Higher DPI Mouse: What's the deal?

[unclejr]

Hey, quick question to gamers/graphic artists/general mouse users. I've been seeing talk about mouse tracking resolution for 20 years. I haven't ever (ever) understood what the issue is, exactly. Can you feel a difference in tracking with a higher res mouse? What does one look for?

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Without checking, doesn't that mean Dots Per Inch? Therefore, the higher the number, the more accurate it is in reference to the screen resolution, because it "skips" less (or no) pixels.

A bit spotty what I just wrote I'll admit, but I think that makes the most sense.

 

[roastpuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheMarchingMule /img/forum/go_quote.gif Without checking, doesn't that mean Dots Per Inch? Therefore, the higher the number, the more accurate it is in reference to the screen resolution, because it "skips" less (or no) pixels. A bit spotty what I just wrote I'll admit, but I think that makes the most sense.

Not exactly...

More DPI = more sensitivity. Less mouse movement will be needed to move the pointer on the screen a set distance.

 

[leftnose]

Yes, you can sense a difference with a higher DPI mouse. The cursor will track more smoothly and faster than with a lower DPI mouse.

 

[TheMarchingMule]

Quote:

Originally Posted by roastpuff /img/forum/go_quote.gif Not exactly... More DPI = more sensitivity. Less mouse movement will be needed to move the pointer on the screen a set distance.

Naw, DPI and sensitivity are two different things. Similar, but different.

 

[unclejr]

Yeah, DPI is definitely dots per inch.

So it sounds like what we're referring to as 'sensitivity' is something about the ratio of physical mouse movement transduced into cursor movement. (Correct me please if I'm wrong.)

Are these mouse resolution figures sensitivity i.e. transduction of mouse movement to cursor movement, or are we talking something else here? I'm happy to see I'm not the only one apparently confused by this.

leftnose, are you saying you've tried two mice at different DPIs and this is your experience?

What, exactly, is the problem that higher DPI mice are trying to solve?

 

[sentinl]

In sort terms more DPI the faster the mouse will move on your screen. Basically if its 1600 DPI it will move a supposed 1600 pixels per inch you move your mouse. I use a 400DPI mouse and I have to have it low sensitivity otherwise it is too uncontrollable.

 

[unclejr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sentinl /img/forum/go_quote.gif In sort terms more DPI the faster the mouse will move on your screen. Basically if its 1600 DPI it will move a supposed 1600 pixels per inch you move your mouse. I use a 400DPI mouse and I have to have it low sensitivity otherwise it is too uncontrollable.

Oh. If this is true, that makes sense. So how would this translate into favorability for gaming and graphic design? Would gamers want super sensitivity to move across the screen faster? Does limiting a high res mouse for a given screen resolution proffer any control benefits?

 

[Seaside]

Let's think about this way.

1600 DPI vs. 400DPI => 1600 DPI mouse can move cursor 4 times faster across the screen. To do so, 1600 DPI mouse have to process things fast => Better & faster controller equipped => Better precision/responsiveness can be achieved => Gives a gamer an edge over old mouse user.

Fast Shooting Game where who shots fast wins, a gamer with higher DPI mouse can move his line of fire faster than the other guy, which means shorter response time. So, that's important, especially, for hardcore gamers. High DPI mouse also is nice at high resolution settings like 1920*1200 or higher. 1600DPI mouse can move the cursor arround the screen quite fast, while 400 DPI mouse is... kinda... slow.

 

[roastpuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by unclejr /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh. If this is true, that makes sense. So how would this translate into favorability for gaming and graphic design? Would gamers want super sensitivity to move across the screen faster? Does limiting a high res mouse for a given screen resolution proffer any control benefits?

Switchable DPI allows for a on-the-fly change of sensitivity without fiddling with the software control panel. This allows graphic artists to exert better control when editing or modifying a design - more precision.

Gamers love it because it gives them quicker movement and response time, especially to threats from behind - the pros all run cranked-up mice and barely move their hands on the mousepads in games, because they can do a 360 with just a flick of the wrist. It's just a matter of getting used to the super-fast response-time. Slowing it up also makes it easier for those who prefer to snipe from afar - less prone to movement as you lie in wait for your target.

I think the human brain is the limiting factor in this - and it's adaptable, so you could keep the sensitivity high and then just adjust mentally to the increased speed. Limiting the mouse itself wouldn't really do anything but hamper its performance.

 

[Xert]

Your average computer user isn't going to want anything more than 800 DPI.

'Course, no one on head-fi is "average".

 

[Punnisher]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seaside /img/forum/go_quote.gif Let's think about this way. 1600 DPI vs. 400DPI => 1600 DPI mouse can move cursor 4 times faster across the screen. To do so, 1600 DPI mouse have to process things fast => Better & faster controller equipped => Better precision/responsiveness can be achieved => Gives a gamer an edge over old mouse user. Fast Shooting Game where who shots fast wins, a gamer with higher DPI mouse can move his line of fire faster than the other guy, which means shorter response time. So, that's important, especially, for hardcore gamers. High DPI mouse also is nice at high resolution settings like 1920*1200 or higher. 1600DPI mouse can move the cursor arround the screen quite fast, while 400 DPI mouse is... kinda... slow.

This is debatable, and very subjective.

Have you ever seen the pro-gamers take on one-another? I remember some of the professional counter-strike players using mouse setting 1.0 (the slowest possible).

I think high DPI is a bit overrated.

Though on the fly switching is handy for some games and Photoshop.

 

[xxbaker]

you can slow down the mouse track speed on the computer, and increase it on the mouse which gives it a smoother feel. at a certain point it really doesn't matter that much. the main thing is that laser mice which also happen to work a lot better different surfaces than optical mice also have a higher dpi. doesn't matter that much in the end. to be fair i use a logitech G5 =]

 

[helicopter34234]

Optical mice take sucessive pictures of the surface they are on top of and using a method called optical flow can calculate the mouse displacement between pictures. DPI (dots per inch) is refering to the resolution of this in mouse imaging system in terms of how fine of texture the imaging system can "read". If your mouse pad has textures that are smaller (more fine) than the DPI of the mouse then your mouse won't read it and it will be "too smooth". Laser mice have IR laser lights instead of the red or blue leds of regular optical mice and this tends to allow the mice to "see" the mouse pad texture better (and runs more efficiently so is good for batteries).

Bottom line is more DPI means your mouse is more sensative as a device to small displacements.

For instance lets say we have a 500 DPI mouse and a 2000 DPI mouse, the 2000 DPI mouse will be 4 times more sensative to small movements. Let's say we adjusted the cursor sensativity in windows so that our 500 DPI mouse moves the cursor the same distance as the 2000 DPI does when both mice are displaced the same distance. The 2000 DPI mouse will have 5 times the precision at positioning your cursor as the 500 DPI mouse, even though both mice would have the same nominal sensativity (mouse displacement to cursor movement). This added "precision" can be useful.

 

[FrederikS|TPU]

It depends on the sensitivity. If you play with a low or medium sensitivity on a normal resolution screen 400-800 DPI is more than enough to produce coherent tracking on screen.

Lets make a 1 to 1 scenario here a 400 DPI mouse will make a 400 px movement on screen accurately (down to 1 px movement which is the minimum distance the cursor can travel on screen) if you move it one inch. So if you think that is not fast enough try it with a 800 DPI mouse that will cover the same area with only 0.5" wrist movement at the same sensitivity (overall sensitivity is higher due to the higher DPI count).

The ratio between DPI and on screen movement is the sensitivity. In order to maintain coherent tracking you should always have a mouse with a higher DPI than the desired movement requires (or exactly the right amount). So if your desired speed is 800 px per inch of movement on the mat you need a 800 DPI mouse or above, anything above that will not make it more precise.

The only thing that really matters is if the sensor is able to track the movement across the surface precisely. My IME 3.0 and 1.1 can do this on a black surface but not on some of the newer mats or my desk for that matter some of the newer laser based mice are much less dependent on surface absorption and can therefore produce coherent estimations on movement on lots of different surfaces.

Before buying a mouse you should consider the following: Your preferred sensitivity at what resolution, ergonomics, and if you use a mat as a surface or play on your desk.

Get a mouse that suits your needs, this is not necessarily a 8000 DPI monster mouse that costs $1,000,000.00, it will not make you any more precise if you play at a low sensitivity. It might even make you worse because high DPI sensors have problems with tracking the surface at high speeds, speeds which only low or medium sensitivity gamers reach.

Wow what a short story haha, hope you understand it.

Oh and BTW: most people prefer a low to medium sensitivity which means that a 800 DPI will provide you with more than enough speed at a less than 1 to 1 sensitivity ratio. The best analogy to this DPI hype is the megapixel war going on in the digital camera industry.