The development in the direction of choosing the perfect mild gaming mouse is all about attempting to make your controller purely an extension of your arm, somewhat than a peripheral it’s important to take into consideration manipulating. When it is mild as a feather, a gaming mouse can blur the road between flesh and machine.
Whereas we’ve come a good distance since hefty rubber balls traversing journal freebie mousepads, even the preferred tournament-grade gaming mouse has a little bit of heft to it. Therefore the time period ‘ultra-lightweight’ gaining buzzword standing, significantly as producers try to promote the newest line of top-tier gaming mice.
Premium peripheral producers are placing the time and sources into growing next-generation sensors and sleeker switches; they’re even perforating the shells of enter units in an try to make gaming mice lighter. Theoretically, it ought to scale back fatigue, the chance of medical accidents, and syndromes like RSI or carpal tunnel, and in any other case improve the velocity at which we are able to pull off clip-worthy headshots in shooters or spotlight highly effective models in hectic RTS battles.
Hyper-accurate sensors additionally play a giant half nowadays. At increased refresh charges and resolutions, the necessity for next-generation sensors exists to make sure gamers aren’t held again by the very factor designed to duplicate their actions. Not one of the sensors used within the mice listed beneath will battle to maintain up or threaten to carry you again, however there are professionals and cons to everybody.
Finest mild gaming mouse
SteelSeries has hit a candy spot with the Aerox 3 Wi-fi. The honeycomb perforations unfold additional than most, giving even the tops of your fingers a little bit of a breeze, and it includes a coarse outer shell for many who want the additional grip. The facet buttons are held again by a slim thumb relaxation, and the in any other case stunning RGB trim reveals seen circuitry, which, relying on style, can cheapen the general look.
Small fingers and a claw grip will go a good distance right here: Massive-handed palm grip avid gamers would possibly discover themselves dragging their digits or risking unintended clicks. Even when choosing that barely slimmer profile, although, the Aerox 3 Wi-fi managed to supply Bluetooth connectivity on prime of its lightning-fast 2.4GHz mode.
Paired with a bodily DPI button simply above the mouse wheel, RGB lighting, a mammoth 200+ battery life (with quick cost and USB Sort-C), and an included receiver hub and cable, there is a diploma of flexibility right here that different wi-fi choices in its grade cannot match—and its solely 3 grams heavier than the opposite wi-fi mouse on this record.
Learn our Steelseries Aerox 3 Wireless review.
The Mountain Makalu 67 is a trendy piece of package. It is also the chunkiest choice on this record, making it an awesome alternative for the bigger-handed participant on the lookout for an awesome mild gaming mouse. Its massive stature and closely curved physique ought to go well with palm grips the perfect, however claw grip gamers shouldn’t discover any main downsides. Simply word that it slopes aggressively on the best facet.
There’s a deeply satisfying click on from the 2 well-pronounced thumb buttons on the left. They sit comparatively excessive up the physique, giving your thumb loads of house to work with, with molded ridges aiding additional consolation. The cable is free and light-weight sufficient to whip round no drawback, however the lengthy rubber stem pinning it to the chassis would possibly snag on a mousepad with any raised edge, like from a USB hub.
It might have been good to see the breathable perforations stretch to the thumb and finger areas as nicely, however total, the Mountain Makalu 67 is a strong alternative and one which’s far lighter than it seems. It even options useful indentations to make changing the mouse ft a breeze at any time when the time comes.
Razer slides into the rising mild gaming mouse market this 12 months with the wired Razer Viper 8KHz. The identify is only a fancy approach of claiming the mouse stories its place to your pc a whopping 8,000 instances per second. Is it noticeable in-game? Probably not. Nevertheless it’s a reassuring declare to fame that ought to scale back figurative mouse latency to a frankly ludicrous low.
The frighteningly quick sensor is housed in a strong plastic chassis that’s segmented in a cyborg-esque style. And it seems smoother than it truly is. Lay your palm over the low-profile physique, and also you’ll have a barely textured grip and curved mouse buttons to maintain you in place. With 5 DPI profiles and 8K polling enabled out of the field, the one actual motive to want Razer’s personal software program clogging up your machine is to set a reachable DPI toggle, because it’s inconveniently positioned beneath.
As the one ambidextrous mouse on our record, rubber grips beneath the 2 buttons on both facet will help thumb grip, however the premium contact does open up the query of long-term sturdiness. The entire bundle doesn’t really feel fairly as prime quality as others, however its ambidextrous design makes it essentially the most well-rounded.
Learn our Razer Viper 8KHz review.
Logitech has a protracted and storied historical past within the PC peripheral house, so it ought to come as no shock to see them enter the sunshine gaming mouse market. By far, the perfect a part of the Logitech G Professional X Superlight is its wi-fi performance. Although cords barely add a gram to the equation, the drag and snag potential is there. Positive, the battery of this specific pointer might run dry at a second’s discover. Nonetheless, the Powerplay wi-fi charging performance can hold it going indefinitely by going deeper into the Logitech ecosystem for some additional money.
Exterior of theoretical, the Logitech G Professional X Superlight is about as modern as fashionable as gaming mice come. Devoid of RGB, it would not look misplaced within the workplace assembly room. Its egg-like physique is maybe too clean to the contact with no actual grip to talk of, however at a mere 63g, it manages to weigh lower than Razer’s greatest try even whereas packing a 70+ hour battery.
The facet buttons perhaps a bit of too small and mushy for some. However had it not been for the Steelseries Aerox 3 Wi-fi, this may be the wi-fi mild gaming mouse choice to beat. It is only a disgrace Bluetooth help could have develop into a casualty of the conflict on weight, which leaves its connectivity choices missing in comparison with its wi-fi rivals.
Learn our Logitech G Pro X Superlight review.
The Roccat Kone Professional is the wired and barely lighter model of the Roccat Kone Pro Air and is available in at lower than two-thirds of the worth. Much like its wi-fi counterpart, its design is an attention-grabbing tackle the honeycomb look. Relatively than plastering the chassis with holes, Roccat has fairly classily nestled the honeycomb design beneath the skinny plastic of the left and proper mouse buttons. Not solely does it assist to strengthen them, but it surely seems rad illuminated from beneath—it makes you’re feeling a bit like a Jedi.
And if being tethered to your PC makes you wince, it would not translate to awkward cable battles with the Kone Professional. The braided cable is barely noticeable when shifting round on these swift PTFE ft. The problem comes primarily in that the DPI button is, for some unusual motive, on the underside of the mouse, so there will be no fast profile modifications mid-battle.
And whereas it is probably not the lightest mouse, nor has it acquired the very best DPI, it is a distinctive, ergonomic, and all-over high quality construct that is simply probably the most comfy and beautiful mice I’ve used—to not point out it being constantly correct.
The Cooler Grasp MM720 is by far the smallest of the sunshine gaming mouse bunch right here, that means it’s additionally the lightest at a mere 49 grams. It options the fashionable honeycomb design however swaps a protracted physique for a stubby design you possibly can mistake for an inexpensive journey mouse you’d discover grossly overpriced at an airport tech retailer.
Its clean, plastic end isn’t essentially the most premium round, however even with the creaks, there’s no approach a tense grip will crush it like a can. And regardless of the perforations, it’s IP58 water resistant, so dropping a gamer beverage over this factor received’t destine it for the trash heap.
Its comparatively tiny footprint isn’t only a byproduct of Cooler Grasp aiming for that ultra-lightweight buzzword. There’s a way within the miniature form-factor in that it’s primarily designed for a claw grip. There’s no motive a palm or hybrid grip received’t work however put together in your digits to curve over the clickers if that’s the case. Both approach, the uncommon (and far appreciated) finger relaxation on the right-hand facet ought to assist hold issues comfy.
Why ought to I exploit a light-weight mouse?
A light-weight mouse is nice for aggressive gaming. The lighter weight makes it simpler to cease, permits for faster flings and swipes throughout your mousepad, which is good for first-person shooters. Some gamers prefer to elevate the mouse as they play, and a lighter mouse is less complicated for these types of actions.
What counts as a light-weight mouse?
The final consensus is that, to rely as a light-weight gaming mouse, it’s important to be taking a look at one which’s lower than 80g. Most traditional gaming mice are over the 100g mark as a rule.
