There are a ton of great gaming mice on the market right now. If you are an avid PC gamer having a mouse that is built specifically for gaming is essential. The differences between a “normal” mouse and a gaming mouse are drastic. Gaming mice are more precise, more comfortable, more durable, and have other features a regular mouse just doesn’t have.
The prices of gaming mice are all over the place. You can find one for as little as $10 or you can pay well over $100 for one as well. This post aims to find a few of the best budget gaming mice available. When you are looking at mice under $30, there is likely going to be a few sacrifices you will need to make, such as really high DPI or top-notch software. However, overall, you will still be able to find a really solid gaming mouse in this price range.
Gaming Mouse Benefits
Before we dive into the list, let’s look at a few benefits of a gaming mouse when compared to a standard mouse.
Comfort and Ergonomics
A gaming mouse is designed to feel comfortable in your hand even during long periods of use. As a matter of fact, manufacturers take pride in gaming mice because they are crafted to conform to the human hand better than regular mice. It is therefore practical to consider a gaming mouse as a good investment. Every piece of a gaming mouse is made with comfort in mind. Due to this, experts say that it is an excellent choice for gamers and non-gamers alike. I personally use a gaming mouse when working as well, not just while gaming.
Performance
Gaming mice are built with more precise and accurate sensors, more buttons, and often come with software to optimize performance. A better mouse sensor can give you a bit advantage in any game that requires quick and precise movement like an FPS. The extra buttons come in quite handy for all kinds of games as well. You may use a mouse button as a push-to-talk key for cleaner comms or use a mouse button to replace a hard to reach key bind on the keyboard. Last, most gaming mouse come with software which will allow you even more of an ability to customize your setup.
Durability
Gaming mice are specifically designed to last for lengthy periods of use. They are made using high-quality materials for better performance. That is why they are considered very durable. If you opt for a gaming mouse, it should perform at a high level for a long time. You may wear out multiple regular mice before you would wear out a gaming mouse, especially if you are hard on your peripherals.
List Criteria
Even if it is only a few hours, we look at our personal experience with the mouse. We try to judge the overall performance, ergonomics, software, and styling.
Since we only get a limited time with each mouse, we consider gamer reviews from top sites like Amazon and Newegg.
For this list, we consider the price to performance ratio.
We look at the raw specs including the DPI, sensor, tracking speed, size, weight customization, etc.
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