Playing Counter-Strike: Global Offensive on a competitive level, you need a decent mouse. When choosing a gaming mouse, a lot of questions will arise. And one of them is what’s best for CS:GO: a regular or wireless mouse? CS.MONEY Blog tried to figure out if there are good wireless mice for CS:GO that are worth buying.
Five Points Of Concern
Ever since people invented wireless mice, a whole cloud of myths has arisen around them. And this cloud has had plenty of time to grow. The fact is that the first wireless mouse was created by Logitech back in 1984! However, such devices became popular and widely spread only a little more than fifteen years ago. Finally, in 2003, Apple released Wireless Mouse, a simple white device with one button and no wire.
Wireless mice for gamers received mass distribution much later. For example, in 2010, Logitech released the G700 Gaming Mouse. An excellent device that allowed to get rid of the wire back in the day. Not to mention 2022, right?
Despite such a long history, even today, many gamers call wireless mice the wrong choice. We have selected five of the most popular statements about such devices. Each of the statements was tested to prove right or wrong. Ultimately, we’ll sum everything up to find out how well wireless mice suit CS:GO.
#1: Input Lags
One of the most popular misconceptions is that a wireless mouse has input lags. Say there is a noticeable pause between pressing the mouse button and the game’s reaction. And that sounds: early wireless devices did have latency back in the day. It was especially noticeable on screens, where you could see it with your eyes.
Speaking of modern gaming mice, this myth is not that real. Tests by rtings show that wireless mice do have higher input lag, yet the difference between a wired and wireless device is impossible to see. For example, Corsair SABER RGB PRO has a wireless delay of 3.1 milliseconds, while a wired mouse has only 2.5 milliseconds. This difference is unnoticeable with eyes and does not affect the gameplay in any way.
Other gaming mice show similar results. Their input lags do not exceed ten milliseconds and do not particularly depend on wires. But what really matters is the type of connection. The mouse will have higher input lags if it is connected via Bluetooth. But there is good news: mouse manufacturers know about it, so gaming models often can’t connect to PCs using Bluetooth.
#2: Mouse Is Heavier, Hands Get Tired
Wireless mice need electricity, meaning you have to put batteries in them. Batteries are heavy, therefore, wireless mice are heavier than wired. Play for another hour, and your hand will fatigue. It looks right, but despite what seems logical, it is far from the truth.
Let’s take an example among esports players. Almost the entire Natus Vincere roster, except for Viktor “sdy” Orudzhev, uses Logitech G Pro X Superlight. Logitec, the manufacturer, points out on the official website that its weight is “less than 63 grams”. For context, the wired ZOWIE EC2, popular among the pros, weighs 70 grams or more.
Surely, you can find mice lighter than 60 grams among wired or wireless devices heavier than 70, but it’s no catastrophic gap in weight. Wire does not affect the weight of the gaming mouse.
#3: Quickly Discharged
Adherents of this hypothesis state that the end for a wireless mouse comes in a couple of hours. CS:GO devours much more daily time if you play in esports mode. Let’s take the bottom bar: six hours of continuous play in a row. It’s a solid gaming session, requiring players to take a break for at least an hour. Can gaming wireless mice last that long?
To answer this question, we turn to manufacturers’ statements. Logitech G Pro X Superlight, mentioned above, according to information on the official website, can live for 70 hours of activity. Xtrfy M4 Wireless White, used by HObbit and adreN, according to prosettings can last as much as 75 hours on a single charge.
If three days of continuous play is not enough, there is SteelSeries Rival 3. Its manufacturer claims that the device will live for 400 hours straight! Even the most hardcore players rarely get 400 hours of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in a month.
So frequent recharges, and low battery capacities are also myths and nothing more.
#4: Connection Issues
According to prosettings statistics, every sixth pro uses Logitech G Pro X Superlight. Among the top players, the percentile is even higher. Regularly at LAN tournaments, five or even more players with this mouse can meet on the same stage. None of them have problems with connection or anything. And we’re talking about half a dozen almost identical wireless mice of close proximity.
Obviously, in domestic conditions, the scenario of connection problems is completely excluded for 99.9% of players. A more or less modern computer with up-to-date software will easily pick up a wireless mouse and establish a secure connection. So there’s nothing to be afraid of. The chances of encountering connection problems are very low and do not depend on whether the mouse is wired or not.
#5: Wireless Are More Expensive
The fifth and final myth concerns price. Gaming devices have always been more expensive than their office counterparts. While you can buy an ordinary mouse for a couple of dollars, the prices for decent gaming models are tens or hundreds of dollars. At the same time, wireless models are indeed often a bit more expensive.
Note that the key words are “a bit”. The difference can only be seen in the budget segment, where five bucks can play a crucial role. Among mice in the $50 and more category, the price between wired and wireless models is completely erased.
We tested five popular points about the cons of wireless mice, and they all failed the test. Time for a verdict.
A wireless mouse for CS:GO is an investment in a good game. If you haven’t had such devices before, you should definitely give them a try. It will only bring joy.
