So, I'm gotten myself to rank 18K. I started with an old optical mouse that I absolutely hated and upgraded to an M65 a while ago - which is a laser mouse that worked really well for my grip (playing at 700 DPI). It's been really good to me except now I'm starting to notice some of the annoying defects with its sensor and design in comparison to my optical mouse when playing osu!:

- Every once in a while (60 minutes or so), the mouse jerks off the screen and can make me miss notes. It's annoying.

- The sensor is slightly inaccurate. As someone who plays a bit of Quake and CS:GO, I noticed this from day one, but kept the mouse because of its ergonomics. In Osu! however, since I've been playing faster and more jumpy maps, the issues with the sensor accuracy/acceleration are actually noticeable in comparison to my old optical mouse.

- The weight. It's actually sort of nice to have a moderately heavy mouse in shooters, considering how I mouse my mouse. But in Osu!, I'm constantly changing the direction in which my cursor is moving, and even with all the weights out of the mouse, and the momentum of the mouse makes it hard to switch directions.

I've been contemplating either getting a nice optical mouse that is small enough for my hands and is good for a claw/fingertip grip, and doesn't weight a ton. But then on the other hand, I could get a tablet for just a little more. I don't want to brew up the 'tablet vs mouse' argument again, but I'm in a case where I'm stuck between upgrading my mouse or getting a tablet. Is it worth it learning how to use a tablet, after getting good with a mouse? Is it practical to keep shooting for 2K< rank with only a mouse?

Jarcode wrote:

considering how I mouse my mouse

mouse dat mouse

Eh, It's all up to you, learning tablet is fine, but I believe you're aware that it's going to take time getting used to it. Changing only your mouse is going to be easier to get used to, naturally. You can get anywhere you want with whatever peripheral you choose - it's all about the effort you put in, not really about learning either being "worth" more than the other.

Kokozord wrote:

Jarcode wrote:

considering how I mouse my mouse

mouse dat mouse

I totally meant to say that.

I'm totally fine with having to get used to a tablet. Are there any high-ranking mouse players that can vouch for sticking with the mouse (is it more fun)? I'm just constantly discouraged in getting good with the mouse knowing that pretty much everyone in the top 1K ranks all use a tablet.

Jarcode wrote:

I'm totally fine with having to get used to a tablet. Are there any high-ranking mouse players that can vouch for sticking with the mouse (is it more fun)? I'm just constantly discouraged in getting good with the mouse knowing that pretty much everyone in the top 1K ranks all use a tablet.

https://osu.ppy.sh/u/213014

https://osu.ppy.sh/u/495272

https://osu.ppy.sh/u/343865

Those are top 50's, I believe there's more mouse players up there but those are the most well known.

Kokozord wrote:

https://osu.ppy.sh/u/213014

https://osu.ppy.sh/u/495272

https://osu.ppy.sh/u/343865

Those are top 50's, I believe there's more mouse players up there but those are the most well known.

Maybe I should increase my DPI, because it looks like everyone uses a higher sensitivity than me... I just lose accuracy if I go over 700 DPI

Jarcode wrote:

Kokozord wrote:

https://osu.ppy.sh/u/213014

https://osu.ppy.sh/u/495272

https://osu.ppy.sh/u/343865

Those are top 50's, I believe there's more mouse players up there but those are the most well known.

Maybe I should increase my DPI, because it looks like everyone uses a higher sensitivity than me... I just lose accuracy if I go over 700 DPI

Most mouse players use between 400 and 800 dpi from what I've read. I believe it's all personal preference, go for whatever makes you comfortable.

Kokozord wrote:

Most mouse players use between 400 and 800 dpi from what I've read. I believe it's all personal preference, go for whatever makes you comfortable.

There's no point in going lower, and I feel like I need to go higher because I'm not agile enough to jump across the screen at 700.

I might end up ordering a tablet anyways. I can't go over 700 DPI without losing the ability to play HR maps well, my mouse is too heavy for osu! anyway, and I'm having trouble finding a mouse that is small enough for my hands and my grip, other than the M45, which is the exact same mouse as mine with an optical sensor.

I'm eye balling this: http://www.ncix.com/detail/wacom-intuos ... 9-1485.htm

just curious, but what exactly was your old optical mouse?

Microsoft Comfort 3000 Optical Mouse: http://puu.sh/9jWHb/8a0c77e72d.jpg

The way it bulges out at the back and how I hold my mouse makes using it uncomfortable. I'd rather use a mouse with bad tracking over a mouse I can't even hold.

New mouse or new tablet?

Tablet ftw! To find a good one just look at whatever the proffesionals have or somthn

If you go for mouse you should get something like DeathAdder 2013 or Steelseries Sensei. Otherwise go for tablet

If you choose to stay with mouse, get either the Corsair Raptor M40 or the M45. These two mice have practically the same shape as your current mouse if not exactly the same shape, and they come with the ADNS-3090 and PMW-3310 sensors respectively. Each of these sensors are "perfect", meaning no hardware acceleration, angle snapping, etc.

Depends on you .

If you're the person to go and try new things, tablet .

If you like to stick with what you started with, mouse .

Since you mentioned that you played FPSes, it might be more worthwhile for you to just get a nice optical mouse that performs well at lower DPIs (such as the Logitech G502, the Mionix Naos/Avior 7000, Steelseries Rival, or Corsair M45).

I'm very surprised no one here has mentioned anything about mouse pads. I use a Black Element (mouse) and the Steel Series 4HD (mouse pad). The mouse is great and I have absolutely no problems with it (it's also quite cheap, I got mine for only 30 dollars). I noticed the biggest improvement when I got the pad though, not the mouse. It improved my aim a huge amount, and I could never go back to using another surface.

My DPI is 2080 (1600 DPI with 1.3x sensitivity, I'm not too sure why I wanted to have a lower DPI on my desktop but that's just how I've always played) and I use a finger tip grip though I have a friend close to my rank who only uses 800 and plays with a palm grip. So it really is just personal preference, and whatever you take time to learn. Like Kokozord has pointed out, there are a few mouse players in the top 50 as well.

You asked if it's worth sticking with a mouse and from my point of view it really is. You already have experience aiming with a mouse and it seems to be either the mouse you're using or the surface that's the problem. Using a mouse puts you in the minority (other than OP touch screen and track pad users lol) and it also is great training since it is more difficult to get accustomed to. It's also just a lot of fun once you get good at it. Most skill from mouse also translates over to tablet, so you can get to a high rank with a mouse first and then switch if you ever felt like it.

Also, using a mouse will also make you better at other games you play (such as CS). I can vouch for that as I also play shooting games (I don't even use the same DPI for those, but I've found it doesn't matter since the most important skills you pick up have to do with reaction time and learning how to aim at targets quicker, which this game seems to train regardless of the DPI you choose to use).

If you have problems with acceleration, I would look into getting a new mouse or using your original one with a nice mouse pad. Also make sure everything to do with mouse acceleration is off. This is what I used to get rid of mouse acceleration, though from what you said it might just be your mouse or the surface you play on. I would recommend you just try out different things until you find something comfortable that works.

Never give up!

Depends on you, but I'll tell you what happened with me.

Playing the game for around 11 months now, using a R.O.G GX800 mouse - it doesn't matter the model, it was a laser mouse anyway, and with all its sensor inaccuracies, I've managed myself to get to rank 1.2k with it. I started getting really really annoyed with it, grip prolems, etc etc, I faced exactly the same crossroads as you(was close to making a thread too), except at a pretty high rank(I mean, 1.2k rank and wanting to switch devices? lel. One would tell me its quite risky). Decided to go with tablet in the end.

(I have not touched a tablet in my life before this point) I have the tablet for around 5 days now. I am already nearing the level of 11 months of mouse usage - hell, I even got 10 pp since then. I was expecting this kind of improvement in one month, AT BEST. Maybe I just "got it" relatively quickly. Or maybe my mouse was so bad it held me back severely. It may be different for a lot of people, depending on the settings they set like area, and the grip style and etc. Seems I picked the settings and researched grips that work really well somehow. I practiced grips on random pens even before getting the tablet itself.


I'm not saying you'll see magic happening when you get tablet, but if you ever want to get a little more serious at the game, its worth a shot. I still personally think preference still plays a part. Some people moved from tablet to mouse and experienced magic (LoGo and Vmx I think? LoGo for sure.). So there you have it.

I'm not going to end my post in ambiguity tho, so based on my personal experiences, I'd say go with tablet. I'm not even used to it yet and there are improvements in gameplay already.

I've been playing OSU with mouse for about 4-5 years now and ordered a tablet 1 week ago. I'll tell you that either way, someday you'll just want to buy a tablet out of curiosity just to experience something new, might as well make it now... No?