Competitive games require steady connectivity, and a slight disruption in connectivity may significantly alter the outcome. To this end, pro gamers use wired mice when encountering the problems mentioned earlier. The rock-solid connection stability and mouse reliability ensure that pro gamers remain competitive over other gamers.
However, the performance gap between wired and wireless mice is closing on this note. It is primarily due to the connection possibilities, numerous characteristics, and outstanding mobility of wireless receiving devices that make them suitable for gaming. Nonetheless, despite manufacturers' efforts, some interference and latency are still present in wireless gaming mice compared to wired mice. We have identified some good reasons to help you understand why pro gamers prefer wired gaming mice over other connectivity options.
Every millisecond matters when gaming competitively. Wired connectivity ensures minimal delay between moving the mouse physically and registering it on the screen. Below are some details to help you better understand how a wired mouse achieves a precision advantage over other connectivity options.
This brings us to one key requirement for low-latency mouse performance: low lag. In short, latency is the delay between moving your mouse around and seeing it appear on the monitor. The less latency, the smaller the delay. In terms of pro gaming, pro gamers prefer that every frame registers without any delay.
A physical connection between your gaming device and mouse through the wire ensures minimal latency. As a result, data transfer is much quicker, with minimal interference, typically offering a more responsive input while gaming. A wired gaming mouse is an excellent choice for competitive gaming, where every millisecond counts.
Sensors are crucial for achieving accuracy and control while gaming. Typically, there are two types of sensors available: optical and laser. Because of their precision and accuracy, optical sensors use light to track mouse movements. However, a laser sensor uses a laser to monitor the mouse's movement, which is suitable for gamers who need to make quick movements.
Laser sensors might struggle on glossy and reflective surfaces and can cause jittering at lower DPI settings. Accurate sensors offer various features, including high DPI that gamers can adjust according to their preference, low latency, high polling rates, and angle snapping for improved aiming and precise movements, which help gamers gain an advantage while playing FPS, battle royals, and shooting games.
Gamers usually get frustrated when there is stuttering and lag while moving the mouse. It mostly happens with wireless connectivity in mice, as they can sometimes be prone to interference from other devices. Below, we have mentioned why wired connectivity is a reliable option for pro gamers.
When competitive gaming, a slight stutter or lag can cause gamers to lag significantly behind. That's why gamers prefer wired mice in gaming competitions or tournaments. With a physical connection, the issues of delay or stuttering are practically impossible. If you are a gamer using multiple wireless devices connected at the same frequency bandwidth, the chances of interference can slightly increase, making wireless mice more prone to interference.
One colossal disadvantage wireless mice offer gamers is occasionally charging the mouse's battery. When playing competitive games, the mouse functionality drops or stops working when there is no or low battery. Wired mice don't suffer from the problem of battery or charging (battery or charging doesn't exist) because the physical connection is constantly powering the mouse. Given their wired gaming mouse feature and the reliability of such mice, pro gamers can opt for these mice.
A wired mouse has fewer complex parts than a wireless mouse, which improves its durability and longevity. Without batteries or parts to communicate wirelessly with gaming devices, wired mice are less vulnerable to electronic damage and are also comparatively lighter. To ensure the mouse's cable doesn't break, PVC insulation and USB braided cable can withstand bending and tangling, providing long-lasting durability.
What’s more! Every pro gamer has a preference for what the gaming mouse should be. These preferences depend on how comfortable these mice are for gamers and the valuable features that make them stand out among the other gamers.
Johan Sundstein (aka N0tail) was Victorious in the DOTA competition in 2018 and 2019. He also served as a coach in OG’s victorious run in 2022 in the ESL. Johan Sundstein chose the SteelSeries prime eSports wired mouse due to its ultra-lightweight design with the TrueMove pro gaming sensors enabling rapid and accurate movements for eSports gamers to perform at their best.
SteelSeries Prime Esport Wired Mouse
Weight: 68.9 g
Sensor: Optical
DPI: 18000 DPI
Connectivity: USB, wired
Programmable buttons: 5
Robin Kool (aka Ropz) is among the finest eSports pros in CS: GO. He has been highly ranked in HLTV’s top 20 players since 2018 and was a significant champion in Antwerp 2022. He has been using the ZOWIE BenQ EC2-C, a top eSports wired mouse made especially for top pro gamers. Its multiple sizes and carefully sculpted dimensions accommodate multiple grip types.
ZOWIE BenQ EC2-C
Weight: 73g
Sensor: Optical
DPI: 3200
Programmable buttons: 5
Connectivity: Wired
Polling rates: 1000HZ
Pro gamers usually practice extensively before their gaming tournaments. They spend countless hours perfecting their tactics, aim, and position on the team, and a mouse with sound ergonomics is key to achieving that. A mouse designed to be comfortable for prolonged usage is among the preferred choices of pro gamers.
Pro gamers who do competitive gaming require a mouse with customization options to suit their preference. Their choice is the settings and optimization in which their hand sits the best. That is why wired gaming mice have multiple programmable buttons to perform some quick commands, usually done through the keyboard. The ease of adjusting and the sensitivity of various DPI settings allow pro gamers to quickly change DPI settings to their preferred choice, depending upon the situation or type of games they are playing. Gamers usually add mouse weights to improve precision while aiming and may change mouse feet or skates when they wear out.
Features |
Wired connection |
Wireless connection |
Price |
Comparatively cheaper |
Usually expensive |
Battery |
No battery dependency |
Requires charging or battery change |
Latency |
Lowest |
Comparatively higher |
Signal interference |
No signal interference |
Might face issues of signal interference |
Weight |
Comparatively lighter |
Usually heavier |
Portability |
Less portable |
Offers great portability |
Movement |
Restricted by cable length of around 2.5m |
Wireless constraints around 30m to 33m |
With the changing technology, the gap between wired and wireless connectivity is bridging rapidly. However, this gap still exists, and pro gamers face latency, interference, and battery dependency issues. The unreliability of wireless mice makes the wired mouse an obvious choice for pro gamers, as slight jitter, lag, or delay in wireless connectivity can cause gamers to lag during competitive gaming. In conclusion, wireless connectivity in gaming mice is developing and is excellent for gamers. However, wired gaming mice still rule the Esports industry when it comes to competitive gaming.