Gaming mouse recommendations.

[Beskar]

I always have cordless, I even use a cordless controller with my pc. Infact, it is the same cordless you find with xbox360/wii consoles.

There is next to no lag (if any), probably the cordless mentioned further up was from a bargain bin where quality isn't an issue. As for optical, revered joe probably doesn't use a real mouse mat designed for optical mice and tried using a book or a desk with a reflective surface. A joy about cordless too, you don't have yet another USB plugged into your machine and it doesn't get in the way when you try to move it (damn cables) and in my case, I sit some distance away from the computer so having no cables going between me and the computer is nothing other than a plus. Opposed to 10ft away, I am working 4ft away from the screen, possibly slightly over, which again is some distance, especially to have cables crawling.

Note to Caravel: Yes, use a mouse mat, a real one, not a plastic one made for balled mice. Optical are superior to ball in DPI, and for example Everglide do a great range of mouse mats and you can notice a real difference and that is between the basic cloth mouse mats to more expensive ones.

As for mice, if you want a decent one at a low cost, the microsoft price range is very good from experience. The one I am currently using is the wireless laser mouse 7000 which you can pick up for around £30 easy enough. Then you can go for better or worse depending on what you actually want. The mouse I am using comes with a rechargable battery and has a rechargable stand with it so you don't have to worry about batteries either, just put the mouse on the stand while not using it and ta-da, no hassle and no problems.

[Husar]

A joy about cordless too, you don't have yet another USB plugged into your machine and it doesn't get in the way when you try to move it (damn cables) and in my case, I sit some distance away from the computer so having no cables going between me and the computer is nothing other than a plus.

That is not correct in most cases, most cordless mice have a receiver that is plugged into the USB port, my bluetooth notebook mouse doesn't since it obviously connects via bluetooth but my cordless desktop mouse has a receiver that is plugged into an USB port and AFAIK most Logitech cordless mice do as well.
If one goes for bluetooth to not have to use an USB port, then obviously the PC/notebook will have to have bluetooth built in, not a problem with most notebooks but I'm not sure about desktops, might need a bluetooth dongle then, which is plugged into an USB port usually.

[Beskar]

True, but my Keyboard and Mouse uses the same USB port (can both use same receiver), but if I wanted to plug in my wired mouse, it uses another USB port. So it really depends on situation.

[Whacker]

There is next to no lag (if any), probably the cordless mentioned further up was from a bargain bin where quality isn't an issue.

If that was me, then completely incorrect. I owned one of the first good, expensive Logitech cordless mice back in the day and had huge lag issues, went instantly back to corded and gave the mouse to mom. I have tried my parent's MS 5000 layzer mouse and found it to be more of the same, not as bad though. I've tried the new Logitech G7 cordless at a friend's and found there to be noticeable lag as well. None of those are/were cheap by any means.

Who knows, maybe I'm just special, but I notice it, and I've plenty of friends who do as well. I've also yet to know of a top-ranked twitch style competition gamer who uses a cordless mouse, but I'm not deep into that scene.

Oh well. If cordless makes you happy, then by all means go for it. Some people honestly just don't notice, or it doesn't bother them. This is an opinion thread after all.

[Beskar]

It could be that you needed to adjust sensitivity as well in computer options. I know my mouse feels bulky and awful to use when the sensitivity is on low, but put it on high and it like fire on oil.

[TinCow]

Who knows, maybe I'm just special, but I notice it, and I've plenty of friends who do as well. I've also yet to know of a top-ranked twitch style competition gamer who uses a cordless mouse, but I'm not deep into that scene.

Oh well. If cordless makes you happy, then by all means go for it. Some people honestly just don't notice, or it doesn't bother them. This is an opinion thread after all.

I felt the same way until my wife got me a MX Revolution about a year ago. It's the best mouse I've ever owned, hands down, and I find it far superior for gaming than all the corded mice I used to use.

[Xiahou]

I felt the same way until my wife got me a MX Revolution about a year ago. It's the best mouse I've ever owned, hands down, and I find it far superior for gaming than all the corded mice I used to use.

I think cordless mice have come a long way from their extremely laggy ancestors- but by definition the technology would have to add some lag time, however miniscule. I'm sure that on modern wireless mice, most people would never notice the difference- myself likely included.

I think the main question one need consider when weighing corded/cordless is necessity. Do you need a cordless mouse? I have two cordless mice. I use one for my HTPC, so that I could mouse from my coffee table if I need to without dragging a cable across the living room floor. The other, I bought for my netbook, to spare me from wrapping up and untangling a cord every time I pack or unpack it. If you're sitting at a desk with your PC just a few feet away, I really think it's pointless to bother with cordless mice. You gain nothing and possibly introduce some lag and have to worry about batteries conking out on you while you play.

Also, I absolutely can not recommend a ball mouse.
That's my .

[TinCow]

I think cordless mice have come a long way from their extremely laggy ancestors- but by definition the technology would have to add some lag time, however miniscule. I'm sure that on modern wireless mice, most people would never notice the difference- myself likely included.

I think the main question one need consider when weighing corded/cordless is necessity. Do you need a cordless mouse? I have two cordless mice. I use one for my HTPC, so that I could mouse from my coffee table if I need to without dragging a cable across the living room floor. The other, I bought for my netbook, to spare me from wrapping up and untangling a cord every time I pack or unpack it. If you're sitting at a desk with your PC just a few feet away, I really think it's pointless to bother with cordless mice. You gain nothing and possibly introduce some lag and have to worry about batteries conking out on you while you play.

Any lag that is produced by my cordless mouse is less damaging to my gameplay than the occasional times when my mouse cord would get caught on my keyboard or something else on my desk. That's generally instant death right there and even though it didn't happen very often, it's far more serious than any fraction of a millisecond of lag which any person would inherently begin compensating for over time. In any case, I love the MX Revolution because of its layout and features, the cordless aspect is an entirely ancillary consideration for me. I like the cordless aspect mainly because it keeps my desk more tidy. The next keyboard I get will be wireless as well for the same reason.