How to choose a gaming mouse

A mouse is the most direct connection between you and a PC game, and the specification that gets marketed hardest is the one that matters least.

What is DPI, and how much do I need?

DPI (dots per inch) is how far the cursor moves for a given physical movement. Higher DPI means the cursor travels further for the same hand motion.

Manufacturers advertise enormous numbers — 16,000, 26,000 and beyond. Here is the honest position: almost nobody uses more than 3,200, and most competitive players use between 400 and 1,600. At very high DPI the cursor becomes impossible to control precisely.

So high DPI is a marketing number, not a feature to pay for. What matters is that the sensor is accurate and consistent at the DPI you actually use — and almost every modern sensor above the very cheapest tier is.

Does mouse weight matter?

Yes, more than DPI does, and it is genuinely personal.

Light mice (under about 70g) are easier to move quickly and cause less fatigue over long sessions. Preferred by most competitive shooter players.

Heavier mice feel more planted and can be easier to control for slow, precise movements.

The bigger factor is shape and grip. How you hold a mouse — palm, claw or fingertip — determines which shape suits you, and a mouse that fits your hand badly will be worse than a cheaper one that fits well, whatever the specification says.

If you can, hold one before buying. This is the accessory where trying it in a branch is most worthwhile.

Wired or wireless gaming mouse?

Wireless used to be clearly worse. It no longer is — good modern wireless mice have latency indistinguishable from wired in practice.

What you pay for that is money. A wireless mouse costs more than a wired one of the same quality, and it needs charging. A cheap wireless mouse, on the other hand, may well have noticeable delay.

The practical rule: buy a good wired mouse or a good wireless one. Avoid a cheap wireless one — it is the combination that gets you the downsides of both.

What changes between a cheap and an expensive mouse?

Switches. The click mechanism. Cheap switches develop double-clicking — a single press registering twice — which is the most common way a mouse dies.

Sensor consistency at high speed, where cheap sensors lose tracking.

Build and cable. A stiff rubber cable drags; a good braided one does not. On wireless, battery life.

Weight and shape options, and software for adjusting DPI and buttons.

What does not matter much: RGB lighting, and DPI figures above a few thousand.

See our PC games page, or ask in a branch to hold a few shapes before deciding.