Nowadays there are more wireless mice than ever, and it can be difficult to tell how they differ and stack up in comparison to the traditional wired mouse. Here's an introductory explanation of wireless mice, how they work, and the tradeoffs with their wired counterparts.
Option 1 – Let’s look at the in-game settings hardware cursor and FPS. Option 2 – Uncheck the option ‘Mouse Sensitivity’. Option 3 – Let’s look at your Windows Mouse settings in Control panel. Option 4 – For if you’re using a Razer mouse. I prefer my picture quality to look realistic. Another words, if I watch something local & live, and I look outside, the grass, trees, sky, and building colors need to look the same. As for HDR, nothing ever looks absolutely black, even at night, it's always a dark shade of grayscale. Basically, you can use my TV or my monitors as a window.
The controversy
Several years ago, back when the wireless Rival 650 was in it's infancy, I spent some time talking to gamers about wireless mice. It was a surprisingly controversial topic.
Some people were really excited at the prospect of a wireless version of their favorite mice. Others looked on with a mixture of horror and disgust as they explained why they would never ever buy a wireless mouse, citing the risk of losing signal or power mid-game. Of course, as with most controversial topics, there were a large number of people that didn't really have that much of an opinion about it.
What matters in a mouse?
Before we can talk about the relative merits of wired vs. wireless mice, we need to have a baseline for what makes a good mouse. Think about what matters to you in a mouse. One of the most common answers to that question is ergonomics. If you are going to be gaming with a mouse for six, ten, or twelve hours at a time, then you are are going to want that mouse to feel good and natural in your hand.
Most of us have experienced the awkwardness and distracting qualities of an uncomfortable mouse. A good mouse should feel so natural that you can forget it's even there - a true extension of your own hand. Wireless mice should be no different in terms of ergonomics - what works for wired is also true with wireless mice.
The second thing that people often value is performance, and this is where a lot of doubts exist with wireless mice. Unfortunately, outside of 'it works' vs. 'it doesn't', 'performance' can relatively abstract, and the average consumer can't typically evaluate it on a hyper-detailed or specific level unless something is very noticibly wrong. Manufactuers will post specifications, but without any context it can be hard for most to determine what really has an effect.
Measuring mouse performance
The best definition for mouse performance is that a high performance mouse should 'reflect the motion of my hand on the screen as accurately as possible.' This is usually accomplished in 3 ways:
- The precision of the sensor
- The latency of the firmware
- The polling rate of the PC connection
For example, the Rival 650 has the exact same sensor as it's wired counterpart, the Rival 600, so sensor performance is maintained. However, the jump to wireless can have profound effects on the latency and polling rate, which we'll explore below.
Latency
Latency in mice is measured as the amount of time it takes for a movement of your hand to reach the PC. This number is important because if the latency gets too high, your mouse will start to feel laggy or delayed. That laggy feeling can be really jarring and unnatural, and even cause motion sickness. Because of this, firmware developers work really hard to minimize the amount of latency, so there's minimal time between the action of your mouse and the on-screen reaction.
Polling rate
The minimum latency that a device can have is determined by what is called the polling rate. Polling rate is a measure of how often the PC 'asks' the mouse if it has any data. The polling rate is generally negotiated between the OS and the mouse when the mouse is first plugged in. Polling rate is usually measured in hertz: a polling rate of 1000hz means that the device is polled 1000 times every second, hence the polling rate of 1ms. If a device is polled at 500hz, then that means the minimum latency is 2ms.
Polling rate affects more than just latency - it also affects the smoothness of your cursor. This is becuase polling rate also defines how many samples the PC gets from the mouse. Basically, more samples (1000 per second) equals more details. This is why SteelSeries USB mice default to 1ms polling and are so widely used by competitive players.
Cutting the cord
So now that we have a good baseline for how to measure performance via sensor, firmware, and polling rate, let's look at how performance is affected by the jump to wireless...
Is Bluetooth an option?
As mentioned in the last section, SteelSeries USB mice default to 1000hz polling, which is the maximum amount supported by a Full Speed USB connection. In comparision, the maximum polling rate supported by bluetooth is 125hz or lower when you factor in other variables.
This essentially means that Bluetooth has at least 8x more latency than an equivalent USB device. This sharp decrease and variation in polling rate affects the smoothness of a mouse so significantly that in many cases it more than cancels out the effectiveness of a high-end sensor. In short, Bluetooth is not a valid wireless solution for mice (just like it's not a great solution for high quality wireless audio!)
However, the Rival 3 Wireless mouse has adds Bluetooth to rock-solid 2.4 GHz wireless, making it a great option if you still need Bluetooth but also want great performance.
The dongle solution
So if Bluetooth isn't the answer, what is? Just like with wireless headsets, SteelSeries wireless mice come with a special dongle that uses a proprietary RF protocol, providing a significantly lower latency than Bluetooth. With this, a wireless mouse can achieve more bandwidth and lower latency, allowing for the same 1ms polling rate as a wired mouse.
Managing interference
One of the big issues that all wireless devices can run into is interference from other devices. Wired devices are effectively shielded by their wire, which means that no two wired devices will interact with each other because they aren't physically touching. Wireless devices all operate in the same space, and if two devices try to communicate on the same frequency at the same time, there will be interference.
Almost all wireless mice on the market work in the 2.4Ghz ISM band. This is a collection of 80 frequencies between 2.4Ghz and 2.5Ghz in the electro-magnetic specrum. This band of frequencies is used by many Wi-Fi routers and all bluetooth devices. So, if you have a lot of those in a given room, you will get more interference. This band of frequencies is also used by microwave ovens, so even an old microwave that doesn't have great shielding can affect wireless performance.
So we've established that the 2.4Ghz band is very noisy, and devices need to be able to compensate. In general there are two ways to manage this:
Frequency hopping: a scheme where both the device and dongle agree on a list of frequencies, and they hop between that list. This means that if any one frequency is busy, the devices can switch to a quieter channel.
Build a protocol with acknowledgments. For example, in the Rival 650, all of the packets sent from the mouse have to be acknowledged by the dongle. If the mouse doesn't get an acknowledgement, then it resends its data. If you want to be able to guarentee a certain latency, you need to send packets at least twice as fast. In doing this, you can recover from a missed packet and never 'lose' or 'drop' data due to interference.
Powering a wireless mouse
With wireless devices, the more data you transfer, the more power you use. This means that high performance mice with low latency will use more power than the average bluetooth mouse. To compensate for the power demand, wireless gaming mice need a good built-in battery, which adds a bit of weight. This can be a problem for some people, so if you prefer a super lightweight mouse, a wireless mouse might not be the best choice for you (yet).
If you're after the longest battery life on your mouse (or headset), you can toggle all the LED's off, or have them turn off after enough time with no input, which saves a good chunk of battery life (similar to lowering the brightness on your phone).
A good wireless mouse can also be used while plugged in, so a low battery should never slow you down.
Learn more about the Rival 650's fast charging time.
So, does it work?
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Some of the biggest complaints with wireless mice come from worries about performance and power, but new developments and technologies have helped wireless mice like the Rival 650 to address and overcome these fears and create the highest performing wireless mouse available. Not only does it work, it works as well as it's wired counterpart.
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Ever since the release of Windows 10, a major chunk of the gaming community has been complaining about the new operating system causing problems for them. From FPS drops to the “Blue Screen of Death”, we have witnessed them all. Now, we understand Microsoft has been coming out with some pretty remarkable changes which have laid waste to the majority of these problems. However, still one community remains a victim. We are referring to the windows 10 World of Warcraft issues.
World of Warcraft Windows 10 Issues
Over the past couple of years, World of Warcraft players have been experiencing some rather weird breaking issues within the game. At first, these players thought it was the game itself which was the cause of all this, but this was later debunked as Blizzard’s very own tech support came out with statements which claimed WoW is running perfectly fine.
This led to the community to seek answers elsewhere and what they found was quite interesting. According to a few posts online, it seems Windows 10 is the root cause of all these World of Warcraft problems. And since the OS’s most recent updates have yet to make an impact here, players are still complaining about these Windows 10 World of Warcraft issues.
Dealing With World of Warcraft Windows 10 Issues
Now, these Windows 10 World of Warcraft issues include some pretty annoying instances of lag, fps drops and sometimes, players come across the “Blue Screen of Death” after which players have to restart their game and hence, lose all of their progress. So, dealing with such issues is a must. So, to help the WoW community, we have gathered some of the best workarounds and fixes which might be of help to you if you are coming across Windows 10 World of Warcraft issues.
Some might say that to get away from these issues, you can revert back to the previous update or in some cases, even the previous OS. However, these come with additional problems of their own. So, it is better to deal with the issues which are already present, instead of adding more in. And plus, since everyone is on Windows 10 in this day and age, the chances of you finding workarounds are much higher than for those of a previous generation OS.
Workarounds for WoW Windows 10 Issues
After scavenging through the internet, we found some workarounds which have helped the majority of the players who are experiencing World of Warcraft Windows 10 issues. And taking one step further, we have compiled all of them right here for your added ease. So, to finally put an end to these, check out our workarounds down below. Hopefully, after applying these fixes, you will be able to play World of Warcraft without any trouble.
Restricting Background Applications
With Blizzard coming out with more content for the game, World of Warcraft now requires a bit more from your PC. As a result, if you have not yet upgraded your PC to meet those increased requirements, then we advise you to limit the number of applications which are running in the background.
The best and most efficient way to do this is by opening up the “Task Manager” and look for the applications which are using up your Memory, GPU, Disk, and CPU. However, do take caution as closing the wrong application could lead to further problems. As a result, only close the applications which you know of.
Disable Windows Updates
We all have experienced a Windows Update pop-up just when we are about to start off a raid in World of Warcraft. So, we know just how annoying they can get. However, the pop-ups aren’t the only thing which pisses World of Warcraft gamers off as the updates, themselves, are very heavy on your PC which has a major impact on your game.
So, to have a smoother experience in the game and that too, without any interruptions, it is recommended you disable Windows Updates, till the time you are playing WoW. To do this, just head on over to the Control Panel and search for Window Updates. Once there, just click on disable and you are good to go.
Wow Mouse Look Speed Too High Blood Pressure
Optimize PC for Performance
In Windows 10, there is an option which allows you to further boost your operating system for performance. So, if you are feeling your PC is getting slow which is making your World of Warcraft to experience issues, then this could be the thing you have been looking for. And since the option is easily reversible, you can switch back to the original whenever you please.
So, if this is what you are looking for, then follow the steps below and lay waste to your Windows 10 World of Warcraft issues once and for all:
- Open Performance Information and Tools by clicking the Start button, and then clicking Control Panel. In the search box, type Performance Information and Tools, and then, in the list of results, click Performance Information and Tools.
- Click Adjust visual effects. If you’re prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
- Click the Visual Effects tab, click Adjust for best performance, and then click OK. (For a less drastic option, select Let Windows choose what’s best for my computer.)
Hopefully, these fixes and workarounds will help you deal with your World of Warcraft Windows 10 issues. However, you are still experiencing these issues, do let us know the details of your problem down below. We will do our best to bring you a fix.
On the other hand, if you think the issues facing are a cause of network issues, then we have a solution for that too. Just read up on our World of Warcraft lag article and see if the fixes and solutions mentioned there are a help to you.