Computer "Gaming" Mice: are any not trash?

[TNightmare]

I have a Razer Deathadder Boomslang (a 2007 Collector's Edition), also bought in 2007, and, despite it being almost 6 years old, it still works perfectly for me.

 

[SnowyGamester]

I bought one of these [http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270929346666] eight months ago and all of the buttons are still nice and clicky, and if they weren't I couldn't give two shits because it cost bugger all and I could just get another. People are mad paying more than $20 for a mouse.

 

[omicron1]

Gaming mice are such an oddity to me. A lot of them tend to look incredibly uncomfortable [http://takemydough.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/rat-9-gaming-mouse.jpg].

I don't see what's wrong with just using a standard mouse; that's what I do. No complaints here.

It's really not uncomfortable. Looks odd as heck, but fits the hand like a glove.

However, in my case the scrollwheel's gotten unresponsive after about a year.

 

[unindexedsearchengine]

I've only ever had positive experiences with razer products. I don't know what kinds of satanistic rituals you put the poor things through to kill them in 6 months, but of they don't last longer, nothing will.

 

[Sight Unseen]

I use a Razer Imperator that I've had for maybe 7-8 months now(?) and it's still working pretty perfectly. I like the feel of it better than my old mouse, and ith as moveable side-buttons to adjust according to the position of your thumb, and the higher sensitivity is nice. I've gotten used to 3,000 dpi sensitivity now, and anything less just feels really cumbersome and slow.

 

[Saregon]

My experience is mainly with Logitech. For my desktop I'm currently using a G5 that's almost a decade old I think, it still works wonders and I'm quite sure I could toss it out my 5th floor window, go down to the street and get it, plug it in, and it would still work. Also for my laptop, a Logitech MK700/710 wireless. It feels a lot cheaper (and it was), but hasn't let me down yet, after about a year.

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

I've been using my Razer Naga a little over 3 years now and it still works perfectly.

 

[octafish]

I've been using a Microsoft Sidewinder mouse for the last few years and it works as well today as it did when I bought it.

Me too. I have an X8 and it is the second most comfortable mouse I have found for my palm style grip. I can't imagine it would suit a claw grip at all. The most comfortable mouse is the discontinued Logitech MX Revo, unfortunately its sensitivity is too low for even general computer use for me. If they made the Rev with even just 2000 dpi.I would have a drawer of the things. I am not looking forward to the day my X8 dies, there doesn't seem to be much on the market in the way of asymmetric ergonomic palm mice with high dpi and decent polling.

 

[Denamic]

Well, my Logitech MX518 works for over 3 years now... I'm thinking of replacing it due to comfort issues (the age shows).

My MX518 is 7 years old now. Still works as if new, save for the matte black surface being worn down to a mirror sheen.

 

[nvzboy]

I have never in my life owned a "gaming mouse" but I have had a couple of whirls with my brother's logitech mouse.
Gaming mouses don't attract me because they come in rather weird shapes, mostly right-handed. Seeing as I am a lefty I either need to go for a left-handed mouse which usually costs a lot more than the right-handed version and I have yet to find a good ambidextrous mouse that doesn't feel like aiming with a beer can.

Bottom line: comfort is a real factor to me, more than dpi or a dozen extra buttons.

 

[loukasmaki]

I have a Logitech MX518... I don't even remember when buying it. Atleast 5 years old. Could be 10. Dear god, wonder how much bacteria there is on it. *goes and gets the cloride*

 

[Boggelz]

I use the Razer Naga and I bought it for WoW back when I played alot because it had the buttons and I used a Deathadder before. I actually really like the buttons on it and the way you hold it isn't bad at all to me. For Dota 2 I use the buttons for my attacks and such. For Diablo 3 i never even had to use the keyboard. I also have never had any problems with Razer and they have lasted me a long time. I have never really touched the options though, I just use "gaming" mice because they have more buttons and help me in a game.
http://cult.razerzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/naga02.jpg

 

[teebeeohh]

The most important thing is that you are comfortable with the mouse, it doesn't hurt your hand and it has a high DPI. I use a razor naga I got for a birthday during my wow days and I really like having a shitload of buttons for my thumb. It just usually is a lot faster than using my left hand.

 

[devotedsniper]

I have a Gigabyte GM-M6880, dead cheap no fancy buttons just 2 on the side for web browsing (back/forth or set it to something in game) along with a 3 speed button, i had the same one previously and it died only after 3 years of hard service (right click would randomly fire).

Can't complain, £15 for a 3 year life definately can't when you consider what the big names price for a gaming mouse with similar features. To be fair i love the thing, it might be simplistic looking but it's comfy and does the job well.

 

[Zealous]

Never used a "gaming" mouse before, just the standard two button, one scroll wheel mice. Most of them are far too complex for my needs (not to mention price is out the window in most cases too).

That said, I recently started playing Dota and my micromangament is absolutely terrible when I have eighteen keys in close proximity that I have to push in rapid succession. So can anyone recommend a minimalistic mouse with two or three extra buttons that doesn't look like a cyborg?

 

[m19]

I have CM Storm Inferno. It's not expensive and I have really grown attached to the two extra buttons on top (one on each side), I use them to switch primary/secondary in shooters and also bind special attacks in games like Batman Arkham City. I wish more mice had buttons like that, don't know what I'm going to replace it with.

 

[Lieju]

I have used computer mice for gaming for nearly 20 years now and have been steadily breaking microsoft, logitech, & razer products in 6 months to two-years over the past decade. The only difference in the last decade has been that computer mice are given the "gaming mouse" marketing tag that I'm not sure means much other than it's black. And it's not just the eventuality of becoming broken beyond use which is problematic, but the transitional period of buttons becoming stiff, spongy, and unresponsive, or in some cases the point tracking growing intermittent, which is incredibly irksome in gaming particularly if it is competitive.

Don't take this the wrong way, but do you keep your hands clean?

I don't really understand much about the finer points of mouse-technology, but I've seen some computers and mice used by people who either didn't clean them often or ate on their computer, and there was stuff stuck under the keys and buttons that made them stiff and unresponsive.

Even if your hands aren't particularly dirty, they will still leave dead skin cells and oil on the mouse, there is certainly stuff like that stuck in my mouse, under the buttons where I can't clean.
In any case, cleaning and maintenance will prolong the life of any electronics.

 

[Candidus]

My SteelSeries Xai is still as good as new. I bought it when it first came out. From my experience SteelSeries makes the best gaming equipment. Razer products always feel like they're made of the cheapest plastic they could find.

I also recommend SteelSeries. My personal preference is the Kana. I've never had a mouse that matched my Xbox huge hands before. The clicking feels great and the side buttons are so fantastically placed and shaped. It's just perfect.

To think I spent more than a year using an awful Logitech G9x (a very squat mouse; wide and short, yet quite heavy, making my claw grip unstable and costing me cursor accuracy on all DPI settings). Seriously, that piece of garbage...

 

[Kurai Angelo]

[...] However, I have had dead pointers in the 1 to 2 year periods, primarily with logitech products.
Ultimately I am asking a wide audience: have you used any gaming mouse for a year or more through a multitude of intense sessions that would lead you to conclude: "This mouse is made extremely well and the clicks and button presses feel exactly as they did on the day of purchase." ?

Maybe logitech's quality has gone down or something, but my 6 year old Logitech G5 is still going strong despite having been used almost every day since, sometimes for 10+ hours. I also went through an "angry FPS period" where CS:S would just frustrate me to the point of slamming my mouse against the desk every now and then, and it just shrugged it off.

It's crazy now that I think about it, but it's the first (and only) mouse I've ever owned and it has yet to fail; As far as I'm concerned, it's built like a goddamned tank.

I was literally about to post saying more or less the same thing. I've also had a Logitech G5 for just over 6 years now. Likewise, it's also the only "gaming" mouse I've ever bought, and I haven't exactly treated it brilliantly over the years, but hell, it's still going strong to this day.

I wonder how much torment you would have to put a mouse through to break it in such a short space of time.

 

[BoredRolePlayer]

Only two mice I had broke, a HP mouse that was worn out after 10+ years, and a logitec gaming mouse I broke in anger.