Gaming mice have a few important characteristics required by professional gamers, and these include laser technology, high surface tracking resolution with adjustable levels, the capability to memorize game profiles with special functions assigned to the buttons, a high ergonomic level for intensive gaming and several hours of non-stop clicking, as well as adjustable weight to match all hand moves.

One gaming mouse model with the highest customer ratings is the Cyber Snipa Stinger developed by Cyber Sport Pty Ltd, an Australian company known as a worldwide provider of cool high-end gaming accessories. It has several product categories including Cyber Snipa, which includes the Stinger mouse model.
It looks very similar with the Dominatrix Laser Gaming Mouse from OCZ Technology, which works based on the same principles. Both are capable of 7,080 frames per second speeds, 45 inches per second tracking speed, 3,200 dpi laser via 4 dpi levels combined, on-board memory, and come with 7 cartridges for adjusting the mouse’ weight.

In Stinger’s case, the USB connectivity for the computer supports up to 1,000Hz data rate, doubling the Dominatrix’s feature, while the on-board memory supports macros for all the 6 customizable buttons, so if you have 3 perfect profiles, the mouse stores 18 macros in total.
With the adjustable DPI functionality with 2000, 1600, 800 and 400 and the specific button on the mouse you can reach the full 3,200.

Cyber Snipa Stinger has no less than 9 buttons including the 6 programmable for the 8kb of on-board memory, 16-bit ultra-wide data path, 7 removable weighs of 20 grams each, and 4 super size easy glide feet.

The mouse measures 80 x 127 x 45 mm and comes together with the instruction manual and drivers at a reasonable price of around $45.

Logitech’s MX620 is a cordless laser mouse, which means you can use it without cable even for gaming, as it has a higher precision compared to optical mice.
Based on the laser technology, it replaces the red LED light used by optical models, with an infrared laser diode which is invisible. This light reflects from the surface beneath to the mouse’s sensor, and the mouse scans all the incoming light sequences, which are then translated into cursor movements on the monitor. The scanned image resolution is higher than in optical mice, and laser mice have a tracking power 20 times higher.

With the cordless functionality things get a little bit more complicated. Like many of you I asked myself what’s the difference between a wireless mouse and a cordless mouse, so i hurried to find some clues to get the big picture and make you understand too.

It seems that computer mice that don’t have cables connected to the PC unit or laptop, use either the infrared transmission or the Bluetooth technology to work from distance. Both methods are categorized as short-range wireless communications. What differentiates them are the following characteristics: the infrared technology works at a shorter range between the communicating devices, and the signal breaks as one of them is moved from the direct line, or if an object interferes in this range, just like with any TV remote; on the other hand, Bluetooth is based on a radio frequency capable to pass through walls and doesn’t have directional requirements, allowing for handsfree operation like with cell phones, and works at 2.4 GHz frequency.

Some people tend to include the cordless mice in the infrared devices category which is not entirely correct. Cordless mice can be considered wireless devices, as they are cable-free, using a special wireless adapter, while it depends on the specifications to categorize them. There are some cheap entry-level mice that use infrared.

If we take a look at MX 620 from Logitech, in the specification list we find out about the 2.4 GHz micro-receiver that is the adapter you need to connect to your computer ‘s USB port to detect the mouse, which means it is not based on the infrared technology and you won’t have problems using it.
In addition to this technology, it features a fast scroll wheel that allows the user to scroll long documents and find things in the fastest time, with high laser precision.
You can use it in all types of operations including gaming, for up to 1 year, until the LED indicator tells you to replace the batteries.

Available at around $60, the cordless laser mouse model is compatible with Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac operating systems, and is powered by 2 AA batteries, coming with the installation software and a 5-year warranty.

Even if they are designed to maintain a high tracking resolution on more types of surfaces than optical mice, laser mice still are a bit sensitive to mirrors and clear glass, but you have other option as well – the wireless optical mice – and it might help to choose what meets your requirements best, if you read some optical mice reviews.

One of the most stylish and ergonomic computer mice on the market comes from Microsoft, a company known not only for the most world’s popular operating system, but also for it’s high-end computer peripherals provided. Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 is a rechargeable model designed for the use with your right hand only, and works wirelessly from up to 30-foot distance, based on the 2.4 GHz technology, via a Mini USB receiver. It has a full charging time of up to 7 hours to operate continuously for up to 3 weeks at a single charge.
It is a high-definition laser mouse working based on Microsoft’s proprietary technology, featuring a status indicator that flashes when batteries are low. When this happens you have to place it on the charging pad in the horizontal position.

Laser mice use an invisible laser beam that reflects from the surface reaching the sensor, which sends the images to the digital signal processor. The processor detects image patterns changes and establishes the distance the mouse has moved since the last change. These coordinates are then sent to the computer to be translated into the cursor movement on the monitor. It provides higher image resolution on more types of surfaces, than optical mice, even on tricky polished or wood-grain surfaces, glazed ceramic tile, untextured plastic, metal surfaces, photo paper, laminate countertops, and opaque glass, while enabling 20 times more surface tracking power compared to the optical sensor.

Featuring the Windows Flip 3D Key, the Microsoft Wireless Laser Mouse 7000 allows you to access this mode, specific to Windows Vista operating system, which shows all the open windows in a cool three-dimensional view. In addition, you can use the Magnifier feature to enlarge and edit page fragments, or the 4-way directional button based on the Tilt Wheel Technology, to scroll pages horizontally and vertically and see all the details. Microsoft High Definition Technology promises increased precision, high responsiveness and smoother tracking, while specifications highlight 6,000 frames per second tracking system, 1,000 points per inch resolution, and a tracking speed of up to 15 inches per second.

System requirements include the Windows Vista, Windows XP, or Mac operating system, 100MB hard drive space to install the software, and a free USB port.

The mouse measures 4.77 x 3.23 x 1.66 inches at a weight of 3.7 ounces, powers from one AAA 1000 mAh Ni-Mh battery type, and is available at a retail price of $70 with a 3-year warranty.

Before comparing the optical mice with laser mice and see which ones are better, we should find out what they actually consist of first and how they work.

An optical mouse it’s clear that it’s working with the optical technology, and they are independent of the surface underneath. An optoelectronic sensor is in charge with taking pictures of almost any type of surface, which are then processed by specialized chips. To take the successive pictures, the LED integrated at the bottom of the optical mouse illuminates the surface underneath and the image-processing chip analyzes the reflected light translating it into the movement on the X/Y axes using an optical flow algorithm. This algorithm involves a pattern of apparent motion of the surface in a virtual scene determined by the mouse and the surface.

In other words, optical mice are characterized by the integration of a very small camera capable to take 1,500 pictures per second while the LED light bounces light off that surface onto a CMOS sensor, which sends the images to the digital signal processor. The processor, having an operating speed of 18 million instructions per second, detects image patterns changes and establishes the distance the mouse has moved since the last change. The coordinates are sent to the computer, which translates the information into the cursor movement.

The optical mouse history started in 1999 when Agilent Technologies launched the world’s first model that proved to be very accurate providing an increased tracking resolution, dirt-resistant and to work with almost any type of surface without a mouse pad.

A laser mouse replaces the LED illumination with infrared laser diode light and it was introduced to the retail market in 2004 by Logitech and Agilent Technologies.
While the optical mouse uses a light emitting diode, a laser model uses a very similar technology, but in its case we have an invisible laser beam responding to the slightest hand movement with high precision. The laser beam comes out via the ring on the base and the reflected light from the surface reaches the sensor, which is capable of taking 5.8 megapixels of details per second.

In the battle of the laser mouse versus optical mouse it seems that the laser wins in most of the rounds. Featuring a laser beam it provides higher image resolution on more types of surfaces, even on tricky polished or wood-grain surfaces, glazed ceramic tile, untextured plastic, metal surfaces, photo paper, laminate countertops, and opaque glass, while enabling 20 times more surface tracking power compared to the optical sensor.

This is what Martin Reynolds, vice president of research firm Gartner, declared in 2004:
“Lasers are a natural evolution of the optical mouse, as their illumination enhances surface textures invisible under LED illumination. This is physics in action, and will become one of the top volume applications for lasers.”

(Sources Wikipedia ; Semiconductor ; Tom’s Hardware ; MegaGames ; wiseGeek ; PSYORG)

Mice are not vital computer accessories as long as you know how to use key combinations to open files, but what do you do if your keyboard breaks? In this case a mouse becomes the single device with which you can control your computer.
We’ve all seen different types of mice on Mouse Arena ranging from concepts and fashionable mice to high-end devices like gaming mice, but we didn’t know much about them besides their specifications. I think that now it’s time to go deeper into this subject and learn all about our personal computer mouse.

Mouse Definition
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A computer mouse is a pointing device that detects 2D motion relatively to a surface and translates it into the pointer’s motion on the display. You will tell me about the Logitech mouse that works in the air. We’ll get to that too, soon.

Computer Mouse History

The history of the computer mouse starts at the Stanford Research Institute in the United States, where many technologies and solutions that are the base of today’s products were invented, such as the Electronic Recording Machine Accounting, the magnetic ink character recognition, the first mobile robot to reason about its actions, the world’s first all-magnetic digital computer, world’s first electronic computer network, remote surgery, the speech recognition, and many, many others which you can read about on Wikipedia.

One of their innovations is, of course, the first computer mouse designed by Douglas Engelbart in 1963. The patent was published in 1970 and described a wooden shell with 2 metal wheels working as an X-Y position indicator for a display system. Its nickname was “mouse” because of the tail coming out the end. Unfortunately he never received great recognitions for inventing the computer mouse as the patent expired in 1987 and other came out with new designs and different configurations that did not infringe upon the original patent.

William Bill English worked together with Douglas Engelbart at the world’s first mouse design and he built the first prototype, while later, after moving to Xerox PARC, he developed the first mouse ball.

In 1981, the Xerox 8010 Star Information System brought the first computer mouse on the market as part of the Xerox Corporation’s system, which consisted of a bitmapped display, a window-based graphical user interface, mouse, icons, folders, Ethernet networking, file servers, print servers and e-mail.
There were a few mouse designs which could be considered the world’s first but as they didn’t get the public’s attention and no patent, they just vanished in time. One interesting mouse came from Tom Cranston, Fred Longstaff and Kenyon Taylor, who designed the first trackball in 1952, but as it was included in a secret military project, it wasn’t patented.

How Does a Computer Mouse Work?

Types of Mice

In the history of the computer mouse are several types of mice and I will provide you a brief description.
Mechanical mice like the ball mouse invented by Bill English had a single rotatable ball instead of the external wheels, and as you moved the mouse the ball was turned. It used X and Y rollers, optical encoding disks with light holes, infrared LEDs illuminating the disks, and sensors in charge with gathering light pulses to convert to X and Y velocities.

One of the rollers was detecting the horizontal motion and the other one the vertical motion, which was rotating the encoder wheels to interrupt the optical beams, generating this way electrical signals. The generated signals were then sent to the system via the connection wires, and converted into the cursor’s motion with the help of driver software.
An analog mouse, which is mechanical, uses potentiometers instead of encoder wheels and is compatible with analog joysticks.

The opto-mechanical mice were an improved version of the incremental rotary encoder-based mechanical mice, and use the ball or closed wheels, but they can detect the shaft rotation with the help of an optical encoder, for more reliability.
Optical mice have the LED technology and photo diodes which detect the movement on a surface, replacing the need for moving parts.

At the beginning, optical mice used either infrared LED and a 4-quadrant infrared sensor to detect grid lines printed with infrared absorbing ink on a special metallic surface, while algorithms in the processing unit were calculating the speed and direction, or were based on a 16-pixel visible-light image sensor with integrated motion detection on the same chip, tracking the light dots’ motion on a dark field or printed paper. The first concept couldn’t work perfect if the user moved the pad, and the second one was based on mechanical mice’s system.

Later these optical mice were improved and the modern mouse was created. It is independent of the surface and uses an optoelectronic sensor to take successive pictures of the surface. Optical mice work by illuminating this surface with a LED, while frames changes are processed by the image processing unit from the chip, and then translated into movement on the X/Y axes using an algorithm.

Laser mice replace the LED with an infrared laser diode to illuminate the surface and track 20 times more surface than the optical mice, being more sensitive and increasing the resolution.
Cordless mice used at first a tuning fork to detect movement and featured a switch to deactivate the movement circuitry between uses. Advanced cordless mice were transmitting the data through infrared radiation or radio.

3D mice work with ultrasound and the first model released on the market was the 3D RingMouse. It is wireless and to use it you would have to use a ring on your finger. The ring permitted you to access 3 buttons while keeping it in the air, and the tracking happened in a base station. It disappeared on the market because it didn’t provide enough resolution.
Later the double mice systems appeared and were operable by 2 users in the same time on the same system.

I was saying earlier that the coolest mouse of the moment, in my opinion, is the Logitech MX Air Rechargeable Cordless Air, featured in one of our previous articles. You can use it in the air and this is possible thanks to the unique Freespace motion sensing technology developed by Hillcrest Labs, which consists of a 3D motion sensor capable of translating human natural motions into screen cursor movement.

It is based on several new technologies such as Orientation Compensation for the natural motion control via Micro–Electrical–Mechanical Systems sensors mixed with special designed algorithms for strong control from any position and regardless of the device’s orientation. The Tremor Cancellation permits the mouse to make differences between the intentional and unintentional human movements so that the device will always respond to those intentional only.
According to tests’ results, Freespace motion technology is producing 50% fewer pointing errors than mechanical gyroscope–based devices, improving the pointing speed with up to 20%.
You can read more about it here.

In the present day you can find different types of mice and unique designs on the market including washable mice, foldable mice with calculator, phone-mice, mice with fingerprint reader, cool trackball mice, wireless mice, and mice created with best ergonomics in mind.