Precision Mice Are Not Just for PC Gaming
There are several companies with these precision mice, many of them are quite similar in their features and specifications. The price of a good mouse that has features that are not only good for gaming but give more precise control range from the low end of $30 on up to $80. This may sound like a lot for a mouse, and frankly it can be if all your using it for is gaming.
Computer mice now come in both corded and cordless with precision control, they have what is called a laser mouse. It uses an invisible laser instead of an infrared beam to control the cursor on your computer. This leads to better and more precise control through a more accurate rate that the mouse will update and less error due to the more accurate laser. The technology of the future is the laser for mice. The laser and the speed the mouse updates relate to a smoother cursor across the screen. You can notice the difference from a regular optical mouse and a laser one. The speed or polling is another major benefit, when your computer updates the cursor more often this adds to the precision and smoother function of the mouse and cursor.
There are several things that are features in these new mice, polling is one of them. It is the rate that the mouse updates the cursor on the screen. Another is the Dots Per Inch that the laser and sensor see, this gets you a more accurate movement across the surface the mouse is setting and moving across. The response time is the time the mouse and program takes to update it’s information and transfers this to the cursor movement on your screen. For all of these the better you get with these different features, the smoother, and more precise control and movement you will have in regards to your cursor.
Another major concern for frequent computer users, and one that many people should be concerned about is ergonomics. A mouse should be not only comfortable but it should not stress your wrist or hand. This can be important to prevent injury to your wrist such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. When your wrist tendons swell up around the nerve bundle that passes through the wrist for your thumb and first two fingers of your hand, you get what is termed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. You will notice this as a tingling of the thumb, pointer and middle finger, along with loss of use of these digits. At first it can be annoying but it will lead to further loss of use and what can be described as pain, but it is actually a lack of control that is the most bothersome. You need to make sure you use a comfortable and correctly positioned mouse along with other proper stance and setup of your computer and peripherals to ensure you minimize the risk of getting this problem or making it worse. You can go here to learn more about this topic and how to prevent it:http://www.thehealthpages.com/articles/ar-carpl.html
Logitech has to be the company with the widest range of mice for the PC user, they have corded and cordless, optical and laser, expensive and budget mice. You can find reviews and such for these and any other mice at CNET.com.
They are among the leaders when it comes to gaming mice, along with other precision and better mice.
For a precision mouse when you are talking about gaming, you can look to another company that is a bit smaller. Razer, http://www.razerzone.com/ , offers several precision mice that have one feature that is very good in a mouse for both the gamer and others. They have a program that allows you to adjust the cursor speed across the screen when you are still in your program or game. This means that with a quick setup, you can press and hold a button on the mouse and turn the wheel and it will adjust the sensitivity of the cursor. Turn the setting up and your cursor will move across the screen with less movement of the mouse. Turn the setting down to it’s lowest setting and you have slower cursor movements and better precision control for programs like graphics and photo editing. When you perform this speed adjustment the program you are in, game or photo editing, does not need to be shutdown or minimized, you can adjust this with the software that runs on your computer. This is really nice when you are in a game and don’t want to stop the fun but do want to adjust your cursor speed.
For ergonomics you may want to consider something a little different than a mouse, they have what is called a trackball. This is like a mouse but you move a ball instead of the whole mouse to get the cursor on your screen to move around. This means you use your fingers or thumb to move the cursor instead of your whole hand. This will lead to less stress of your wrist but you have to get used to the trackball, it takes a while to get used to not moving your hand to move the cursor. These trackballs from several different companies range in prices from around $40 on up for a good one. If you are looking to go the route of a trackball you might want to go to a store and test drive one. It might make up your mind to actually try one out to see if you would like to purchase one. These are even better for programs like PhotoShop or Paint Shop as they give even more precise control when yo are using graphics programs. Drawing and painting as well as editing is easier when you can move the cursor slowly and with more control on your screen and a trackball offers this.
Some other mice can be found at CNET.com, you can check out their picks and the differences between the different kinds and what they recommend. If you want better control, both for gaming and for programs and general computer use, a better mouse may be just the ticket. The day of the cheap and plain mouse is in the past, get into the future and get a better and more precise mouse. You will definitely like the benefits of a better mouse.
