Weighing up your options between wired vs wireless mouse for gaming? Yeah, we’ve all been there at some stage during our gaming careers!
While the clear answer to this question has always been that wired mice are better for gaming, there are many reasons why you might consider a wireless gaming mouse too. Regardless of which option you choose, opting for the best gaming mouse that’s also cheap will help bridge the gap between any deficiencies that may arise between wired and wireless gaming mice; improving your experience.
After all, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re at an instant disadvantage before you’ve even begun trying to climb the ranks! From respective price points to satisfying your OCD nature, here’s everything you need to know about the differences between a wireless vs wired gaming mouse to consider before you purchase!
When you’re done, don’t forget to hit the comments with any questions you have about wireless and wired gaming mice. Our editors would be more than happy to clear up any queries you have. Now, let’s get into it!
Scroll to read full comparison or click the links below to skip sections! 👇
- Speed.
- Reliability.
- Durability.
- Convenience.
- Aesthetics.
- Price.
- Key Differences.
- Which Is Best For Gaming?
Best For Speed: Wired
A wireless gaming mouse will be, by default, slower than wired gaming mice. The reason for this is because wireless gaming mice have to transmit information to your desktop or laptop via a wireless connection and receiver. Conversely, wired gaming mice have a direct connection to your machine; most typically via USB.
It’s kind of like the difference between a wired ethernet cable connection and wireless internet connection. One is just so much more stable and faster than the other.
As such, wired gaming mice are faster than wireless gaming mice.
That said, wireless gaming mice technology has improved so much over the years that the difference in speed between wired and wireless gaming mice is record using milliseconds. For casual gamers with a decent internet connection and minimal interference between your mouse and receiver, you will hardly notice the difference.
On the professional eSports stage, however, milliseconds can literally be the driving factor between winning and losing. Therefore, you will always see wired gaming mice hooked up during professional events.
Most Reliable: Wired
Wired gaming mice are more reliable than wireless gaming mice.
The reason for this is because wireless gaming mice have many other factors to consider when benchmarking mice reliability. From the speed of your internet connection to interference between your receiver and your mouse, there are more components required for a wireless gaming mouse to operate optimally.
You’ll know when your wireless mouse is not running optimally as your movements will feel slightly choppy!
On the contrary, wired gaming mice have a direct connection to your computer. As such, there is less that can go wrong. Sure, you could wind up with a slightly faulty USB, however, this is very rare and as such makes wired gaming mice much more reliable.
Again, it’s very rare for wireless gaming mice to suffer from severe choppiness given that most internet connections are extremely stable. As long as you don’t have an abundance of technology surrounding your mouse setup, you should be good!
Most Durable: Both
When it comes to the differences between wireless and wired gaming mice for durability, both peripherals come with flaws.
For a wired gaming mouse, you have to contend with potential damage to USB chords when travelling. In addition, because your mouse will be physically attached to your computer, there is also a risk of accidentally ripping out the USB connection which will ultimately destroy both the mouse and the USB port.
On the other hand, wireless gaming mice come with a USB receiver which can also break or snap easily when put under too much duress. There is also risk of losing the USB receiver when on the move which will render your wireless gaming mouse redundant.
The mouse component will be equally as durable; regardless of whether you choose a wired or wireless gaming mouse. It’s the surrounding components that are most at risk with both options.
Most Convenient: Wireless
For convenience, a wireless gaming mouse is better than a wired gaming mouse.
The reason for this is primarily due to the fact that wireless gaming mice consume less space on your desk and are easily portable when travelling. If you’re anything like me, I absolutely hate wires and when not gaming, I will always choose a wireless gaming mouse.
In addition, for gaming setups that place you sitting further away from your screen, wireless gaming mice are also a better option as you can move around your home whilst still using the mouse.
A drawback in convenience for wireless gaming mice is that you will be required to replace batteries. This can often lead into a mad dash to the shops before they close which is extremely annoying. Conversely, no batteries are required for wired gaming mouses so that’s a positive to choose the latter.
For travelling, wireless gaming mouses are also more convenient. Sure, you have to keep hold of your USB receiver, however, travelling with multiple cables is also not a great time!
Best Aesthetics: Wireless
For cable sake alone, wireless gaming mice look better than wired gaming mice.
The actual mouse components will look almost identical when comparing a wired vs wireless mouse for gaming. Both come with very similar designs that are a-typical with common gaming genres. Often, both wireless and wired gaming mice will have multiple buttons that can you can bind depending on the game you are playing. There’s also a high chance that your mouse will come with really cool RGB lighting that will often be customisable too.
However, once more, it’s the wire that makes wired gaming mouses a little less easy on the eye. Through it’s hyper versatility, wireless gaming mice just look so much better.
Price Difference: Wired (Only Just)
A few years ago, wired gaming mice would have always be much cheaper than their wireless counterparts. However, today, the price difference between wired and wireless gaming mice is much closer than before.
For example, when comparing the Razer Basilisk (Wireless) with the Razer Death Adder (Wired), both of these are available for around $60 within Australia. Presenting similar specifications, there is not too much difference between these two mid-range gaming mice. And so, as you can see, you can still pickup a decent wireless gaming mice for the same price as wired mice.
Related Article: Top 6 Best Razer Gaming Mice
That said, this is not always the case and wired gaming mice will often still be cheaper to buy than wireless gaming mice.
Differences Between Wired Vs Wireless Mouse
As previously explained, when comparing a wireless vs wired mouse for gaming, the mouse itself will typically be identical to one another. What you are ultimately deciding between is whether you want to have a fixed working mouse that delivers faster speeds and less lag, or a portable and more versatile mouse. In summary, here are the key differences between wired and wireless gaming mice.
–
| Wired Mouse | Wireless |
|---|---|
| ✓ Faster Response Time | ❌ Slower Response Time |
| ✓ Zero Interference | ❌ Potential Interference |
| ✓ Cheaper To Buy | ❌ Slightly More Expensive |
| ✓ No Batteries | ❌ Needs Batteries |
| ❌ Less Convenient | ✓ More Convenient |
| ❌ Doesn’t Travel Well | ✓ More Versatile |
With many manufacturers developing the exact same mouse but with both wired and wireless versions, choosing between which gaming mouse to buy ultimately comes down to the reasons as to why you need a mouse in the first place!
Wireless Vs Wired Mouse: Which Is Best For Gaming?
So, which one is best: wireless vs wired mouse? Specifically for gaming, a wired mouse is better than a wireless mouse. This is due to the fact that wired mice come with next to zero latency which makes the response time faster alongside zero interference. Wired gaming mice are also smoother and more consistent due to zero lag time.
Preferred by both casual and professional gamers globally, wired mice deliver a better overall experience when it comes to playing your favourite games online. However, for everything else, you might enjoy the experience of a wireless mouse.
In particular, the versatility and portability of a wireless mouse makes for a much improved experience comparatively to a wired mouse. If you want a mouse that you can use anywhere in your home and travel around with you, a wireless mouse is the better option.
What’s your thoughts? Wired or Wireless?
Join the discussion and hit the comments below with your preferred type of mouse and your reason why! Once you’re done, feel free to check out some of my other product deep dives and tutorials below:
- A-Z List Of Gaming Terminology.
- ASUS ROG Gladius III Review Australia
- Is Backseat Gaming Bad?
- A Guide To Printing Replacement Game Covers
- Best Budget Keyboards For Gamers.
- What Are One Handed Gaming Keyboards?
- Razer Kishi Review: Still Worth It?
- How To Stop Overheating Laptop
- Northgard Review: Not Just An AOE Rip Off
- Best Standalone Gaming Microphone Australia.
- Razer Turret For Xbox One Review.
- Best Real Time Strategy Online Games
