A great wireless gaming mouse allows you to enjoy an untethered experience from your gaming PC. Many of them also feature wired connections, so you can continue to game while the mouse is charging. Wireless mice, however, are far more versatile – gone are the days of wireless lag, so you can continue to experience reliable, accurate clicks and consistent tracking without the wires.
Like many of the best gaming accessories, investing in a wireless gaming mouse doesn’t have to be expensive. Of course, there are premium options out there with high polling rates, high DPIs, RGB lighting, programmable keys, and so on. But, there are also some seriously good contenders if you’re looking for a budget gaming mouse too.
Additional contributions by Kevin Lee, Georgie Peru, and Danielle Abraham
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Can’t decide between a wired and wireless gaming mouse? Below, we discuss their differences:
Lag and latency are major factors that make people stray from wireless options. Though wired mice aren’t always perfect, they often deliver a speedy, reliable connection without worry of signal interference. With that said, most modern wireless mice come with a 2.4GHz dongle or other technology, which helps greatly limit lag, latency, and signal interference. Most users won’t even notice a difference when comparing it to a wired mouse.
The cord is the most noticeable difference between the two mice types. With wired options, your movements will be slightly more limited, and there’s slight resistance and the potential for the cable to catch on equipment when anchored to your gaming PC. Wireless mice deliver much more freedom in your movements, as there’s no wire to drag you down. That does mean you need to worry about battery life, but with many options offering 70+ hours on a single charge and 100+ hours with AA or AAA batteries, it should not be an issue.
The biggest advantage wired mice have over their wireless counterparts is price. You’ll find wired options are cheaper than wireless even when offering almost all the same features because wireless technology is more expensive than a simple cable.
What are the disadvantages of wireless mice?
Though the freedom of movement that a wireless mouse brings is great, there are a few disadvantages. The most obvious is the reliance on a battery. Whether it's rechargeable or runs on a AA or AAA battery, at some point, it will run out of juice. So, staying on top of charging or replacements ensures that doesn’t happen at the worst possible moment. Wireless connectivity also introduces latency and signal interference, especially when connected via Bluetooth. Luckily, the 2.4GHz dongle many gaming mice include is excellent at combating those issues but is still not as reliable as a wired connection. Finally, due to the extra technology baked into wireless mice, they’re pricier than their comparable wired counterparts.
Should you buy a PC controller instead?
It’s a matter of personal preference more than anything else as to whether you stick with the classic gaming keyboard and mouse setup or go for a PC controller.
A controller is perfect when you want to kick back, keeping things casual and comfortable while you game. Controllers are especially great when lounging on a couch and using the big screen of the best TVs for gaming as your display; all the inputs are directly in your hand, with analog sticks offering smoother control over movements.
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