Ditch Your Wireless Mouse For A Cheaper Alternative

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The mouse you use can influence everything from how precisely you aim and how quickly you react, to how comfortably you play, making the choice between wired and wireless options worth considering. These factors are particularly important for competitive players, especially those who play first and third-person shooters. PC users have no shortage of options when it comes to picking a mouse today, and many users have also shown a clear preference for wireless mice, but this option isn't necessarily the better choice every time.

Most mice now come with incredibly precise sensors, additional buttons for shortcuts, high polling rates, and more. This is also true of the wired mice of today since they tend to offer just as many perks as their wireless counterparts. However, the wired options have the clear advantage in terms of cost. Reputable companies like Logitech and Razer still offer wired mice that can hold their own against many wireless options, while also coming with the benefit of lower input delay and the lack of battery life concerns at a lower price.

Latency and stability aside, the main strength of a wired mouse lies in its price advantage. When picking between wired and wireless options, you might find a specific model's wired counterpart to be a lot cheaper while retaining all of the same features and strengths.

A popular mouse like the Logitech G502 X can be purchased in both wired and wireless options. Both mice are effectively the same, and they sport Logitech's 25K Hero sensor, 1000Hz polling rate, additional optical-mechanical switches, etc. These mice are effectively identical in nature, but the wired option is priced at $100, while the wireless option starts at $160; a 60% price jump for wireless connectivity and a slight weight and RGB difference. Similarly, the Razer DeathAdder V3 is priced at $70, while the wireless DeathAdder V3 and DeathAdder V3 Pro cost $100 and $150, respectively.

All three mice are comparable, but the DeathAdder V3 stands out due to its significantly lower price. The DeathAdder V3 also supports an 8,000Hz polling rate compared to the 1,000Hz polling rate of the wireless options, which need an additional Razer HyperPolling dongle worth $39.99 to achieve a polling rate of up to 8,000 Hz. Despite being cheaper, the wired DeathAdder V3 comes with the same Focus Pro 30K sensor as the DeathAdder V3 Pro. Additionally, the DeathAdder V3 includes six programmable buttons, 30,000 max DPI, and Razer's 90-million click durability rating, just like the wireless DeathAdder V3 Pro.