Last year we saw the emergence of laser precision in the mainstream mouse market via the Logitech MX1000, and the question on the minds of many was would it be as big of a need as it was made out to be. What laser technology needed to do was to have the same effect as optical did on the mechanical mice market; complete and utter destruction. However, it did not, and we are left teetering on the fence as to whether this is worth forking out another $30-$70 for the upgrade. I contacted Saitek, Microsoft, Razer, and Logitech to send me their best gaming mice in each technological category. Before I introduce our contestants, let me give you a run down on the history of each technology and what they bring to the table.

A Bit of Mouse History
Doug Engelbat was an electrical engineering graduate of UC Berkeley and is the father of the modern mouse. His goal was to create a device that was more natural to control and manipulate than a keyboard. During World War II, he received his inspiration from being a radar technician. During the war, he came in contact with many types of computer input devices that resembled the mouse as we know it. He was granted the opportunity to manifest his idea in 1959, and by 1968, he had succeeded. Engelbat and a group of computer scientists and electrical engineers presented their invention to the Fall Joint Computer Conference in San Francisco. It was a flop and did not catch on in the “mainstream” until the Apple Lisa in 1983. This of course evolved over the years and became the mouse as we know it today.

Optical Mice
Optical mice provided a far superior method of cursor manipulation compared to their predecessors. The major change it presented was the lack of mechanical parts. This meant no more cleaning the ball, dirt in the gears, or aging of the mechanical parts from stress. Optical engines enlisted the help of a red light emitting diode and a small camera to track the motion of the mouse. This new technology allowed the mouse to work on any non-reflective surface. It quickly caught on to power users and entered the mainstream market shortly thereafter. This was a revolution in the mouse world. Soon, more precise tracking engines and higher resolution imaging would allow faster movement speeds with greater accuracy.

Laser Mice
This past summer, Logitech announced the emergence of Laser technology in mice with their MX1000. I was one of the early adopters myself, curious to see what it had to offer. The Laser technology is yet another first in a long list of firsts that Logitech holds. In 1982, Logitech had the first commercially available mouse on the market. In 1984, they developed the first cordless mouse and the first cordless optical mouse in 2001. Finally, in the summer of 2005 they were the first to announce a mouse endowed with Laser technology.

"We've turned off the red light on these optical mice and replaced it with an invisible laser that will change the industry," said David Henry, Logitech senior Vice President of the Control Devices Business Unit. "Laser will eventually make the optical mice of today obsolete. With laser technology, mice will see more microscopic detail. The nature of laser light gives mice the ability to track with amazing accuracy on more surfaces with more responsiveness than ever before."

The laser tracking technology is the result of an alliance between Logitech, the world's No. 1 manufacturer of mice, and Agilent Technologies, the leader in mouse tracking technology. The nearly singular wavelength of laser light is capable of revealing much greater surface detail than the red light-emitting diode (LED) found in today's optical mice. In tests conducted at Agilent, the laser mouse was found to have 20 times more sensitivity to surface detail than LED optical mice. Hence, the laser can track reliably even on tricky polished or wood-grain surfaces.

Back in June/July, Logitech ran a survey of more than 2,000 LED-based optical mice users; more than two-thirds of respondents were interested in the ability to use a mouse on more surfaces. Because of their ability to illuminate the surface in greater detail, laser mice will track on surfaces on which LED-based optical mice tend to falter.

Twas’ the Paragraph Before the Review

This is a two part review. First, we will review the optical mice and find the best of our optical contenders. Second, we will take a look at the laser mice and determine the best of our laser contenders. Finally, we will take a look at the best of each and determine the top mouse of them all! Doesn't that sound exciting?

Each contender will be judged on 7 different qualities. These qualities are most important to gamers when looking for a new mouse. The scale will be 0-5; 0 = Terrible, 1 = Bad, 2 = Below average, 3 = Above average, 4 = Good and a 5 will be a perfect score.

• Aesthetics
  
  
• Ergonomics / Grip
  
• Buttons
  
• Weight
  
• Glide Factor
  
• Features
  
• Price
  

These are the characteristics needed to compete for the heart, I mean hand, of a gamer. Let's take a look at the optical mice first.

Table of Contents
Optical Mice
Logitech MX518
Microsoft Comfort 3000
Razer Diamondback
Saitek 1600dpi Desktop Gaming Mouse
Optical Summary
Laser Mice
Razer Copperhead
Logitech G5
Saitek Laser Mouse
Microsoft Laser 6000
Laser Summary

Conclusions