Using a gaming mouse should be glaringly obvious in this age. While using the simple clicks and buttons are easy to understand, there are ways you can program a gaming mouse and use it more effectively.
It is best to utilize all the features offered on a gaming mouse otherwise, it would only be a normal computer mouse. In this article, you will see different ways on how to use a gaming mouse and which gaming mouse is the best for you.
Choosing Your Gaming Mouse
There are a ton of gaming mice out there but there is only one best gaming mouse for you. While every mouse is different, you will be looking at the ergonomics, the proportions or fit to your hand, the weight or how light it is, and even just the design or the brand of the mouse.
The best way to determine which mouse you would use is to know the safety protocols first. As you may know, CTS or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is becoming common to people who are on their computers for long periods of time every single day.
You need the proper grip and posture to maintain a healthy wrist especially if you play or work all the time. This is why all the gaming mice have been made in different shapes, sizes, and designs. Everyone has a different size or preference where there is not a single mouse out there that is perfect for every single gamer.
For gamers with smaller hands, the best ones should be lightweight ones. It would be easier to move the mouse with your fingertips and it would be a lot more comfortable when you want to palm your mouse.
For gamers with bigger hands, you have more options as the bigger ones can be easily palmed by your hand or your fingers will not be as extended.
Gaming mouse based on a video game genre
The most common ones here are optical vs laser mice. For optical mice, it is said that it does not exhibit lag or delay as the response times are almost instant. This is good for games that need quick reaction times.
These are most likely popular FPS games or any competitive games that are played at a high level. With this in mind, you are also looking for the best mice that fit on your hand as mentioned before. The DPI settings (what does DPI mean in a gaming mouse) can be all programmed which will be talked about later.
For other games, it has been a struggle for companies to introduce MMORPG mice to the community. This type of game requires a ton of buttons where the keyboard is just not enough. So they decided to add buttons to the mouse that can be programmed to perform specific actions in your game.
Taking the most popular MMORPG, World of Warcraft, as an example, you will need at least 20 free buttons for your skill rotations, items, and other useful hotkeys. Adding those extra mouse buttons will be a lifesaver for adding more hotkeys or even macro commands.
Although, you can technically get used to adding more button combinations such as Shift + X or Alt + X instead of getting an MMORPG mouse. It is just a matter of preference at this point. Overall, MMORPG mice are just used for the extra buttons and nothing else. You can find a better mouse for your game if you do need the extra buttons.
Proper Positions to Hold a Gaming Mouse
Firstly, you need to know how to hold a gaming mouse properly to avoid health issues in the future like Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. While there are no proven strategies to prevent CTS, having the proper posture and the right grip will definitely help.
For holding your mouse, you need to have a relaxed grip. You do not need to grip it tightly as you have your fingers do the moving. This is called the fingertip grip and it is effective with a low-weight mouse for FPS games.
There are many other different grips you can do with the mouse in the linked article above. If you are not a professional or even a competitive player, I would suggest using the most comfortable grip that you prefer.
The only rule you need to follow is that your wrist is not being stretched up or down. You should avoid this as much as possible. The height of your table and your chair will matter here.
If your chair is too low, you might have your palm grip on the mouse cause your wrist to stretch upwards and vice versa. You need to have your keyboard and mouse held at the same height as your elbows.
This is why you need to have a proper posture too. Sit up straight, chest slightly up, and practice this while using your computer normally with your hands gripped on the mouse.
Programming Your Gaming Mouse
To use a gaming mouse more efficiently, you need to know how to program a gaming mouse. Luckily, companies like Logitech offer a free application that can detect your Logitech peripherals and you can easily program it there.
While there are other third-party applications that can offer more features, you can install the company’s application first and program your gaming mouse there. An example would be Logitech’s G Hub.
If you have a Logitech mouse and keyboard, installing Logitech’s G Hub for free will automatically detect your peripherals and you will be able to customize them. Designs such as lightning can be adjusted or even turned off on the G Hub application.
It also keeps the firmware up-to-date which is the most important part. You can also assign macros, key bindings, and color breaks to fit your preference. The best feature would be programming your own profile and saving all the settings you have.
If you are sharing your computer and both users have different DPIs, it can be a struggle to change it every single time. With the application, you can just save your profile with your settings tied to that profile. So every time you use your profile, your specified settings with the mouse and keyboard will load.
Using Other Features of Your Gaming Mouse
Other than the programmable features to customize your gaming mouse, this section will focus more on the common buttons and technology featured on a gaming mouse.
DPI Settings
Most gaming mice have two DPI buttons where you can adjust them lower or higher. In short, DPI means dots per inch and with a higher DPI, the mouse sensitivity will be higher. Pressing the DPI buttons will only have at least 3-4 fixed DPI settings.
To adjust it more, you would need to program it or adjust it in the game you are playing. Most games have mouse sensitivity options that are adjustable and it works the same as increasing your DPI but with more ranges.
Wireless or Wired
Other features such as wired or wireless have their pros and cons for a gaming mouse. The only con you need to know is that when you use the wireless mouse, you can get a latency delay which is a non-existent problem with the wired mouse.
Just because of that, the wireless mouse has never been popular for gaming PCs. While the wireless version helps with the cable management and flexibility of usage, your gaming performance is usually the more important aspect especially when it comes to competitive games.
Scroll Wheel Button
While it may seem obvious, but the scroll wheel you see in the middle of both the left mouse button and the right mouse button is also a button. All mouse comes with the scroll wheel and the two buttons.
When you need to add a keybind to a game, gamers often forget that you can also bind a key to your scroll wheel button. For competitive gaming speedrunners, they use this frequently as the scroll wheel is easily spammable when you bind an action to it. If you are spamming a button, it is definitely more relaxing if that button is just scrolling your mouse wheel up and down.
Do You Need A Mouse Pad for Your Gaming Mouse?
There are a lot of benefits in using a mouse pad with your gaming mouse. One of the best benefits you can have is the performance boost you can have. If you play using your mouse on a desk surface, it will not be as consistent as the sensors from the gaming mouse need a flat and even surface that is consistent.
Using a mouse pad will solve the issue and it will also be more comfortable to play on when you rest your wrists. When you use your gaming mouse, your wrist hits the surface of the desk. It is much better to have a wrist rest which is common for non-gaming mouse pads.
The mouse pad is also easier to clean than the desk itself. If the mouse pad is clean, your mouse is also clean. Although, you should be cleaning all your computer hardware and peripherals regularly anyway.
For wireless technology, there are mouse pads that actually charge your wireless gaming mouse while the mouse is on the mouse pad. When there is absolutely no delay between a wireless and a wired mouse, the wireless mouse will be the best gaming mouse for competitive play.
This is because you might drag your cable occasionally while playing and it could be annoying to deal with. If you go wireless, your gaming mouse will also feel lighter which is a big thing for a professional gamer. Once you use the wireless gaming mouse, the mouse pad will be a necessity.
For portability, you might find it a nuisance to pack a mouse pad every time you go out. In reality, it is actually a good idea to bring one. If you are going to a coffee shop, you would not want to use any public surfaces for your mouse.
It might be uneven, wet, or dirty. The portable mouse pad can help sanitize your mouse if you are on the go.
Final Thoughts
There are many ways to use a gaming mouse. However, the most basic aspects to know are mastering your own sensitivity and being aware of all the right buttons. When it comes to health, you should practice doing the correct posture while sitting.
It is all about how you sit. There are many ways you can grip the mouse but they are all necessarily safe. Just keep in mind that you want to take breaks in between to stretch out and avoid stretching your wrist to the max while using a gaming mouse.
This is why your posture is the most important thing. As long as you are following these steps, you are using the gaming mouse correctly. Programming your gaming mouse is an optional thing but it fixes a lot of annoying issues such as changing your settings consistently.
The only thing you have to remember is what DPI setting you are using. If you can have a fixed DPI, you can develop your muscle memory to use your gaming mouse at that speed. Instead of changing the DPI on your mouse, you can just change the mouse sensitivity from the game settings in special circumstances.
For me, I play with high sensitivity for FPS games. When I play RTS or MOBA games, I slightly lessen the sensitivity but it is still faster than usual. It all depends on the gamer’s preference but it would definitely help to have your own standards so it would be more consistent.
