Wired vs Wireless Gaming Mouse Latency - Final Answer!
Summary
TLDRThis script explores the myth of latency differences between wired and wireless gaming mice. Through testing using NVIDIA's Latency Display Analysis Tool (LDAP), it reveals a measurable difference in click latency, with some wireless mice outperforming wired ones. The video highlights the importance of factors like polling rates and debounce times, and shows that certain mice, like Razer's with optical switches, excel in response times. It also points out that software and firmware can significantly impact a mouse's performance, urging viewers to consider these elements when choosing a gaming mouse.
Takeaways
- 🔍 The video script investigates the latency differences between wired, wireless, and gaming mice, challenging the common belief that there is no significant difference.
- 🖱️ Modern gaming mice utilize various sensors, buttons, firmware, and software, including different debounce times, which can affect click latency.
- 📊 The testing revealed a measurable difference in click latency among top gaming mice, especially wireless ones, with a 14 millisecond difference between the best and worst performers.
- 🎥 The testing method used was end-to-end latency measurement, which includes the time for a mouse click to register as an input on the display.
- 🛠️ Nvidia's Latency Display Analysis Tool (LDAP) was used for testing, which can operate with either a wired connection or an audio input from the mouse click.
- 🎙️ The script confirmed that using audio input for the LDAP is as accurate as a direct wired connection, dispelling initial concerns about its reliability.
- 📉 Polling rates of the mice were tested, showing that higher rates result in lower latency, with a noticeable difference between 500Hz and 1000Hz polling rates.
- 🏆 Razer's optical switches proved to have the fastest response times, topping the latency test results with the Razer Viper Mini and Viper Ultimate.
- 🔧 The Glorious Model O Wireless had a long debounce time by default but showed significant latency improvement when the debounce setting was adjusted in the software.
- 🔌 When wireless mice were plugged in, there was a slight improvement in click latency, but the difference was minimal, suggesting the benefits of wireless outweigh this slight latency reduction.
- 📈 The script concludes that wireless gaming mice can perform as well as or better than wired ones in terms of click latency, and that other factors such as mouse shape, size, and feel are still paramount in choosing the best gaming mouse.
Q & A
What is the main focus of the video script?
-The main focus of the video script is to test and compare the click latency of various gaming mice, both wired and wireless, to determine if there is a significant difference in their performance.
What does the term 'click latency' refer to in the context of gaming mice?
-Click latency refers to the time it takes for a mouse click to register as an input on the display, which includes the time taken by the mouse sensor, firmware, and software to process the click.
What factors contribute to the latency of a gaming mouse?
-Factors contributing to gaming mouse latency include the sensor type, button design, firmware, software, debounce times, and polling rates.
What tool is used in the script to measure mouse click latency?
-NVIDIA's Latency Display Analysis Tool (LDAP) is used to measure mouse click latency, with the latest revision allowing for microphone input to detect mouse clicks.
Why was the microphone input method chosen for measuring latency?
-The microphone input method was chosen because it eliminates the need for a wired connection between the mouse button and the LDAP, and it was found to be as accurate as a direct wired signal.
What is the difference in latency between a 500Hz and 1000Hz polling rate as tested in the script?
-The script found about a 1.6 millisecond difference in latency between a 500Hz and 1000Hz polling rate, with the higher polling rate resulting in lower latency.
Which gaming mice performed best in terms of click latency in the test?
-The Razer Viper Mini and Razer Viper Ultimate, both equipped with Razer's optical switches, performed best in terms of click latency.
What is the impact of debounce time on mouse latency?
-Debounce time, which is a feature to avoid double-clicking, can significantly impact mouse latency. A longer debounce time results in higher latency, while reducing it can improve performance.
How does the script address the concern of increased latency with wireless gaming mice?
-The script shows that some wireless gaming mice can actually have lower click latency than wired ones, and that the difference in latency when a wireless mouse is plugged in is minimal.
What was the viewer's reaction to the results of the Pwnage mouse in the script?
-The viewer expressed disappointment with the Pwnage mouse's software and firmware performance, particularly the debounce adjustment slider, which did not affect the latency results.
What advice does the script give for users considering a wireless gaming mouse?
-The script advises that users no longer need to worry about increased click latency with wireless gaming mice, as some of the fastest options tested were wireless, and suggests trying lower debounce settings for improved performance.
Outlines
🕹️ Gaming Mouse Latency Test
This paragraph discusses the myth of latency differences between wired and wireless gaming mice and introduces a test to measure end-to-end click latency. The test includes various factors such as sensors, buttons, firmware, and software, with a focus on debounce times. The use of NVIDIA's Latency Display Analysis Tool (LDAP) is highlighted, which measures latency by listening for mouse clicks through an audio input. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of this test in understanding the true performance of gaming mice, especially with the advent of high polling rates and the comparison between wired and wireless options.
🔋 Wireless vs. Wired Mouse Latency Revealed
The second paragraph presents the results of the latency test, revealing that there is indeed a measurable difference in click latency among top gaming mice, with a significant disparity between the best and worst performers. It highlights the performance of Razer's optical switches, which topped the charts, and points out the impact of debounce settings on latency, as demonstrated by the Glorious Model O Wireless. The paragraph also addresses the slight improvement in latency when a wireless mouse is plugged in and expresses disappointment with Pwnage's software and firmware, which did not meet expectations despite the mouse's positive review in other aspects. The summary concludes by emphasizing that while latency is important, the shape, size, weight, and feel of a mouse remain crucial for gamers, and it introduces the new testing element for future gaming mouse reviews.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Click Latency
💡Gaming Mice
💡Sensors
💡Firmware and Software
💡Debounce Time
💡Polling Rate
💡NVIDIA's Latency Display Analysis Tool (LDAP)
💡Wireless Mice
💡Razer Optical Switches
💡Pwnage Mouse
💡240Hz Gaming Monitor
Highlights
There is a measurable difference in click latency between gaming mice, contrary to common belief.
Modern gaming mice use different sensors, buttons, firmware, and software affecting latency.
Wireless mice can have lower latency than wired ones, challenging traditional assumptions.
NVIDIA's Latency Display Analysis Tool (LDAP) is used for testing, with microphone input for accuracy.
Audio input for measuring latency proved to be as accurate as a hardwired connection.
Polling rates significantly impact latency, with higher rates resulting in lower latency.
The Razer Viper Mini and Ultimate topped the latency test with their optical switches.
The Glorious Model O Wireless has a long debounce time out of the box, affecting latency.
Debounce time can be adjusted in software to improve latency on some mice.
Wireless mice showed comparable or better latency than wired ones in the test.
Plugging in a wireless mouse only slightly improves click latency.
Pwnage mouse's software and firmware need improvement for better latency results.
Mouse shape, size, weight, and feel are still paramount for user preference.
The introduction of latency testing in gaming mouse reviews will provide valuable insights.
Wireless gaming mice are no longer a concern for gamers worried about click latency.
Smaller brands like Pwnage may offer interesting latency results in future tests.
Transcripts
the click latency difference between a
wide and wireless gaming mouse is
the same at least that's what we've been
telling ourselves for the past couple of
years
but today we're going to see if that's
actually true modern gaming mice use
different sensors different buttons and
most importantly different firmware and
software to sample that information
including different debounce times and
the real answer is that yes
there is actually a measurable
difference in click latency between
the top gaming mice out there especially
between the top wireless contenders
in fact when it comes to mouse latency
maybe there are other factors here that
are more important than just whether the
mouse is wide or wireless
so really excited to show you guys this
testing let's take a look
so what we're testing here is end to end
latency that is the time that it takes
for a mouse click
to actually register as an input on your
display this
does mean that we're also including a
bunch of other factors in the chain as
well
but since those are constant we'll be
able to measure the difference between
the changing variable which is the
different gaming mice
also since we are measuring latency on a
very lightweight desktop app and using a
360hz monitor with one of the fastest
pcs that you can build today
the rest of the latency in that chain is
very minimal as you'll see
so to actually measure latency we'll be
using nvidia's latest revision of the
ldap which is short for latency display
analysis tool
this one actually has a microphone input
which means that instead of relying on
a wide connection between the mouse
button and the ldap as you can see here
we can use an audio input instead so
with the microphone plugged in
the ldap listens for the mouse click
starts the timer and then waits for the
input to be registered in the software
in the form of a flash
now if you think that using audio as an
input here is an inaccurate and
unreliable way of testing
don't worry because i did too that was
until i compared the results between a
hardwired connection and the audio input
as a trigger
there i found absolutely no difference
in the average end-to-end latency
between using the audio as the trigger
versus a direct
wired mouse button signal so direct wire
versus audio as the trigger we get the
exact same result
also given that the distance between the
mouse click and the microphone is
only a few millimeters we're only
looking at a few micro seconds for that
sound to travel that short distance
when you consider that these results do
make sense also some quick testing on
polling rates here to see how much of
this will impact the following tests
this is the sampling rate of the mouse
so it makes sense that higher polling
rates result in lower latency
most gaming mice top out at a thousand
hertz or one sample every millisecond
but others like the final mouse ultra
light 2 are limited to 500hz
so testing with the g305 here i found
about a 1.6 millisecond difference
between the 500
and 1000 hertz polling rate it is a
measurable difference although not a
deal breaker at around an eight percent
increase in end to end latency
so just keep that in mind out there if
you're choosing between mice that are
locked at 500 hertz
but here's the graph that we all want to
see what is the true click latency of
the top gaming mice out there including
both wide and wireless
i think the first thing that i want to
point out here is the fact that there is
in fact a measurable difference here
it's not just as simple as
they're all the same if we take a look
at the bottom of the stack at 28.7
milliseconds of latency versus the top
of the stack at 14.9
that's almost a 14 millisecond
difference so a picture that is playing
with an additional 14 milliseconds of
network lag for example the concerning
part here is that that's 14 milliseconds
at the start of the chain which will
affect how mouse clicks are registered
in game
not just how they're displayed that's
very different for example to comparing
14 milliseconds of latency on monitors
where it's just affecting the display
not the actual registered input in game
like this
so to put 14 milliseconds into another
perspective if you play on a 240hz
gaming monitor your gunshots will be
delayed by a little over three frames
but let's start picking apart the stack
here highlighting the wireless gaming
mice in wide and leaving the
wired models in blue there really isn't
a correlation between what's better to
go with for lower latency
both have good and average performers
also it turns out that razer's optical
switches and their claims about
industry-leading response times aren't a
load of marketing fluff after all
they actually managed to top the chart
here with both the razer viper mini and
viper ultimate
on the same note this is exactly why a
default out of the box glorious model o
wireless performs towards the bottom of
the stack
so this is due to the model o wireless
having an exceptionally long
debounce time out of the box of 10
milliseconds
d-bounce is a feature that forces a
delayed signal on the mouse to avoid
double-clicking
something that razer has managed to get
past due to their optical switch design
you can improve the latency result on
the model o wireless though by reducing
the debounce setting in their software
and here we can see that that does have
a pretty significant impact on reducing
latency
even setting it to zero milliseconds i
didn't experience any double clicking in
my testing
so i would recommend trying towards
those lower end values
so now subbing in that new result for
glorious we're about one millisecond
behind the logitech g pro x super light
that sits in third
in fact what's really unexpected here is
that we actually have
wireless mice beating wide when it comes
to input latency
so this leads to another question what
happens when you plug in a
wireless mouse well as you'd expect the
click latency does improve
ever so slightly but it's a pretty small
difference the wireless connection on
the g pro x super light is just
0.3 milliseconds slower compared to
having it plugged in
and the model o wireless was just 0.6
milliseconds slower so i think we'd all
agree having that freedom of wireless
far outweighs the benefits of having a
half millisecond reduction in click
latency i'll also mention that i am a
little bit disappointed in pwnage
despite giving this mouse an
excellent review this result shows that
the software and firmware team can do a
lot better
specifically the de-bounce adjustment
slider in their software which
i found to do absolutely nothing i
tested both ends of the slider and the
default middle and i got the exact same
result every single time
i still rate the mouse pretty highly i
think the shape and customization is
quite good
but the software and tuning really is
lacking here which is disappointing to
find
so some really interesting results here
and if you're someone who was hesitant
to jump to
a wireless gaming mouse for fear of
increased click latency
and i know there are a lot of you out
there this just shows that that's not
something that you have to worry about
anymore in fact some of the fastest
gaming mics in this list
were actually wireless but also with a
lot of wireless gaming mics coming out
from smaller brands like pwnage i'd be
interested to see what the latency
results look like there too
as a disclaimer i still think that mouse
shape size
weight and feel are the most important
elements to finding what the best gaming
mouse is for you
but i'm really really excited to
introduce this new element of testing
to upcoming gaming mouse reviews so
definitely stay tuned for that if you
haven't already do hit that subscribe
button down below
as always a huge thanks for watching and
i will see you all in the next one
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