Are you in search for buying a gaming mouse but don’t know what the side buttons are used for? Then don’t worry, here in this guide, we will discuss about that in detail, so stay tuned with this article.
Firstly, the difference between a gaming mouse and a normal mouse is its side buttons. For instance, in Logitech G502 and Razer Naga Trinity gaming mouse has available buttons.
If you are just entering into the gaming industry then you might be wondering what are these so many side buttons are used for and what is the purpose.
Well, these extra side buttons on a gaming mouse are also called as programmable buttons. Usually, these side buttons are used to give in-game commands or actions by pressing a single button without any need to use or memorize the hotkeys. Each and every button of the gaming mouse can be programmed as per the specific games you want to play.
Let’s take an example if you are playing FPS (First Person Shooter Game) games like Call of Duty or Battlefield then you can program or assign the side buttons to use for quick firing, scoping, reloading, etc.
When it comes to MMO (Massively Multiplayer Online Game) games like Diablo 3, World of Warcraft, etc., then the side buttons can be assigned to use for open inventory, cast spells, open maps, etc.
The following are the main uses of the side buttons which most of pro gamers use to perform:
- Throwing grenades
- Quick weapon switching
- Melee attacks
- Scoping
- Adjusting camera angles
- Healing/health boost
- Reloading
- Movement
- Activating voice chat
- Casting spells
- Taking a prone position
- Stealth
- Sliding under objects
- Jumping
- Peeking in/out
- Sprinting
- leaning
- Crouching
Apart from programming direct commands to gaming mouse side buttons and also can set up Macros. As a new gamer, you might be thinking about what Macros is. So, it helps you to finish some complex and repetitive tasks rapidly by allowing you to playback a series of events like mouse clicks, delays, and keystrokes, with just pressing a single button.
Still, if you can’t able to understand then give you another example if you play games like Tekken 7 then you can use macros to perform combo attacks.
When playing shooter games, macros can be used for quick firing, giving your enemy a competitive edge. However, if you like to play competitive games then make sure you know about all the important gaming rules before you program the mouse side buttons.
The reason behind this is that in such games like Fortnite, using macros is considered cheating and you can get banned.
1. Besides Gaming Other Uses of Gaming Mouse Side Buttons
Apart from using side buttons for gaming, it helps to increase productivity by saving time. For instance, you can program the side buttons for the following repetitive tasks:
- Open any program
- Cut, copy, paste, and undo
- Multi-media functions such as play/pause, next track, previous track
- Simulate any keystroke or combination of keystrokes
- Control volume: increase, decrease, and mute
- Minimize and close windows
- Zoom in/out
- Moving up/down when browsing
2. Side Button’s Ideal Number On A Gaming Mouse
In a gaming mouse, should have at least 6 side buttons which include a normal left-click (M1), right-click (M2), middle mouse wheel click (M3), 2 side buttons, and a DPI/CPI toggle button.
However, it may depend upon your gaming preference also because of what kind of games you want to play and how many side buttons need for that games. There is a chance you may need more than 6 side buttons.
For instance, if you like to play FPS games such as CS: GO then a gaming mouse with 6 buttons is just perfectly fine. But when it comes to MOBA games like League of Legends then you may need more than 6 buttons which will give you a competitive edge to your competitors or enemy.
For MMO and MOBA games, having more side buttons allows you to map various character actions, skills, abilities, and in-game commands to several side buttons, this is how you can easily access them quickly.
To consider how many buttons you need in a gaming mouse is mainly depends upon how many keys binds you want to create for the game you want to play.
3. How To Configure Gaming Mouse Side Buttons
Well, with the side buttons you can’t do much but it totally depends upon you how you configure them and how they match according to your needs. The gaming mouse from the most popular brands such as Razer, Logitech, and Corsair have their own exclusive app which allows you to assign the buttons.
In addition, Logitech’s G Hub, Razer’s Synapse, and Corsair’s ICUE app automatically find the games which already installed on your laptop/desktop and also automatically sets up profiles which you can easily customize.
One important thing that you need to keep in mind is that the software which comes with the particular gaming mouse only works on the same product brand. This is why you shouldn’t buy a generic gaming mouse because you can’t be able to program it without the app/software.
Besides this, there are some tools that are also available like Mouse Manager, HydraMouse, and X-mouse which you can use to programming gaming mouse side buttons, these apps allow you to configure up to 5 buttons.
4. The Mouse With The Highest Number Of Side Buttons
The Logitech G 600 gaming mouse has the highest number of side buttons such as 18 mechanical buttons and 20 programmable inputs which make this gaming mouse to ideal for MMO gaming.
5. On A Gaming Mouse Use Of DPI/CPI Button
Well, the DPI (Dots Per Inch) button is also called as CPI (Counts Per Inch) button which allows you to modify gaming mouse sensitivity without going to the dashboard for mouse settings.
When it comes to setting the DPI, while playing fast-paced games then high DPI works best but where accuracy is needed a lower DPI works better. So, when it comes to switching the DPI during gaming then DPI button on the gaming mouse is very handy.
Final Verdict
So, finally, we are reach at the end of the article. And I hope that now you know what is the use of a gaming mouse side buttons for.
With the help of the gaming mouse side buttons, you don’t need to use a keyboard or hotkeys to perform different in-game actions. Apart from gaming, side buttons also use for day to day tasks which increases productivity and also it saves time too during repetitive tasks.
As I have already said in the article, the number of side buttons mainly depends on what kind of games you want to play and also on your personal preference too. Also, it is not advisable for you to buy a generic gaming mouse because it doesn’t come with its own app so without the software, it is not easy to configure the gaming mouse side buttons.
So, this is it from my side, if you like this article and it helps you then share this article with your friends on your social media profiles.
