Tremulous Forum

Community => Off Topic => Topic started by: SoulAsasiN on March 01, 2008, 12:34:04 pm

Title: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: SoulAsasiN on March 01, 2008, 12:34:04 pm
So I'm looking to improve my gameplay, playing whenever I can etc etc, when one of my connections who's into CS says "dude, get a laser mouse and stop Fckn around"..

OK, so who here has a laser mouse and what difference does it actually make?  Not really a question of cost, its just that I've got this cool Gigabyte wireless mouse/keyboard setup on my desktop. I hate wires, makes the place look untidy. Silly I know ::)

Laser..yes or no?

 
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Tycho on March 01, 2008, 01:46:34 pm
Well optical mice might have better resolution and sensitivity meaning you can move your aim around very precisely... - And if that doesn't make a big difference one thing certainly does: optical mice don't wear... My old mouse's ball is not always turning as the little rods inside are worn out totally by 'overuse' ;D

The reason I don't really want to switch to optical is that somehow whenever I used laser mice, no matter what type or what game, I ran into that glitch that made me look straight upwards and made me spin counter-clockwise super fast for a few seconds or makeing the pointer rush up to the upper left corner of the screen for a few seconds... never the same lenght but always the same way and only with optical mice... - Anyone else who has an optical mouse experienced this or newer optical mice don't have this glitch?
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: techhead on March 01, 2008, 01:50:28 pm
As in an optical mouse?
Here is an semi-article on Optical versus mechanical mice

The Logitech iFeel optical mouse uses a red LED to project light onto the tracking surface.
Unlike mechanical mice, which can become clogged with lint, optical mice have no rolling parts; therefore, they do not require maintenance other than removing debris that might collect under the light emitter. However, they generally cannot track on glossy and transparent surfaces, including some mouse-pads, sometimes causing the cursor to drift unpredictably during operation. Mice with less image-processing power also have problems tracking fast movement, though high-end mice can track at 2 m/s (80 inches per second) and faster.
Some models of laser mice can track on glossy and transparent surfaces, and have a much higher sensitivity than either their mechanical or optical counterparts. Such models of laser mice cost more than LED based or mechanical mice.
As of 2006, mechanical mice have lower average power demands than their optical counterparts. This typically has no practical impact for users of cabled mice (except possibly those used with battery-powered computers, such as notebook models), but has an impact on battery-powered wireless models.
Optical models will outperform mechanical mice on uneven, slick, soft, sticky, or loose surfaces, and generally in mobile situations lacking mouse pads. Because optical mice render movement based on an image which the LED illuminates, use with multi-colored mouse pads may result in unreliable performance; however, laser mice do not suffer these problems and will track on such surfaces. The advent of affordable high-speed, low-resolution cameras and the integrated logic in optical mice provides an ideal laboratory for experimentation on next-generation input-devices. Experimenters can obtain low-cost components simply by taking apart a working mouse and changing the optics or by writing new software.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Tycho on March 01, 2008, 01:55:47 pm
Thank you techhead! ;D

So basically my bad experiences with optical mice were only because of my cheap friends who wouldn't pay 1€ on a proper mousepad under their expensive mice ;D
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: SoulAsasiN on March 01, 2008, 02:02:18 pm
Yea I'v got an optical mouse, (funny little red light at the bottom...), but then you get these fancy "precision" gaming mouses, (or mice..whatever), that use "Lasers". Not actually sure what the difference is, but all "hardcore" FPS players swear by them. They're a damed side more expensive that than your common or garden mice(mouses) to, but then maybe its all a just a marketing thing to sell useless expensive stuff to geeks..

excuse me...I'm off to play D&D 4...its out now...   
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Survivor on March 01, 2008, 02:51:47 pm
the difference between laser and optical should easily be compensatable by skill and not noticable. 
The real issues at hand with mice are
balls vs laser/optical; where laser/optical mice always win
wired vs wireless; more a matter of preference but many gamers prefer wired.
additional mouse buttons; fangly dangly mouses with loads of buttons are too hard to handle in my experience but more than the standard three is surely welcome. Make sure that those buttons can actually be used in game.
ergonomics; again a matter of preference, I like the somewhat bigger mice.

As a general recommendation, the 510/518 still is a superb mouse for the price.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: your face on March 01, 2008, 04:10:04 pm
just be happy you dont have a ball-mouse anymore... ;D
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: toastisgood on March 01, 2008, 07:23:10 pm
if your desktop/laptop is on polished wood,marble,etc., hell yes
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Shadowgandor on March 01, 2008, 08:51:01 pm
I used to had a laser mouse till it went dead :(
Now, I'm back to the ball mouse, it's a lot less comfortable, can't really explain it :P
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: hitchen1 on March 02, 2008, 12:30:50 am
ball mouse: takes half an hour to move the mouse across the screen most of the time
laser mouse: works on basically anything
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Kaleo on March 02, 2008, 03:41:57 am
Is this a question of ball mouse vs laser mouse?

Why are we still discussing this? Laser mouse!
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: SoulAsasiN on March 02, 2008, 05:37:28 am
*sigh*..

Actually no, ball mice never came into it..its optical mice vs laser mice...neither have balls.

but from the answers above I reckon I'm safe in assuming that most players have either trackball mice or optical...laser mice must be for CS and HALO fundies only.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: your face on March 02, 2008, 05:41:09 am
Just go with the fuzzy, breathing mice...
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Lakitu7 on March 02, 2008, 06:44:10 am
I bought a Razer Copperhead OMG LEET GAMER LASER MOUSE a few months ago because it was on sale for $30. I mentioned it in game and immediately had a few known, good players immediately tell me that they use one and recommend it.

7 buttons is really nice for binds, and if you combine it with a nice "gaming" or otherwise low-friction surface mousepad, you find that you can accelerate quite a bit more quickly and it helps your reaction time. I've been on my Itellimouse Optical (first-gen Optical mouse) forever with a nice mousepad, but what I'm most impressed with on the Razer isn't the sensitivity of the laser sensor but the low friction of moving it around on a good surface. After that, the precision comes into play and works out very well, but it'd be useless if you couldn't easily move that fast in the first place. It's also nice to have a button for raising and lowering the sensitivity on the fly, but I don't even use that in Trem. It's just a bonus for elsewhere.

It's nice, but don't pay $80 for one. It's cool for like $30 though. You can also expect it to take like a week for you to get used to playing at the higher sensitivity.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Circle on March 02, 2008, 07:19:29 am
It doesn't matter the mouse type as much as the brand, IMO. Don't buy a microsoft mouse. It works great sometimes, and other times I want to make a new window, mouse shaped.

I like both, but wireless mice = less tangle and mess... So wireless could help your aim in the sense that you don't need to push away wire.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Lakitu7 on March 02, 2008, 07:28:27 am
Anecdotally, my prior (and still in use) mouse is a Microsoft mouse. Nobody (including them) really makes many symmetric designs anymore, so I've stuck with it forever, and it's lasted forever. I've bought 3 of those MS Itellimouse Optical and only 1's shown any sign of issue. The Lifetime Warranty is nice too, though I know they don't make these anymore so I haven't turned in the bad one for whatever crazyness they have now. :(

I still have the one that this Razer replaced hooked up next to this one because I can't put the Razer through a KVM. But, I don't imagine that's a concern for 95% of the people here.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: mooseberry on March 02, 2008, 07:46:30 am
I have a nice laser wired mouse, (because I'm on a laptop and don't want to have to deal with batteries or bluetooth.) It has 6 buttons, and I bought at target for about 15.00 US dollars. It's always worked great and I love it.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Demolution on March 02, 2008, 08:36:38 am
I'd suggest wired, since when you game and use a wireless, batteries die really fast. At least in my experience... 8)
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: NiTRoX on March 02, 2008, 08:37:32 am
I have a 2500DPI A4tech X7 that i bought last year. The results are not noticable here, there is absoloutely no difference between my aim on this mouse and my office8k(optical 800dpi). Worth it? Meh.

Its 2500DPI, I Don't think you notice difference at that rate
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: ODDity on March 02, 2008, 01:16:06 pm
Ive got a wireless Logitech MX800? Not the bluetooth one, the radio one. I cant remember because ive worn the label out on the bottom. Also I use the right mouse button as walk forward so ive worn through the paint work on that key and it still functions flawlessly after 5 years constant use.

7 Buttons are nice, i use the ones on the left for crouch and pounce.

I always thought you needed a special mousepad for laser mice, perhaps thats not true any more but I dont think there's much between optical and laser.
Title: Re: No Wires... Definitely Worth It
Post by: player1 on March 02, 2008, 07:29:45 pm
PlayerOne uses the Macally BT53:

(http://www.macally-europe.com/img/products/ProductImage1070.jpg)

It doesn't have enough buttons, but I'm easily confused anyway. I'm sure that the wirelessness is probably slower than a wired mouse, and less dependable, and it seems like Mac OSX mouse acceleration messes with it, but that's what I've got, and since I'm playing on a MacBook (integrated graphics processor shares memory w/CPU), the mouse is probably the least of my hardware deficiencies. Besides which, I'm pretty terrible anyway. But that's what I use, for what it's worth. No need for a mouse pad. And it comes with a charging stand (which is good, 'cuz after about two hours the batteries are pretty dead).
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Superpie on March 02, 2008, 08:14:08 pm
I got this less than a week ago:
(http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/1558/mousett5.png)
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Paradox on March 03, 2008, 01:18:22 am
Lol@superpie.

Nice SAITEK keyboard.

I must say Laser mice are worth it.
I got a MX Revolution, and use every feature for trem (the zoom wheel on the side makes a good build selector). I reccommend a laser mouse to anyone who can afford them.

Oh, and i just got a G15 keyboard v2. Verry nice, although i liked some of the things the v1 had.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: TinMan on March 03, 2008, 05:36:47 am
I liked the dpi of my laser mouse but it broke, I've been using a GE optical wired USB mouse for gaming on and off between different computers for over a year now and it works fine for me.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Kaleo on March 03, 2008, 09:56:20 am
Lolwut? (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://hackedgadgets.com/wp-content/computer_mouse_using_a_real_dead_mouse_4.jpg&imgrefurl=http://hackedgadgets.com/2007/04/28/computer-mouse-using-a-dead-mouse/&h=375&w=500&sz=38&hl=en&start=7&sig2=OZLSvP4IzgOlsZpi-XhEJw&um=1&tbnid=WFsfc6RwD63t9M:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&ei=CMvLR-jfFYuchQPWqOGtCQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmouse%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den-us%26sa%3DN)
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: + OPTIMUS + on March 03, 2008, 04:10:58 pm
My room is so messy that any rollerball mice dies in TWO(!) weeks in my hands -.-
Beer, nicotine, small pieces of tobacco, dirty hands, dust and smoke everywhere, and the mouse is dead in no time.

so far the laser one is alive, i use the A4tech X7 with modifyable sensitivity (yesyo, ummm, i just wrote it to another thread a minute ago :-)) what i find really useful in any program, not just gaming. and it was cheaper than getting drunk once in a pub.
but i doN't like the 4th-5th button's place, so it's a bit uncomfortable to use medkit... <.<
anyway, it's cool, i can recommend it for all of you. setting sens during gameplay with different weapons or actions... it's nice.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: player1 on March 04, 2008, 07:55:54 am
If I ever go to Hungary, I'm gonna take +OPTI+ on a road trip to whitebear's favorite pub in Finland, and we shall drink and smoke and smoke and drink and woo the women of the Eastern Bloc.

On Topic: Don't get beer on your mouseball, it makes the cigarette smoke adhere more.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: + OPTIMUS + on March 04, 2008, 11:47:15 am
If I ever go to Hungary, I'm gonna take +OPTI+ on a road trip to whitebear's favorite pub in Finland, and we shall drink and smoke and smoke and drink and woo the women of the Eastern Bloc.

On Topic: Don't get beer on your mouseball, it makes the cigarette smoke adhere more.

right now i'm having a mind-shredding hangover, but i'm in ;-)
and lets go thru sweden, taking the 13hour (tax free shops) shipping to santaclaus-land.
it's funny that finnish people are taking this ship tour there and back, not even stepping on swedish land, just enjoying the cheap booze and cigarettes :-) you should see the scene on the board half an hour after the start :-D
so get ready for the Fear and loathing in the "Eastern Bloc" :-D

On Topic: I wonder how long my mouse will survive as i'm carrying it day by day and twisting the USB wire...

EDIT: the biggest losers of cigarette smoke and untidy room: CD/DVD ROMS. they die in a month in my aura.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Tycho on March 04, 2008, 12:09:17 pm
Hey player1 & Opti! Mind if I join in? ;) ;D

on topic: I've created a frankeinstein mouse by switching some parts with the old ball mouse I had and it is quite durable now... but maybe it's because of  that I regularly clean the surroundings of it, including the mousepad, and the mouse itself 8)
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: + OPTIMUS + on March 04, 2008, 12:36:57 pm
as Tycho is so bored that he is cleaning his mouse's surroundings regularly, I demand to start the Boooze+Smoke+Violence tour right away!!!

[[[@Tycho: my tremulous is crashing and every of my games so i'm not online much but I'd like to return, so doN't forget me pal]]]
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Prince_Andrei on March 04, 2008, 06:48:44 pm
I got this less than a week ago:

Great minds think alike, Superpie. I have the same exact mouse and keyboard. However, I don't see an Elvis Presley mousepad in your picture.
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Bajsefar on March 04, 2008, 07:16:29 pm
Omg, I too have this mouse! (http://i27.tinypic.com/2hyf8up.jpg) Bought it after angersmashing my old one into pieces. It is a laser mouse, and way better than my old optical. Recommended by me.
Title: Re: Smashing a Wornout Mouse to Pieces in Anger ..Worth it?
Post by: player1 on March 04, 2008, 08:31:56 pm
I know nothing of this angersmashing of which you speak. I have never been so frustrated by an input device (or my own lack of ability) that I felt compelled to take my anger out on a semi-inanimate object. And please don't look in that drawer...  :P :-[ ;D
Title: Re: It was a necessity!
Post by: Bajsefar on March 04, 2008, 08:36:24 pm
So i would not have to hit my 2000$ laptop with the same force that pulverized my mouse. :(

Atleast it got me a better mouse.
Title: Finally! Someone who knows what this space is for!!!
Post by: player1 on March 04, 2008, 08:51:59 pm
I live in constant fear that I will fling this thing in frustration and be out eighteen hundred bucks.

*PlayerOne hugs his little MacBook

"Who's a good little laptop? Huh? Yes, you are. Yes you are. Good laptop. Sleep. Reboot. Run Trem. That's a good boy. Good boy!"

PlayerOne advocates angersmashing as a way to relieve stress, but wishes to remind readers of the cost in real dollars, and still begs you not to look in that drawer...
Title: I lernd it from U lol. (actually it is awesome)
Post by: Bajsefar on March 04, 2008, 09:07:36 pm
/e opens Player1's drawer.

By god's wobbly testicles!
'tis filled with smashed prostitutes!
 :-[ :-X :-*
Title: Re: Using the Subject Line... Worth it?
Post by: player1 on March 04, 2008, 10:12:14 pm
Oh those poor, poor ball-mice. I tried to learn to Quake after I'd already Unreal'd and Tribed. I beat them into submission for hours at a time, but at least I beat Q3a, which I cannot say for the first UT (I got so sick of that game and the stupid mouthy bots saying the same thing over and over again - how freaking boring; at least against actual virtual opponents they can occasionally say something more intelligent than OMGHAXimissedmyjumpROFL). Quake was much more brown/yellow/orange and somehow less claustrophobic, while UT was all lime/purple/cyan and the same/same/same. So don't look in there. Those input devices died a long-overdue death at the hand of a non-knowing n00b.

*PlayerOne closes drawer

I'd like to propose a Deus Ex virtual forty be poured on the metaphorical curb for all the little meeses, that had to go out like that...
Title: Re: Laser Mouse..Worth it?
Post by: Kaleo on March 05, 2008, 07:01:11 am
Hey player1 & Opti! Mind if I join in? ;) ;D

+1 if someone pays for the airfare out from Australia...
Title: Re: Partying in Finland... Worth it?
Post by: player1 on March 05, 2008, 08:12:32 am
If I ever go to Hungary, I'm gonna take +OPTI+ on a road trip to whitebear's favorite pub in Finland, and we shall drink and smoke and smoke and drink and woo the women of the Eastern Bloc.

On Topic: Don't get beer on your mouseball, it makes the cigarette smoke adhere more.

right now i'm having a mind-shredding hangover, but i'm in ;-)
and lets go thru sweden, taking the 13hour (tax free shops) shipping to santaclaus-land.
it's funny that finnish people are taking this ship tour there and back, not even stepping on swedish land, just enjoying the cheap booze and cigarettes :-) you should see the scene on the board half an hour after the start :-D
so get ready for the Fear and loathing in the "Eastern Bloc" :-D

On Topic: I wonder how long my mouse will survive as i'm carrying it day by day and twisting the USB wire...

EDIT: the biggest losers of cigarette smoke and untidy room: CD/DVD ROMS. they die in a month in my aura.

:D

Hey player1 & Opti! Mind if I join in? ;) ;D

+1 if someone pays for the airfare out from Australia...

:)

road trip!

Title: Re: Partying in Finland... Worth it?
Post by: Kaleo on March 05, 2008, 11:18:54 pm
If I ever go to Hungary, I'm gonna take +OPTI+ on a road trip to whitebear's favorite pub in Finland, and we shall drink and smoke and smoke and drink and woo the women of the Eastern Bloc.

On Topic: Don't get beer on your mouseball, it makes the cigarette smoke adhere more.

right now i'm having a mind-shredding hangover, but i'm in ;-)
and lets go thru sweden, taking the 13hour (tax free shops) shipping to santaclaus-land.
it's funny that finnish people are taking this ship tour there and back, not even stepping on swedish land, just enjoying the cheap booze and cigarettes :-) you should see the scene on the board half an hour after the start :-D
so get ready for the Fear and loathing in the "Eastern Bloc" :-D

On Topic: I wonder how long my mouse will survive as i'm carrying it day by day and twisting the USB wire...

EDIT: the biggest losers of cigarette smoke and untidy room: CD/DVD ROMS. they die in a month in my aura.

:D

Hey player1 & Opti! Mind if I join in? ;) ;D

+1 if someone pays for the airfare out from Australia...

:)

road trip!



[roadtrip]Leik... Win![/roadtrip]