the heftiest, though as a reminder, none offer weight tuning in the event that you want to shed a couple dozen grams -- though we imagine most people would adapt to the heavier models with no major problems.
Software-wise, SteelSeries and Razer are definitely a notch above the rest when considering overall customization and reliability (no freezing etc.), with Gigabyte's Ghost software taking a close third. The remaining models are basically all on par except for Logitech which gets minor points for having an extra nice interface.
Overall, we think Logitech's G700s might be the safest all-rounder if money isn't an issue, Razer and SteelSeries have an edge in aggressive enthusiast styling and features, while Gigabyte's Aivia Krypton ($62) seems like the best value and Thermaltake's Volos makes a fine choice if you're seeking the road less travelled.
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