There has been an uptick in favor of switching to wireless mice for gaming. After thousands of hours of gaming on a wired mouse, I thought I’d try switching from the Steelseries Rival 700 to the Logitech G305 as well. This is the result from my experience.
Why should you listen to my opinion? I’ve been playing PC games, mostly First Person Shooter (FPS) titles, for as long as I can remember. I played Counter-Strike: Global Offensive sells competitively and is currently creating content for the premium game Apex Legends.
So with my intro, here’s what I think about switching to a wireless mouse for gaming.
Table of Contents
Technical improvements from switching to wireless
First, let’s take a look at the technical improvements and potential problems with switching to a wireless mouse. If you are a competitive player or want to have the best advantages in the game, then this section will be the most important for you.
Using a cable will add traction. When you move the mouse, you are forced to move that cable as well. By removing the cable, you release that friction, and surprisingly it can do wonders for your goals. That’s mostly the main benefit of using a wireless network.
Next, let’s talk about latency. In my experience, at least with the Logitech G305, I couldn’t feel any noticeable lag. Logitech requires a 1 millisecond reporting rate. It’s hard to discern how fast it is in real life. Still, it’s an interesting number because that’s the supposed response rate of a mechanical keyboard, as opposed to a standard membrane keyboard.
Obviously, you’re incrementing by 1 ms when the button is actually pressed, but even then, 1 ms is almost nothing. Unless you’re a top-level professional gamer, I really doubt you’ll gain any benefit from using a wired mouse.
Wireless sensors have obviously become a lot more powerful in recent years. Wireless mice weren’t always like that, and that’s why they’ve built up a bad reputation.
Just make sure that when you buy a wireless mouse, you choose a reputable brand like Logitech or Razer. Read the product description and check any response time details so you don’t run into a real mouse with a bad sensor. Ultimately this is just my personal experience, but I feel like I’ve played enough to know what it’s like to be a casual gamer.
Comfort benefits of using a wireless mouse
There is another side to this story. If you care more about comfort and convenience, this is where a wireless gaming mouse can really benefit. The biggest thing for some people may simply be that you have fewer cables to deal with on your desk. But it also opens up more space for a more portable setup.
What if you don’t always want to sit at the table to play your game? With a wireless mouse, you can sit remotely on the couch and your computer still have great lag. The G305 that I have can get a perfect connection up to 10 feet away. Bench-based PC players are a growing audience, and there is growing interest in peripherals known as lapboards.
The skateboard comes with a mouse pad and a slot for the keyboard so you can play comfortably from a distance. The only negative convenience aspect of owning a wireless mouse is the limited battery life. If your mouse is powered by a removable battery, you’ll need to charge them from time to time or buy a new one.
Compare wireless and wired mouse prices
If you are interested in the price, you may be curious to know the difference between wired and wireless gaming mice. To do this, we’ve paired several options from the biggest gaming mouse manufacturers and compared their prices. Please note that these prices are based on the RRP on Amazon.com.
Razer wireless and wired mouse
The current best Razer product in terms of performance is the Razer Viper. The wired version costs $79.99, while the wireless Viper Ultimate costs $149.99. There’s no standard wireless version, so you’re paying for some extras like more DPI and a fancy RGB charging dock.
Steelseries Wireless vs Wired Mouse
The Steelseries Rival 600 is a great mouse, and Steelseries sells it for $79.99. The wireless version, called the Rival 650 Wireless, increases the price to $119.99. This time around, Steelseries keeps the hardware very similar on both versions, so there will be a significant price increase to cut down on cables.
Corsair Harpoon Wired Pro vs Wireless Mouse
While the sensor is a bit different in the Corsair Harpoon Wireless, the hardware is mostly the same. Even so, the price of the Corsair Harpoon Wireless sits at $49.98, while the Corsair Harpoon Wired Pro is just $19.99.
Identify
In all cases, wireless mice in the same generation or range are more expensive.
Summary
Now it’s pretty clear who will benefit the most from a wireless mouse. A wireless mouse will be most appreciated by those who care about comfort and convenience. A wireless mouse will offer the least value to those who care a lot about the best possible latency and top performance.
If you are a casual gamer, you are most likely aiming for comfort and convenience. If you’re a bit more competitive, you might want to try a wireless mouse before committing to it.
If you’re going to buy a wireless mouse, make sure you read through any models that interest you and check reviews for latency and response times. Also, check out our other article on the best vertical mice to reduce wrist fatigue.
