Why you shouldn't believe everything you hear on Youtube

[Arya]

Over the last two weeks I've had to order a new mouse. And that meant doing research, working out what I wanted, the usual. Something I was told over and over again was that Laser Sensors are totally obsolete.

Most Youtube channels; most every hit I found on Google concurred that Laser sensors are less accurate than Optical sensors, suffer from acceleration and are completely unworkable on cloth mousepads.

And so I ordered a MadCatz Rat Pro-X and assumed it'd have a modern Optical sensor. Most of those sold did. It arrived today with a Pixart ADNS Laser sensor. I wasn't too happy.

But I unboxed it anyway and decided to test. I'm coming off a Swiftpoint Z with a similar grip shape, similar foot layout and virtually identical weight. And it ran a Pixart PWM-3360 Optical sensor, widely considered to be superior to anything else on the market. So surely it would be a good match.

After a couple of hours, I prefer the Laser sensor. I've thrown every test I can think of at it, and it's every bit as accurate as the Optical. I actually shoot better with it, although I don't know whether that's down to ergonomics or the sensor itself. It certainly feels as good if not better, especially at low DPI. My only complaint was the default Lift-Off height, which I needed to adjust.

There's no risk of a placebo effect, since I'd actually assumed it would be worse. And it's not the surface either; they were both run on my battered old Corsair soft mouse pad, which again should've made this a walkover.

At the end of the day I'm happily keeping my new Laser equipped mouse, and will only buy a hard pad for it because my soft pad is so old and torn up. It goes to show; do your own research. Youtube is a very good source of information, but most tech channels rely on views. And most tech channels will sensationalize stories if they think it'll turn a profit.

[REZ₪NIK]

Well done mate, a great day indeed.

[N3tRunn3r]

I mainly dont believe and trust anyone on this planet. And especially nothing what happens within the WorldWideWeb.

[anrkyuk]

This post reminded me just how much I miss my old Logitech MX1000

[Revelene]

Both have their pros and cons. Which one to use highly depends on the user and the specific sensor.

Personally, I enjoy optical sensors for their higher accuracy. Though it is a must to have a laser mouse for travel.

Oh, fun fact, optical is a laser.

[Monk]

I'm pretty sure that's the same sensor that's in my Asus Rog spatha, so far it's been amazing with none of the downsides people complain about, intact, I liked it so much, I now have two of them, one for the couch, one for my main rig :)

[CursedPanther]

So you've figured out the warranty issue, or just decided to brave it?

[Arya]

Originally posted by CursedPanther:

So you've figured out the warranty issue, or just decided to brave it?

I've decided to keep it. One of the cool things about the Rat Pro is the sensors are interchangable, and pretty cheap. I could pick up a PWN-3360 Optical pod for about $40 later if I get sick of the laser. I doubt that'll happen, I actually prefer this.

Originally posted by Monk:

I'm pretty sure that's the same sensor that's in my Asus Rog spatha, so far it's been amazing with none of the downsides people complain about, intact, I liked it so much, I now have two of them, one for the couch, one for my main rig :)

Maybe, I'm not sure. This is branded as a Pixart ADNS 9800, while the Spathas are branded as Avago 9800s. That's something I'll try to find out.

Whatever the case, I'm loving the Rat Pro so far. It may be screaming neon green, but underneath the slightly silly gamer aesthetic is a brilliantly pragmatic design. It's very comfortable, almost impossibly light and the mouse feet are the best I've ever used. I really hope Ceramic feet catch on and become mainstream, they're a delight.

[Monk]

Yeah I loved the madcatz mmo7 I used for several years, only issue was the thumb buttons were so damn flimsy and badly designed that I broke 3 of them in 2 years, I looked at the pro, butt it didn't have the buttons I wanted, A shame as that whole range are crazy comfortable, but, with them going bust, not sure if I'd grab one now, it's an expensive mouse with no warranty.