Precision Gaming Mouse Round-Up: Tesoro, Corsair, Logitech

Whether you have a $10,000 beast of a gaming rig or a hand me down that isn't any more powerful than a toaster, having the right input devices can make a significant improvement in your work and play. Mice in particular come in all shapes and sizes to meet anyone's comfort and performance needs. That bargain bin mouse may be fine for browsing cat pictures, but its cheap sensor and total lack of ergonomics may be holding you back from pwning n00bs like you deserve.

To help step your game up we're checking out three new mice that recently slid across our desk: Tesoro's Sagitta Spectrum H6L Gaming Mouse, Corsair's new M65 Pro RGB Gaming Mouse, and Logitech's G900 Chaos Spectrum Professional-Grade Wired/Wireless Gaming Mouse.

Before we get in too far, it is important to remember that choosing a mouse is a very personal decision. Some people have large hands, other small. Grips vary. Uses vary. The only person who can tell you the right mouse for you is you. Our mouse and keyboard guides are here to help narrow down your searches or turn you on to new products you may not have otherwise heard of, but we can't physically put the mouse in your hand so you can formulate your own opinion.

Understanding the grip you use is integral to selecting an appropriate mouse. The two primary grip styles are the palm grip and claw grip. The palm grip is often considered to be the most natural for a majority of people. With a palm grip, your palm is placed flat on the base of the mouse. From there, your fingers lie flush on the surface of the mouse buttons. Mouse movements are primarily made with your whole hand and clicking requires most of your finger to depress the button. The claw grip also places your palm on the base of the mouse but your fingers are arched such that only your fingertips make contact with the buttons. Mouse control is dominated by your thumb and ring finger or pinky grip. A variation of the claw grip, know most commonly as the fingertip grip, sees your palm resting on the mouse pad instead and movement is almost exclusively made with your fingers. There are, of course, other grips people use but are not common enough for our purposes here.

The advantages of the palm grip include being the least fatiguing since your whole hand is supported by the mouse and it also tends to have the most precise control. On the flip side, the palm grip makes snap and other quick movements more difficult without increasing mouse sensitivity, which can be detrimental to fine adjustments. Claw and fingertip grips allow you to move the mouse more quickly since it can be quickly shifted between your thumb and pinky as well as forward and back without the need of moving your entire arm. If you aren't accustomed to these grips, however, fine control will take practice to master.

For some perspective on my impressions, I have a large grip with thin fingers. My thumb to pinky span reaches from 1 to = on a standard keyboard and the base of my palm to fingertip is nearly the same length. I have a preference for larger mice and have used my Razer Deathadder 3500 dpi primarily since 2010. I find I use a palm grip for general computer usage and web surfing and switch to a fingertip grip for gaming, in both cases with my palm actually resting on the mousepad.

With all of that in mind, let's explore what the Tesoro Sagitta Spectrum, Corsair M65 Pro RGB, and Logitech G900 Chaos Spectrum have to offer. We got a feel for these mice across four different surfaces. The first is my old low profile XTrac Carbonic cloth gaming mat which gives a smooth, higher friction feel. Next, Corsair also provided us with their MM400 high-speed gaming mat for a very low friction experience. Third, we played a bit with the mice right on a wood laminate desktop which has seen its share of scratches. Finally, when you're on the go and need to game you may not always be able to find a level surface so we gave them a shot right on the leg of my jeans.

We examined the mice across three of the most popular competitive gaming genres: Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA), Real-Time Strategy (RTS), and of course First Person Shooter (FPS). Each genre requires its own flavor of mouse control. MOBA gamers employ quick precise movements with rapid clicks to target down enemy champions or heroes while managing their own position. RTS gamers require more varied movements as you select groups all around the screen mixed up with precise micromanagement of individual units. FPS gamers live and die by lightning fast snap to targeting and slower controlled sweeps to keep the target running away in their sights. I personally enjoy all three and so for games I booted up League of Legends, Starcraft II, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.