Y’know, choosing a mouse in the overwhelming sea of mice is one of the hardest decisions you will make as a gamer, streamer, or professional. What makes a mouse the “best mouse” for someone else may not necessarily mean that the mouse is your perfect fit.
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The Most Important Features of a Mouse (to Me)
Being disabled by a stroke, the need for a good mouse for my right hand became something more than just a “nice thing to have.” In fact, there are some features that I consider an absolute necessity. Mainly, It needs to have as many buttons on it as possible while maintaining usability.
Several Buttons on the Mouse
The first of those features: Extra buttons. God, If I could explain the frustrations of the early 90’s I felt at the barebones mice of yore. A vast majority of mice were 1-2 buttons, no scroll wheel, and beyond cheap. Lets not even mention the dreaded hair magnet, the trackball that drove them.
Anyway, my first mouse had three buttons, because even back in the 90’s I was a button snob. In fact, this mouse, the Dexxa 3 button mouse, is for sale on eBay right now was my very first mouse that expanded my usability. (For a hefty price at the time)
I don’t have any photos to show you here that I could find, it has been almost 24 years since I had the thing…
This feature is so important to me that I have based my purchases on this feature as my main selling point. No other feature mattered before the total number of buttons.
Now, I don’t recall exactly when this product had launched, but I had purchased this mouse around 1997 and had it until the release of a 5 button mouse in the year 2000.
My Second Mouse, the Best Mouse I Had Until 2005
This mouse was the Microsoft Intellimouse Optical(Hey, they still make this thing!) which also had another feature that I added to my “must have” list for future mice: Programmable buttons.
Now, I say I had until the year 2005, but I had broken the thumb button on all three by the time 1-2 years had passed. That optical technology was not as reliable as it is today but was FAR more accurate than a trackball, and again, BUTTONS!! (The technology has matured considerably since then, so it probably has that bit down by now)
This thing had many Unreal Tournament victories under its belt before 2005 rolled around and changed up the ball game and turned the mouse industry on its head, with many who still use this thing to this day.
Hail to the King – The Logitech MX518(Original version)
Need I say more? This mouse was probably the MOST robust, MOST INCREDIBLY well-designed mouse to hit the shelves, and shaped the future of what level of quality you expect from a company. It lasted me from 2005 all the way into 2012, where I purchased my first(and last) Razer product.
Some great news for longtime fans, Logitech has launched a refresh of the MX518, the Logitech G MX518. It has a lot to live up to but should be a great mouse, as it is essentially the same thing, with just a beefed-up sensor and a new G logo for their gaming brand.
A Bumpy Year in 2012
It is no exaggeration when I say I loved this thing. It never died, and In fact, I used it right until I got into MMO gaming and the release of the Razer Naga that once again tickled my fancy for “MOAR BUTTONS”.
I uh…hated that thing, but I grew reliant on the button pad on the side. Going from the most robust mouse I had ever used in my life to the Razer Naga, it felt cheap and broke fairly quickly(a mere 8 months before the wire inside the mouse broke the solder joint that connected the cable to the PCB. An easy enough fix for me now, but I didn’t know what a soldering iron was back then.)
The story goes, I went to get up and get a drink, pulled my chair out (which had the wire tangled up in it) and essentially ripped out the wire. Totally my fault, but going from the 518 which has endured the same torture on three separate occasions and was fine…Just kinda frustrating when you drop $80 on a mouse and it breaks before the year even ends. My advice?
Keep your mouse wire away from your chair legs/wheels.
Enter the Logitech g600, the Best Mouse I Have Used to Date
Always with the buttons…
Yeah, the Logitech G600 MMO Gaming mouse I bought at the start of 2013, immediately after breaking the naga. I have to say, I couldn’t be more pleased with a mouse.
Sporting a whopping 20 FULLY PROGRAMMABLE physical buttons, and the ability to store THREE hot-swap profiles for the mouse; IN ADDITION TO THE G-SHIFT modifier button, this thing is a multi-taskers dream in your hand.
Minus 2 buttons for use of profile swapping, and the G-shift key, you have 18x2x3 buttons at your disposal. This is an UNHEARD OF 108 BUTTONS on a single one-handed device. Not even a keyboard(minus those that have extra macro keys or f13-f24) has that many buttons. Each and every one of those 108 buttons is fully and completely mappable. This means anything you can think of, including macros.
This makes this mouse the MASTER of multi-tasking. You can store Per-program profiles that change the input of your buttons to the individual program being run. So, you have 108 buttons that can be assigned to perform a set function of a program. This is especially useful for Blender, which sports a shortcut list that will make your skin crawl
To top that all off, it fits my massive hand perfectly. Also, it is very comfortable to use, even in very long sessions.
The g600 Has Ruined Other Mice for Me
I’m not kidding. I’ve hated every other mouse I’ve tried after the 2013 purchase of my G600. That G-shift key and the shape literally makes this mouse for me. I could live without the three profile hot-swaps, and be content with only 32 buttons, but remember I am also a disabled individual. Offloading the work that my left hand would do to a button at the thumbs reach is a no-brainer.
From 2013 to 2019, this mouse has been strong. It is only now beginning to show signs of failing, and those are easily fixed.
The left click is getting muddy(Not always registering). That is due to the plastic peg that actuates the button is worn down. You can fix this by taking the mouse apart and dabbing a small glob of hot glue on the end of the peg. Be warned, you WILL destroy the glide pads, and will need to have new ones handy.
There is a pretty bad kink in the wire as well; So bad that it’s popping out of the braided sleeving. Otherwise, this mouse is in pristine working order, some 6 years of use under its belt. Only the MX518 has had such longevity to it by comparison.
Side note: The mouse has weights in it. You can remove them for reduced weight!
Wait, What does this have to do with streaming?
Well… Honestly, Nothing. There are several other mice that have a lot of buttons like this one, but I am a creature of habit. I have found that the buttons have been useful for scene transitions, but I prefer Voice Attack for that use. This mouse has simply been a great experience for me, and I wanted to share this with you all.
I will admit, this mouse is NOT for everyone, those with small hands will find this thing to be a hunk of useless garbage. It is, however, the only mouse I’d ever buy again should this one completely and catastrophically fail beyond repair, and that is saying a lot.