Regular Mouse vs Gaming Mouse

Choosing the best computer mouse depends entirely on your circumstances. While many might be interested in finding a device for work, others require the best gaming mouse. But understanding what to look for to meet a specific need is difficult if you aren’t familiar with common mouse jargon and specs. To help you out, below, we’ll compare a regular mouse vs a gaming mouse to help you figure out which is best for you.

For more on gaming, we have some video game-specific guides. For example, we’ve got a fascinating article comparing a controller vs mouse for Warzone gameplay.

Gaming Mouse vs Normal Mouse

We’re all familiar with the design of the standard mouse, so what makes a gaming mouse a gaming mouse? It’s a difficult question because it’s one with many possible answers. However, to sum it up as best as possible, a gaming mouse is designed to enhance gamers’ needs.

It might sound like a fluffy answer, but it can be explained practically. It’s common for gaming mice to be designed with sensors that increase things like DPI and CPI.

What are mouse DPI and CPI, you may ask? In essence, these are ways to measure mouse sensitivity. The DPI (Dots Per Inch) measures how many pixels your mouse can read per inch. CPI (Counts Per Inch) measures the number of points a cursor can reach every inch. The greater the DPI and CPI, the more accurate the sensor is. For example, knowing how to set your mouse DPI to at least 800 is recommended for fast-paced gaming.

While sensitivity is one area to focus on while understanding key differences between these two mouse types, there are a handful of areas to analyze when considering what kind to purchase.

Accuracy

A mouse’s accuracy comes down to the quality of its sensor.

Every mouse has a sensor that acts like a camera, taking many pictures every second to record information about its location. As the location changes, the mouse knows when and where to move the cursor. Depending on the sensor type and quality, the mouse will have a greater DPI/CPI.

Therefore, gaming mice are designed to improve precise movement and faster response times, such as using laser sensors over optical sensors.

Traditional mice have sensors that aren’t as high quality and won’t be as sensitive. Most of the time, they use optical designs.

Another way to increase accuracy is by choosing the right mouse pad. For more, we have an article explaining what a gaming mouse pad is.

Functionality

Gaming mice also tend to come with more customizable buttons. For example, where the typical mouse design has the right and left buttons with a scroll wheel, gaming mice might come with up to 15 mouse buttons. These buttons are programmable and can be configured to help gamers improve efficiency and speed.

Some traditional mice might have additional buttons, but they are less programmable than gaming mice and won’t come with things like RGB settings which lets users set up custom lighting effects.

Comfortability

While neither gaming nor traditional designs are considered ergonomic mice, gaming mice often come with features that increase comfort. For example, many gaming mice come with customizable weights, allowing users to add or subtract weights according to personal preference. The difference in weight can impact gaming performance and accuracy as well.

Gaming mice also might come with a thumb rest or use different materials to provide a more comfortable grip. Traditional mice also have enhanced comfortability features, but they more commonly appear on gaming mice since they are purposefully designed for those who might be playing in tournaments for long hours.

Affordability

Traditional mice will always be slightly cheaper than gaming mice. Of course, there are some cheap gaming mouse options, but the price range will extend much higher for gaming options compared to a standard mouse. A regular mouse will begin at $5-$10, while a budget gaming mouse starts closer to $20, with professional gaming mice running a couple of hundred dollars.