This contentious question has divided the gaming community more than any other question. In this post we would make an attempt to end this debate once and for all.
Over the past decade, we have witnessed a flurry of lightweight gaming mice entering the market, each boasting ultralight gaming experience in FPS titles. Apart from the weight, manufacturers also boast of increasingly higher DPI in gaming mice. Unsurprisingly, these two factors are interlinked. More on that later.
Despite the market inclination to lightweight gaming mice, there are still plenty of heavy gaming mice that are still popular with FPS gamers. We are purposely ignoring the MMO/MOBA gamers here as precision and accuracy matter a little less to them compared to FPS gamers.
To answer the question which gaming mouse is best for you, Heavy vs lightweight, we would have to consider several factors.
Heavy Vs Light Gaming Mouse: Factors to consider?
From the size of your hand and physical strength to size and feel of the mouse pad and games you play, there are a host of different factors to consider before you settle for a heavy or light gaming mouse. We will try to explain these factors as best we can.
Type Of Games: FPS, MOBA or MMO
You won’t find any MOBA or MMO player complaining about the weight of the mouse. Why? You don’t need pinpoint accuracy of the cursor or don’t have to bother about the headshot to showcase your skill.
Here strategy matters or memory muscle matters more than the accuracy of the pointing device. Also, mice for MMO titles are always heavy with those extra buttons and thumb and pinky support. No matter what is the size of the mouse, you can alway tweak the sensitivity to swiftly scroll across the map.
For FPS gaming though this choice of lightweight or heavy mouse becomes highly relevant. Pro FPS-gamers prefer the light-weight design as they provide a better control movement.
In titles like Valorant, Fortnite, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, the speed and precision of mouse movement would make or break your gaming experience. Here a heavy mouse would be a hindrance rather than a bliss.
Level: Beginner vs Advanced
Though pro FPS gamers tend to use lighter fare, beginners are usually encouraged to practice on heavier mice first. And, as they get more experience using a heavy mouse and have perfected their in-game precision and arm-movement, they can move up the ladder to try their hands on more refined and lighter tools.
To better understand this logic, take the example of a violin bow. Every student starts off with a heavier bow to to exact the right amount of pressure onto the strings of the violin. But as they got more experienced, they had to switch to a lighter bow to play more complicated music with high accuracy.
Physical Strength And Size Of Hands:
Your physical strength, mainly your arm movement, and the size of your hands is the most important factor if not the ultimate one. Gamers with small hands tend to prefer a light mouse obviously for the ease of mobility it offers. For long gaming sessions a heavy mouse almost always leads to fatigue and pain.
Whereas, those with large hands would find an excellent match in a heavy gaming mouse (>120g). Why, it offers better control and precision than light weight mouse (<80g) which often leads to overshots for those with strong physical build.
Mouse Pad:
The friction between the mouse pad and mouse feet also plays an important role. If the mouse pad is thick and hard, a heavy mouse would be difficult to move around. Whereas soft custom mouse pads can make you feel twitchy if you prefer a lightweight design.
However, this problem can be solved by adding or minimizing friction either by replacing the pad or the mouse feet. We won’t recommend you to change the mouse if it doesn’t get along well with the mouse pad. It would be an absolute waste of resources.
Grip:
Of three mouse grip styles, the claw grip is the most popular one. Surprisingly, for claw grip users the mouse weight doesn’t matter as much. There is very less chance that the mouse would slip out of your hand as your palm has full contact with the top of the mouse.
In case of Claw and Fingertip grip, the extra weight of the mouse gets in the way. With a heavy mouse, you have less contact with the mice which means high tension and more chance of slipping. However,if the mouse has rubber grips on the side, this issue can be fixed.
Mouse DPI:
Mouse sensitivity can balance out the weight of the mouse. The more the DPI setting or in-game sensitivity, the easier it would be to move the pointer at fast speed, and the less would be the fatigue. A heavy mouse in this scenario offers better accuracy and control. But like it or not, it would ultimately lead to fatigue over longer periods of gaming.
On the other hand, you would find better precision and control in FPS game plays if you use a lower DPI setting on a lightweight mouse. For accuracy’s sake, a low sensitivity tends to be preferred in FPS games, resulting in more mouse lifting.
Mouse With Adjustable Weights: Best of Both Worlds
If the above given factors fail to help you decide the right weight for your next gaming mouse, there is an alternative. Gaming peripheral manufacturers with Logitech leading from the front offer an ingenious solution for this problem: Gaming mouse with adjustable weights.
Take for example the Logitech g502 Hero SE. The mouse itself weighs just 121g but the adjustable weight system allows you to play with it. It comes with 5 3.6g (0.13 ounce) weights, which you can slip into the front, back, left, right or center of the mouse for a customized gaming experience.
With this type of mouse, you have a lot of freedom to customize the weight and DPI setting according to your preference.
Conclusion:
We hope that the factors mentioned in this post would help you settle the predicament of weight for your next gaming mouse. To summarize, lightweight gaming mice are preferred for FPS gaming, on mouse pads with added friction, and by those with usually small hands. Whereas, the heavy mouse is usually preferred by those who have more physical strength/large hands, or are in the trainer mode.
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