Why ultralight gaming mice are better for big hands too

I’m going to share a personal dilemma: That is, the trend towards ultralight mice hasn’t done me and my big hand any favors.

Why so? In the quest to achieve the lightest possible weight for esports players, two things have happened: A whole bunch of small, lightweight gaming mice that are just too short for my hands have flooded the market; and, the large-sized mice that do fit me are mostly made heavier than I would like and don’t actually qualify as “ultralight’ (so below 80 grams, or 2.8 ounces)

Alas, if I’m not mistaken, there seems to be an unspoken agreement in the gaming hardware industry that big-handed players should get by with heavier gaming mice, since they’ve obviously got bigger muscles to wield them, wink wink.

Well, I’ve got news for everybody — that stereotype doesn’t apply to this cowboy! No, unfortunately these gigantic mitts of mine don’t come with matching-sized stumps.

In fact, although I can open pickle jars better than perhaps anyone I know, my guns rarely bathe in the fluorescent lights of my local gym. Downing extra portions of spinach at dinnertime sadly doesn’t seem to inflate them much either…

That’s a bit of an exaggeration, but it’s a good way to highlight my dilemma. It’s not an exaggeration to say that after a whole day of swiping and flicking with a gaming mouse large enough to fit my hand, something like the Logitech G 502X, I often have a sore wrist, sore shoulder, and sometimes even a sore arm.

Asus

Asus

Asus

The Logitech G 502X is a stellar mouse, so I’m not dissing it. But at 3.1 ounces (89 grams) and after 8 hours gaming, it can be a little brutal on my body.

But it’s not just getting RSI that gets me down, it’s also about the performance benefits I’m missing out on using heavier mice, too. There’s no doubt that my mouse performance is as good as it gets when I use an ultralight mouse.

With a mouse that weighs just 2.2 ounces (63 grams) or under, for example, I can keep my crosshair level at the top of foes for the whole game in Valorant, shoeing me in for more hits where they matter the most.

In CounterStrike 2, an ultralight mouse makes it oh so easy to spin around and take down baddies with just a simple flick and click.

So granted all that, if I’m going to have a proper go at hitting the leaderboards — hefty gauntlets and all — I’ll be needing, no I’ll be demanding something that feels feathery in my grip! Would it be too much to ask if that feathery-gripped mouse also didn’t make my fingers cramp up because it’s just way too small?

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Dominic Bayley / IDG

Before you say, “It’s not possible, larger mice are naturally going to be heavier than smaller mice,” need I remind you of the extreme lightweight materials gaming mice are made from these days?

I was blown away when I reviewed the Asus ROG Harpe Ace Aim Lab Edition that weighs just 1.9 ounces (54 grams). Indeed, it feels like it’s made of plastic, but it’s actually comprised of a lightweight Nylon, which is even lighter than plastic — amazing? I know!

Then there’s mice like the Keychron M3 mini 4K Metal Edition; admittedly it’s not a big mouse, but if Keychron can make it out of sparkly lightweight magnesium and also hit a sweet weight of just 2.25 ounces (64 grams), surely, they can make something similar for my gigantic paw?

Oh man, but I can just dream… Mind you, there are some mice that come awfully close to hitting everything on my wish list, that I’m always keen to play with whenever I get the chance.

Keychron does have the M6 Wireless. It weighs just 2.75 ounces (78 grams) and fills up my whole palm. It also has an ergonomic thumb rest, so I can just stretch out and enjoy the ride.

I’m also a big fan of the 2-ounce (60 gram) Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2. Being a symmetrical five button FPS mouse, it’s not the broadest, but it does have good length to it so that any finger overhang I get at the front is barely noticeable.

Here’s hoping that in the near future we see more bigger and lighter mice just like these ones that can accommodate my ginormous grip. Until then, I’ll keep paying my gym membership, just in case.