But do you really need those features? For most people, it seems, the answer is no. A look at Amazon.com’s list of best-selling mice reveals it dominated by inexpensive gaming options, most priced around $10. That’s a fraction of a mid-range mouse like the $70 Logitech G403 Prodigy, to say nothing of the most expensive models, which can exceed $150.
It’s easy to scoff at these cheap mice, calling them knock-offs that aren’t worth anyone’s time — but are they really so bad? To find out, we ordered four inexpensive gaming mice from Amazon.com: the TeckNet Raptor, Zelotes 5500, the Havit HV-MS672, and the Redragon M601. The first three sell for just $9 on Amazon, while the Redragon goes for $14.
Contrary to what we expected, all of the mice worked out of the box in exactly the way we might’ve hoped — or better. Some strange packaging choices aside, we encountered no problems, significant or insignificant. But are these inexpensive gaming mice really a good alternative? And what advantages do you get from buying a mouse that’s many times more expensive?
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