Does DPI matter? Not as much as mouse manufacturers would like us to think

On October 13, 2024By Yukito

New computer mice are popping up left and right, seemingly almost as fast as actual mice appear. Each of them tries to introduce fresh features, a new fashionable design or top performance to gain an additional advantage over the competition.

Somewhere along the way, in the pursuit of peak performance, mouse manufacturers began to shift DPI (“dots per inch,” or the mouse’s internal sensitivity) into a hyper-ultra-overdrive mode.

Seriously, who are these 30,000+ DPI mice for?

Gamers don’t play at 30K DPI

hand with red nail polish over white gaming mouse

(Image source: Future)

The most obvious choice for those who could take advantage of such extreme DPI values is the gaming crowd. But if you enjoy this pastime yourself, you already know that this is not the case.

For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a passion for gaming and PC peripherals – seriously. Some of my earliest memories are of sitting behind my sister, watching her navigate the golden age of online gaming, and clicking my head Counter-Strike: Source, and the escape from Black Mesa during the 1998 bomb that rocked the gaming world.

So it’s safe to say that I’ve reviewed my fair share of gaming mice (not to mention that I get paid to review them). I never once exceeded 3200 DPI for any purpose other than to make fun of the incredible speed of the mouse cursor. I usually spend my time in the 800 to 1600 range, with 1200 being my base setting, which SteelSeries says is in the mid-range. Search the Steam forums on this topic and you’ll see many real gamers saying the same thing.

Granted, I’ve seen a very small number of users mention DPI settings going up to 8000. I could potentially see this high DPI value combined with low cursor sensitivity settings in Windows, which makes sense on an ultra-wide display like the Samsung Odyssey OLED G9 where you have such a lot to cover that there is no point in having a low DPI. But these users are an exception.

What about esports professionals?

Group of young adults in e-sports studio with gaming computers

(Photo: Gorodenkoff / Shutterstock)

So the vast majority of casual gamers don’t go anywhere near 10,000 DPI, let alone 30,000. Perhaps these extreme DPI mice are made for professionals instead.

But no, they are not.

I searched site after site, interview after interview, and only a handful of esports professionals use a DPI above 3200. According to ProSettings.net, only 5 percent Counter-Strike 2 professionals who rely on their gaming mice more than anyone else in the world to perform at their best, play at 1600 DPI or higher. 66% use only 400 DPI.

The two highest DPI settings in the entire professional CS2 scene are Virtus.Pro’s Jame at 3200 and El1an, who is currently a free agent, also at 3200.

So much, one could argue Counter-Strike 2 pros started out as competitive shooters on an old trackball mouse that couldn’t get higher than 400 DPI, and have since stuck with what they’re comfortable with. This may have some advantages, but as the scene evolves and new players enter the ranks, average DPI settings remain largely the same.

Plus when you move on to other, newer games like Brave Or PUBGyou see many of the same settings there as well.

ProSettings mentions “Another important thing to note is that almost no professional VALORANT players use a DPI higher than 1600. About half of all players use 800 DPI, and about 40% use 400 DPI.“

Therefore, even professional esports players won’t care if a mouse has ridiculously high DPI settings. They usually match casual players in the 400 to 1,600 range.

Maybe high DPI is for work… if you want to be less productive

A man sitting at a computer desk on a desktop with his head in his hands and looking a bit frustrated.

(Image credit: Shutterstock/Owlie Productions)

Finally, I just don’t think there’s any real argument for a five-digit DPI when it comes to work or school.

Again, if you have one of the widest monitors on the market, Maybe approaching the 10,000 mark makes sense. But you won’t get close to 30,000.

DPI is a measure of how far your mouse cursor moves, based on every centimeter of real-world movement. So at a DPI of 1200, moving the mouse one inch will translate into a movement of 1200 dots (pixels). If you set your mouse to 4000 DPI you will jump to 3840×2160 resolution in less than an inch traffic.

Go ahead and try adjusting the volume of your YouTube video with this sensitivity. It’s going to be a fight.

This can be adjusted by adjusting the cursor sensitivity settings in Windows, but… why? What is it about? How exactly do you need to click File Explorer?

I have no idea who these mice are intended for

Choosing the best gaming mouse has almost nothing to do with DPI. As long as it includes settings you’re comfortable with, and perhaps just above, you should be more concerned about comfort, reliability, and reasonable price.

Ultimately, I think ultra-high DPI settings come down to marketing gimmicks. If a manufacturer can offer a headline with a larger and bolder number than its competitors, it will do so. Even if no one asked for it.

And we didn’t do it.