Gaming accessories, the importance of the mouse

The mouse among gaming accessories is of great importance, on par with the chair, keyboards and all the components “put into play.”

Those who are in the habit of playing games often, in fact, as well as those who use a mouse for work in their daily lives, need to set up a correct posture that must necessarily start with the ergonomics of the devices.

Everything that is designed for gaming is “enhanced” in shape and materials to allow for the best possible gaming and in the most comfortable position, with the goal of achieving the best performance.

Brief history of the Mouse

The mouse was invented by American engineer Douglas Engelbart. It operated by means of two metal discs that were used to aid movement on the work surface, basically two small wheels.

Movements at first could only be vertical and horizontal. It was very expensive and not everyone could afford it.

It was Steve Jobs’ Apple that made it a more “democratic” object, redesigning it with cheaper materials, smaller size and lowering its price, having realized its extraordinary potential.

Posture, how to play correctly

“Belly in and chest out,” our grandmothers used to say. Or, even, “Stand up straight.” And they were not wrong, as proper posture is the basis of musculoskeletal (and mental) health.

This aspect has now also been validated by science and should be applied more than ever to those involved in gaming-so to those who use video games part of the day for recreation or as a career-and in general to anyone who works with a PC for multiple hours a day, every day.

The open chest position, in fact, allows for a correct curve of the spine, preventing the back from literally hunching over.

The scientific term for this back deformity is kyphosis, while lordosis, which consists of an unnatural curvature of the lower back, is brought about by excessive folding of the lower back.

Finally, scoliosis, the lateral curvature of the spine, can be brought about by poor posture. When not corrected in time, these conditions can lead to constant pain and depression.

As the Harvard Medical School states, extremely tight or shortened hip muscles pull the body too far forward, disrupting posture. Overstretched chest muscles, on the other hand, can push the shoulders forward.

In this way, muscle strength affects the balance of the back that connects the upper and lower parts of the body.

Any postural imbalance of this area, therefore, compromises overall stability.

A study published in the National Library of Medicine relates Postural Awareness to chronic pain, stating that habitual postural patterns are associated with musculoskeletal pain and improving maladaptive posture or reducing pain.

Correction, then comes through proper posture that must be followed even when gaming, with the right chairs, adjustable and set just for gaming or work, but the mouse also plays its part.

Gaming mouse, how should it be?

In addition to adjusting the height of the chair, it is essential to maintain a not excessive difference between point of support with the desk, given by the wrist the forearm and elbows, in order to decrease the load on the shoulders.

Some
professional gamers
, as Outplayed magazine reports, put the keyboard in an oblique position while keeping the arm controlling it resting on top, to improve grip (i.e., grip) on peripherals without overexerting the arms.

For this reason, the gamer mouse should have a very good grip, and terms such as “palm,” “fingertrip” are used to designate the various peculiarities.

What should a good gaming mouse have?

Other features that a good gaming mouse must have are the type of sensor and the aforementioned grip.

The former is important to make the mouse work well even on shiny, transparent, and reflective surfaces; optical sensors in particular are the most advantaged, with good performance even on matte surfaces.

Grip is used to make the mouse adhere well to the wrist and fingers of the hand and determines the grip style, which for a gamer (especially professionally speaking) becomes critical to winning a game.

Another important element is the mouse’s DPI, or dots per inch (Dots Per Inch), a measurement used to calculate just how sensitive the mouse is.

The higher the DPI, the greater the distance the mouse travels with minimal movement.

If the DPI is low, the mouse travels a short distance with a large movement. So it is also necessary to evaluate this aspect, because it affects the quality and performance of play.

For example, 10,000 DPI is a very high parameter indicating high speed, while at 500 DPI we will see the cursor move slower.

Basically, based on pixel points will mean that a mouse of 5000 DPI the cursor will move 5000 pixels. The speed and distance at which the cursor will move across the screen will then be determined by the DPI of the mouse.

A good compromise is between 200 and 2,600 DPI, which, as ilbosone.com confirms, covers the range of sensitivity every gamer needs.

Excessive mouse accuracy and speed, in fact, are not only unsuitable for the gamer but also for anyone who needs a mouse to navigate or type on the Word.

The right DPI of the mouse can also be configured or set via the mouse drivers or PC settings, although sex gamer mice already have a speed adjustment button.

Ultrapolling

It is a technology that measures the waiting time between two consecutive presses, which is essential for players.

Technically ultrapolling, which is measured in “polling rate,” is the update of the mouse pointer.

A self-respecting gaming mouse must have “ultrapolling” between 500 and 1000 hz.

Ergonomic appearance

The greater ergonomics of a gaming mouse compared to a traditional mouse is obvious: from the more durable and porous plastic material, sometimes even sweat-proof, it is designed to be performant during gaming (thus virtual games and competitions), which could go on for hours.

Every second can be decisive, so adaptability to the shape of the hand and its movements is crucial.

Programming the buttons

The difference between a standard mouse and a gaming mouse is mainly in the range of buttons the latter type has.

While a traditional mouse may also lack them, the mouse made for the gamer may arrange for a different number of buttons depending on the models.

Certain automatisms can be set, but there are functions activated during matches and others such as the button to adjust the speed or to instantly scale the resolution that are always in operation.

For regular gamers, the perfect mouse should be specially designed and consequently equipped with a button to adjust speed and facilitate play.

Fastbrain’s recommended choices

For example, the Canyon GM-20 gamer mouse has a maximum DPI of 12000 but is adjustable.

It has a polling rate of: 125,250,500,1000 Hz; it is equipped with Optical Motion Detection Technology and as many as 7 buttons for adjustment; and it boasts excellent value for money.

The Canyon HAZARD even has 9 adjustment keys and 6400 DPI.

All Canyon mice are ergonomically designed specifically for gaming needs and custom motion resolution.

canyon gm-20

Canyon HAZARD