Budget wireless gaming mouse

Nbolo · 10 Nov 2010 at 11:46

So my mouse is verging on ancient at the moment and i thought it was time for an upgrade. Thing is i'm abit mad for having as few cables trailing around as possible!

My question is how good are wireless mice for gaming? i'm thinking of one in particular (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-001-BZ). Has anyone used this mouse? how do you find it? also is it battery powered or does it come with a recharger? and how long does the charge last?

Thanks guys!

joey2cool · 10 Nov 2010 at 12:24

Personally for FPS games and other small movement required, I would use a wired mouse. If you tend to play stuff like MMOs or strategy where high precision in an instant is required then wireless should be ok. For this reason also, there is no point spending a whole load on a "high performance" mouse if you don't tend to play shooters, and so something like that would be good. Dunno about battery or recharger, but a quick google will probably tell you!

Nbolo · 10 Nov 2010 at 12:34

joey2cool said:
Personally for FPS games and other small movement required, I would use a wired mouse. If you tend to play stuff like MMOs or strategy where high precision in an instant is required then wireless should be ok. For this reason also, there is no point spending a whole load on a "high performance" mouse if you don't tend to play shooters, and so something like that would be good. Dunno about battery or recharger, but a quick google will probably tell you!

Hi Joey, thanks for the reply.

A google search is a v good idea! why didn't i think of that! what is the difference in responce time between wired and wireless? is it really that noticable? I do tend to play FPS's, BC2, CoD and crysis mainly, if the difference is that big noticable then maybe wired is the way to go.

joey2cool · 10 Nov 2010 at 12:53

in my experience its not so much the response time, its more of a reliability thing, sometimes my wireless mouse "skips" and doesn't quite move how I want it to, and I end up having to readjust. Not such a pain for strat games, but for FPS it would be a pain!

I've never had an issue with response times, but I imagine there are many people who have! I think wireless mice have gotten better on response times, and as long as you have a clear line of sight between the mouse and the receiver then 90% of people won't notice. I had my receiver in the back of my PC and it only made the problem worse. Using a usb extension and moving it onto my desk has helped a lot.

(I made a spelling mistake in my OP, should be "where high precision in an instant ism't required " doh!)

Nbolo · 10 Nov 2010 at 12:55

Ahh i see, wired might well be worth considering then, if i'm goignt o have to grab a usb extension to get LOS between reciever and mouse i might as well put up with a little more cable and have a wired mouse, cheers Joey

Jeepo · 10 Nov 2010 at 13:04

I have one of these:

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-130-MS

Sidewinder X8. It was my first wireless gaming mouse. I too was sceptical, due to the reliability and the DPI etc. My gaming is mostly FPS based, some twitchy, some not. I had had various Razer and Logi mice in the past,. So far, this has been my favourite. Got it about a year ago. LOVE the fact that it is wireless, can use it from the other end of the room on the telly, does perfect for gaming, zero lag. I use it DAILY and it Eeasily lasts 2 days intense work and play. If I have to charge it, its fine, I just use the attachable magnet charger, like those on a macbook. Perfect. I can continue to game and use it while charging, or of course use it as a wired mouse then as well. Love it, well worth a buy. Bit more expensive, but worth it. The LCD DPI switch is mega handy too, and fully customisable.

Nbolo · 10 Nov 2010 at 13:08

Interesting, have you found you need a reciever in a certain place for the mouse to work properly or does it work regardless?

Jeepo · 10 Nov 2010 at 14:20

The receiver is cool, an ice hockey shaped "puck". Best thing to do is youtube an unboxing and a review or two to see the size and features. I think it is a great package. I never leave the room with the mouse (obviously) but can site on the far side and still use it, maybe 6-8 feet, something like that. Never had an issue. Due to the blue-track lazer you don't even need a mouse mat, I can use it on the sofa arm, my knee, whatever I feel like.............

Nbolo · 10 Nov 2010 at 14:23

I think you may have just sold me on it! have read a few reviews and it seems pretty damn good!

Pay day tomorrow so i think i know where my 1st £44.99 is going!

Slightly off topic but any idea on a wireless keyboard to? can't be microsoft as apparantly they conflict with the mouse and screw up the scroll wheel, not looking for something expensive or shiny, an LCD screen would be nice and backlight but other than tyhat something comfy, any ideas?

*ignores his work load and googles iwreless keyboard* =P

Cheers.

Liampope · 10 Nov 2010 at 14:58

The X8 is very fine indeed!

. It's radio - not IR so line-of-sight isn't an issue. Only minor issue I had was scroll wheel tilt isn't recognised in games (at least the ones I tried). I guess that would be the case with any tilt mouse though? Wasn't a problem as I just used the drivers to map scroll wheel tilt to z and x keypresses and it's all good.