What we have been told for years is that the click latency difference between wired and wireless gaming mice is minimal. But is that really the case? Today, we are going to explore this argument to find out what the real situation is. Today’s gaming mice are full of various sensors, buttons, firmware, and software which affect its behavior. Therefore, the nature of the connection is the question of the day: does it really matter?
Yes, There’s a Difference in Click Latency
The simple answer? Yes, there is a significant difference in click latency between the best gaming mice, even between the wired and wireless Once. But what is even more amazing is the fact that there are other things apart from the type of connection that have a huge influence on the latency. Let’s take a closer look at what factors influence your mouse most.
What is End-to-End Latency?
End-to-end latency is the amount of time it takes from a mouse click to register on your screen. This includes aspects such as your display and your PC configuration and these are generally fixed across tests. Thus, it is possible to concentrate on the variable element, the gaming mouse in our case.
For this test, we employed Nvidia’s latest Latency Display Analysis Tool (LDAT) with a 360Hz monitor, and a high-end gaming laptop. The LDAT determines the latency by capturing the sound that is produced when the mouse is clicked and then measures the time taken for the input to appear on the display.
Know more about Latency and How It Effects Your Gaming Experience
Is Audio Input Testing Reliable?
When you consider using an audio input to measure latency you may think that it is too unpredictable. I had the same idea until I compared the outcome with the wired internet connectivity option. Interestingly, there is no much difference between the two methods, so to the readers, you can be assured that the results obtained here are quite accurate.
Does Polling Rate Affect Latency?
Polling rate, the number of times per second your mouse tells the computer where it is.It does affect latency. Most gaming mice are able to report 1000 times per second, but some models only report 500 times per second. Testing showed a 1. 6ms difference between 500Hz and 1000Hz polling rates, so if you are going to compare mice with different polling rates, this is something to remember.
Click Latency: Wired vs. Wireless Gaming Mice
Finally, what is the real true click latency of the best gaming mice? You will be surprised by the findings .We are going to present to you. The difference between the top performers and the bottom performers is quite significant being at about 13.7ms. To gamers, this is like having an extra 14ms of network latency, which is a crucial aspect in game play.
Are Wired Mice Always Faster?
Surprisingly, there is no definite advantage of using wired mouse over a wireless one and vice versa. There are always the top performers in both categories and, at times, the wireless mice even surpassed the performance of wired ones. For instance, Razer’s Viper Mini and Viper Ultimate offered the highest rating possible due to their optical switches.
On the other hand, at the box configuration, the Glorious Model O Wireless had higher latency because of its high debounce time. However, adjusting the debounce settings made it better by a long shot, making it almost as good as wired mice such as the Logitech G Pro X Superlight.
Should You Worry About Latency in Wireless Mice?
As it has been observed in most cases, the click latency between wired and wireless modes is almost negligible. For example, the G Pro X Superlight was just 0. The Model O Wireless was 3ms slower when wireless, and the Model O Wireless was 0. 6ms slower. Considering that such differences are rather small, the freedom of wireless connectivity is often worth it.
The Verdict on Wireless Gaming Mice
If you have been skeptical about using a wireless gaming mouse because of latency issues, then these findings should help you let your guard down. There are some of the fastest gaming mice available today that are wireless and this shows that you can have the best of both worlds.
But there are other important factors that you should consider when deciding on the best gaming mouse: the shape, size, weight and feel of the mouse. In our subsequent reviews, we will also include the latency tests and you can expect even more information to guide you.
