Wonder if sometimes you're having a bad day? Getting killed instantly? Who is this guy? You shot him at the same time as he was but still u got pwned? Then you began to doubt your mad skills... Don't!

He might be the next Abdisamad"Spawn"Mohamed or maybe, he has the "tech advantage" over you.

Nowadays, gaming industries have been swarming with new technologies you can only imagine. There's a number of variable that can happen if you're facing a situation where you're one on one and firing at the same time.

• Aiming
• Response
• Mental state
• Method of firing
• Internet connection(if playing online gaming)

Palm grip vs Claw Grip mouse

It's a matter of comfortability to be honest. If you have a big hand or rest your palm on the mouse, palm grip type of mouse works great for you because claw grip mouse have a bit shorter length.
Examples of claw grip style mouse are

• Logitech G9x Laser, Razer Salmosa, Sidewinder series, Razer Lachesis, Razer Abyssus

Examples of palm grip style of mouse are

• Razer Mamba, Imperator, DeathAdder, Steelseries Ikari, Logitech MX518, Logitech G500, Logitech G700.

It's important to determine whether you're a palm grip or claw grip style before buying a mouse.

What am i about to explain here is the response. This is where polling rate of a mice counts. Older mices usually will have a polling rates of 125hz. With hidusbf, u can overclock it to 500hz or 1000hz and so on depending on the compatiblity of the mice. Polling rates can be described as how many times a device "reports" information to a computer. Let say if your mice or keyboard has a polling rate of 125hz, it means that the device reports to the computer 125 times in one second or once every 8ms. This is where it gets ugly. In modern fps games where reaction matters, an 8 miliseconds delay can determine your life and death. So maybe that other person you're firing is as good as Heaton or Spawn, or maybe... he has a better mouse than you.



I've posted here step by step guide on how to overclock your beloved mouse into a mean machine

• Overclocking Your Mouse Polling Rates

As for gaming surfaces, there's pro and cons on what gaming surfaces u use.
Hard Surfaced mat
Pros - Very precise, mouse felt like gliding on ice, less expensive than silicone
Cons - Eat your mouse feet a little if you dont clear the debris under your mouse
E.g, Razer Vespula, Exactmat, Destructor, Steelseries SX, Steelseries S&S, Razer Sphex

Soft/Cloth Surfaced Mat
Pros - Balance between precision and comfortable, affordable
Cons - Harder to clean if it gets dirty
E.g, Razer Goliathus, Steelseries QcK, Everglide Titan

Silicone Surfaced Mat
Pros - Hybrid Soft and Hard, prolong the life of your mousefeet rather than hard-surfaced mat
Cons - Known to be less sticky on veneer wood, can be very expensive
E.g, Razer Megasoma

Well, mouse ball works fine in every surface. But neither any of these above surface will help to get you more precision if you're using a mouse ball.
But skills does matter. In whatever rig you're using, you do need skills. But skills can be developed, and tech advantages, well... it can be purchased.

Accessories for your mouse
There are some gaming manufacturer company that offers certain accesories for certain mouse but as to my knowledge, you can only find some in Malaysia yet. Steelseries offers some of these accesories.

Mouse skates or known as mouse feet
-SteelSeries Glide works with all types of mouse
-SteelSeries Glide G for Logitech G5 series mouse
-SteelSeries Glide MX for Logitech mouse
-SteelSeries Glide MS for Microsoft mouse

Mouse Grip
-SteelSeries Grip
-Or you can do it DIY style, buy dat thing dat sticks under the furniture feet at any hardware store which will cost around RM6.50, cut it out according to your mouse button, sticks it to your mouse then there you goes. Make sure you buy the rubber type one.
I'll post picture about these step by step guide in the coming guide.




That's it for now, i'll get into more depth later such as mouse DPI, setting up your computer for fps gaming, etc...


Check Out My Other Threads on Reviews and Guide

• Overclocking Your Mouse Polling Rates
• Step by Step Guide on Checking USB Power Wattage

Joe 'eLapSed' Asrul
Happy fragging!

This post has been edited by tomwaits7: Dec 31 2010, 05:34 AM