When it comes to gaming mice, the main parameter taken into consideration is DPI (Dots Per Inch, or dots per inch). Have you ever wondered why the value is so important for mice, especially when talking to gamers?
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Although a gaming PC requires a series of hardware and peripheral components of a certain level, the mouse is considered among the main requirements to compete at the highest level with other gamers – when every single move can cost you a game, or a tournament, the mouse is a key factor, to choose with great care.
The DPI of the mouse is a fundamental factor in the gaming field – that’s why
To better understand the mechanisms that govern modern mice, it is good to know more about mouse – optical mice are equipped with a light emitting diode and a camera.
This rudimentary camera records how the light is reflected on a surface (or rather, it does so for hundreds of times per second) to transform the variations into real movements on the screen. The precise frequency with which the camera captures the movement is defined in the technical jargon as polling.
For example, a mouse with a polling speed of 500 MHz signals its position on the computer every 2 milliseconds. A high rate of polling is generally appreciable only with the most intense and frenetic games, but not only bring benefits – these types of peripherals, in fact, require significantly more resources to the computer to read every little movement of the mouse.
DPI refers to the sensitivity of your mouse and the distance it moves across the screen depending on the movement of your hand. A high DPI requires very little movement of the hand to slide the mouse from one side of the screen to the other. A low DPI requires a much wider movement to make the cursor move only a few centimeters in any direction.
Why change DPI values
So, why should you lower the DPI value of your mouse?
The DPI you use can also be changed significantly depending on the type of game you are playing and your type of approach to it. For example, in a game like League of Legends, you may want to keep a higher DPI because you need to be able to click on many different areas of the screen quickly and with great accuracy.
On the other hand, many FPS players like to keep their PPE almost as low as possible (generally around 200-500 DPI). This means that they have to make consistent movements with the hand to point the weapon elsewhere – with the sniper weapons, for example, a low DPI can be extremely useful to have more precision.
Running a higher DPI in FPS games requires a lot of practice and skill to get our hands on it. Precisely for this reason, some mice are equipped with advanced features such as DPI adjustment in real time, to be able to change the sensitivity level in a few seconds.
The mouse pad – a factor not to be underestimated
By virtue of the greater or less movement of the mouse, we must also take into account an apparently insignificant object that can instead have a certain value.
We’re talking about the mouse pad that, in case you want to play an FPS with low DPI, should be as large as possible. There are models that go even completely to cover your desk and completely cancel the risk of ending up “off the road” with your mouse, perhaps at the most salient moment of a game to your favorite video game.
