Nowadays gaming mouse has many features from its design, RGB lights, and many buttons all over the mouse. Apart from all these one more thing which is very important is the DPI of a mouse. Most of the gaming mouse allows users to adjust DPI through buttons or software. But main the main thing that most companies do not tell while selling their gaming mouse is what DPI do you really need for gaming. Well, do not worry we will try to clear all your doubts regarding the DPI settings of a mouse and help you find the best dpi for gaming. Before we understand this we need to understand what is DPI.
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What is DPI?
DPI refers to Dots Per Inch also known as Counts per inch is the number of steps a mouse will report when it moves an inch. In simple words, it is how a mouse measures its physical distance. Well the CPI or the DPI as told by the makers mostly depends on how the mouse is made.
Lets us understand with an example
Case 1: Keep the DPI of your mouse to the lowest level available say 400 DPI. Now move your cursor from the right side of the screen to the left side.
Case 2: Now keep the DPI of your mouse to higher levels say, 1200 or 2400 DPI. Then repeat the same activity by moving the cursor left to right
Result: You will notice the mouse cursor moves a lot more in case 2 than in case 1. DPI can also be expressed as the speed at which the cursor moves on the screen with respect to the movement of the actual mouse.
DPI vs Software Speed
The DPI of the mouse is its sensitivity and it is adjusted by on-the-fly buttons given on a gaming mouse. However, the speed of the cursor can also be adjusted by using software irrespective of what DPI settings the mouse is on. But when the speed of a mouse is increased without any increase in DPI the mouse moves faster (based on the set value) but with less precision.
DPI in Gaming
When you search for a gaming mouse you will see that the DPI of some mouse goes as high as 16000 DPI. But do you really need DPI this high? Well no, at least not as crazy as 16000. These numbers are used by companies mostly for marketing and most of the games do not require DPI this high.
But how to decide what DPI is best for you? There are several factors you need to look at before you set your DPI.
DPI settings depending on Screen resolution
Each dots is related to a pixel on a screen so if you have a Full HD screen and you move your mouse an inch keeping DPI settings on 1000 the cursor will be moving a thousand pixels on the screen. If you use a 1080p or a 1440p monitor a maximum of 2400 to 3200 DPI should be fine for you, and if you are a 4k or an 8k monitor then a maximum of 6500 DPI should be enough for you for playing all types of games with maximum DPI adjustments.
So the main reason gaming mouse has these high DPI settings available because using low DPI on a high-resolution monitor can cause the cursor to stutter and will reduce precision in gaming.
Aim Precision and Movement
One can say the higher the DPI the more is the precision but in gaming, the situation can be totally opposite, with a very high DPI the cursor or the aim will move more than required. But it can also help for faster movement in games where you do not need to aim. Higher DPI allowed smaller physical movements to cause greater movement inside the game for example moving a character 180 degrees or more in the game.
DPI settings for different types of games
Different types of games require different DPI settings. However, it mostly depends upon the user though we recommend some of the settings that you can try
DPI for FPS games
For Fps and shooter games you should keep a lower DPI as it will help you aim and keep your aim at the same place. If you keep a very high DPI for FPS games then your aim will move more while aiming. Which can result in you missing your enemy or difficulty in controlling the aim. A DPI of 200 to 1200 is good for FPS and shooter games.
DPI for RPG games
For role-playing games, you need more character and camera movements so a higher DPI should not be a problem a DPI anywhere between 1000 DPI to 3200 DPI should be fine based on your screen resolution. This will help you make faster and smooth movements.
DPI for MOBA games
Multiplayer Online battle arena (MOBA) games like smite and league of legends requires both movement and some aiming so a DPI of 400 to 1200 should be good enough.
DPI for Strategy Games
Well for strategy games mostly involve some type of deployment so a DPI of 800 to 1200 will be good.
Finding the sweet spot (DPI) for gaming
There are many players using different DPI settings for different games and most of them have found the best DPI for themselves by experimenting. Similarly, you need to experiment through different games and find a DPI that you are comfortable with. Some may tell you to use a lower DPI for FPS games but you may find that a higher DPI is working better for you. Also while setting DPI keep your screen resolution in mind to avoid any stutter or lag while gaming. So yes a perfect DPI does not exist and depends on personal choices.
Conclusion
We saw most of the games do not need a very high DPI like 16000. So you may think why these companies offer mouse with such high DPI adjustments? Well on the fly DPI settings gives you the freedom to choose your own DPI for different games and yes it also helps companies to market them. Even if you are low on budget you can easily get a mouse with DPI settings up to 4800 DPI and you are good to go. What makes a gaming mouse special is not just its DPI. So, you should also look for different features in the gaming mouse like buttons, software adjustments, polling rate, comfort, design and durability.
Tell us your preferred settings in the comments or what do you think a perfect DPI should be. We will keep this article updated till then happy gaming.
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Gourang Parekh is the founder of serinose, who is a gamer, aspiring actor, and a former e-sports organizer and a tech savvy. He is also a big fan of Cricket and his favorite batsman is Rohit Sharma.
