Spec me a wireless setup that doesn't suck.

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Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2004
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So, Ive always used wired keyboard and mouse combinations in the past....I have never needed wireless as I sit at the desk the PC sits on so mobility was never an issue, and I laughed heartily at my friends as I continued typing and browsing whilst they went off to repalce their batteries.

However, Ive now advanced into the world of a big LCD screens....got a 32" HD LCD for my birthday. Now, my plan is to link it to the PC so I can run DVD and video through it without having to buy a DVD player. The screen, however, sits on the other side of the room from the PC, so what I need is a wireless combo so I can control the computer using the screen without having to get up from my comfy position on the bed :D

The problem is; Im quite an avid gamer, and from my experience of wireless keyboards and especially mice, they are pretty poor for games, especially FPS. They seem to suffer from a certain amount of lag which I would find frustrating in game.I was thinking of just buying a cheap wireless desktop combo which I could plug into the PC along side the wired mouse/keyboard, and just use it when Im watching something using the TV. BUT, the idea of widescreen, large scale TV gaming from a comfortable seat is something which is appealing to me more and more, so Im toying with the idea of splashing out on a decent wireless mouse/keyboard and jsut replacing my current setup.

So, what Im asking really is if anyone has a wireless setup which is good enough for a lot of gaming which they would recommend? If possible, I'll be buying Logitech stuff....I have that currently and its decent kit. Or should I just get a cheaper combo that wont be good for FPS games but still usable for Windows? At worst, I can still game but just not play FPS games all that well.
 
I didn't think keyboards and mices were affected by going wireless.

Damn, just ordered a microsft wireless setup.
 
Well, I'm not sure. Last time I tried one was over a year ago, and it felt a bit laggy. Things might have improved since. It's only really the mouse Im concerned about.
 
I use a cheap logitech 400/800 dpi wireless setup and have never experience any lag on fps games. Complete placebo effect, radiowaves travel at the speed of light, exactly the same as electrons.
 
Energize said:
I use a cheap logitech 400/800 dpi wireless setup and have never experience any lag on fps games. Complete placebo effect, radiowaves travel at the speed of light, exactly the same as electrons.
Click to expand...

Not strictly true, electron flow in wires is a bit different, but I'm not going to turn this into a physics leason!

PK!
 
misterPK said:
Not strictly true, electron flow in wires is a bit different, but I'm not going to turn this into a physics leason!

PK!
Click to expand...


Yeah I know but your getting exactly the same latency whichever method you use.
 
I completed a similar setup recently, TV + computer on other side of room with wireless keyboard and mouse.
I tried a cheap MS KB + mouse but the wireless range was useless so I traded it in for a Logitech kit: http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=KB-109-LG&groupid=702&catid=23&subcat=54
Works great, played CoH with it (strat) but no FPSs yet. The laser mouse works on my bed matress perfectly and I have a felt gaming mouse mat which is great for non solid surfaces.
 
Energize said:
Yeah I know but your getting exactly the same latency whichever method you use.
Click to expand...

Not true, because most wireless technologies use a protocol for retransmission and error correction caused by interference from other wireless devices. Some even perform on the fly channel switching when interference gets too high.

However even when there is perfect signal on the wireless connection, the protocol is still enabled and it causes a little bit of additional delay.

In general, we're only talking about milliseconds here, but some people complain about a few millisecond input delay on their LCD screens, and the same people are likely the ones that complain about wireless mice.

Another issue, is USB, and how often the device can be polled. Low polling rates cause additional latency compared to a PS/2 device. With recent wireless mice/keyboards (and even wired USB mice/keyboards) this is a non issue, but on early ones the polling rate was often set way to low in the drivers, making early usb mice much more 'laggy' than their PS/2 counterparts. So an early USB+Wireless mouse could have several potential lag causing issues.
 
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