Damn, that was a lot of work..

blueman flashback :\
looks like a nice article though :)

What a newb!... this tomcat guy knows nothing ;)

Just joking tomcat... nice job

:)

Nice article

Good stuff. Although cheapo-mousepads are the best;)

buzzt custom made mouse pads = best :P

Hate to be lame but... Allsop! Cheapos are nice too, so is 3M + Nivea cream :)

Just wait one day you'll see a real mouse pad ;)

Nivea cream ?
What's up with that ?

No friction baby.

rotfl, can i quote u on that ? :p

Haha, don't.

good read indeed but how the heck could you leave out the best mouse in the intelli series ;)

Are nobody tired of this mice/mousepads trap?

Great article but what its still missing is the insight to mouse feet. Which are worth buying for your mousemat or maybe you dont need to buy anything at all. I liked my mx500 better without the icemats teflon feet cos it made it too damn slippery and with the mx500 own feet there was no scratching sounds. Also the white icemat is supposed to differ from the black somehow dont remember how.

very nie article, you deserved the + mistar!

conclusion? mx300 / allsop

VERY nice article!

yeah inuyasha,

i think its mx300 / allsop or any cloth path :)
but logitech really has to fix their driver problem (negative acceleration / dpi switching? )

good work !

Is the Boomslang 2k bigger than it's predecessor, the Boomslang 1k? I don't have any Problems with ergonomics actually, it's quite the opposite, i can't imagine using a different shaped mouse.
But yeah, it took me about 3-4 weeks to get used to it. Most probably it would be the same with any other mouse.

Pilot Wheel and allsop all the way.

oh and good news allsop have recently released large size mouse mats

geez, great work tomcat.

this is hall of fame material for sure

Excellent work tomcat. You're very experienced and patient to give us 5 long pages of computer hardware info :) THank you

nice article, i could point out 1 or 2 things i dont totally agree to, but who cares..

great and very cmplete article!

Great article although there are several things I disagree with :)

What's news to me is that microswitch stuff...

so... do you another more complete, its a veeeeeeeeeeery hard work :s

interesting, that some russian "pro-gamers" just use cheap no name mouses and a clothpad and still rule :P

hm i miss a very important mouse

logitech wgm ?

The best ball mouse by far imo. (Wingman Gaming)

aaaaaah , the wingman gaming .. still have one in good shape =)

yeah that wingman

i dropped logitech a mail about that auction , maybe they'll listen some day.

Great read. N1.

Great work AND a nice article !
More of this stuff plz

You could get paid for this you know :) Writing articles like this for gaming magazines :P

Very nice work!! This microstuff, improve buttons is new to me.. When I compare the dual with and MS 3.0 I think the MS 3.0 buttons are more sensitive.. maybe Im wrong who know :).. anyway my MX500 rules :)

I thought the exact opposite =X

Logitech MX acceleration fix:

Change the following settings in "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Mouse" :

->delete the string value "MouseSensitivity"
->set "MouseSpeed" to "0"
->set "MouseThreshold1" to "0"
->set "MouseThreshold2" to "0"

Change the following settings in "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\LMouFlt2\Parameters\OpticalMouse11\0000"

->set "Acceleration" to "Off"
->set "MouseSpeedX" to "200"
->set "MouseSpeedY" to "200"
->set "Resolution" to "8"


Also, i removed the weight for the mouse, look for screenshots:
weight
bottom
without weight

Thanks for the tips... :>

is that using logi drivers or default win drivers?

i use complete mouseware. That way i can use all the buttons the mx500 has.

good read :)
that deserves a [+] :D

GREAT ARTICLE!

What Mouse/Mousepad are you using atm, tomcat?

very kewl article man! i use mx500 and icemat and it rocks. Did tested my mx500 iwth a ratpadz, allsob raindrop and an func but icemat black rulezzz

holy sweet mother of jesus what great work. I'm sorry I couldn't help you out with that mouse dude. :<

Nice work, HOF this people.

[+]

Sta ima na balkanu 'bre' 'buraz' 'materi' etc? :)

You should've mentioned that not all dual opticals work with the icemat. Also, you say that dual optical is bested controlled by hand - I find it quite the opposite. Though my grip is different from the one that you described - only my thumb and little finger rest on the side of the mouse and the other three are on top. (This grip developed while using my Microsoft Wheelmouse - that damn thing is SMALL! :)

An excellent read. Thank you.

i cannot find the first article of "Being a progamer" :(

great work tomcat, that's now the official "mouse&pad encyclopedia" here
nice fact that you actually tested everything, not simply came along with an opinion.

i went through the same process for one year, trying every mouse and pad i could get my hands on, therefore just a few comments:

1. you say the mx300 has almost exactly the shape of the pilot+, nevertheless the pilot+ is suited for both styles of grip, the mx300 for palming.
imo the mx300 is a pretty small mouse, it should be ideal for being held with the fingers only.
guess the grip depends on the size of one's hands compared to the size of the mouse.

2. you can get 800 dpi with mx mice by doing a driver-only install, have seen a detailed description on sogamed 2 days ago.

3. my experience with hard/soft pads was quite the opposite, i've found that flicks are easier to overshoot on more slippery pads, while tracking works very good, especially with a lowered sens. my reflex aim is clearly better on the allsop i use, shaft could be better. maybe it's just me ;)

2. you can get 800 dpi with mx mice by doing a driver-only install, have seen a detailed description on sogamed 2 days ago.


Where? I cant find it

don't have the link anymore, but i saved the file:


"MX500 Perfect Configuration (MX300 too) [bottom]
Posted by esu.elwood * @ 2003-01-01 08:02:05

Okay well the other day I bought an MX500 after having an MSIE3.0, and I knew a lot of people were complaining about drivers etc. but I figured I'd find some way to make it ok. Anyway after a bit of searching I've got the MX500 running without the Logitech Control Panel sort of drivers, but with 800 DPI (you have to edit regedit stuff, and have the drivers installed for this usually), no acceleration at all etc. etc.

I found a guide on www.clanwat.com and I've edited the guide for you guys because it was based a lot on Q3 engine games, the older drivers, PS2 (I know most people use USB so,) etc. This will also work for the MX300.

So here it is:

1) Download the Mouseware 9.75 drivers mw975enu.exe (http://www.logitech.com).

2) Extract ' mw975enu.exe ' to a temporary directory. Winzip and WinRAR can do this by right clicking the .exe icon and click Extract files.. for WinRAR and Winzip - Extract to for Winzip.

3) Uninstall any previous mouseware drivers by simply add/remove programs of Logitech Mouseware. There is no need to dig in the registry to uninstall anything.

4) Reboot (If asked to install mouse drivers, click cancel or go directly to display list of... - Have Disk then step 6)

5) Start - Settings - (Control Panel) - (System) - [HardWare] -
|Device Manager| + Mice and other pointing devices |_ Right+click the mouse is has there (most likely HID-compliant something or rather) and click on -properties- - [Driver] - |Update Driver| - |Next| - (*)Check Display a list of known.... - |Next| - |Have Disk| - Browse to the directory you extracted the ' mw975enu.exe ' Mouseware drivers file to and click ok.

7) A list will show up showing IBM and Logitech brand mice. Click on Logitech and scroll down until your see your mouse.

*If you use a USB mouse, click the MX3/500 optical. If a PS/2 mouse, scroll further down until your see MX3/500 PS/2
Click OK and Next to complete installation.

For USB it should be something like:

HID-compliant MX500 Optical Mouse
or MX300 if you have that.

8) Reboot (On startup, your mouse should be working fine with no driver issues. If not, try it again making sure you have chosen the correct .inf file)

You will notice Control Panel - Mouse isnt the usual bad Logitech drivers. Now to turn off Acceleration and set the correct speed.

9) Open regedit. Change the following value's data in CurrentControlSet, CurrentControlSet001, and CurrentControlSet002 (and any more CurrentControlSet0xx you may have):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\lmouflt2\Parameters\OpticalMouse12\0000 (if you have a MX300 it will be OpticalMouse11)

MouseSpeedX = 50
MouseSpeedY = 50
Acceleration = Off
Resolution = 8

*You should not have to add any values. Resolution sets 800 DPI, and the Speeds are set default/medium.


Hope that helps, and thanks of course to www.clanwat.com seeing as though it is mainly their guide. "

:) Thx

So true Torr :)

Nice... :)

On the modding thing, i can suggest another very imporant thing:

If u don't like the "clicks" done by the wheel (they were stronger in other mouses, i find mx300's very soft) you can open the mouse take a look at the wheel and force the metalic piece that goes inside the wheel to have a more open angle, this way your clicks will be clearer and you won't accidentally him them twice.

I'm also trying to make the other metal piece at the right of the wheel to be more responsive but i'm still testing around. I'm using the same piece of the old optical now because it gives more resistance (more solid feeling) altho the response time is just as bad as the old one.

Maybe i could make the plastic supports a bit lower... yea i'll try that tomorrow :)

POSTING SPREE!!!

1- very very good article

2- i've tried the clicktime thingy of the mouse buttons on my old logi wheelmouse optical and it was easy, but then when i attacked the mx300 the black cases were MUCH harder to open. Could you please explain how to do it better (suggestions)?

3- Same thing as before im lost with the thing u do with the paper on the mouse buttons, in my tests with the wheelmouse i placed the paper above the moving metalic thing, it seems to work but it no longer "clicks" (sound and feeling) as before, is this how you supoused it to be?

4- it would be great if there was a way to make the little MX300 central button (the new one) easier to use... i've tryied to "lift it up" so it stands out more but i'm not yet convinced, any ideas?

5- last but not least, i'm doing too many changes on my mouse and its still on the old grey/black colours, anyone there knows a good way to "paint" the plastic mouse pieces? Its a good mouse i use for important matches i don't want it to change weight or shape so it should be someting else than painting

pro gamer = having gaming as a profession. Imo.

one of the best / most complete mouse/mouse mat reviews i've seen !! good work ! ...but tss u left out ratpad :D guess u coodn't get one to try ;] nm

can any1 tell me how small/big that Allsop Raindrop mousepad is ?

exactly 24x20.5 cm and 5 mm high.
however, the corners are rounded, so the usable surface is a bit less than 24x20

how can you say that "there's now difference between the mx300 and the mx500" ? the MOST important thing about a mouse is the shape, and the Pilot-Shape is perfect in every way... but the mx500-Shape has to be used completely different so there IS a difference...

I am using mx300 and the Compad SpeedPad and i think it's the perfect combo... the speedpad allows me to control my mouse perfectly, because the mouse really STOPS when i want it to STOP, and that's a very good thing with mouseaccel 2.2 ;) the problem of the funcsurface is the fact that it is too FLUTSCHY...

my choices: SpeedPad for High Mouseaccel, Func Surface for lowsens and no accel... and of course the mx300 with the best shape ever...

i am using the HID-Compliant drivers, they are really smooth and perfectly fitting my needs ;) ... HID-Compliant !! but not the HID-Compliant MX300, remind ! :) together with the intellipoint software...

"Logitech MX 300 Yes Hand"

That's not true, the Pilot shape is controlled by the wrist, everyone will tell you that

anyways, very nice article, go on ;)

mx 300 -> hand
mx 500 -> wrist

I've yet to see a more 100% hand oriented player than me, big hand, long fingers and i absolutely need small mouses, mx300 is my daddy :D

yep. i think the term "hand" is a bit confusing, since some mean they're using only their fingers to control the mouse (mx300, high sens grip) whilst others mean they are palming the mouse, that is holding it with the whole hand, not only the fingers, and moving it with the wrist (mx500, low sens)

mmm i was wondering guys... i have a really cheap ball mouse + shite, pad would i get ne betta if i for eg. had an optical mouse + smooth surface pad...

if yes, by how much of a margine ? :/

It's unlikely you would get better at all. Just make sure your mouse and mousepad are kept clean and the tracking is consistent.

LOL i was hoping for a 'U WILL BE ABLE TO OWN NEONE SPEECH' :P..... but i guess we all have our dreams :P... this not being the only one ofcourse coughlosercough

sure, and you feel pretty frustrated when you have the latest "pro" stuff and still get your ass kicked by some guy with a cheap combo...

afaik most russian pros now use intelli or mx mice.

btw, does anyone know if this list is still up to date? other players not mentioned here? just to see what's more popular.

p.s. edited my comment to follow-up to your #54, they matched too good ;)

Ball mice and optical give a very different feel. With optical you have much less resistance. I use a MS optical on a very cheap plain blue clothmat (over 2$ for a mousemat is robbery) and it works as well as with expensive (awaits those who spend a lot of money on their shuper mousemat to protest).

But I would definately recommend picking up an optical mouse. They are pretty inexpensive and many prefer them for gaming+you never have to clean the mouse again.

Well, it seems to me that you have forgotten to review Wheel Mouse Optical, which is cheaper than MS Optical Blue and great for wrist users notwithstanding its less attractive apeprance.

Besides, I don't really agree with you that higher fiction= better tracking aim. IMO, high fiction only makes your mouse too sticky to track your enemy. Remember, when you are using hitscan weapons like MG or LG, you are pushing down the attack button while you track the opponent. As a result, higher friction because of the force yor finger put on the mousepad... But with low-friction pads like 1030, such things won't happen. Anyway it's my opinion.

i would like to know where i can get a hold of the GlidePad Big i looked on the webpage http://www.glidetapes.de/ but the only ship to germany, im i reaaaally low sens gamer :) and i need a big pad, any chance to get in denmark ?

Note that when u are using a steelpad u should consider using clothtape that is used to tape racingbike-steers as well.
This results in a very smooth and precise combination.

Imo the hard-plasticpads are wearing out too fast.

Btw, there IS a difference in texture between the Ratpadz and the Everglide pads.

Nicely done. The control attribute in the mouse tabel is a little tough to generalise on, people having different styles, preferences, handsizes etc. Very relevant attribute being a fundamental element of the ergonomic impression of the mouse, but very difficult to talk about. There seem to we more to it than hand, hand/wrist and wrist...

I must be really nerdish on this topic, I can't seem to find the link between this and pro gaming. I guess nerdishness is a common attribute to a pro - No need for further resemblence :o)

very well done article
it was alot of work , but its a great help to those looking for the right mouse combo

Hi everyone, I am glad that you liked it.

I'd like to thank the respectable companies once more and of course the ESR staff (Carmac did a great work making this article look like it does now).

I am already working on the final article in this series which will address other aspects of pro gaming.

Any questions you may have can be sent to the email address mentioned in the article and I will be glad to answer them.

Cheers!

plus for u my friend.... u hella deserved it... AND ALL FOR OUR BENEFIT !!! *h00j hug* btw i dont see nethin wrong wif 2 guys hugging :D =/.... oh im asking to get my ass flamed... oh well

Tell me, why is Logitech Pilot+ a wrist mouse and mx 300 a hand mouse, when both have the exact same shape?
And why aint Logitech Pilot and MS Intelli ball mouse included in this article? =)
I really miss the old times where every one used ball mouse, then you really needed the feeling to actually play good.
Ball mouses give a different feeling, thats a matter a fact.
Imo thats the mouse that gives feeling at all. No friciton mouses, refering to Optical gives me no feeling. Old times are definitely the best true trimes of gaming history imo..

A great article, very well research nice job, would've been nice to rate them clearly such as a mark out of 10.

gg =]

Am im missing something here? The MS Intellimouse Optical IS ambidextrous. The side buttons are placed on the both sides...

wow must have taken u a while mate! lol Nice job! MS Explorer 3.0 rulez for me!! :D

very nice article!

Nice article, interesting info on mice optical technologies and some good ideas for mouse click reaction times.

Good reading!

- Jedi

Great article, though it reminded me that I should publish my review of the Glidetapes, Icemat black and 3M optical surface soon :P. I actually completely forgot...I have it right here though, but it needs some fixing before I'll publish it but I can tell you did a nice job on at least the Icemat :). The part about the dirt is so true. I clean it at least every two days, but that's because I'm lazy. It should be cleaned every day imo, cuz it feels best after a nice clean :).

Never had any problem with my dual optical & Icemat. It even tracked better than most surfaces. Glidetapes pad tracks better for my dual optical though.

As for the difference between White and Black Icemat: I believe it has to do with light absorb / reflection of both colours. I believe black suits opticals best as a colour, but don't pin me down on this. The black Icemat is supposed to track better with any optical over the white one I reckon...

Another thing I would like to address. I use win98 with my mx300 and have no accel problems + mouseware. I've suggested it even before I had the actual mouse, but nobody cared to try, but anyway, just install the 9.61 drivers. Yes, THE best mouseware drivers ever made. Plug the mouse in the PS/2 port et voila...200 hz ps/2 port + no accel + mouseware + 800 DPI. It detects the mx300 (prolly for tests at Logitech's, so I do reckon these are beta drivers for the MX series) perfectly. The USB HID is bugged though, but that one has always been bugged. The intellimouse standard HID used to track better with my dual optical, so...usb is just screwed :).

o_O

umm what about trackball?

logitech trackball is the best
I've used it for 4 yrs after gaming for many years with regular mouse

Mouse Trackball sucks... :p

Yes there was an error in the presentation, the Logitech MX 300 is a wrist controled mouse as it can be concluded from the text (similarity with the Pilot), only the table was broken when edited.

As for those of you who are having problem opening a micro switch seek the old wisdom - "When you can't open it, use a bigger hammer."

And a lot of people asked me what mouse/pad I use. That's no secret I am currently using an MX300 and an Allsop. Got the one with the stones motive, it matches up nicely with MX design.

Tomcat is a living legend.

hell yes. gw work budie, please conitnue your carirer as a gamer...

tfa needs you!

lol who's the anonymous I wonder :P I continued my carrier as gamer but only I play darts now, RL :)

gj mate, i'm not really interested in the topic but still it made a good read.. :)

btw, i use pilot optical.. what do you make of it?

This is a marketing for vendors to sell more products..
its not good for costumers..
TAKE OFF IT!!

see u

omg long article ! :o

Extremely Informative!!! Thanks tomcat :)

now i can enter in Sk team :) prepare urself
nice job tomcat :)

how come there is a picture of an allsop pad for almost every thing? also the microsoft blue mouse has only 2500 scans per second

i like my mx500 and func 1030

sooooooo teh rest of you can go lay eggs in the kitchen and bake your cats some pie

hehe i am to play quake for 2 months now and soon I am pro hehe.

Where is "Being a Pro Gamer: How fast you frag" ?

I want to read it ,thx!

me 2 :|

i got a 50p mousemat from Ikea :D thanks swedes!
And a defualt microsoft ball mouse with a wheel, thats about it. wayhay

For those who asked for Being a Pro Gamer, http://galeb.etf.bg.ac.yu/~tomcat/beapro1.htm

I'm still having mouseaccel problems with my mx500 and I wish somebody could help me out.

Negative mouseaccel is what troubles me. I followed the tutorial created by clan WAT? Adventually I wasn't able to track a "LMouFlt2" folder in the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\

However, I could find all the lines mentioned in different folders and changed them all. I tried this with the 9.75 and 9.76 drivers. Both gave me extra mouseaccel that I wasn't able to remove. Not trough my register and not trough my control pannel.

I also tried the 9.61 drivers (normal install) but this gave me the same result as installing 9.75/76 normal, negative mouseaccel. It's hard to track this, but making a slow spin, and than spinning back the same distance you use on your mousepath, but twice as fast doesn't ever bring me on the same spot or over it.

I'm on windows 98.
Any possible help =/