Best Wireless Gaming Mouse of 2017
Overview
When it comes to gaming mice, gamers are spoiled for choice. Whether you play first-person shooters (FPS), real-time-strategy (RTS) games, massively multiplayer online (MMO) games or anything you can get your hands on, there's a mouse that suits your needs.
If you want a mouse that can play anything and everything, the Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum ($80 MSRP) is about as good as it gets. With well-spaced buttons, a comfortable design and top-of-the-line software, the Proteus Spectrum is, hands-down, the best all-around gaming mouse on the market.
Other mice focus on particular genres, such as FPS or MMO, or cater to gamers who have wireless living-room setups. Those who don't want to wrangle with complicated software, for example, may want to check out the Turtle Beach Grip 300, while those who are looking to break into the competitive tournament scene should take a look at the SteelSeries Rival 500. If you want to know what to look for in a good gaming mouse, check out the Tom's Guide primer on the subject.
How We Test Gaming Mice
When we receive a new gaming mouse, we plug it into a gaming rig to evaluate how difficult it is to set up the mouse and install its software (if there is any). From there, we investigate how to create multiple profiles, assign button commands, tweak lighting options and set dots-per-inch (DPI) sensitivity settings.
Most important, we run the mouse through at least four games across a variety of genres to evaluate where it excels and falls short. Generally, we use a mouse for at least two days to get a good idea of how comfortable it feels.
LOGITECH G502 PROTEUS SPECTRUM
Best All-Purpose Gaming Mouse
-
- DPI
- 200 - 12,000
-
- BUTTONS
- 11
-
- SIZE
- 130 x 76 x 38 mm
-
- WEIGHT
- 164 g (adjustable)
With a comfortable shape, textured grips and 11 big, programmable buttons in a convenient layout, the Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum (an updated version of the excellent G502 Proteus Core) has a great feel and stellar performance, and is the best overall gaming mouse on the market today. The device isn't specialized for any one genre, but it handles FPS, RTS, MMO or anything in between with grace and aplomb. Users can adjust the Proteus Spectrum's weight and set its scroll wheel to feel either resistant or almost frictionless. The Logitech Gaming Software can even scan your computer for games, automatically create profiles to fit them and customize the mouse's illumination with full RGB backlighting.
RAZER NAGA EPIC CHROMA
Best MMO Mouse
-
- DPI
- 200 - 8,200
-
- BUTTONS
- 19
-
- SIZE
- 115 x 75 x 35 mm
-
- WEIGHT
- 138 g
When you play MMO games like World of Warcraft, you'll have a row of skills stretching across your entire monitor that you'll need to access right away. You can use the number keys on your keyboard, but you can access them more efficiently from a Razer Naga Epic Chroma. This mouse has 12 numbered buttons on the side that you can hit with your thumb, leaving your fingers free to control your avatar and camera. The Naga Chroma functions perfectly in both wired and wireless modes, and lets you choose your own color scheme.
CORSAIR VENGEANCE M65
Best FPS Mouse
-
- DPI
- 50 - 8,200
-
- BUTTONS
- 8
-
- SIZE
- 114 x 83 x 32 mm
-
- WEIGHT
- 164 g (adjustable)
Hardcore FPS fans don't need many buttons to succeed, but they do need comfort and precision. The Corsair Vengeance M65 delivers on both counts. Corsair designed this large mouse specifically with FPS players in mind. The device sports eight programmable buttons, including one that enters a "sniper mode" to slow down the DPI and let players aim more accurately. Players who want to fine-tune the feel of the mouse can also tinker with three adjustable weights and switch among three DPI settings on the fly. With deeply customizable profile software, the Vengeance M65 also functions as a good generalist mouse.
RAZER DEATHADDER ELITE
Best RTS Mouse
-
- DPI
- 200 - 16,000
-
- BUTTONS
- 7
-
- SIZE
- 127 x 70 x 44 mm
-
- WEIGHT
- 105 g
Razer's classic DeathAdder mouse has always been an excellent choice for RTS gamers. With an ergonomic profile and just enough extra buttons to make things interesting, the Razer DeathAdder Elite continues that proud tradition. With seven programmable buttons, a powerful sensor and full RGB illumination, the DeathAdder is just what strategy gamers need to respond quickly and precisely.
LOGITECH G303 DAEDALUS APEX
Best MOBA Mouse
-
- DPI
- 200 - 12,000
-
- BUTTONS
- 6
-
- SIZE
- 115 x 65 x 37 mm
-
- WEIGHT
- 127 g
When your computer is basically just a box for multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games like League of Legends and Dota 2, you don't need a thousand buttons getting in the way. The Logitech G303 Daedalus Apex takes this philosophy to heart and provides a small, comfortable, minimalist design with as little as possible between you and the game. Whether you're a casual MOBA fan or looking to go pro, the Daedalus Apex's springy, responsive buttons and shape that's designed to keep your palm firmly in place make it a good choice. In addition to a powerful sensor, the G303 also sports full RGB illumination options for a pleasant aesthetic touch.
TURTLE BEACH GRIP 300
Best Budget Gaming Mouse
-
- DPI
- 240 - 4,000
-
- BUTTONS
- Six
-
- SIZE
- 115 x 65 x 37 mm
-
- WEIGHT
- 127 g
What can $40 get you in the world of gaming mice? How about a comfortable design, two big thumb buttons, three DPI settings and no cumbersome software? The Turtle Beach Grip 300 is a simple, elegant and attractive mouse with a small price tag and a good deal of functionality. The Grip 300 is lean and inexpensive, and particularly well suited to gamers who enjoy FPS, RTS and other genres that thrive on low DPI and few extra commands outside of "left click" and "right click." While it won't wow tournament-level gamers, the Grip 300 is perfectly good for everyday play in almost any genre.
ROCCAT KOVA
Best Mouse for Lefties
-
- DPI
- 200 - 7,000
-
- BUTTONS
- 10
-
- SIZE
- 131 x 66 x 38 mm
-
- WEIGHT
- 99 g
The Roccat Kova is back in action, with an overhauled design, a comprehensive software suite and some colorful backlighting. Better still: It is fully, 100-percent, no-questions-asked ambidextrous. The Kova is an excellent choice for those of the sinister persuasion, as it features a totally symmetrical design with an equal number of thumb buttons on either side. Lefties may also find the mouse's left-hand mode, built right into the software, useful for jumping right into the action without having to painstakingly reprogram each button. In terms of gaming features, you can set the Kova up to 7,000 DPI, link five different profiles to games and access a secondary button configuration with the Easy Shift [+] feature.
RAZER OROCHI
Best Gaming Mouse for Mac
-
- DPI
- 200 - 8,200
-
- BUTTONS
- 9
-
- SIZE
- 99 x 67 x 35 mm
-
- WEIGHT
- 68 g
Gaming on Macs has improved considerably over the last few years, and most gaming mice will work fine if you just plug them in. That said, Razer has gone out of its way to ensure that its mice are compatible with Macs. Any Razer mouse is optimized for Apple operating systems, which means that both the hardware and software will run on a Mac as well as they would on a PC. Choices range from the MMO-friendly Naga, to the compact Orochi, to the reliable DeathAdder.
LOGITECH G900 CHAOS SPECTRUM
Best Wireless Mouse
-
- DPI
- 200 - 12,000
-
- BUTTONS
- 5 - 9
-
- SIZE
- 130 x 67 x 40 mm
-
- WEIGHT
- 107 g
With the G900 Chaos Spectrum, Logitech has shattered pervasive myths about wireless gaming mice once and for all. The G900 is not only faster, more responsive and more reliable than most of its wireless competitors; it even gives wired gaming mice a run for their money. With an ergonomic, ambidextrous grip to suit both palm and claw players, and customizable thumb buttons, the G900 sports a design that's both comfortable and beautiful. The Logitech Gaming Software can automatically create profiles for hundreds of games, or you can program up to five onboard profiles — perfect for competitive players who want to take their settings with them.
STEELSERIES RIVAL 500
Best Tournament Mouse
-
- DPI
- 100 - 16,000
-
- BUTTONS
- 14
-
- SIZE
- 119 x 78 x 43 mm
-
- WEIGHT
- 130 g
If you want to compete at the highest levels, it helps to have every command you need right at your fingertips. The SteelSeries Rival 500 is a large, comfortable eSports mouse with a ton of customizable buttons. The mouse is positively festooned with buttons, including two that can double as a thumb rest if you don’t need them. Aside from that, the Rival 500 operates on the easy-to-use SteelSeries Engine 3 software and offers full RGB lighting on both the scroll wheel and the palm rest. A sensor that goes up to a staggering 16,000 DPI will help those with mult-monitor setups.
0 comments:
Post a Comment