I Can’t Get Excited About Mice that Aren’t Gaming Mice

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What is a mouse without 15 buttons? A waste of my dominant hand, that’s what.

I wrote in my review of the Steelseries Rival 500 that the gaming mouse made an excellent productivity tool. It’s more than that now though. It’s a necessity for how I use my computer. As a result, I can’t look at many mice anymore. They’re all subpar. How do people get by using a mouse just for pointing and clicking?

My MOBA mouse made me a mouse snob, and too few manufacturers realize just how beneficial these mice are in everyday use, as well as gaming.

Macros, Shortcuts, and More!

Look at your mouse. Put your hand on it. Leave your other hand on your keyboard. Which has more functions? The keyboard, obviously. But… why? You’ve likely got your dominant hand on your mouse, and you’re leaving it to just… point and click? Don’t you think you can trust that hand for more intense tasks? Maybe a squeeze. Maybe more buttons by the thumb? Index finger? Middle finger? You can easily find multiple points to press, right?

What would you want those to do? What are things you frequently do?

Copy/paste? Move around spaces in macOS? Switch between applications? Zoom in or out in a photo editor? Maybe you normally hold down a modifier key and scroll to move around in an application. All of that would be easier if it just took a flick of your thumb, wouldn’t it?

MOBA mice are made for macros. They’re made to be customized for each game, each playstyle, each character. That means they’re also made for productivity. You can do all of those macros outside of games. You can have different shortcuts for different applications, like skip tracks in Spotify, or open a new tab in Firefox. Whatever you want a shortcut for at the press of the button is yours.

Ergonomics

One of the reasons I loved using a trackpad was the gestures it provided. I used BetterTouchTool to augment the gestures macOS already provides for users. I was swiping between desktop spaces, copying text, defining items, and more. But, as it turns out, I was snapping my wrist around while leaving it elevated slightly. Between that and playing tennis, I hurt my wrist. Fortunately, thanks to switching to a gaming mouse, my wrist is just as good as ever.

That’s because gaming mice were already made with ergonomics in mind. They were made for people who spend hours a day with their hand glued to the thing. Of course it’s comfortable! You likely don’t use your mouse as much as someone playing a game does. As a result, it’s over-engineered for your wrist. Many of them are made for multiple types of grips as well. I can hold my wrist almost like I’m holding a vertical mouse, and still reach all of the buttons. As far as ergonomics are concerned, you can’t beat it. If you’re thinking about using something at the office all day, and you don’t want to injure your wrist, a gaming mouse is perfect.

No, Razer, This isn’t a Productivity Mouse

This is what inspired this post. I had heard Razer was making a “Productivity Suite.” It seems their website hasn’t been updated yet to reflect the items reviewers are looking at, but you can find the pages for the mouse, keyboard, and mousepad here. Also check out these reviews of the products for an idea of what I’m talking about. Their press page is here.

Not Really a Productivity Keyboard Either…

While I’m at it, desktops are shrinking. Whether it’s because you’re working from home or because your office has decided to cram more people into a smaller space. Of course, that might change now that COVID has shown us just how terrible the office is for spreading disease.

The point I’m making is you don’t need a large keyboard with so much empty space. A typical “full size” keyboard has so much space between the main alphanumeric keys, the arrow keys, and then the numpad. A truly more ergonomic solution would be a 65% keyboard that also has a numpad. Basically, no F-key row, no large space between the number pad and the alphanumeric keys, and arrow keys built in to the main key area. Such a keyboard looks like this:

Nice, right?

There’s an even better solution as well: completely separate number pads. Razer went with Bluetooth wireless with these, along with an included optional dongle for wireless. That dongle, as well as Bluetooth, can support a wide variety of connected peripherals. Basically, give users a 65% keyboard, something that shrinks your average keyboard down into a much smaller package. Then add a number pad separately. This would allow people to put it on the left side, so they don’t have to hold their arm as far out for use of the mouse. It’s better ergonomics for an office setting, and makes use of our more limited desk space.

That’s thinking of productivity first, rather than just offering your normally all black and RGB lineup in plain white and silver.

My Recommendations

Steelseries Rival 500

This mouse hasn’t changed much in years, which leads me to believe Steelseries doesn’t realize what a goldmine it is. It’s the perfect mouse for productivity and gaming. I like to use the easy to access buttons on the mouse for controls in my games. For example, in Borderlands 2 on my Mac, I use it to swap weapons, melee attack, throw grenades, pick up/use items, and more. For the Borderlands Pre-Sequel, which uses a lot of a jumping and slamming mechanic, I actually used it for jump and couch as well. This allowed me to keep my left hand more focused on non-aiming activities.

But what about productivity?

Steelseries’ software suit allows you to set up macros that change based on the application you’re using. Debug controls in Android Studio, marking emails as read in mail, or just keeping the macros global, it’s up to you. I like to have global controls for moving around my spaces, activating Mission Control, and switching between apps. I even set up a button to serve as the macOS feature “look up” so I can quickly define new words, run a more advanced spell check for brands or names, or search for unfamiliar phrases or people in the dictionary or Wikipedia, with just a mouse click!

The Steelseries Rival 500 is great for this because every button is designed with ergonomics in mind. Your thumb naturally rests at the side of this device, where you can access most of the buttons with a flick or a press. That’s why I picked it over the other options I’ll suggest, and it’s why I bought two of these.

Razer Naga

The other way you could go is maximizing productivity and capabilities. The Razer Naga Trinity has different sides. One has a 12 button array, one has a 7 button array in a circular area, and the other is a standard back/forward mouse button array. The 7 button array may be easier to memorize, but the 12 button array will give you far more options. Also, each button is shaped differently, sculpted around where your thumb would rest, so you can easily feel each button. I had a coworker who swore by his Naga for productivity, but I went with the Steelseries for the more accessible buttons in a layout that could prevent accidental clicks.

Scimitar Pro Elite/RBG

This is a mouse much like the Razer Naga, with a 12 button array on the side in a grid. However, it’s hard to come by. I couldn’t find a retailer with it new in stock as of this writing. I did find a review that pointed out that they couldn’t go back to a normal gaming mouse thanks to how useful it was in gaming and productivity. It’s almost like we’re on to something here!

Logitech G600

This option doesn’t appear to have as strong of ergonomics, however it’s the most customizable of them all. The side has 12 buttons, but the mouse also has 20 buttons in total, including a “shift” button, that allows you to apply different functionality to each of the other buttons. It’s also on the cheaper end of this spectrum, coming in at $59.99.

And…?

That’s it. My top two suggestions are either the Steelseries Rival 500 or the Razer Naga. Despite these mice being incredibly handy, there aren’t many mice that focus on creating as many usability options as possible. This is insane to me. I know I’m not the only person who does this, as I’ve worked with other software engineers who use their gaming mice for the same reason.

The real productivity mice are the ones that were made for gamers. The ones that are made to last forever, provide macros and shortcuts at your fingertips, and don’t believe in wasting time or effort with keyboard shortcuts. You should have everything you need within the reach of one of your fingers. That’s productivity. I’d love to see Steelseries, Razer, or even Logitech, focusing on providing office users with more ergonomic solutions that also take into account that mice with many buttons make great productivity device. For now, I’ll take my gamer aesthetics to the office if it means doing my best work. The RGB lighting is cool anyway. But do you know what else would be cool? A wireless MOBA mouse without RGB and a more professional appearance. I don’t need another version of Logitech’s boring options, I need a gaming mouse made for the office.