Optical vs Laser

[WhyChuchie]

Hey guys,

 

I am not an expert in mice choices & I am hoping someone can break it down for me in simple terms.

 

I have heard & done some research I found that a lot of gamers prefer optical sensor rather then laser, Why is this?

 

What are the real world pro's & Cons between the two?

 

Also is one better for certain type of gaming eg - Optical is better for FPS etc?

 

Any help would be appreciated as I am looking for a new mouse atm :)

 

Thanks!!

[smjpl]

Not that much in the difference really. Optical is preferred by gamers (don't know why) but there is almost no difference to casual/hardcore gamer.

 

Laser will work better on bad surfaces. Laser can allow for higher dpi settings (not necessary imo unless using crazy screen resolutions). I have a laser and never really go above 2000dpi and mostly play at around 1400dpi but you can adjust the game sensitivity as well (mine is always very low in game sens). For the most part, having an optical or laser sensor won't make that much of a difference. Don't base your choice on that. Things like buttons, scroll features, weight (adjustable) and size are the best things to go off. 

 

If you are in the market for a mouse that:

 

looks nice and clean

has some extra buttons (2 x thumb buttons & scroll click L and R)

adjustable dpi buttons (handy the odd time)

button to switch between free scroll and once click scroll (one of the best features - games = one click / browsing pages = free scroll)

adjustable weights (I love a heavy mouse)

laser sensor

very solid construction

 

 

 

This is one of my favourite parts of my PC. Such a lovely mouse. 

[Hyydrah]

I've always preferred laser mice for their high DPI settings. Maxing out the DPI and lowering the sensitivity  makes for a great experience that no optical mouse can beat (from what I've tried).

[JamesDwho]

I use a Laser mouse and have used various optical mice and I really don't think there is that much of a difference, if any. In my experience its not the type of thing that is going to hold you back, particularly in the FPS genre. I'd just make sure the mouse has the features, buttons, macro options, etc that you want, doesn't have significant input lag and is comfortable to use. 

[Toby]

These replies...

 

The answer is that optical is superior, generally speaking. To be more specific, there are optical sensors that are considered to have "flawless" tracking, whereas there is no laser sensor that can claim the same. Any popular optical gaming mouse probably has one of these "flawless" sensors (the only exception I can think of are Steelseries' opticals).

 

The "flaw" in laser sensors is acceleration. Occasionally there's other issues on top of that, but acceleration's the main one. Acceleration means that moving your mouse at different speeds will affect how far your cursor moves on the screen, even if you're moving your mouse the same distance (so moving your mouse 5 inches quickly might make your cursor move further than if you moved your mouse 5 inches at a slower speed).

 

Now, this is not beneficial to your aim, because aim is based on muscle memory. The longer we play, the more our brain associates X mouse movement with Y cursor movement and acceleration interferes with that. As you might imagine, this is most relevant to FPS games, but pretty much any game where you need to be precise with your mouse at short notice is affected.

 

You'll hear some people say they don't notice it, but my guess is that they aren't consciously aware of their brain developing muscle memory either, that doesn't mean it's not affecting their results...Personally, I'd rather know that any time I miss a shot or miss-click it's down to my own flaws instead of my mouse.

[WhyChuchie]

These replies...

 

The answer is that optical is superior, generally speaking. To be more specific, there are optical sensors that are considered to have "flawless" tracking, whereas there is no laser sensor that can claim the same. Any popular optical gaming mouse probably has one of these "flawless" sensors (the only exception I can think of are Steelseries' opticals).

 

The "flaw" in laser sensors is acceleration. Occasionally there's other issues on top of that, but acceleration's the main one. Acceleration means that moving your mouse at different speeds will affect how far your cursor moves on the screen, even if you're moving your mouse the same distance (so moving your mouse 5 inches quickly might make your cursor move further than if you moved your mouse 5 inches at a slower speed).

 

Now, this is not beneficial to your aim, because aim is based on muscle memory. The longer we play, the more our brain associates X mouse movement with Y cursor movement and acceleration interferes with that. As you might imagine, this is most relevant to FPS games, but pretty much any game where you need to be precise with your mouse at short notice is affected.

 

You'll hear some people say they don't notice it, but my guess is that they aren't consciously aware of their brain developing muscle memory either, that doesn't mean it's not affecting their results...Personally, I'd rather know that any time I miss a shot or miss-click it's down to my own flaws instead of my mouse.

Toby,

 

Could you please recommend some mice with a flawless sensor? I am actually a fan of steelseries so its such a shame there mice are off the list.

 

Also thank you so much for such a detailed response it was exactly what I was after!! :)

[OneGun]

U like optical my self as I use a death adder..

[Toby]

Logitech G400

Logitech G400s

Razer Deathadder Black Edition

Razer Deathadder 2013

Razer Krait 2013 (import)

Razer Abyssus (I think)

Zowie EC1 Evo

Zowie EC2 Evo

Zowie AM

Zowie FK

CM Storm Spawn

CM Storm Recon

Roccat Savu

Roccat Kone Pure Optical (not out yet)

 

These are the best of them. That said, do lots of research on any of these before buying. Most mice have their quirks and these are no different...For example, some people find the Recon's side buttons are easily pressed accidentally, while others find Zowie's EC mice don't work quite as well on mousepads that aren't uniformly black etc.

[alicskysareblue]

Toby I use a logitech g500s and have never had "accleration Problems" that you speak of, besides you don't need a mouse pad with a laser mouse you can use it on any surface, something that, to me seems more practical.

[Toby]

Toby I use a logitech g500s and have never had "accleration Problems" that you speak of

 

How do you know?

 

 

besides you don't need a mouse pad with a laser mouse you can use it on any surface, something that, to me seems more practical.

 

Practical on the move, but if you're on a permanent desktop and you're the kind of person to spend $50+ on a gaming mouse, why wouldn't you buy a decent mouse pad? It's like a force multiplier for your mouse.

[alicskysareblue]

How do you know?

 

 

 

Practical on the move, but if you're on a permanent desktop and you're the kind of person to spend $50+ on a gaming mouse, why wouldn't you buy a decent mouse pad? It's like a force multiplier for your mouse.

you know I'm not here to argue just simply stating my own thoughts . Admittingly I use a mouse pad, because if anything its just a clean surface, 

I actualy bought the g500s because my  m510 is a bit too small for my hands, and ith as more buttons and is more comfortable well at least for me.

Kinda wish I had gone for the G700s though

[Toby]

you know I'm not here to argue just simply stating my own thoughts . Admittingly I use a mouse pad, because if anything its just a clean surface,

Woah boy, I don't argue on the first date. We haven't even reached discussion yet. ;)

I was just asking a question. If acceleration was so obviously detrimental, no one would use laser mice and acceleration wouldn't even be an option in the control panel or mouse software. I've been thinking a lot lately about whether people might be affected by something they aren't aware of/don't notice, so I'm interested in the opinions of users such as yourself.

[alicskysareblue]

Woah boy, I don't argue on the first date. We haven't even reached discussion yet. ;)

I was just asking a question. If acceleration was so obviously detrimental, no one would use laser mice and acceleration wouldn't even be an option in the control panel or mouse software. I've been thinking a lot lately about whether people might be affected by something they aren't aware of/don't notice, so I'm interested in the opinions of users such as yourself.

hey thats cool, I hate arguements especialy those on the internet, so no problem  :)

 

honestly I don't really notice it, although I do  find lasers to be a bit more sensitive so maybe that is the accleration your talking about,  I generally keep it at the 80-1000 mark because frankly I don't see the point of going above 1000  and  to me it seems sort of like cheating to switch your dpi down to 90, I mean head shots are to easy in Fps games anyway.

also I dont play  alot of fos games, more into rpgs ( like neverwinter nights) so cursor speed is not really necessary.