Radical rodents

The right mouse can do wonders for your fragging stats, as with it you'll be able to frag quicker and more accurately...

Genius Ergo 555 Laser

Clever is the only word that comes to mind when trying to best describe Genius' Ergo 555 Laser mouse. Like the other gaming mice on the market, it features a super responsive laser tracking engine that, in this case, tops out at a resolution of 3200dpi.

However unlike other mice, which allow you to vary their overall tracking resolutions, the Ergo allows you to modify the X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) resolutions separately.

It also features seven programmable hotkeys too, and rather than just being able to assign specific functions to these buttons, the mouse actually allows you to create and store macros; so you can program a complex move and execute it simply by pressing the button assigned to it; brilliant! The Genius can also be set-up to store five unique gaming profiles containing sensor resolution settings, hotkey assignments and more.

Logitech G9 Laser Mouse At the heart of this odd looking rodent is an advanced 3200dpi laser tracking engine that's capable of processing 6.4 megapixels of image data a second. That means this mouse will rarely miss a step, even when it's being sped around a table surface at breakneck speed.

Alongside this the mouse features on-the-fly sensitivity tuning so you can adjust its responsiveness to suit the game you're playing. LEDs on top of therodent tell you what sensitivity level the mouse is running at; handy.

Like the Microsoft Sidewinder, the Logitech also offers a weight tuning system, which when fully loaded can add 28g to the device's total weight. So depending on your preference - light or heavy - you can customise the G9 until it feels just right in the palm of your hand.

Interchangeable grip is another feature the G9 touts; you get two as standard, XL and Precision grips. The XL is designed to support your hand and thus give extra comfort while gaming, whilst the smaller Precision is, predictably, designed to give the best possible mouse control.

Microsoft Sidewinder

Microsoft's newest gaming mouse has more tricks up its sleeve than a Vegas card cheat. To start with, the mouse features a fully adjustable laser tracking engine, which allows you to use any resolution between 200- and 2000dpi (using the Intellipont control software.

This is a feature that most of the Sidewinder's competitors don't offer.) Alternatively, you can switch between three default presets on-the-fly; 400, 800 and 2000dpi depending on your preference.

Like the Logitech G9, this Microsoft mouse features a weight tuning system that can vary the Sidewinder's weight between five and 30g.

If you want yet more control over this rodent's movements, Microsoft has also given it swappable feet, and the firm even provides three different types of glide material so you can really make this peripheral act how you want it to.

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A WGC winner recommends…
We spoke to Spammah, the Quake victor in the first Windows Gaming Championship (in 2006) about which kit he and his gaming pals use to annihilate the competition.