Some people, even today, still miss those archaic ball mice that we used decades ago. But like everything when we talk about technology, modern mice have evolved so much that they have left the old ones in the lurch, and we are no longer talking about comparing a current mouse with a ball mouse, but rather that its technology has evolved so much in the last, say, 5 years, that it would be almost absurd to think otherwise. In this article, we tell you the keys.
With what we are going to show you below, we are not going to refer only to those mice that cost an arm and a leg and that incorporate all the latest technologies available today. No. Even if we compare a cheap (but fairly decent, of course) modern mouse with any of the old mice that were “good” five years ago, you’ll realize that the differences are more than palpable… let’s see it.
The keys that leave ancient mice in the lurch
The mouse sensor accounts for almost three quarters of its functionality (the other quarter would be the buttons, of course), and therefore it is the most important part of it, at least in terms of performance. Mouse sensors have evolved so much in recent years that even the optical sensor on any $20 mouse will be more accurate than any old mouse.
Of course, you will never need to move the mouse as precisely as its characteristics indicate, but having an accurate sensor will always be beneficial because you will have fewer inaccuracy errors. Today, all mouse sensors are very good, although there are well-known brands such as Logitech, Avago or PixArt that have taken this quality to excellence.
What is clear is that the days of unreliable optical or laser sensors are long gone, at least for brands of some reputation.
The second key is data transmission, because nowadays wireless mice are just as good as wired ones. Wireless technology has also come a long way in recent years, and today wireless mice have the same precision, sensitivity, and latency as any wired mouse.
And, if at the beginning we told you that the sensor was 75% of the mouse, the other 25% are the buttons and the wheel , another of the key elements that have evolved for the better in recent years and that leave the mice old as useless paperweights. The switches in today’s mice are just as good as keyboards or even better, they are extremely reliable and have a life time that will allow you to enjoy your mouse for many, many years.
Another of the aspects in which modern mice have evolved a lot with respect to the old ones is in design . Nowadays, manufacturers take great care of aspects such as ergonomics, to be able to use the device throughout the day without problems, or even the weight , making them increasingly lighter to have less inertia and to aim better when we make violent movements, especially in games. .
In the past, almost all mice had the same shape and few cared about weight (in fact, many of them included a weight system to ADD weight, when today the trend is that they weigh less and less to generate less inertia), but today these aspects are of the greatest importance.
Another key that has helped make the difference is the friction studies that manufacturers have done to integrate the shape and material of the mice’s feet. They are generally made of Teflon, which is highly resistant to wear but generates very little friction, and its shape is usually in line with that of the mouse, generally being oversized. In ancient mice, either there was nothing, or these feet were four little circles that hardly did anything.
Finally, another aspect that has evolved a lot is aesthetics; both for ergonomics and for shape, RGB lighting or colours, it is an aspect that users take more and more into account, and aware of this, manufacturers do nothing but launch mice that are increasingly attractive.
You have already seen it, there are many keys that make modern mice much better than the old ones. Obviously, it is possible that you have a mouse that is five or more years old and that it still works perfectly, that it was TOP in its day, and that you have no intention of changing it, but have you ever stopped to think about how old your mouse is and what characteristics it has? Are you resigning for not renewing it?
