Best wireless gaming mouse
The best wireless mouse will be your gaming companion wherever you go, while giving you the accuracy and precision you need in a gaming mouse, minus that pesky cable. The latency and speed of wireless gaming mice has never been better; these days there's nearly no perceptible difference in speed between wired and wireless gaming mice.
Thanks to advancements in sensors and communication protocols by the big boys at Logitech, Corsair, and Razer, a new generation of speedy, wireless rodents has been birthed of late.
When picking the best wireless gaming mouse for you, ask yourself the same questions you would when shopping for a wired mouse. How many buttons do you need? Lefty, righty, or ambidextrous? Heavy or light? But also, remember to ask the wireless specific questions, in particular: how good is the battery life? Some wireless gaming mice are rechargeable, while others use household batteries. Weight the pros and cons and see which fits your budget.
We've been through and tested a whole bunch of wireless gaming mice so you can make an informed decision. And if you're looking to live your best wireless life all round, check out our lists of the best wireless gaming keyboards and best wireless headsets.
The G502 Lightspeed Wireless is the latest iteration of a long-standing favorite among Logitech fans, the G502 Proteus Spectrum. Initially upgraded to use its Hero 16K DPI sensor, Logitech then took the next logical step by pairing this beast of a gaming mouse with its PowerPlay technology, allowing it to remain charged continuously when using the PowerPlay mat. Even without the mat though, it still packs plenty of stamina, offering more than 40 hours on a single charge.
Our previous wireless mouse of choice, the Logitech G903, remains an excellent option, especially for southpaw shooters, but the added customizability and macros set the G502 ahead of the competition. This wireless version is the spitting image of its ancestors and the pinnacle of uncompromising performance in wireless gaming rodents.
Read our full Logitech G502 Lightspeed wireless review.
Razer has unleashed a trinity of wireless gaming peripherals this year, building upon the V2 editions of its most popular products. The BlackWidow V2 Pro wasn't a huge success, but the Razer BlackShark V2 in both wired and wireless Pro iterations is one of the best gaming headsets around.
The wireless V2 Pro has the exact same super-comfortable, stylish design, and the Focus+ sensor is as swift and as accurate as any wired rodent you could find. With the HyperSpeed wireless tech connecting you to your gaming PC practically latency-free, and with around 70 hours of gaming battery life too, the DeathAdder V2 Pro is now the ultimate version of this long-lived rodent.
It still just about sits in the shade of the Logitech G502 Lightspeed wireless, largely because the infinite scroll wheel of that mouse is so awesome. Even so, the DeathAdder V2 Pro is so good, that it's a very close call.
Read our full Razer Deathadder V2 review.
With the Logitech G305 Lightspeed, Logitech has tried to create a high-performance wireless gaming mouse that doesn't cost the earth. Its mid-range price has it competing against some great wired mice, but there's no compromise here in terms of performance or design.
The G305 uses Logitech's Hero sensor, an iteration of the fantastic sensor in the G502. It can last more than 200 hours on a single AA battery (which helps keep the cost down vs. being rechargeable). The small wireless dongle can be stored inside the body of the mouse, but critically, the left- and right-click buttons are separate pieces from the removable palm rest, ensuring a reliable and satisfying click.
The shape of the G305 is based on a small, ambidextrous design Logitech has been using for years. While components like the scroll wheel and buttons don't feel quite as premium as the ones in the G502, they're still far better than anything you'll find in a cheap gaming mouse. The quality and performance of the G305 are killer features for its price.
Corsair's refreshed Dark Core RGB Pro SE improves on what became one of our favorite wireless gaming mice when it debuted back in 2018. Thanks to many small improvements, such as 18,000 DPI, Qi wireless charging compatibility, and 2,000Hz Hyper-Polling tech, the Dark Core RGB Pro SE is back with a vengeance.
The Dark Core RGB Pro SE also works well when paired with the Qi wireless charging mouse pad of your choice; that's the special bit in the 'special edition' naming. We found that you can use the mouse about 4-5 days before completely draining the battery. Since Qi wireless charging mousepads are becoming more popular, the Dark Core is a good future-proof mouse.
At under $100, the Dark Core RGB SE is a great price for a helluva fast and accurate wireless gaming mouse. It's worth noting that this weighty mouse's textured grip might feel a little strange if you're not used to a palm grip style mouse or if you have smaller hands, but it's worth persevering with.
Read our full Corsair Dark Core RGB Pro SE review.
Best gaming PC | Best gaming mouse | Best gaming chair
Best CPU for gaming| Best gaming keyboard| Best graphics cards
The Logitech G604 Lightspeed has only recently become one of our favorite gaming mice. Its insanely long battery makes it the perfect mouse for gaming on the go. Logitech boasts that the G604 can last over 200 hours in a single AA battery through some serious Logi-sorcery.
While less flashy than your typical gaming mouse, it still has everything a PC gamer needs. For starters, the six reprogrammable buttons along the comfortable thumb-rest make the G604 a great pick for those who religiously remap their controls. If you play many MOBAs or MMOs, the Logitech G604 might be the mouse for you.
This wireless, ambidextrous esports gaming mouse is for the serious competitor who wants something fast and accurate. The Viper Ultimate is almost a complete opposite from its bigger brother, the Razer Basilisk Ultimate, sacrificing buttons for a more lightweight design.
The Viper Ultimate comes equipped with Razer's HyperSpeed Wireless transmission, which gives the mouse a latency of less than 0.2ms, making it just as fast as its wired counterpart. Like the Basilisk, the Viper Ultimate comes with a wireless charging dock that'll fully charge the mouse in less than two hours. If you value accuracy and speed above all else, the Viper Ultimate's performance can compete with some of the best gaming mice out there.
The only real shortcomings we found are that the right/left mouse buttons can feel a little flimsy due to the entire mouse being so light. It has fewer programmable buttons than its competitors, such as the Logitech G502 Lightspeed or even the Basilisk Ultimate, but comes in at the same hefty price range. Thankfully, its speed, 70-hour battery life, and ambidextrous design make it the best wireless mouse for competitive gaming around.
Read our full Razer Viper Ultimate review.
Best gaming mouse: the top rodents for gaming
Best gaming keyboard: your PC's best friend...
Best gaming headset: don't ignore in-game audio
Taking cues from the Logitech G305, the Katar Pro Wireless takes a simpler, more elegant approach to the lightweight rodent. For a $30 mouse, the Katar Pro doesn't actually feel like a budget offering. Not bad if you need a reliable wireless gaming mouse with decent battery life. Just be sure you keep some extra AAs around to be on the safe side.
On the downside, the Katar Pro Wireless is a lot less flashy than Corsair's usual gaming peripherals, with no RGB to speak off or eye-catching features. That being said, it's a comfy mouse that travels well. Oh, did we already mention that it's $30?
Best wireless gaming mouse FAQ
What's the main consideration in choosing wireless over wired?
Today, most of the conventional wisdom about wireless gaming mice is wrong. Some wireless mice are still more expensive, and poor ones could suck their batteries dry in the middle of a match or lag thanks to a weak wireless receiver. But the best wireless gaming mice perform almost indistinguishably from wired ones, without a hint of the traditional lag or stutter to be found.
How does a wireless mouse connect to my PC?
Most wireless mice offer both 2.4G wireless connections, which will most often require a dedicated USB device, or Bluetooth. Bluetooth is more widely compatible with a range of devices, however, it usually adds latency to the connection, whereas a wireless connection has next to none. This makes wireless the preferable connection method for gaming.
How do we test wireless gaming mice?
We use each wireless gaming mouse for several days, at minimum, getting a sense of how the mouse feels in our hands, the grip and material, and the feel of its buttons. We pay attention to battery life and how often the mouse needs to be recharged if applicable.
For gaming, we primarily test mice with Destiny 2 and Apex Legends and twitchier shooters like Quake Champions to see how our performance stacks up against other mice. We scrutinize the cursor movement and responsiveness for lag, jitter, and other issues.
We use each mouse with its wireless receiver plugged into a keyboard giving it the best possible wireless situation to work with. We also tested the wireless receivers plugged into our test system a few feet away with my legs in between, increasing the opportunity for lag and interference.
Post a Comment