Is it worth spending money on gaming mice and keyboards?

Considering i'm typing this on a Compaq keyboard that's as old as me, and posting it with a mouse i bought with my first computer probably over five years ago... it's no important.

The keyboard has a solid steel plate in it, no flex what so ever. I wouldn't consider anything an upgrade over it other than a mechanical. Mouse is comfortable enough, but i do sometimes notice that it's not quite sensitive enough - although that's probably just game settings. They're both PS/2, which is better anyway ;)

The thing i really don't get is "gaming mouse mats". What on earth is going on there? £20 for a mouse mat? I got mine for a fiver down the Charlie Chaplin place and i couldn't use any of those 'extreme sufaces' because they don't have wrist rests. Makes everything so much nicer.
 
At first I thought mouse mats were pointless as well, I had one that cost like a few pounds from tesco :o and a standard office one and it worked great with my wireless Microsoft mouse. When I got my MX518, it felt good enough, however once I got the boogie bug (for £13), OMG!!! It was soooooo much better, the mouse just glided along without any effort and the tracking/accuracy of the pointer/aiming was just a hundred times better and once I got the deathadder, well it was just superb as well, not as smooth gliding as the MX518 though.

I would never spend more than £20 on a mouse mat though :eek:
 
I'm using a basic £20 odd Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse combo. Does the job perfectly because I hate wires. Had a Bluetooth mouse before but it was jumpy which annoyed me. Microsoft always make reliable wireless mice in my experience. Using a Steelseries mouse mat though because after using cloth mats for a while, I'm too used to it now.
 
I would say a decent gaming mouse is essential, a keyboard maybe less so(depending on what you play), I do not play MMO's so do not really use macros much. I have a decent keyboard but have yet to set up any macros on it, the only game I actually play which they would be useful for is Starcraft 2 really.

I am undecided on whether a mousemat is really essential, i have the boogie bug XXL and it is great but i can't say i have really noticed much of a difference tbh.

I recently went from a few unremarkable peripherals to a decent set up and overall it was definitely worth the investment, for less than £50 i ended up with the Boogiebug, MX518 and the Sidewinder X4 keyboard.:)
 
Number_25 said:
Are the Nostromo's any good?
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I'm really sorry I've only just replied, but other than when at work, i've been drunk this week so haven't really checked here :o

Basically, my only problem with replacing the Nostromo is the money would be going to greedy Razer. They have changed nothing with the Belkin Nostromo, and are charging almost double that Belkin charged for it. That is the one and only reason I went with the Logitech G13 as it's replacement.
 
Mice yes.

'Gaming' Keyboards are a gimmick. I had a G15 and the LCD was a 5 minute wonder and I used the macro keys twice in about 2 years. Never reinstalled the drivers for the LCD support after I did a rebuild.

GOOD mechanical keyboards is where it is at. No backlit crap, no screens, no extra buttons.
 
I want backlit! Bought the Razer Lycosa because it has blue backlit keys which I find very pleasing on the eye, performance wise gaming keyboards aren't really worth it unless you play a lot of MMO's but aesthetically they can be.

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I'm a firm believer in different mice and keyboards making little difference in FPS games. I used to be in a Q2 clan with a guy called Q50. He was a very, very good player and yet had a clunky old keyboard and crap old mouse. A better mouse/kb could probably make a few percentage difference but it won't turn you into an FPS god. It's more important to just get used to the ones you use, or find ones that feel comfortable for you.

Obviously more comfy hardware will increase your enjoyment both in game and for normal PC work so they are worth getting for that alone. But I doubt they would transform someones playing skill.
 
Get a no frills mechanical keyboard and a mouse with a perfect sensor (WMO) and you're set. No such thing as gaming mice / keyboards.

- You don't need macro keys
- You don't need media keys
- You don't need blacklit keys or any WOO FLASHY LIGHTS!!1
- You don't need angle snapping
- You don't need hardware acceleration
- You don't need OVER 9000 DPI
- You don't need 30 buttons on your mouse
- You don't need a mouse that feels like a brick
- You don't need an LCD screen on your keyboard
- You don't need USB or jacks on your keyboard
- You don't need a laser mouse

Have I made my point.
 
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harenzo said:
I'm currently using a Deathadder mouse + Boogiebug XL mat. It makes all the difference for me. Not just for gaming - browsing and work tasks are a lot smoother and more comfortable.
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I got that combo for Christmas, cant wait to try it out tomorrow. Should be an improvement over the wireless logitech office crap ive been using! Good keyboard next!

Have they sorted the Lycosas' problems yet?
 
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Hixxy said:
...g15 has to be the worst keyboard i ever bought, the best was a cheap(£30) cherry office keyboard i bought years ago. no macro **** but you dont need that tbh. when you pushed the key it threw a mine or grenade no questions asked.
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I'm glad it's not just me who hated those Logi keyboards, i just cant seem to get along with them :(

Maybe they're just best for MMOs and that's about it :p
 
Am using a Razer Mamba here.....It a really great mouse far far better then any other mouse i ever owned or used..

The only bad thing with it is that it needs to always be used with the cable connected as the battery life is useless when used in wireless mode
 
I have to say I like my X6 and X8 combo at the moment. Removable-and-put-on-the-other-sideable keypad is a winning pointless gimmick and the wireless on the mouse is flawless.

Anyway something I've been wondering about is mechanical keyboards and the love they get here. I bought a mechanical keyboard a long time ago (back in beige PC days) and utterly hated it - took relatively huge effort to press a key and clicked and clacked so loudly it was genuinely like using an old mechanical typewriter! So my question is was that just a piece of turd and I haven't experienced a decent mechanical keyboard of the type people rave about here, or is that indeed what they are all like? If so, why do people like them?

Cheers.
 
oL said:
Get a no frills mechanical keyboard and a mouse with a perfect sensor (WMO) and you're set. No such thing as gaming mice / keyboards.

- You don't need macro keys If you play games like wow etc. this would be handy
- You don't need media keys Personal preference again, I used to have a Microsoft wireless keyboard that had all the volume, play/pause keys and I used them all the time, was quick and easy to access/use whilst watching a film etc.
- You don't need blacklit keys or any WOO FLASHY LIGHTS!!1 Have you ever used a backlit keyboard? They are actually very good especially if you like to game late at night and not have lights turned on at stupid hours in the early morning/late night. They also make it much much easier to see the letters on the keys, more so the laser etched keys
- You don't need OVER 9000 DPI True
- You don't need a mouse that feels like a brick Again personal preference, some people like the mouse to be as light as possible, some like it heavy, I like it the mice to have some weight to it but not be a complete brick to move about
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Maybe for you in the end, yes then you don't need any of that stuff ;)

However many people will have different uses to you and some will like having the extra stuff.


Unless people have actually used a backlit keyboard (the proper good ones that are laser etched), don't pass to much judgement on keyboards that have them especially considering you can get them pretty cheap anyway, they really are much better for being able to EASILY see the keys and are great if you game late at night with the lights off and they do look much fancier/better than just a standard plain keyboard IMO.
 
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