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Which gaming mouce?

D

Dr FranknFurter

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 23, 2012
72
0
Cambridge UK
Hi Guy's

Ordered my 27" for January with the track pad but I see most games specify a mouce.. so mose people here seem to say the magic mouce is less than magic and poor for gaming so what recommendations are there? thanks!
 
D

Dr FranknFurter

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 23, 2012
72
0
Cambridge UK
Last edited:
K

Kirkle

macrumors member
Nov 29, 2012
99
1
I'm not a gamer, but getting a high quality mouse often means getting a gaming mouse, so here is my brief opinion.

Razer mice are known to be excellent, however, since the introduction of Synapse (a mandatory program which stores your mouse information on their server) I would not recommend buying anything from them anymore.

Steelseries is another popular brand. Something like the Sensei is very highly recommended among many gamers.

Also, Logitech is known to produce good I/O hardware, and this includes popular gaming mice like the G9X.

But before you settle on a mouse there are a few things you need to determine.

  1. What type of games do you play? This often determines what type of functions you need: do you need super-high DPI/CPI, or do you want a lot of programmable buttons? Do you want high performance (wired) or mobility (wireless)?
  2. How do you grip your mouse: full palm, just your fingertips, etc.
  3. Do you have large hands? Would you like a small mouse?
  4. How much are you willing to spend on a mouse?
  5. And finally, you need to actually put your hands on a few different mice. The feeling of a mouse is highly subjective, but also the most important consideration.

That's my two cents.
 
D

Dr FranknFurter

macrumors member
Original poster
Mar 23, 2012
72
0
Cambridge UK
Kirkle said:
I'm not a gamer, but getting a high quality mouse often means getting a gaming mouse, so here is my brief opinion.

Razer mice are known to be excellent, however, since the introduction of Synapse (a mandatory program which stores your mouse information on their server) I would not recommend buying anything from them anymore.

Steelseries is another popular brand. Something like the Sensei is very highly recommended among many gamers.

Also, Logitech is known to produce good I/O hardware, and this includes popular gaming mice like the G9X.

But before you settle on a mouse there are a few things you need to determine.

  1. What type of games do you play? This often determines what type of functions you need: do you need super-high DPI/CPI, or do you want a lot of programmable buttons? Do you want high performance (wired) or mobility (wireless)?
  2. How do you grip your mouse: full palm, just your fingertips, etc.
  3. Do you have large hands? Would you like a small mouse?
  4. How much are you willing to spend on a mouse?
  5. And finally, you need to actually put your hands on a few different mice. The feeling of a mouse is highly subjective, but also the most important consideration.

That's my two cents.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the detailed response,i'm checking out a few at the moment. I'll try to get to a few shops later and try them for myself:)

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barefeats said:
Razer. Their dpi, polling, and response time specs are off the charts.

I'm a simple guy. I'm still using a Razer DiamondBack Plus 3G which I think is no longer sold on their site.

But there are eight current models to choose from "engineered for gaming":
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice

To me, the meanest looking one is the Naga Molten special edition.
http://www.razerzone.com/gaming-mice/razer-naga-molten/
Click to expand...

Thanks for the links and all the benchmarking you done in the other threads, nice work!
 
K

kaelell

macrumors 6502
Nov 16, 2009
346
0
have a look at the R.A.T.7 for ultimate comfort ( or the 9 to go wireless)
I have been very pleased with it and previously have owned a Razor Orochi.

note: my main critisicism of the Orochi ( and this may not apply to other models) was that the extra buttons felt very cheapy, and were awkward to press given they were quite small too.
 
S

Scrapula

macrumors 6502
May 1, 2012
305
14
Seattle, WA
I use a Razer Orochi. It uses AA batteries, bluetooth, and fits my smaller hands perfectly. My husband has a Mamba and it is huge! It pairs right up with my iMac.
 
T

torana355

macrumors 68040
Dec 8, 2009
3,609
2,676
Sydney, Australia
Im using a Logitech G700, its pretty good. It has plenty of programmable buttons, 1000hz polling and adjustable DPI on the fly. The wireless performance is really good too. It does work with Mac btw, you just have to use the software in windows to setup the macros ect, the profiles get stored on the mouse itself!!
 
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J

jedolley

macrumors 68000
Sep 18, 2009
1,780
7
Kirkle said:
Razer mice are known to be excellent, however, since the introduction of Synapse (a mandatory program which stores your mouse information on their server) I would not recommend buying anything from them anymore.
Click to expand...

Synapse is only "required" on the newest Razer mice (released within the last couple months or so). Most of the exisiting mice (i.e. Mamba, Naga, Previous Death Adder, etc.) can still get the regular Mac drivers through their support page.

Here is the link to the support page for all the Razer mice where you can get the "regular" Mac drivers.

http://www.razersupport.com/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=view&parentcategoryid=76&pcid=0&nav=0

Kirkle said:
Steelseries is another popular brand. Something like the Sensei is very highly recommended among many gamers.
Click to expand...

I agree that Steelseries is a good option for WIRED mice and they support Macs on most if not all their mice. However, if you want a wireless mouse they only have the WoW mouse.

Kirkle said:
Also, Logitech is known to produce good I/O hardware, and this includes popular gaming mice like the G9X.
Click to expand...

I have a Love/Hate relationship with Logitech. I agree that they usually make good/decent mice, but they fail to support Macs on their "gaming" line (i.e. All their G-series products). This is why I like Razer and Steelseries more, they support Macs, period. Logitech only supports Macs with select devices (i.e. Performance MX). I realize you can use a third-party software, but since there are other options out there like Razer and Steelseries, why bother? With that said I do actually use their Performance MX mouse since it's Mac support, but refuse to buy their gaming stuff until it is too.

----------
Dr FranknFurter said:
Hi Guy's

Ordered my 27" for January with the track pad but I see most games specify a mouce.. so mose people here seem to say the magic mouce is less than magic and poor for gaming so what recommendations are there? thanks!
Click to expand...

IMO, if you are not already familiar with all the gaming mice options, then a good starter gaming mouse is the Razer DeathAdder (but not the 2013 version due to Synapse). I would go with the Black Edition which will still have proper Mac drivers available. The DeathAdder is a great all around mouse. It's comfortable to most hands, still has decent DPI for most gaming, and a good amount of programable buttons.

After you get more experience with the mouse and your gaming habits you will be better equipped to figure which mouse is best for your needs, but in the mean time the DeathAdder will serve you well.
 
K

Kirkle

macrumors member
Nov 29, 2012
99
1
jedolley said:
Synapse is only "required" on the newest Razer mice (released within the last couple months or so). Most of the exisiting mice (i.e. Mamba, Naga, Previous Death Adder, etc.) can still get the regular Mac drivers through their support page.

Here is the link to the support page for all the Razer mice where you can get the "regular" Mac drivers.

http://www.razersupport.com/index.php?_m=downloads&_a=view&parentcategoryid=76&pcid=0&nav=0



I agree that Steelseries is a good option for WIRED mice and they support Macs on most if not all their mice. However, if you want a wireless mouse they only have the WoW mouse.



I have a Love/Hate relationship with Logitech. I agree that they usually make good/decent mice, but they fail to support Macs on their "gaming" line (i.e. All their G-series products). This is why I like Razer and Steelseries more, they support Macs, period. Logitech only supports Macs with select devices (i.e. Performance MX). I realize you can use a third-party software, but since there are other options out there like Razer and Steelseries, why bother? With that said I do actually use their Performance MX mouse since it's Mac support, but refuse to buy their gaming stuff until it is too.
Click to expand...

I agree with pretty much everything you said. I've had some bad experiences with Logitech in the past, but generally they are pretty good. I actually didn't like the Performance MX as it turns out (I like a smaller mouse), but I always suggest people check them out for comparison.

When I started looking at mice for my new iMac I thought I was only going to get a Bluetooth mouse (wanted wireless, didn't want a dongle; Bluetooth is the way to go); which basically means getting the Razer Orochi. However, I decided to go wired keyboard, wired mouse because there are better options (and I am a master cable-hider :D).

Anyway, I looked at getting the Orochi and that is when I found out about Synapse. I looked into it, tested it out, and I have to say that I don't really care for it in practice, but I HATE it in principle, so I will never by anything from Razer again. You can find threads elsewhere on the net that go into more detail about the evils of Synapse, so I bother you folks with a rant on it here. The short of it though is that if you buy a new Razer product (or plan on being a Razer customer in the future) you need to get used to using Synapse as it (or something similar) with be required. This is why I've come to like Steelseries as they have excellent mice, but have not yet adopted (and hopefully never will adopt) anything like Synapse.
 
J

jedolley

macrumors 68000
Sep 18, 2009
1,780
7
Kirkle said:
I agree with pretty much everything you said. I've had some bad experiences with Logitech in the past, but generally they are pretty good. I actually didn't like the Performance MX as it turns out (I like a smaller mouse), but I always suggest people check them out for comparison.

When I started looking at mice for my new iMac I thought I was only going to get a Bluetooth mouse (wanted wireless, didn't want a dongle; Bluetooth is the way to go); which basically means getting the Razer Orochi. However, I decided to go wired keyboard, wired mouse because there are better options (and I am a master cable-hider :D).

Anyway, I looked at getting the Orochi and that is when I found out about Synapse. I looked into it, tested it out, and I have to say that I don't really care for it in practice, but I HATE it in principle, so I will never by anything from Razer again. You can find threads elsewhere on the net that go into more detail about the evils of Synapse, so I bother you folks with a rant on it here. The short of it though is that if you buy a new Razer product (or plan on being a Razer customer in the future) you need to get used to using Synapse as it (or something similar) with be required. This is why I've come to like Steelseries as they have excellent mice, but have not yet adopted (and hopefully never will adopt) anything like Synapse.
Click to expand...

I like the idea of Synapse, but not the current implemenation of it and it does make me worry about the direction Razer is heading. With that said, I don't think it's fair to discount the existing line of Razer mice, especially something the like the DeathAdder that's been around for several years. Heck, another guy in this thread stated he's still using his DiamondBack. I stand by my statement and recommendation that Razer is still the way to go for Mac gaming mice.
 
Last edited:
K

Kirkle

macrumors member
Nov 29, 2012
99
1
jedolley said:
I like the idea of Synapse, but not the currently implemenation of it and it does make me worry about the direction Razer is heading. With that said, I don't think it's fair to discount the existing line of Razer mice, especially something the like the DeathAdder that's been around for several years. Heck, another guy in this thread stated he's still using his DiamondBack. I stand by my statement and recommendation that Razer is still the way to go for Mac gaming mice.
Click to expand...

I guess it's one of those "get 'em while you can" situations.
 
J

jedolley

macrumors 68000
Sep 18, 2009
1,780
7
Kirkle said:
I guess it's one of those "get 'em while you can" situations.
Click to expand...

Well, not really. If you were willing to recommend Logitech gaming mice (which has no Mac support), then using new Razer mice w/o Synapse basically becomes the same situation.

Razer just has the advantage that their "older" stuff has proper Mac support. Also, Synapse is pretty new, so Razer can still work out the kinks and may make it something worth installing.
 
tubbymac

tubbymac

macrumors 65816
Nov 6, 2008
1,074
1
I bought a LOT of mice back in the day when I was a hardcore PC gamer. We're talking everything from wireless, to bluetooth, to wired mice. The slight lag and the constant "auto sleep" on wireless mice drove me bonkers while gaming, so I gave up and went wired.

Then I found the Razer DeathAdder and fell in love hah :) I still have the original version (2G i think it was called) on my PC. I also bought the newer (3.5G?) version for my iMac. Both have taken an extreme beating during gaming sessions and are still working fine.

The day they invent a good bluetooth mouse that doesn't constantly go to sleep and is good for gaming, I might upgrade (and yes, I tried the Razer Orochi but it kept going to sleep all the time).
 
forty2j

forty2j

macrumors 68030
Jul 11, 2008
2,585
2
NJ
Kirkle said:
You can find threads elsewhere on the net that go into more detail about the evils of Synapse, so I bother you folks with a rant on it here.
Click to expand...

Got a pointer? I failed to find anything evil about having Razer know my DPI & acceleration settings. In fact, it will probably help them optimize future products.
 
B

Bear

macrumors G3
Jul 23, 2002
8,088
5
Sol III - Terra
forty2j said:
Got a pointer? I failed to find anything evil about having Razer know my DPI & acceleration settings. In fact, it will probably help them optimize future products.
Click to expand...
Why do I have to have a net connection to install a mouse or keyboard on my computer when I already have the drivers downloaded or they came on a CD (or DVD)?

Will the net being down prevent the devices being set up during a system startup? Will I be able to change settings on the device if the net is down?

My current Razer products are probably my last due to the Synapse requirements.
 
forty2j

forty2j

macrumors 68030
Jul 11, 2008
2,585
2
NJ
Bear said:
Why do I have to have a net connection to install a mouse or keyboard on my computer when I already have the drivers downloaded or they came on a CD (or DVD)?

Will the net being down prevent the devices being set up during a system startup? Will I be able to change settings on the device if the net is down?

My current Razer products are probably my last due to the Synapse requirements.
Click to expand...

5 minutes of research tell me that Synapse isn't the driver.. it's the cloud storage system for settings. You never need to install it if you don't want to. It works just fine if you're offline; it just won't be able to sync your changes up to the cloud until (unless) you get online again.

The corner case of "I just bought a new mouse and want to set it up while a hurricane is hitting my neighborhood/my cat is peeing on my router/I am visiting an African safari" is being worked on.

People pick the strangest things to get upset about...
 
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