For gamer, do you know that the design, accuracy and the sensitivity of the mouse make a huge difference between winning and losing. There are a variety of mouse in the market. This guide serves to help you to make the correct decision in choosing the best mouse.
Tracking Technology
Trackball
The trackball technology is a technology of the past. It uses a solid (and heavy) tracking ball at the bottom of the mouse to track its movement.
The trackball mouse tends to become insensitive over time. This is because it collects dust and debris easily, which add to the friction. As such, regular maintenance is required. In addition, a mouse pad is required to use together with the trackball mouse so as to allow the trackball to roll smoothly.
The trackball mouse has been phased out with the evolution of new tracking technology.
Optical
Optical mouse has become the norm because of its improved sensitivity and durability. Optical mouse uses optical sensor and a beam of light to detect its movement. As it moves, the beam of light shines on the surface and the sensor uses the light to track the movement.
The resolution of the optical mouse ranges from 800dpi to 2000dpi, making it much more precise than the trackball mouse. Without the trackball, the optical mouse is also much lighter and smaller.
Laser
The latest technology available in the market now is the laser technology. It works exactly the same way as the optical mouse. The only difference is that it uses a very small beam of laser light rather than a wide beam of light. Laser mouse has a much improved sensitivity than the optical mouse and is great for gaming use.
Connection Type
Wired
Serial – this type of connection is quite old and slow and has already become obsolete and phased out in most computer. | |
PS2 – PS2 mouse has been the standard for mouse connection for a long time, until recently when USB mouse takes over as the standard. PS2 connection is still in use nowadays, though its production has reduced by a great deal. | |
USB – As an alternative to PS2, USB connection has gained much popularity over the past years. The convenience and flexibility of the USB port has made the USB mouse a better choice than the PS2 mouse. |
Wireless
Radio Frequency – Most of the wireless mouse uses radio wave technology. When the mouse moves, it sends a radio frequency of 27MHz to report its position to the receiver that is connected to the PC. | |
Bluetooth – The Bluetooth mouse uses the 2.4GHz radio frequency to communicate with an included receiver/charger or other Bluetooth adaptor. | |
RFID – The latest wireless technology is the RFID technology developed by a company called A4Tech. The A4Tech ND-30 RFID wireless mouse does not require any batteries to operate. It must be used with the included mouse pad in order to function. It works by using electromagnetic induction between the pad (which is plugged into a USB port) and the wireless, non-powered mouse. This is indeed a breakthrough in design by transferring the wire connection to the mouse pad, making the mouse light and easy to operate. |
Other features
Resolution
The higher the resolution (measured in dpi), the more precise the mouse is. The most common resolution used is 800dpi. However, Logitech has designed a gaming mouse Logitech G7 Laser Gaming Mouse that enables user to adjust the resolution up to a maximum of 2000dpi.
No of buttons
Most of the computer mouse comes with at least 2 buttons, but other buttons may be featured on a mouse to further simplify common tasks.
Conclusion
Selecting a computer mouse is easy, but to select a best computer mouse for your needs require some knowledge. Hopefully, this guide has given you a good insight and help you in your selection of mouse.