The_Dude

I'm thinking about getting a new mouse. a 5 button one, so i can use it for gaming.

but the question is whether i should get a regular ball mouse or an optical mouse.

which is better for gaming ??

both should be 5 button and my pc can handle usb 2's and the ps2's.

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mpedrummer2

I have a Microsoft 5 button mouse. Not the explorer, the other 5 button one. It has 1 extra button on each side, rather than two on the thumb side. It's optical.

I've never looked back.

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The_Dude

easier to play games?

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Nhanced1

you gotta upgrade to optical dude. I mean, totally. The resolutions and access speeds availible by USB and optical are excellent. and if at all possible, go for Logitech over Microsoft .

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fuelmyfire

yeah, when it comes to a mouse don't even consider the old "ball" technology.

however, i would recommend a trackball. once you get used to it, it's amazing for games. so accurate because you use your thumb (obviously) instead of your whole hand.

Krycheck

What he said.

Anytime I use someone else's ball mouse with dirty rollers I just want to toss it away.

Logitec all the way. Although I do have a MS wireless combo that I like alot. But I did wish I had gotten the Logitec combo.

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Kllr Wolf

I have had probs in the past with the logitech opticals not really being good for games (moslty FPS). I went to the dreaded MS optical and unfortanly love it. I ahve yet to hear from anyone that logitech has gotten their precision to that of MS yet (still hoping) So yes I recommend the Microsoft one even though it does cost a few dollars more

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yotta

Yes, optical. Sticky rollers suck

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hawkeye

Logitech Optical here, I love it and won't touch ball mice anymore

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Scorpion23

I would also say that optical is the only way to go. What I can't understand is why I saw a ball mouse for sale the other day which had a red LED on the bottom to make it look like an optical mouse. The package boasted of the "cool optical look, without the price", but with the cheap opticals running for $10 there's no reason to every buy a ball again.

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Jerry Manderine

optical everytime - wireless optical if you can afford the extra few bucks. Turns your mouse into a DVD remote control from the other side of the room. Oh - and no more mouse mats!

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activitie

Optical is the way to go, the only reason I could see using a ball mouse is if you have your mouse on a glass or very reflective surface. But then all you have to do is use a mouse pad.

SecretMethod70

Logitech optical. Never had any problems with gaming.

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arch13

Go with the MS five button optical. i shy away from MS but was amazed a month ago when the replaced my optical mouse of three years after it broke after only wanting a fax of the mouses serial #. No questions, just service. i think i finally found that part of MS that made them so damn rich.

On another note, PS2, not USB! PS2 is universal, portable between systems, and never needs drivers or a specific OS to function. It works with every Bios. USB keyboards and mice are an accident in the making. When i upgraded leased compaqs with USB keyboards and mice, all it took was an issue with the Win2000 install and i was having to fish the PS2 keyboard out of my car for command console use in repairing the network instal(s).

HTH

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cheezhead

MX 700

Vaultboy

I have a logitech op myself, and I wont buy a ball ever either. But ball-mose devices have their uses: If you've got kiddies, buy a ball mouse. My pal's kid let his op-mouse fall off the desk. Mouse had to be replaced. Ball mouse devices offer a robustness that might be preferable in certain situations.

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y2ktenchi

Optical trackball all the way. I have three Logitechs (one at work, one at home) and one Kensington (for my Mac at home).

What I love best about trackball is the reduced wrist movement. I was starting to feel the effects of too much mousing and switched to trackball and got one of those nice mouse pads with a gel wrist wrest. Best things I ever did!

I've never used an MS trackball mouse. When I have tried them at the store, I found that I preferred where the Logitech trackball was placed.

One strange problem I found, at least in Dungeon Siege. I lost the ability to use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out in the game. I only got that function back after uninstalling the Logitech software for the mouse (I don't use the Web Wheel feature so it wasn't an issue). I can still do everything I want with the mouse and I only lost the ability to use an extra feature that I never used in the first place.

Oh, yeah, and I would suggest PS2 as well. My wife's HP has a USB optical mouse and the thing can't be used until Windows XP has loaded the USB driver for it. So, even after Windows starts, there's a half minute lag where the mouse is useless.

Plus, there's the problem the other person mentioned about not being able to use USB if your OS has problems or whatever.

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mtsgsd

for trackball, the optical logitech with out question.

for mouse-ing, I like IBM's optical mouse the best so far as compared to logitech and microsoft. It has the best fit to my hand.

For doing non-game related work, I like the track ball best, but I've found that I do much better with a mouse for games.

I think the USB issue depends more on your motherboard? I haven't had any issues using one even while installing XP. That said, you CAN have issues if you are connected through a USB hub along with other USB devices, where the mouse suddenly becomes very slow and erratic. Still, I'll never go back.

platypus

Same here. It's called the Intellimouse Optical (not the Explorer) and is my mouse of preference. Makes surfing/gaming/whatever a breeze. Only problem is it's sometimes hard to find in stores. Best bet is to buy it online.

And wireless sucks! At least the MS Wireless Optical Explorer does. Extremely lame resolution/response. I can literally, if I do it slow enough, move the mouse across the pad without the cursor moving on screen. Response sucks.

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hrdwareguy

I went with the MS Optical trackball with the extra buttons. I would have preferred the logitech, but at the time they didin't have one I liked with the extra buttons.

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BoCo

Logitech MX700.

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spived2

If you can, get dual optical. even more sensitive. Stay away from wireless, especialy if your using a usb hub. you have to be like a foot away from the reciever to use the mouse.

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~springrain

i agree... optical, optical, optical, optical, optical, optical, optical,

VeXteR

Alright, heres the low down. Specs and all. READ THIS....

Im a serious gamer. Ive got well over 2 grand in my box. I dont skimp on anything. I play FPS in league play. Im ranked in the top 200 of all 9000 Battlefeild 1942 players. And Im even better at CS. I know my stuff.... Any product not listed is becuase it has yet to prove itself as a viable gaming solution.

The Explorer 3.0 optical from MS can scan movements as high as 40 inchs per sec. Whats this mean? It means that you will not be able to move your hand fast enough to make this mouse lose track of the surface.

Logitec MX500 and 700. Scans up to 41 inchs per sec. Plagued by buggy drivers and Poor logitec performance. Software doesnt work with alot of other hardware like some Logitec joysticks. Some people swear by these mice. Im not convinced, YET. Im thinking of taking the plunge and retiring the trusty 3.0.

These are the only 2 mice suitable for gaming. NO other mice perform at this level. NO other mouse can track movements this fast. ALL other mice will lose track if you move your hand too fast and your veiw in an FPS will general become erratic.


The MS Explorer is undoubtable the best mouse available for the PC. Its light. Strong. Practically indestructable with normal use. If you get this mouse you will be accuse of hacking in online games by the noobs. Users of normal mice are at a disadvantage and it will show. Your score will jump by 50 percent.

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bullgoose

Couldn't agree more; I've got a Logitech scrolling optical trackball; I've had no problems at all with it, and it works just as well in Linux (several flavors) as it did in Windows (tofu flavor); and it was much easier to setup in Linux.

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clonmult

Am I the only one that can't stand optical mice? They just don't seem quite so tactile.

Okay, so far I've only tried M$ optical, but it seemed pretty crappy. Unreliable movement, not accurate.

VeXteR

You havnt tried the Explorer 3.0 on a ratpadz. Try that and you will be sold. This setup will set you back close to 70 bucks though. This would be a classic example of getting what you pay for.

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Uuudar

they still make mice will balls ?!?

viveleroi0

I gotta say optical, but dont go wireless. I have great success with optical, but wireless mice are hell to work with! Powering them, holding them, cleaning them... ahh!

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sixate

I love my wireless mouse. Just buy a good set of rechargeable batteries and you're good to go.

dolemite175

If you are going to use it primarily for gaming, I would say go optical and stay away from wireless. No batteries to deal with, and you never have to worry about problems with the signal right in the middle of some fragging....

teflonian

Here is another vote for logitech's mx700. Bit on the pricey side, but it is optical, wireless, and damn cool. You don't have to worry about the batteries if you remember to put it on its stand every other night or so. In my four (?) months that I have had it I have never had it go dead on me and I have never had a problem with it being wireless. Never even noticed it being wireless except for not having to worry about the wire! The only complaint I had was the scroll wheel would often not register, but they fixed that in a software upgrade.

Antagony

One more vote for Logitech MX700.

No messing with batteries (has a recharging station you just drop the mouse into), and very long range (I had it working six feet away).

Comfortable, good weight, and accurate. The only applicable argument against it is that it's only a single optical as opposed to double, but single is more than enough for my heavy duty gaming.

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Wyodiver33

I have to agree, the MX700 is the best mouse that I've owned. I had a MS Explorer 3.0 but I wanted to go cordless, so I sold it to a friend.

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duckduck

If you've got the cash, the MX700. If you must have 5 buttons, the MX500. If you're really cheap, just button mash in games anyways, and want it to be good for both hands (like me ), get the MX300.

Logitech all the way, though.

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Kyp

Add one more vote to the MX700. I love this mouse. I would also suggest using USB, not PS2. Despite what others have said, as long as your mobo can support it correctly, there should be no problems, and you will have increased performance.

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gamer715

My high school had ball mice. Bad idea, kids played with the balls, they got all greasy. Now (I've been told) they've gotten opticals, and running fine. I've experienced the same things at home; an optical gives you less to fool around with.

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cj22009

Go with optical mouse I love mine I still have to use stupid ball mouse at work I hate it night and day diff between the two

AxByC

optical mx 500 is the best mouse ive ever used.

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yodapaul

Logitech wireless keyboard and opitcal Mouse. I 've never had a problem with it and they work great for all kinds of games. MS is good too, but I would stay with Logitech.

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