Help Creaphis Find a New Mouse

It's time for my second mouse-related topic in this forum.

My old mouse, that I've been using since it came with my computer, has gone on the fritz. (It frequently sends two click signals with one button press.) So, it's time to upgrade. If any of you know more about mice than I do (which is probably most of you) I'd appreciate some tips of what kind to buy.

Here are the things I'm looking for in a mouse (in decreasing order of importance):
1. Accuracy - I want an optical/laser mouse that won't shoot the pointer all over the screen when it misreads its own movement.
2. Affordability - I still only consider myself a casual gamer, and I don't have tons of spare cash at the moment, so lower-end models should be fine.
3. Ergonomic - I've never used a mouse that was actually designed to fit a specific hand, and I may enjoy the luxury (I'm right handed).
4. A couple extra buttons could be handy. I have too many functions on my mouse wheel when I'm Skulltagging.

Thanks!

I've never seen any point to buy mice above the $10~$20 range. I don't even bother with wireless mice, because the wire doesn't bother me at all (even on the road or plane or wherever). As long as it has two buttons and a wheel, I'm happy.

I hate wireless mice and keyboards because they use batteries.

Creaphis said:

It frequently sends two click signals with one button press.

Sounds like a faulty microswitch. They're replaceable if you have a soldering iron and a dead mouse to cannibalise for parts.

The best advice I can offer is - try before you buy. I'd avoid cordless mice, some are simply too slow for gaming.

exp(x) said:

I hate wireless mice and keyboards because they use batteries.

Ditto. I'm never at a distance away from my computer that I need them. Or even an Xbox controller for the matter.

Have you tried the microsoft optical mice? Theyre qite good, although I doubt you'll get one for $20. Maybe $30, though. Same witha Logitech. And that's wired. But I do very much like my mouse. Very comfortable, very precise.

pilottobombadier said:

Have you tried the microsoft optical mice? Theyre qite good, although I doubt you'll get one for $20. Maybe $30, though.

I had one for $12 in 2001.

Alright, I might as well just stick to Logitech or Microsoft mice then. I was expecting to hear some rave reviews of other brands, but since that hasn't happened, I'll probably just pick up another mainstream model. I will try before I buy if possible.

I forgot to put a fifth item on my list of requirements, and it belongs before the other four: the mouse must be corded. I'm with you guys on this; a laggy response time and a need for batteries are huge disadvantages compared to the presence of a wire. What's with our society's fear of wires in general? Some things can have wires. Wires are good.

"Sounds like a faulty microswitch. They're replaceable if you have a soldering iron and a dead mouse to cannibalise for parts."

I have no dead mice, no soldering iron and no technical knowledge. Thanks for the tip though.

The original and best.

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=383572&CatId=143

Hm. I can't say I would want to use a trackball.

You wouldn't say that after you used this for a few hours.

No, I would still say that.

Get an optical, because trackball mice are decades out of date. Don't get wireless. They eat batteries like candy unless you buy one of the horribly expensive rechargeable ones. Logitech and Microsoft are the only brands you should be looking at. Spending around $30 for a mouse isn't too ridiculous. That's my advice.

On that note, I really need to get rid of this shit-tastic trackball mouse that came with my Dell.

I love my two-button Microsoft IntelliMouse. It's optical and they've never failed me. Most people I know either use these or Logitec (which I can't stand personally, but to each his own). We recently got some mice with balls in the bottom from Dell here at work also, which are surprisingly smooth.

I tried a trackball once and just couldn't get used to it. Some people swear by them, while others are like me. I think it's something to consider trying at least once (borrow one if you can).

I'm all for trying new things, but I can already use regular mice with a high level of speed and precision. (I've held my own in many instagib matches.) There just isn't anything I can gain with a trackball.

Creaphis said:

(I've held my own in many instagib matches.)

I remember doing really well on a laptop's touch pad in Quake2 instagib. In fact...I think I'll start using my touchpad more and maybe even look into one for my desktop :^)

I used Logitech's Mediaplay wireless mouse for a couple of years with an previous computer, and one thing I like about this mouse was that while it has some extra buttons (I use two on side for use/scores and horiz. wheel for grenade/melee, wheelclick for reload) it also had those media buttons that you could use for manipulating your media player easily while playing a game. Its flaws were batteries, a bit heavy, and not the best precision.

For my new computer I got the G5 which has all those same buttons (except the media ones), plus two more for sensitivity (I use them for misc. stuff like flashlight) The precision is the best I've used by far, and it comes with the weights if you prefer a light or heavy mouse. It's a bit overpriced though.

logitech MX518, still the best

The Apple Mighty Mouse is pretty sexy. I use it for the Linux media PC in my lounge. Unfortunately you only get the two buttons (yes, two buttons on an Apple mouse!)

MasterOfPuppets said:

logitech MX518, still the best

That's my mouse.

Thirded for the Logitech MX518. I absolutely love mine.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16826104178
http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-MX518-Gaming-Optical-Mouse/dp/B0007Z1M50

fraggle said:

The Apple Mighty Mouse is pretty sexy. I use it for the Linux media PC in my lounge. Unfortunately you only get the two buttons (yes, two buttons on an Apple mouse!)

Heh. Whenever I hear Apple and mouse in the same sentence, all I can think about is this piece of shit:



I had to use these in college, since they came with the Power Mac G3's we had at the time. Great way to get hand cramps. Fuck you, Apple.

Microsoft optical usb plug and play mouse. Great for Mac.

And the new Mighty Mouse from Mac isn't anything to write home about. Just kiss it Mac and put a right click on for God's sake.

Yeah, that's the sort of mouse you get when your product's functionality is less important than your company's image. The Mac vs. PC ads just further emphasize that Apple's priorities are in that order.

Despite what I said in the first post, I'm actually prepared to spend more than $30 on a mouse. The MX518 looks great; I think I'll pick up something from that product line.

I really like my Razer Copperhead that I bought along with my new laptop. It's pretty good for gaming and the such. However I don't know if they are below 30 bucks or not (I didn't purchase it separately, rather I bought it along with the laptop, so I don't remember how much it costs). It's got 4 extra buttons which is pretty handy, and you can change the sensitivity on the fly. Maybe too fancy for what your looking for, I dunno...just thought I'd say something about it.

I'll get a G5. It seems to get rave reviews, and I'm sure it will meet my pointer-moving and bullet-placement needs for years to come. I can get a new one via Ebay for $40.

For a while I was worried that these would be impossible to get in Canada... the only G5 for sale on Amazon.ca is an old edition G5, costing $130!

MasterOfPuppets said:

logitech MX518, still the best

I have one of these and absolutely love it. I had a couple Microsoft mice before it that just fell apart. I've had this one for awhile now with no problems. Feels great, works great, looks great, and the price is right, too.

EDIT: Whoops! That picture LOOKS like mine, but I actually have a G5.

MasterOfPuppets said:

logitech MX518, still the best

i have one and it's a piece of crap
wheel gunked up and rough to move and click
film worn out really quick and i didn't even have hot enough hands or pick at it
too small for my big hands, palming it just makes my fingers miss all the buttons and wheels giving my hand in a closing position similar to how one would use the above pictured first-gen imac mouse
sensitivity and feel still doesn't feel perfectly comfortable after weeks of adjusting.
This is all after 4 months since the purchase and use of mouse.
i miss my microsoft intellipoint optical already.
logitech makes very very flimsy parts.

I have one of these at work:

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/ergonomics/home/products/ergonomicmouse/

Takes a little while to get use to, but it's great if you suffer oos or whatever. I wish it a scrollwheel though. And at $100 it's a little pricey for whats affectively a joystick.

Asides from that, I use Microsoft mice.

leileilol said:

i have one and it's a piece of crap
wheel gunked up and rough to move and click

The MX518 is an optical mouse. What on earth are you talking about?

fraggle said:

The MX518 is an optical mouse. What on earth are you talking about?

The scroll wheel? He's probably having that problem because he doesn't wash his hands after masturbating.