Understanding DPI in mouse
The main function of mouse is to move the cursor around the screen in a graphic interface, thus allowing interaction with the elements found on the monitor through the buttons that are incorporated in the mouse, known as right click and left click. That is, the mouse is the ones that will allow you to interact with the graphic elements of the operating system and its applications.
Today there are improvements in mouse, these modern mouse have a wheel or scroll button whose functionality is to move the content from top to bottom and vice versa, mainly on the screen documents. Also in 3D video games, virtual reality programs, with the mouse you can move in that virtual scenario, and move your character from one side to another.
Its name is given by its similarity to these rodents, it is a small device with which you can point and execute orders besides entering information, this must be supported on a flat surface in your work area, a table or a desk and every movement that with your hand you give to the mouse will receive the order and it will be reflected in the monitor by means of the cursor or pointer of the mouse.
The information given about the mouse is necessary for the understanding of the dpi in these; as well as you must know a couple of other things, before we get to the importance in video games and high precision applications of the measure that indicates the accuracy of the mouse; that is the central theme of this article because both gamer and people who make their living doing different jobs in computers from graphic design, is a subject that should dominate or at least know.
The projection of the movement of the mouse on the monitor fulfills or must comply with two functions: the first is that for each fraction of a millimeter that is moved it will generate one or more electrical pulses which is known as analog-digital conversion, and the second is the of counting said pulses and sending to the interface in which the value of the account is connected, with the information about whether one of the three keys located at the top of the mouse is pressed.
There is mechanical mouse that consists of a sphere located inside, to move two wheels, these are the ones that generate the pulses in response to the movement of the mouse on the surface; thus, the internal circuitry is responsible for sending information to the computer through software that processes and interprets it.
There are also optical mouse, which has a small beam of laser light instead of the rolling sphere of the previous one, this optical sensor is located inside the body of the mouse and detects the movement of the reflection when the mouse moves on the mirror and indicates the position where the cursor is on the screen.
Another type of mouse is the laser itself is more sensitive and much more accurate, is preferred by graphic designers and those who spend in virtual realities, video games, because it detects the movement to slide on a surface; The light beam of optical technology is invisible to the human eye and its dpi is from 2000, i.e. more sensitivity and precision than others.
Finally, another type of mouse is Trackball; consists of moving the pointer directly and not the device, the ball moves with your finger without having to move the whole hand, so you do not make any effort and do not require a space.
How could you notice, there are several types of mouse, nowadays has come to market some specially designed for the fans of video games; These are ergonomic, they rest the player’s hand in certain lateral supports, and have multiple buttons, not just the basic right and left clicks. Also, the amount of dpi of these gamer mouse is higher than all conventional mouse, exceeding 2000 dpi.
It is thanks to the dpi or the amount of points that the sensor recognizes in a certain space of the monitor that you can obtain greater precision and response from your mouse, the sensitivity is measured by this amount of dpi, if your monitor is small it does not require so many dpi so with a mouse smaller than 800 dpi it will go very well, but if you have a monitor over 20 inches you need more dots per inch so that you can cover perfectly every millimeter of it.
On the contrary it would happen if you have a small screen and you use a mouse with a high level of points by inches or dpi, the sensitivity would be so exaggerated that the mouse would be almost uncontrollable, with a single movement the cursor would disappear from your sight; and it will cost a lot to get used to it. And this is why gaming prefers a mouse that allows their software to modify this dpi to their needs, screen size and games.
What is the dpi of a mouse?
The dpi was initially a unit of measurement of the resolution of the prints, they referred to the amount of ink that a printer is able to cover in one inch, which meant that the more dpi the image quality had, the more serious it would be. The initials (DPI) belong to the English words Dots per Inch, and the closest translation is the Dots per Inch (PPP).
These points per inch allow you to differentiate between two points, the more dpi there is, the smaller the distance at which those two points will be found to be discriminated; in the topic that concerns us, this represents the speed with which the mouse pointer moves through the computer monitor. The amount will vary depending on the model of your mouse, if it is a traditional model, the amount of dpi will be low, while the current ones, which are preferred by graphic designers, will reach 2000 dpi, and gamer mouse may even allow personalization of the mouse.
What is its importance?
The importance of dpi depends on your needs, if you are a graphic designer, you will need a mouse that can offer you enough precision, because your work and the success of this depends on the sensitivity response and the accuracy of the mouse cursor, the number of points per inch, usually work with more than 1000 dpi quietly; but if you work with less, the slowness of your mouse’s response will bring you problems that you would rather avoid.
Unlike the gamer, the mouse they use are much more sensitive, this is important for them because they are in constant competition with other players and their skill and dexterity depend absolutely on the mouse, which responds as fast as the player does. But it could cost you the game, if it’s a virtual life, it will cost you your life.
Everything depends on the context where precision is required, because if it is a game of vision, of aiming; the sensitivity of the mouse could turn against, although they are very favorable for the precise shots, adjust the sight and give an accurate shot will need a little more skill, or dpi. To this can be added a high refresh rate, so that the team responds quickly, accurately and effectively to your actions.
So the importance of the dpi is a matter of personal preference , the movement of the mouse is deeply linked to the sensitivity that gives any operating system or the same game that has adjustments to the sensitivity and more DPI will get more movement fast that will cover greater distance when you execute small movements with the hand. This means that it is best to maintain a balance with the accuracy and sensitivity given by the operating system or the game, or buy a mouse that modifies the dpi with just one button.
How to know how many DPI my mouse has?
To know how many dpi your new gaming mouse 2019 has you can check the bottom of the mouse , sometimes they have some data printed on it, if not, then you can inspect your box , usually have some technical notation such as the brand, the model , the CE guidelines, and sometimes include the information of the dpi.
If this check both the mouse and the box does not work, then you must enter on the web the data you have from the manufacturer, its technical data sheet , and thus possibly find a page with the most complete features of your mouse and including the amount of dpi.
As a last option, in case you have an advanced gaming mouse, with your software, which you must install you will be able to see all the mouse parameters , among them you will find the one of your dpi, and the best thing is that most of them can be modified.
How many DPI does a normal mouse have?
The normal mouse are the models that are not so modern, they are the basic models for people who do not require anything additional and are not even attentive to the information of the dpi; these conventional computer mouse usually offer a limit of 800 dpi.
There are some more modern, which have 1000 dpi i.e. in a box of 2.54 cm will recognize the mouse a thousand points. And this amount is the limit in normal mouse.
How much DPI does a mouse gamer have?
Gamer mouse come with 2000dpi, but generally, they can be modified according to the player’s need; some directly with their software and others more sophisticated can modify them with a button of adjustments of dpi.
They range from 2000 dpi, up to 6000 dpi; this last amount will only work if your monitor is really big, because if you have a small monitor, you should not lose your money by acquiring a mouse with so many dpi.
How to configure or change the DPI of the mouse?
The dpi settings will instantly adjust the cursor speed according to the tasks you want to perform that require precision; This is usually done for the selection of the objectives in the games or for when you are designing an image, or editing a photo.
There are some models of mouse that incorporate exclusive sliding buttons of dpi on the fly, and are so that you can instantly adjust the sensitivity of your mouse, i.e. the dpi. But these sliding buttons for this adjustment are only brought by specific models; they were really invented for the use of the gamer, and are also used for professions that require high precision as graphic designers.
So if your mouse has these sliding buttons to modify the dpi while you use it you just have to press it and you will create a new configuration for each button; they usually have an LCD that will allow you to briefly visualize the new configuration of your mouse’s dpi.
But the point is that if the mouse does not have these buttons, you must start (in Windows operating system) the Control Panel then go to Mouse and then access the pointer options. A section of Movement will appear to improve the accuracy of the pointer and speed; these act as filters against the micro impulses that we receive from the mouse, one in one way, and the other.
Then proceed to uncheck the option to improve the accuracy of the pointer and then go to the settings of the speed of the pointer , you can see and go proving that the cursor moves faster or slower and as you are more comfortable you can perform the configuration , look for the speed that you like and that’s it.
Refresh rate in Hz and its relationship with DPI
The refresh rate in Hz is another equally important parameter than the dpi in mouse, when measuring the sensitivity of the mouse the refresh rate plays a fundamental role; is the amount of images that the mouse can take per second , the more Hz or refresh rate the better the mouse response will be.
This relationship between dpi and Hz is important because if the latter are very low then the mouse, even if it is very good and has high dpi; it will take longer than you probably expect to notice that this movement took place; it will be a delay when it comes to expressing it, for example, in a game.
What kind of games is DPI important for?
Video games have taken over the youngest, and for this they invest enough time and money in gadgets that allow them to get the satisfaction of being the winner, or at least play at a good level without having to go through the annoying experience of cannot at least move quickly in your virtual life that you observe through the monitor.
To get the mouse to respond and adjust to your needs, there are many types on the market; and the preferred ones are those that you can adjust the running dpi; they have built-in buttons specially designed for that.
The games that need more adjustments of the dpi are the rig and shooter, as well as the role; changing the speed of the mouse is a big advantage in the case of shooting games, you cannot aim with a sensitivity of 2000 dpi, but if you shoot accurately with it.
Video games that require dpi are those of first-person and third-person shots; strategy games, based on real time, based on hand-to-hand combat, speed, dexterity, wars, adventure, platforms, among others.
Programs to know the DPI of the mouse
There are not many programs that exist to know the dpi of your mouse, if you already tried with what I mentioned before, then you can look for a program called Aim400 this allows you to test your mouse with mini games, such as try the aim with balloons that are changing in size, and this allows you how quickly you react; also you can try with Pass mark Keyboard test is to test the operation of the keyboard and the mouse; is a program that allows you to diagnose your peripherals; check the movements of the mouse.
All movements made by the mouse on the screen are calculated based on the capture of the images of a given surface, this surface is composed of pixels, so the movements are reflected in the number of pixels per inch or DPI (Dots per Inch) that the mouse goes through. In practice, DPIs indicate the number of pixels that the mouse cursor will travel in an inch of your computer’s screen.
Increasing the DPI of your mouse means that when you move an inch will travel more distance on the screen. It is for this reason that more DPI does not mean greater precision or better quality. More DPI is useful when you have two or three 4K monitors linked where the mouse has to move 6000 or 10000 pixels to go from one monitor to another with just a subtle movement of the hand. This also means that if you have only one 1080p monitor it is useless to incorporate a 16000 DPI mouse.
It is difficult to establish a technical judgment about whether an optical mouse is better than a laser. Not only the amount of DPI makes a mouse good or bad, but it will also depend on what it was designed for, according to its manufacturer. A laser mouse captures much more accurately the roughness of a surface, On the other hand, optical mouse capture less accurate surface information, but is better for use on soft surfaces but very bad to use on glass.
However, each mouse has its advantages and disadvantages, the important thing is that you try to buy the one that best suits your needs, the use you are going to give, the specifications of your team and your budget.