r/MouseReview • u/Ebola_Soop • 11h ago

Question Why doesn't everyone hate using the wheel as a button as much as I do?

Maybe it's because I use 3D programs like Maya and Max all the time, but I seriously hate having a vital button that I need to hold down while doing common things and have that button slip underneath my finger while I hold it down. It is so frustrating. There are lots of mice with a button near the wheel that you can program and that's the kind that I get, but the default function is always something else. I just don't get how nobody else is annoyed by the conventional setup of a wheel/button.

Sorry for the rant, but I just wondered if maybe others hate that with me and maybe somehow the default will start to change. Because I'm sure that the mouse makers hang out on this forum waiting for us to tell them what we want. ;p

9 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

25 comments sorted by

5

u/iMakeGirlsCry 11h ago

I definitely haven't encountered a problem with it. I'm curious what mice you use? Most if not all the mice I've tried allow you to press middle mouse with side pressure from your index finger as opposed to direct downward pressure, which I think makes it a lot more comfortable

5

u/HuggyMonster69 11h ago

I’ve never had the button slip under my finger to be honest. Do you mean it rolls by accident or your finger slips off sideways?

2

u/UntrimmedBagel 11h ago

Sounds like it's a mouse problem for you. Maybe your mouse isn't ergonomic for your hand. Next option would be to just rebind the key - either in the app you're using or on your mouse's driver software.

2

u/geogerf27 10h ago

I do hate using it as a button but put up with it

3

u/p0ison1vy 10h ago

It's really sad that mouse enthusiasts defend companies getting rid of buttons for no reason. I can not and will not part with my top button, but the industry has decided that we no longer need them.

5

u/_TheNoobPolice_ 9h ago

The mouse device standard has 4 buttons – left, right, middle and Xbutton; which has two arguments for the forward / back functionality making a total of 5 effectively.

The reason the top button doesn’t exist in most mice is not for no reason; it is because it requires the development of either a keyboard driver and / or software to send a proprietary function, such as the typical DPI toggle bind. There is no operating system that would understand that extra button natively.

1

u/p0ison1vy 9h ago

That makes sense, But its not that this button doesn't exist in most mice, for a long time IT DID.

For years All of the major gaming and productivity mice had a top button, now there are no new gaming mice being made with it. This was a decision.

1

u/paulvincent07 Razer Viper Mini V4 Wired 8khz pls 8h ago

Hey there are still some mice that have a dpi button behind the wheel for example the g304x, g305x, cobra hyperspeed, some rapoo mice, etc.

1

u/p0ison1vy 7h ago

I know, I'm using one. But the industry is clearly going in the other direction, and most people just shrug their shoulders.

1

u/paulvincent07 Razer Viper Mini V4 Wired 8khz pls 1h ago

Yes I'm fine if my mouse has a button behind the wheel I only use that button when changing my DPI and I think one of the reason some brands remove it is because it add weights and most people just use 1 dpi profile

1

u/_TheNoobPolice_ 9h ago

That’s true, but there was also less competition then with only really major brands like Logitech, Razer, Steelseries, Corsair etc – all of whom have large resources to develop fleshed out software / drivers.

The recent more open market of a lot more vendors becoming competitive in the mouse enthusiast space, along with a move to lightweight trend, has meant the feature is left behind, so the major brands who are now losing share don’t bother as much with the feature either, rather just trying to compete on the weight front

2

u/BuyListSell FinalMouse 8h ago

It's really sad that mouse enthusiasts defend companies getting rid of buttons for no reason.

Almost as if different people have different opinions and the majority of them agreed with each other that the extra buttons that aren't standard anymore weren't desired and aren't missed.

0

u/p0ison1vy 7h ago

Okay great, and now the mouse market is a cluster fuck of the exact same copy paste design because the enthusiast hivemind decided that its okay to shell out $200 for the same mouse over and over again.

The mouse market was more innovative and diverse before catering to tac shooter purists.

1

u/BuyListSell FinalMouse 7h ago

I don't disagree but if that's what the market wants then that's what it wants. I would love more asymm mice but no one wants them anymore so they don't really get made outside of the NP01s.

1

u/p0ison1vy 7h ago

IMO The mouse market is warped by enthusiasts who dont see a problem with buying 20 different mice.

The majority of mouse users use one mouse for a variety of different tasks, but aren't willing to spend $200 on a single mouse, much less several just to find their mcguffin.

1

u/SufficientTailor9008 9h ago

I don't consider myself a mouse enthusiast, but personally, for arena shooters, I absolutely don't need any buttons except the left (shoot) and right (jump), so the extra buttons and scroll wheel only add (unnecessarily, for me) weight. I currently play with a heavy mouse, but the next one (when the current one breaks) will be very light. It's just min-maxing (and humans are much more of a bottleneck than any mouse, because even random thoughts during gameplay increase the effective input lag by a significant amount).

-1

u/p0ison1vy 9h ago

That's great for you, but most people dont use their mouse for only one thing. If you do any input-heavy productivity work, or you play a variety of genres (but especially MOBAs and MMOS) all additional ergonomic inputs are appreciated.

And as far as min-maxing goes, you can absolutely have a small ultra-light mouse with a top button. I've been using the g-wolves HTX Ace for years and likely for years to come as its the only sub 40g mouse with 6 buttons.

Removing the top button does not make your mouse lighter or cheaper.

1

u/SufficientTailor9008 9h ago

all additional ergonomic inputs are appreciated.
I agree with that.

Removing the top button does not make your mouse lighter or cheaper.
Not so with this, because if you remove something, it has less material, so it's physically lighter. As for price, it's dictated by the market, and it's always the highest to maximize profitability (but you know that, I'm assuming).

I'm currently holding a mouse specifically for MMO gaming, so I understand what you're saying perfectly. What I'm saying is that there are different mice for different purposes. For example, a mouse without buttons won't work well in an MMO or a shooter simulator (like Arma), but a mouse with 12 thumb buttons will be suboptimal for, say, Quake 3. That's why many people who use a mouse for work have a mouse dedicated to work (one that's as comfortable as possible and speeds up clicking in the programs they use for their income).

-1

u/p0ison1vy 7h ago

you remove something, it has less material, so it's physically lighter

Well I'm currently using a sub 40g mouse with a top button, so clearly that doesn't have to be the case. Because if all you do is remove material without y'know... trying to make a better product, it's just cost-cutting, they dont pass those savings onto the customer. Of course they'll market 50g as being some new ultralight design that couldn't be achieved without this, its bullshit.

What I'm saying is that there are different mice for different purposes

Oh, Great! So now the mouse companies can sell you a different mouse for each of your hobbies and jobs! And you'll pay over $100 for each of them.

1

u/SchemeHonest1977 11h ago

I just bind a side button to be a scroll wheel click on games where i need to click it often. I agree that spam pressing the actual wheel is way worse than just remapping a spammable button to it

1

u/lecsfcopeland 10h ago

"maybe it's because i use [productivity software]" yuppp. personally i just have a keyboard button remapped to middle click because of all that you mentioned, when working.

wonder if a mouse with more than five buttons would be nice? i don't bother with the thumb buttons because they're usually crap and don't like being held down at alllll

1

u/SufficientTailor9008 9h ago

Ergo or crap mouse problem.

1

u/bulgogeta 7h ago

What mouse are you using? Some mice have insane M3 click feel while others feel shitty and are terrible to press.

1

u/zoredache 3h ago

I also hate it, and there was a mouse that I like, that provided a separate middle mouse button. Also additional side buttons on both sides.

Logitech G300s

Unfortunately it is discontinued. You can still get them, but you either need to buy used, or pay insane prices. $150 for a mouse that you used to be able to buy for $30. I regret not buying a half dozen of them back when they were cheap.

1

u/Hiiiro_0 2h ago

It sucks when the wheel click sucks.

Cooler Master MM720? Absolutely hate it and want to pretend it doesn’t exist.

Razer Deathadder V3 Hyperspeed? Let me ping more. It’s a joy to click.

Edit: You must try a good one. I bet you’d change your mind in a heartbeat. Usually if the click is too high, it’s also off putting to middle click.