A good gaming mouse is crucial to competitive PC gaming or any kind of fast-paced game. It’s the one thing that separates PC gamers (in terms of skill level) from console gamers. A gaming mouse offers the kind of precision that a controller can only dream of.
Gamers are intimately aware of the fatigue that takes place over long-term gaming sessions. A heavy mouse can take its toll. If you don’t believe that, try holding a lightweight mouse straight out in front of you for five minutes straight.
A light gaming mouse is usually a good thing but can it actually be too light?
Can a Gaming Mouse be too Light?
You might find a gaming mouse to be too light if you have large hands and have to grip the mouse tightly to fully control it. A mouse may also be too light if you like to play on a higher sensitivity. A light mouse will usually benefit from fast-twitch games on lower-sensitivity settings that require quick, precise movements.
If there was one gaming mouse you could consider to be too light, it would be the Zaunkoenig M2K. It only weighs 23g and is absolutely tiny when compared to other gaming mice. This thing has no side buttons and is so small that you can literally only use it with a fingertip grip. This mouse is going to be too light for a lot of gamers but if you could master it, you’d probably have some of the quickest reflexes in gaming.
Depending on what you’re playing, a mouse can be too light. If you’re playing a game like Quake where headshots aren’t important, a heavier mouse to flick from body to body can work quite well. You don’t have to finely adjust your movements too much and your aim doesn’t have to be all that precise.
If you compare that to playing games like CS:GO or Battlefield where headshots and micro adjustments of your mouse are essential to effective gameplay, a lightweight gaming mouse can make it easier to stop, and easier to pull off quicker twitch-type movements and swipes across your mousepad.
Your hand size is another consideration. If your hands are small you’ll be a lot less likely to consider a gaming mouse too light compared to someone who may be stronger and with larger hands. If your hands are large, a small, lightweight mouse is more likely to cause hand cramps and fatigue.
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But before you make a purchase, don’t just take the word of some marketing piece on an e-commerce site that’s trying to sell you some ultra-lightweight gaming mouse. You need to physically try out a few models of varying weights, shapes, and sizes to find what feels good for you.
For some gamers, any mouse lighter than 90g can make their aim turn into garbage. It can also cause more fatigue than a heavier mouse because you have to hold it extra tight just to try and keep your aim stable.
Head to as many tech stores as you can and try as many different gaming mice as possible.
Gaming mice are divided up into categories based on weight—standard, lightweight, and ultralight (or super lightweight). A standard mouse weighs between 80g and 100g. A lightweight mouse weighs between 70g and 80g. A super or ultra-lightweight mouse weighs less than 70g.
An ultra-lightweight mouse is generally a pretty trim mouse or has a lot of space inside it, reducing the amount of weight. Everything is trimmed down. Gaming manufacturers go through a lot of trouble trying to retain features while trimming everything down as much as possible.
You’ll know an ultra-lightweight mouse when you see one, thanks to all of the holes in the exterior design. They usually feature a number of RGB lights beneath the outer shell. The holes are not just aesthetic.
They’re the result of efforts to trim down the weight of the plastic and to do so in a way that makes the design look pretty cool.
Is it Worth Switching to an Ultra Lightweight Mouse?
If you play First Person Shooters, especially games that require fast response times and a blurring speed of horizontal movement, an ultra-lightweight mouse may be just the ticket. The only drawback is having to get used to it.
If you’ve spent a lot of time playing with a heavy mouse, 100g or so, it’s going to take a while to adjust to the gameplay feel of an ultra-lightweight mouse. They’re less durable so you don’t want to end up slinging the mouse around on your desk.
Lightweight mice also feature more streamlined cords, along with glide skates and a powerful sensor to track the much faster swipes. You should be careful around drinks, but the interior components are typically saturated in water-resistant chemicals to protect the interior, despite the excess holes in the shell.
All Things Considered
You probably can’t get “too light” with a gaming mouse, depending on the type of games you like to play and what your own, personal preferences are.
The fact is, ultra-lightweight mice are growing in popularity. Peripherals don’t become popular because they are absolutely useless, after all.
