I'm in the market for a gaming mouse myself right now so I decided to make a thread based on the research I've done so far to help anyone out who is in the same situation. The following four mice look like the best options so far to me in terms of price and usability. I decided to skip over some popular mice like the Steel Series WoW and MMO 7 due to either a high price tag or lack of availability (and ugly design). If you guys have any other recommendations, feel free to post them below.

Sorry for the image links, I have trouble uploading pics on this site sometimes (they should just allow image tags).

Razer Naga:

Image:http://cult.razerzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/naga02.jpg

Price: $70-80

Pros:

• 12 side buttons (17 in total)
• 3 ergonomic plates to match your grip
• Longest standing and most successful MMO mouse

Cons:

• Poor build quality
• Poor customer service

Comments: Can't say I would see myself buying this one. There are just too many quality issues floating around the internet (double clicking buttons and failing laser). However, people who don't have the mouse fail report that it's pretty sweet.

Razer Naga Hex:

Image:http://www.techspot.com/images/products/mice/org/1151579025_1297249740_o.jpg

Price: $70-80

Pros:

• 6 side buttons (11 in total)
• No button clutter

Cons:

• Poor build quality
• Poor customer service
• Poor software (it's a new mouse, so it will improve with time)

Comments: I really like the look and size of this mouse (I have big hands but like small mice because I can claw grip them nicely). Suffers from the standard Razer quality issues which is a shame. However, still a very good mouse and one that I'm considering.

Corsair Vengeance M90:

Image:http://www.everythingusb.com/images/list/corsair_vengeance_m90_mouse_news.jpg

Price: $60-80

Pros:

• 9 side buttons (15 in total)
• Excellent build quality (all metal construction and high quality laser)
• Excellent customer service

Cons:

• Some side buttons hard to press and/or out of reach
• Heavy (no weight adjustments)
• Poor software (it's a new mouse, so it will improve with time)
• Not fit for all grips

Comments: I really like this one due to the ridiculous build quality and top-notch Corsair customer service, but don't expect to take full advantage of all 9 side buttons (more like 6-7). That is more than enough for GW2 though.

Logitech G600:

Image:http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Logitech-G600.jpg

Price: $80

Pros:

• 12 side buttons (20 in total)
• Excellent build quality
• Excellent customer service

Cons:

• Only supports palm grip (based on early reviews).

Comments: Probably the best mouse out of the lot, but the lack of grip options might be a deal breaker for some people. It is also not out in some regions yet. I'm not sure I'm going to wait (still not out in Canada) to try it out because the M90 and Hex are both on sale here. However, if you can hold out, I suggest doing that as it looks like it's going to be a very good mouse.

Jesus. How do you keep track of all those buttons on the side? I feel like I'd constantly be looking to see which row I'm on.

@TheHT: Definitely. I can barely handle one two buttons on the side of a mouse before I start losing track of things.

@TheHT: @Maystack: I need to have my fingers on WASD at all times due to 10+ years of muscle memory playing FPS games lol. I even have "Q" mapped as my weapon swap just like in Counter-Strike lol. I'm sure there are a few others like me. :P

Aside from that, it takes some time to get used to the buttons, but that's no different than getting used to standard keybinds.

I'm using a Logitech g400 and so far I haven't had any problems. A great mouse for a fairly low price.

In MMOs I tend to prefer shift modifiers to having extra buttons, binding only reactionary stuff to my mouse, such as my healing and evasion abilities in GW2 and interrupt/kick abilities in other MMOs. Using 1-5 and A S D R T F G C V B with shift modifiers just feels much more natural to me.

@TheHT said:

Jesus. How do you keep track of all those buttons on the side? I feel like I'd constantly be looking to see which row I'm on.

Razer Naga comes with attachments to help you keep track. The Razer Naga Hex is easy due to limited buttons and positioning. Logitech G600 is angled to help you remember. The only one in that list that isn't easy is the Corsair M90 because the buttons aren't evenly spaced.

@TheHT said:

Jesus. How do you keep track of all those buttons on the side? I feel like I'd constantly be looking to see which row I'm on.

The 5/6/7/10/11/12 buttons on the Naga all have the raised bumps like the home row "f" and "j" keys on your keyboard. You pick it up faster than you would expect.

I am happy with the Naga, but I would add that if you keep the side LED lights on that illuminate the numbers and scroll wheel, the mouse can get fairly warm. That can lead to gross palm sweating. Other than that I haven't had any problems with it.

My naga has had over a year of use and still works fine. My complaints are about it are:

• The scroll wheel squeaks sometimes now. But it still works
• The 7-12 buttons are kind of hard to reach and involve me counting rows to find them.
• The forward and back navigation buttons are nowhere near as easy to use as on a 5-button intellimouse.

The extra buttons are fantastically useful and I would probably buy another one even if it broke after 3 months. But the value of a good MMO mouse might vary for you. I don't see a real reason to get a Hex since it's the same price and I don't find it hard to use 6 of the side buttons, just all 12.

My tip is to go to some store like Best Buy or others that have these on display so you can see how well they feel when trying to use them. My suggestion is the mouse I've been happy with, the Logitech G400 which isn't as costly as the G600 but then again I don't need all the extra buttons (though really liking the two buttons on the left side on it, great in web browsing for going forward/back on a page quickly).

I, for one, believe that the "12+ buttons" on the side is absolutely ridiculous. I would love to find someone who actually utilizes these things rather than just emphasizing their use of the keyboard instead. I know it sounds like you could be a "pro" with all that added customization, but in the end I doubt many use it anyway.

Other than that, great little guide. I own a R.A.T.7 and the extra 3 buttons I get to play around with is more than enough to suit my hardcore needs. Also, if I wrote a little mini-review for the R.A.T.7 would you use it? I don't know if you are currently working with one or not, so I didn't want to intrude.

I have the razer naja and I am really pleased with it...it is a bit hard to find the last 10-12 buttons but it is also because I am not used to reach for them yet.

I have the Naga and I've had no problems with it so far

Does anyone have any experience using a g9x in mmos (or any games for that matter)? A buddy of mine has a g9 that I've messed around with a bit, and I'm looking to maybe pick up a g9x.

I've not tried any of them, but I can vouch for Logitech's build quality in general. All my mice/trackballs/etc I've purchased from them over the past decade or so still work perfectly.

@shinboy630: Me and @Rawson are G9x buddies. It's a fantastic mouse for guys who generally move it with their fingertips (I just... cant palm a mouse - it feels so wrong to move my wrist).

It's built like a rock but doesn't have to weigh like one. The non-rubbery grip is the way to go (takes up less space and the texture is both hardy and handy). My G9 only experienced issues after about 3 years of heavy use, and I moved straight to the G9x - I don't think I'll ever leave this mouse behind for general useage, it's just perfect.

I AM however, considering double-mousing it up for GW2 as so far I cant get my head around alternate key bindings. We'll see.

If you want a cheap yet very good mouse check out the Gigabyte M6800. Only 5 buttons, 2 extra on the side. Though for 15 dollars this thing is just a beauty.

-Great for palm grip since it is a bit of a larger mouse (high arch) and even with my smaller hands it is perfect.

-Great contours on each side of the mouse (thumb contour feels great).

-Both contours have nice rubber in them.

-Material of the mouse is great. Not sure if this is the correct term for a mouse but it has a matte finish with some glossy parts on the side.

-Two DPI settings that you can switch between with a button near the scroll wheel.

-Four large pads on the bottom.

-It doesn't have all the buttons these others have but my god this mouse is great for the price. No joke there isn't a better a mouse out there right now at this price.

Here it is.

I've actually been leaning pretty hard towards the G700. It's got enough buttons to ease up my use of the keyboard, but not enough to confuse my mouse-hand. Also, the responsiveness/build is apparently good enough to be useful in more twitchy games (e.g. FPSes).

@selfconfessedcynic: Hells yeah G9x supremacy.

Really, though, super-specialized MMO gaming mice are a stupid idea. If you seriously need access to several dozen buttons, the game is just poorly designed and could use some pruning shears. Thankfully, GW2 only requires, what? 14 buttons in total for even the most complicated of classes?

My suggestion would be to save your money avoid any stupid gimmick mice, and maybe consider binding 6-0 to something else, like Shift+1-5.

@Rawson said:

@selfconfessedcynic: Hells yeah G9x supremacy.

Really, though, super-specialized MMO gaming mice are a stupid idea. If you seriously need access to several dozen buttons, the game is just poorly designed and could use some pruning shears. Thankfully, GW2 only requires, what? 14 buttons in total for even the most complicated of classes?

My suggestion would be to save your money avoid any stupid gimmick mice, and maybe consider binding 6-0 to something else, like Shift+1-5.

I'm primarily an FPS gamer so this whole keybinding thing is very foreign to me. I currently bind 5 keys, and click the rest, which clearly isn't optimal. It takes a lot of practice to learn full keyboard binds if you haven't played many MMOs before (and it's definitely not comfortable either until the muscle memory kicks in). A specialized mouse definitely helps in that regard.

The G600 is one of the best looking mice out there imo (love the all white). But unless I were playing an MMO with like 30 active skills I doubt I'd ever feel the need for all those buttons.

I'm currently on an old G5 that's still working fine. I think come GW2's release I may upgrade to the G500 for the extra couple buttons and higher dpi laser though.