Question Mouse sensor barely tracks movement, buttons & battery are fine, I need help to diagnose ?

[zgzdgz]

Hi all,

I’m having a frustrating issue with my SteelSeries Aerox 9 Wireless Mouse and would appreciate any insight or troubleshooting tips from the community.
Bought it somewhere in 2023-04


Problem Description:

• The mouse powers on and all buttons/side keys and battery function as normal.
• The sensor, however, barely tracks movement (cursor barely moves, is erratic, or not registering at all), even though the mouse appears to be detected by Windows and SteelSeries GG software.

---

What I Tried So Far:

1. Rebooted the system and tested on another PC—same result.
2. Tested both wireless and wired mode (with original cable) – issue persists.
3. Tested different surfaces and mouse pads – same result.
4. Cleaned the sensor window externally with a microfiber cloth, and visually inspected for dust or debris.
5. Carefully used compressed air (upright, short bursts, not upside-down, and not shaken beforehand) as recommended by SteelSeries, and made sure mouse was off and unplugged.
6. Inspected the sensor area with a flashlight—no obvious residue or foreign objects seen, and sensor window appears clear.
7. Confirmed all software/drivers/firmware are up to date.
8. Checked for physical damage—none visible, the mouse has not been dropped or exposed to liquid spills.
9. Mouse is IP54 rated and was powered off during cleaning, so unlikely to have liquid ingress.

Additional Details:

• The buttons, scroll wheel, and RGB all function as normal.
• Mouse powers on, connects via dongle or cable, and charges fine.
• Only the sensor movement tracking is broken or severely degraded.

---

My Concerns:

• 
  I made sure to follow SteelSeries’ recommended cleaning procedures. The mouse is IP54 rated, was powered off and unplugged during cleaning, and there was no visible liquid or residue.
  
  
• I’m curious if the sensor can become misaligned, fogged up, or otherwise fail in a way that’s not obvious from outside.

1. Has anyone experienced this kind of sensor-only failure with a SteelSeries mouse?
2. Could compressed air really damage the sensor, or is this likely a hardware fault?
3. Is there a way to further inspect or fix the sensor at home, or is RMA/warranty my only real option (Not that I have one anymore as I'm already passed over 2 years 3 months or so)?
4. Are there any advanced troubleshooting steps I can try before giving up on the sensor? As the mouse didn't came cheap.

---

Any advice is greatly appreciated—thanks in advance!

https://imgur.com/a/M3PDMdN

 

[Aeacus]

Is there a way to further inspect or fix the sensor at home, or is RMA/warranty my only real option (Not that I have one anymore as I'm already passed over 2 years 3 months or so)?

Well, these kind of "gamer" mice do last 1-2 years before developing a fault. When lucky, fault develops before 2 year warranty is over, so you can RMA the mice and get a new one. If not, you're looking to fork out money for the new one by yourself.

Are there any advanced troubleshooting steps I can try before giving up on the sensor? As the mouse didn't came cheap.

Other than what SteelSeries themselves said - No.
I think you've already tried all possible fixes, which are: updating firmware, cleaning the sensor, recalibrating the mouse, trying a different surface, or performing a hard reset of the mouse.

Rather than buying 131 bucks mice, buy cheaper one, e.g 90 bucks one. Less money wasted with out of warranty mice replacement this way.

Has anyone experienced this kind of sensor-only failure with a SteelSeries mouse?

Reddit 01: https://www.reddit.com/r/steelserie...ival_600_sensor_issue_no_answer_of_the_mouse/
Reddit 02: https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/17oim18/aerox_5_wired_problem_with_mouse_sensor/
Reddit 03: https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/3p65p4/steelseries_rival_sensor_problem/
And much more from those came from. Just search the net.

All-in-all, all mice will develop issue(s) after some time. Since mice is the most heavily used component with the PC (movements and what not), they will wear out fast.

I'm using Corsair mice and over the years, i've found out Corsair mice model specific issues.

E.g;
Corsair Sabre RGB mice will produce, after ~1 year of usage, double- and triple-click issue on left click button, despite you only clicking it once.
It has happened with 3x Sabre RGB mice i've owned. Both me and missus used to use that mice. First one to develop this issue was mine (since mine was older). I RMA'd it. Got brand new as a replacement (under warranty). My 2nd one (from RMA) also developed the very same issue after ~1 year of usage. And missus'es Sabre RGB developed that very same issue as well, after ~1.2 year usage.

So, we ditched the Corsair Sabre RGB mice all together and now, we both are using Corsair Nightsword RGB mice.

Corsair Nightsword RGB mice, of course, has different model specific issue.
Namely, ~1 year of (heavy) usage, the middle button press won't register anymore. Scroll up/down works fine, but clicking the scroll button down, won't register. It has happened to 2x Nightsword RGB mice already. 1st one was again mine (since i use middle button a lot). RMAd it under warranty and got replacement. Since RMA takes time, i bought 2nd Nightsword RGB mice to use until RMA completes (can't use PC without mice). Now, the 2nd one has also developed the same fault. Middle button works sporadically. Since RMA was successful, i have 3rd, brand new, Nightsword RGB next to me, but i haven't had time to switch it out yet (since my 2nd one, more-or-less, still works). Missus'es Nightsword RGB hasn't developed this fault. Then again, my missus doesn't use middle button that often.

So, look for a new mice, since yours is out of warranty. When going with same model mice and when the same fault develops in the same span of time as with 1st mice, then you can confirm the sensor failure to be model specific issue. Or go with different make/model mice.

I, personally, don't like wireless mice. But i had to buy one for my missus, for her to use with her laptop. Got her Corsair Dark Core RGB SE and thus far, she is happy with it. Mice is over 2 years old now and haven't developed a fault as of yet.
Specs: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/gam...gb-pro-se-wireless-gaming-mouse-ch-9315511-na
Pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Lw...b-pro-se-wireless-optical-mouse-ch-9315511-na

 

[zgzdgz]

Hey, thanks for your honest reply and for sharing your experience with Corsair and other mice. I appreciate you taking the time to explain it in detail.

Yeah, I guess it’s just part of the “gaming mouse lottery” these days. Mine lasted about 2 years and 3 months, which I suppose isn’t too bad considering how much I used it. Still, it’s disappointing that these premium mice don’t last longer. Though I actually have rival 3, that I bought quite some time ago, and it still works despite being cheaper.

So decided to pick up a SteelSeries Prime Wireless since it was on a good sale (58 eur~) locally and (hopefully) it’ll hold up a bit longer. I’ll keep your advice in mind about RMA if I notice any issues within warranty this time. But I also thought of getting Aerox 5 wired but with 60 months extended warranty which would cost in total around the same as your Corsair mouse, or the same with Aerox 9, which would cost around 157 in total, so will this math would be worth it in your opinion?

And at the same time, I do remember clicking CPI button prior before the sensor went haywire, (which probably was just a coincidence) which I never actually used CPI button on the mouse before except in gg. I also found the pixart chip on AliExpress for a few bucks, so chip itself wouldn't be as expensive as the work like you said to replace it.

You mentioned you are not fan of the wireless, can you elaborate on that ?

 

[zgzdgz]

Well, these kind of "gamer" mice do last 1-2 years before developing a fault. When lucky, fault develops before 2 year warranty is over, so you can RMA the mice and get a new one. If not, you're looking to fork out money for the new one by yourself.


Other than what SteelSeries themselves said - No.
I think you've already tried all possible fixes, which are: updating firmware, cleaning the sensor, recalibrating the mouse, trying a different surface, or performing a hard reset of the mouse.

Rather than buying 131 bucks mice, buy cheaper one, e.g 90 bucks one. Less money wasted with out of warranty mice replacement this way.


Reddit 01: https://www.reddit.com/r/steelserie...ival_600_sensor_issue_no_answer_of_the_mouse/
Reddit 02: https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/17oim18/aerox_5_wired_problem_with_mouse_sensor/
Reddit 03: https://www.reddit.com/r/steelseries/comments/3p65p4/steelseries_rival_sensor_problem/
And much more from those came from. Just search the net.

All-in-all, all mice will develop issue(s) after some time. Since mice is the most heavily used component with the PC (movements and what not), they will wear out fast.

I'm using Corsair mice and over the years, i've found out Corsair mice model specific issues.

E.g;
Corsair Sabre RGB mice will produce, after ~1 year of usage, double- and triple-click issue on left click button, despite you only clicking it once.
It has happened with 3x Sabre RGB mice i've owned. Both me and missus used to use that mice. First one to develop this issue was mine (since mine was older). I RMA'd it. Got brand new as a replacement (under warranty). My 2nd one (from RMA) also developed the very same issue after ~1 year of usage. And missus'es Sabre RGB developed that very same issue as well, after ~1.2 year usage.

So, we ditched the Corsair Sabre RGB mice all together and now, we both are using Corsair Nightsword RGB mice.

Corsair Nightsword RGB mice, of course, has different model specific issue.
Namely, ~1 year of (heavy) usage, the middle button press won't register anymore. Scroll up/down works fine, but clicking the scroll button down, won't register. It has happened to 2x Nightsword RGB mice already. 1st one was again mine (since i use middle button a lot). RMAd it under warranty and got replacement. Since RMA takes time, i bought 2nd Nightsword RGB mice to use until RMA completes (can't use PC without mice). Now, the 2nd one has also developed the same fault. Middle button works sporadically. Since RMA was successful, i have 3rd, brand new, Nightsword RGB next to me, but i haven't had time to switch it out yet (since my 2nd one, more-or-less, still works). Missus'es Nightsword RGB hasn't developed this fault. Then again, my missus doesn't use middle button that often.

So, look for a new mice, since yours is out of warranty. When going with same model mice and when the same fault develops in the same span of time as with 1st mice, then you can confirm the sensor failure to be model specific issue. Or go with different make/model mice.

I, personally, don't like wireless mice. But i had to buy one for my missus, for her to use with her laptop. Got her Corsair Dark Core RGB SE and thus far, she is happy with it. Mice is over 2 years old now and haven't developed a fault as of yet.
Specs: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/gam...gb-pro-se-wireless-gaming-mouse-ch-9315511-na
Pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Lw...b-pro-se-wireless-optical-mouse-ch-9315511-na

And also to add to this, I recently noticing sort of weird things going on in my room, blackouts/power fluctuations that last as much as less than 30 seconds or so, so ups seems to kick in way more often than usual and then I started to wonder WHAT IF the mouse did indeed suffered from the micro surge due to those blackouts/fluctuations? I know it's bit less likely, but still do you think it's possible ?

 

[Aeacus]

You mentioned you are not fan of the wireless, can you elaborate on that ?

Wireless mice have one convenience: no tethered connection to the PC. So, you can move your mice around freely, without the wire getting caught or hung up to stuff. But there are many flaws with wireless mice that i do not like.

One of them is battery. Since there is no power connecting cable, all wireless mice have to use internal battery. And the charge in it vastly differs depending on what you do with the mice and how long you use it. High DPI, high polling rate, RGB - all that greatly affects the remaining charge.
Since i use my mouse up to 16h per day and with high polling rate (1000 Hz for low latency) with good DPI (3000 DPI usually), the internal battery would get empty, fast, in my use case. Though, my mice also has ARGB, which is nice to look at during night time.

Internal battery also adds weight.
Since i like my mice to be lightweight, i don't like sliding heavy brick around.

When battery gets empty, you have to charge the mice and depending on mice, you can't use it when it is charging. Prime example: Apple Magic Mouse. Charging port is at the underside, making usage of mice during charging impossible. Then, there's also the fact that battery getting empty and you having no other option, other than stop your work, just to charge the mice.

Of course, internal battery has finite lifespan. Li-ion battery does last quite a bit, but battery will fail and most of the times, the internal battery is built-in, where you can't replace it at all.

Then, there's also the nature of sporadic connection to the PC. Either the mice uses bluetooth or wi-fi. But since both travel through air, their connection isn't 100% constant. Connection can cut out for a split second, making mouse pointer to jump. That is, if there aren't any outside interference that messes with the wireless signal.

Overall, to me, the small freedom of movement with wireless mice, do not outweigh all the downsides it has.
Now, i don't only game with my PC. I also do my work via my PC and hobbies as well. One of them is image editing. And for that, i need precise mouse movements, often pixel perfect. For that, i also often change my DPI, from normal 3000 down to 400 DPI, for the extra precision.

I once tried laser mice and for the love of me, i could not draw a straight line with it. Instead, the line was always jagged. Since while laser is more precise than optical, laser will pick up all the small grooves/dents of the surface, producing jagged output. Since i don't have crystal clear surface for mouse, i can't use laser mice. So, never again i get myself a laser mice.

All the peripherals i have, are also wired ones (KB, headset etc). Essentially the same faults apply to those as well, as with wireless mice. Though, my missus does love the wireless headset i got for her laptop use. But our headsets at our desktop PCs, are wired ones.

Overall, peripherals use comes down to personal preference. Just because i don't like wireless peripherals (due to reasons above), i don't stop anyone else using them or suggest against.

so ups seems to kick in way more often than usual

UPS make and model (or part number) is? Also, how old the UPS is, and was the UPS bought new or used/refurbished?

WHAT IF the mouse did indeed suffered from the micro surge due to those blackouts/fluctuations? I know it's bit less likely, but still do you think it's possible ?

Depends. Namely, from where you charged your mice.

Did you charge it via PC's USB port?
If so, damage during charging would be the least likely, since from the mains, there is UPS, PC's PSU, MoBo and then charging cable to mice.

If from UPS directly, then it depends if UPS has the USB ports behind surge protector or not.
But if directly from the mains, then it is quite a possibility.

You also didn't say if your PC is laptop or desktop. If it is desktop, then what is your PSU make and model (or part number) is? Also, how old the PSU is, and was the PSU bought new or used/refurbished?

 

[zgzdgz]

Sorry, I forgot to include my specs earlier! Here’s my setup:

Desktop: MSI B550M-PRO VDH, Ryzen 9 5900X, RTX 4070 OC, 32GB Corsair Vengeance 3600MHz

Case: Silent Base 802 (7x Be Quiet! BL099 fans, NH-D15S + 3x Noctua NA-A15 PWM on the heatsink, 1x rear exhaust)

Peripherals: SteelSeries Apex Pro, QcK Prism Cloth, Rival 3 Wireless

PSU: Corsair RMx 1000W

Monitor: ASUS TUF Gaming VG34L34

Console/TV: Xbox Series X, LG TV

For charging the Aerox 9, I usually use the motherboard’s rear/front USB ports, sometimes a powered Gembird USB hub, or occasionally the monitor’s USB hub. As for power backup, I recently switched to an APC 2200VA BGR UPS (went with APC instead of CyberPower due to reports of “yellow glue” issues and less reliable delivery).

I bought the mouse in 2023 and have been using it regularly ever since, mostly bluetooth/USB-C cable connections. The UPS is a more recent addition—only a few months old—and, funnily enough, the first day I installed it, we had some short power blackouts and voltage fluctuations due to strong winds.

Power routing:

My PSU and monitor are connected via 5m C13–C14 cables directly to the UPS.

Console and TV plug into the UPS’s Schuko sockets.

Speakers and network switch ar
e on a surge-only outlet.

 

[Aeacus]

I recently switched to an APC 2200VA BGR UPS

Without exact model number, this doesn't tell me much, since there are at least 20 different UPS models from APC that have 2200VA rating.
BGR isn't model name, but instead country where it is sold. Bulgaria.

I could as well say that i have CyberPower 1500VA UPS, where you have 1/28 chance of guessing correctly at 1st try. Or that i have Seasonic 650W PSU, giving you 1/30 chance of guessing it right on 1st try (or even slimmer chance when considering EoL PSUs from Seasonic).

instead of CyberPower due to reports of “yellow glue” issues

"Yellow glue"? 🤔 Care to elaborate?

For charging the Aerox 9, I usually use the motherboard’s rear/front USB ports, sometimes a powered Gembird USB hub, or occasionally the monitor’s USB hub.

When using MoBo ports, there are UPS, PSU and MoBo in the way, until the +5V reaches the charging cable. Making electricity grid issues slim. Especially since you have good quality Corsair RMx PSU.

Can't tell exactly about the USB hub, since i don't know if it is fully powered via the USB port from MoBo, or does it have 5V adapter that plugs to the wall, for additional power.

And charging from monitor, means that you have UPS and monitor power brick, before power reaches mice.

I recently switched to an APC

This can be important, since as far as you've told, you have had your mice long before you got yourself APC UPS. Could be, that the damage was done prior of you having an UPS to back up and protect your build.

Power routing:

My PSU and monitor are connected via 5m C13–C14 cables directly to the UPS.

Console and TV plug into the UPS’s Schuko sockets.

Speakers and network switch ar
e on a surge-only outlet.

Yeah, the normal way to connect stuff to UPS.

 

[zgzdgz]

Oops, my bad, the exact model number is: BGM2200B-GR, https://www.se.com/lt/lt/product/BG...zdai-rgb-light-pure-sine-wave-midnight-black/ .

That's the yellow glue issue that I mentioned before and that affected my decision to get an APC instead of CP - > https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/1jnyq1p/cyberpower_cp1600epfclcduk_pop_fire_and_stink/ -<

Basically the delivery times were quite far for CP than APC and the reddit post sort of gave me a little bit of insight into a problem, so I just went with APC that was available.

UHB-U3P7P-01​

https://gembird.com/item.aspx?id=12467
I used it with USB power cable at first, then without it. But weird kind of stuff happens when turn on just one of the usb ports with a button which then the other devices turns off and tuns on again, and I'm like, what ? 😀 So I thought maybe there was a connection between that power hub.

 

[Aeacus]

Oops, my bad, the exact model number is: BGM2200B-GR, https://www.se.com/lt/lt/product/BG...zdai-rgb-light-pure-sine-wave-midnight-black/ .

Ture/pure sine wave UPS. So, you're good on that part and i don't think UPS could affect the mice recharging.

That's the yellow glue issue that I mentioned before and that affected my decision to get an APC instead of CP - > https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/1jnyq1p/cyberpower_cp1600epfclcduk_pop_fire_and_stink/ -<

That was an interesting video to watch (i watched the initial video linked there). 🤔

Now, i don't have CyberPower 1500VA UPS, instead 1300VA one. And since there is only one 1300VA one ever produced, it's easy to guess that my UPS is CP1300EPFCLCD.
I actually have two of them, backing up our desktop PCs.

Now, the vid i watched, the person there stated that the yellow glue issue can be present in the 1350VA and 1500VA models, Rev1, Rev2 and Rev3. And YT comments under there, do indicate that some older models also had that yellow glue. While newer models, produced 1 year ago or so, have white silicone as adhesive. Fixing the issue.

Also, from what i gathered, the "yellow glue" or "Sony Bond" reacts to high humidity. So, when combining bad coincidences, one can end up with smoking UPS.
Humidity where i live, is low. And since my UPS is outside of the affected models, i don't necessarily think they can go up in flames. Though, my UPSes are now 7+ years old and i do plan to switch them out with newer model, where it is confirmed that the "yellow glue" isn't present anymore.
But i digress.

Oh, the PSU i have, is Seasonic PRIME 650 80+ Titanium [SSR-650TD]. In missus'es PC, i have Seasonic PRIME TX-650 [SSR-650TR]. Full specs with pics in my sig.

UHB-U3P7P-01
https://gembird.com/item.aspx?id=12467
I used it with USB power cable at first, then without it. But weird kind of stuff happens when turn on just one of the usb ports with a button which then the other devices turns off and tuns on again, and I'm like, what ? 😀 So I thought maybe there was a connection between that power hub.

When powered by DC adapter directly from the mains, surges and brownouts can reach that hub easily. Heck, it can even send power via data cable back to MoBo (depending on how it's built). And that latter is bad, since MoBo isn't designed to accept power from USB ports. Only output power. You could fry your MoBo with this.

As far as disconnection of other ports when switching one port off goes, i guess the hub resets and reallocates the bandwidth with this. Since when all 7x ports would have devices hooked to it, one device, ever, would only get up to 89.2 MB/s speeds (almost the same speed as USB 2.0). But if only one device would be in that hub, then up to 625 MB/s speeds (USB 3.0 speed).

Overall, i still think your mice developed the fault on it's own, rather than it being charging issue with "dirty" power. But you'll never know for sure.

 

[zgzdgz]

Ture/pure sine wave UPS. So, you're good on that part and i don't think UPS could affect the mice recharging.


That was an interesting video to watch (i watched the initial video linked there). 🤔

Now, i don't have CyberPower 1500VA UPS, instead 1300VA one. And since there is only one 1300VA one ever produced, it's easy to guess that my UPS is CP1300EPFCLCD.
I actually have two of them, backing up our desktop PCs.

Now, the vid i watched, the person there stated that the yellow glue issue can be present in the 1350VA and 1500VA models, Rev1, Rev2 and Rev3. And YT comments under there, do indicate that some older models also had that yellow glue. While newer models, produced 1 year ago or so, have white silicone as adhesive. Fixing the issue.

Also, from what i gathered, the "yellow glue" or "Sony Bond" reacts to high humidity. So, when combining bad coincidences, one can end up with smoking UPS.
Humidity where i live, is low. And since my UPS is outside of the affected models, i don't necessarily think they can go up in flames. Though, my UPSes are now 7+ years old and i do plan to switch them out with newer model, where it is confirmed that the "yellow glue" isn't present anymore.
But i digress.

Oh, the PSU i have, is Seasonic PRIME 650 80+ Titanium [SSR-650TD]. In missus'es PC, i have Seasonic PRIME TX-650 [SSR-650TR]. Full specs with pics in my sig.


When powered by DC adapter directly from the mains, surges and brownouts can reach that hub easily. Heck, it can even send power via data cable back to MoBo (depending on how it's built). And that latter is bad, since MoBo isn't designed to accept power from USB ports. Only output power. You could fry your MoBo with this.

As far as disconnection of other ports when switching one port off goes, i guess the hub resets and reallocates the bandwidth with this. Since when all 7x ports would have devices hooked to it, one device, ever, would only get up to 89.2 MB/s speeds (almost the same speed as USB 2.0). But if only one device would be in that hub, then up to 625 MB/s speeds (USB 3.0 speed).

Overall, i still think your mice developed the fault on it's own, rather than it being charging issue with "dirty" power. But you'll never know for sure.

Thank you for your answer bud! Well, that hub has a power connector that goes IN hub (power connector end, not sure how to describe it) and then OUT as USB-A end which I connected to the surge protector USB port that I had, It had no power brick or whatever, it was just an external power cable to draw power from the surge protector's USBs ports. Yeah, that's what I figure it too, maybe it's just allocating the power, although when connected to surge protector's (orvaldi 900J something something) USB port for power, I can press on or off and nothing will disconnect.

Anyway, I no longer use that surge protector since I cannot daisy chain ups and surge protector together, so everything basically goes into the UPS, and the protector surge serves other non-high demanding devices.

And as for my screenshots, are they how it supposed to be or you suspect something ?

 

[Aeacus]

that hub has a power connector that goes IN hub (power connector end, not sure how to describe it) and then OUT as USB-A end

So, it basically has this cable to power it?

Direct link if image doesn't load: https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Sbb116b451a244d4f89dd9ee02ad8bb3fm.jpg_640x640q90.jpg

The round one is DC barrel jack.

orvaldi 900J something something

Up to 900 Joules of surge protection.

Your UPS has it at 1080J.

maybe it's just allocating the power, although when connected to surge protector's (orvaldi 900J something something) USB port for power, I can press on or off and nothing will disconnect.

Yeah, could be power allocation.

USB 3.0 data cable can provide up to 4.5 W (900mA). But dedicated charging cable can provide up to 7.5 W (1500mA) via type-A port.

And as for my screenshots, are they how it supposed to be or you suspect something ?

Well, i don't see any issues from the screens. Normal looking underside of the optical mice.

Here's cross-section of optical mice read head:

Direct link if image doesn't load: https://www.researchgate.net/profil...2249972/The-schematic-of-an-optical-mouse.png

There are two components to make the mouse movement to work: LED light to shine light via lenses to the surface. And optical sensor to read the reflection. So, either the sensor itself is faulty, or the LED light that is supposed to provide light, has burned out. Which one - i can not tell.

Also, most optical mice use IR (infrared) light, which isn't visible for naked eye. E.g my Nightsword RGB mice uses IR light. So, you can't even tell visually, if the mice light works or not. There are few optical mice that use blue or red visible light.

 

[zgzdgz]

So, it basically has this cable to power it?

Direct link if image doesn't load: https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/Sbb116b451a244d4f89dd9ee02ad8bb3fm.jpg_640x640q90.jpg

The round one is DC barrel jack.


Up to 900 Joules of surge protection.

Your UPS has it at 1080J.


Yeah, could be power allocation.

USB 3.0 data cable can provide up to 4.5 W (900mA). But dedicated charging cable can provide up to 7.5 W (1500mA) via type-A port.


Well, i don't see any issues from the screens. Normal looking underside of the optical mice.

Here's cross-section of optical mice read head:

Direct link if image doesn't load: https://www.researchgate.net/profil...2249972/The-schematic-of-an-optical-mouse.png

There are two components to make the mouse movement to work: LED light to shine light via lenses to the surface. And optical sensor to read the reflection. So, either the sensor itself is faulty, or the LED light that is supposed to provide light, has burned out. Which one - i can not tell.

Also, most optical mice use IR (infrared) light, which isn't visible for naked eye. E.g my Nightsword RGB mice uses IR light. So, you can't even tell visually, if the mice light works or not. There are few optical mice that use blue or red visible light.

Yeah, I think it's the middle one power connector in the picture, or something like next to the middle one on the right.

Oh sorry bud😄I meant screenshots of the UPS app settings and it's status, I attached to the previous comment. Have you seen it? I attach if needed.

You might be right , as I looked directly at the sensor and there was no light coming through.
And yes, if that's the light that went went, then repair might be possible, but still complicated and still not worth it, right?
Also, the mouse itself just started dying completely, tried
the cable, disconnecting/reconnecting, no 2.4 ghz, no bluetooth connections that syncs any more, but is it a domino affect at this point?

By the way, That mouse of yours looking awesome bud!👍 😎

 

[Aeacus]

I meant screenshots of the UPS app settings and it's status, I attached to the previous comment. Have you seen it? I attach if needed.

You mean in this reply of yours:

Oops, my bad, the exact model number is: BGM2200B-GR, https://www.se.com/lt/lt/product/BG...zdai-rgb-light-pure-sine-wave-midnight-black/ .

That's the yellow glue issue that I mentioned before and that affected my decision to get an APC instead of CP - > https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/1jnyq1p/cyberpower_cp1600epfclcduk_pop_fire_and_stink/ -<

Basically the delivery times were quite far for CP than APC and the reddit post sort of gave me a little bit of insight into a problem, so I just went with APC that was available.

UHB-U3P7P-01​

https://gembird.com/item.aspx?id=12467
I used it with USB power cable at first, then without it. But weird kind of stuff happens when turn on just one of the usb ports with a button which then the other devices turns off and tuns on again, and I'm like, what ? 😀 So I thought maybe there was a connection between that power hub.

What i quoted, is all what i see.

For image linking, you can upload images to e.g www.imgur.com and share them here.

And yes, if that's the light that went went, then repair might be possible, but still complicated and still not worth it, right?

Far more hassle to repair it than it's worth. Not to mention the spare parts that are compatible. Most likely needs soldering as well.

Also, the mouse itself just started dying completely, tried
the cable, disconnecting/reconnecting, no 2.4 ghz, no bluetooth connections that syncs any more, but is it a domino affect at this point?

Most likely. Could be battery failure as well, which 1st failed to power the sensor and now fails to power the rest.

By the way, That mouse of yours looking awesome bud!👍 😎

Besides looking awesome, it also operates as one. Adjustable center of gravity and what not.

 

[zgzdgz]

Hmm, the link didn't got attached,
Here are the screenshots:

https://imgur.com/a/HnMejMo

View: https://imgur.com/a/HnMejMo


It's the UPS status, settings and logs.

I guess Goodbye Dear old mouse, you served me well🫡

Whoa whoa, adjustable center of gravity, for real?😁🤘😎

 

[Aeacus]

It's the UPS status, settings and logs.

The voltage range you've set is quite wide. Especially the upper part.

Mains (power plants) should keep the 230V voltage range within +10%/-6%. This means the voltage can fluctuate between 207V and 253V.

I checked mine and while 230V is normal, my UPS range is from 170V to 260V.
Here are my UPS'es settings (pic is about a month old since i shared it in another topic here in TH forums):

Whoa whoa, adjustable center of gravity, for real?😁🤘😎

Yes.

Precise Weight Calibration
Two sets of weights and six mounting locations offer 120 different weight and balance configurations.

Smart Tunable Weight System
CORSAIR-exclusive software automatically detects the mouse’s center of gravity in real time, allowing you to adjust the weight between 119g and 141g and fine-tune balance to perfectly fit your grip.

Specs: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/gam...b-tunable-fps-moba-gaming-mouse-ch-9306011-na

It comes with weight case with 3x 4.5g and 3x 2.8g weight blocks. So, you can fine tune the center of gravity or overall weight of the mice to your own personal feel.

 

[zgzdgz]

The voltage range you've set is quite wide. Especially the upper part.

Mains (power plants) should keep the 230V voltage range within +10%/-6%. This means the voltage can fluctuate between 207V and 253V.

I checked mine and while 230V is normal, my UPS range is from 170V to 260V.
Here are my UPS'es settings (pic is about a month old since i shared it in another topic here in TH forums):

Yes.



Specs: https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/gam...b-tunable-fps-moba-gaming-mouse-ch-9306011-na

It comes with weight case with 3x 4.5g and 3x 2.8g weight blocks. So, you can fine tune the center of gravity or overall weight of the mice to your own personal feel.

Hmm, I think these settings were set by default, I didn't touched anything, just plugged UPS into USB port and thats it. Shall I need to change those settings?

Damn, that mouse is like a Ferrari Bud!🤘😎😁
But do those weights really help when compared to other mice?

 

[Aeacus]

Shall I need to change those settings?

I actually can't tell. Since when you narrow it down but voltage fluctuates quite a bit, UPS will switch over to the battery power more often.
Btw, my values are default ones as well.

Damn, that mouse is like a Ferrari Bud!🤘😎😁

Naah, i wouldn't call it like a Ferrari. More like a Lamborghini. Since you buy a Ferrari when you want to be somebody. But you buy a Lamborghini when you are somebody!

But do those weights really help when compared to other mice?

Most mice come with fixed weight. Which ranges between ~40g to all the way to 150g (or more).

Now, for each different game gerne, especially on the pro/e-sports level, there are different mice weights that are important;
FPS (e.g CS2) - as light as possible. 40g to 100g mice. So that player can do very fast reflex movements.
MOBA/RTS (e.g Dota2) - mid-weight mice. 80g to 120g. For quick cursor movement with precise commands. Offers stability for accuracy, without sacrificing on agility.
MMO (e.g WoW) - heavy weight mice. 100g and more. Ideal for marathon sessions, to keep the hand steady, without accidental clicks on wrong place.

So, if you were to play these 3 different kind of games, you'd need to have 3 different mice, each matching the weight target. But with adjustable weight mice, you can pop-out or add weights, while the mice shape is already what you've used to. But with 3 different mice, their shape could be different, not to your likening. Not to mention switching mice out every time.

My Nightsword RGB mice is classified as FPS/MOBA mice. And with all the weights in, it weighs whopping 145g. Taking all the weights out and i'd end up with 120g mice.

Of course, my Nightsword RGB isn't the only adjustable weight mice out there. There are others, like: Corsair M65 RGB Ultra, Logitech G502 Hero/Lightspeed, Redragon M801/M901/M908, Steelseeries Rival 600. Etc.

Weight alone isn't a factor. Gliding pads and surface matter a lot as well. Since you can have ~75g mice but when it's pads have high grip to the surface, you'd have far more effort to move it around, than ~125g mice with smooth and low grip pads.

Then, there's also the grip method you use: palm, claw or fingertip. I use claw grip.
And the hand size as well. I haven't measured mine, but i think i have medium size.

All-in-all, mice today are a big science. Not just a wired device with 2 buttons and a scroll wheel.

Here's in-depth comparison between the two mice we have,
link: https://www.rtings.com/mouse/tools/...-rgb-pro-vs-corsair-nightsword-rgb/12378/1679

And here's my missus'es Dark Core RGB Pro vs your Aerox 9 in-depth comparison,
link: https://www.rtings.com/mouse/tools/...o-vs-steelseries-aerox-9-wireless/12378/32771


For my personal feel and taste, i like a bit lighter mice than Nightsword RGB. 100g would be good. But i'm a casual gamer now (used to be hardcore gamer ) and i haven't adjusted the center of gravity for my mice. What i play mostly now, are small indie titles and simulation games.
But what matters to me far more, are the extra buttons mice has to have. I can't get by just 3 button mice.

E.g key assignments of my 10 button mice are:
left button - left click
middle button - open/close new tab + open url link in new tab (vital for my use) same button has scroll wheel for scrolling up/down as well
right button - right click
4th button - DPI up (increases mice DPI profile. Default is 3000 DPI, with it, i can increase DPI to 6000)
5th button - DPI down (decreases mice DPI profile. E.g from 6000 DPI down to 3000 DPI, default, and down to 1500 DPI)
6th button - system volume up (since i use headset, i need to change output volume on the fly)
7th button - system volume down (far more convenient that changing the volume from system settings)
8th button - page/folder forwards (used in web browser)
9th button - page/folder backwards (used in web browser and file explorer and i often use it)
10th button - DPI toggle to 400 DPI and back to whatever it was before (very critical use case for my needs)

In the iCUE software, i can adjust the DPI profiles by the increments of 1 and also reprogram most of the buttons to my needs (which i have).

 

[zgzdgz]

Man... that's so interesting ! That's pretty much like weight distribution while driving a sport's car right ?

Your mouse beats Aerox 9 not even by a long shot, but by literally everything !

Since yours have less buttons, but instead it has a thumb rest which is very comfortable I must say. Trust me those buttons on the left are a complete nonsense, as the only ones that I could reach comfortably were buttons 9 and 12 that I used to FORWARD or to GO BACK, that's it 😀, you wouldn't be able to reach other buttons without lifting out the mouse.

And I believe I had also a question about the extended warranty thing on mices, or is that just for the "money grabs"?

Also, by any chance you play simulators like the police simulator or similiar ones ?

 

[Aeacus]

That's pretty much like weight distribution while driving a sport's car right ?

Pretty much. Since mice needs to move side-by-side. And depending on a game, diagonally as well. In pro/e-sports, it's battle of milliseconds. Bad mice can ruin your entire gameplay.

Since yours have less buttons, but instead it has a thumb rest which is very comfortable I must say.

Thumb rest is very comfortable to have. Dark Core RGB has also a pinky rest, that you can remove if you don't like it.

Your mouse beats Aerox 9 not even by a long shot, but by literally everything !

Hence why to read reviews/comparisons beforehand.

Trust me those buttons on the left are a complete nonsense, as the only ones that I could reach comfortably were buttons 9 and 12 that I used to FORWARD or to GO BACK, that's it 😀, you wouldn't be able to reach other buttons without lifting out the mouse.

Yours is MMO mice, which buttons are mostly used in e.g WoW to hotkey different ability/spell activation to it. Hence the 12 buttons close together. It acts more-or-less like a numpad on full-sized KB.

And I believe I had also a question about the extended warranty thing on mices, or is that just for the "money grabs"?

You mean the retail store offering extended warranty, which you have to pay for? If so, you need to read the warranty terms of those, since they could differ what the manufacturer offers. But most of the times, you'd pay way too much for a mere 1 year extension.

Though, some brands offer extended warranty free of charge. Where all what you need to do, is register on their site and validate the purchase with invoice. E.g MSI has such warranty extension program in use. With this, i registered my MoBos, GPUs and monitor too with MSI, getting 3 months of warranty extension just spending ~5mins of my time. Or you can buy extended warranty from MSI as well (it has some restrictions).

Also, by any chance you play simulators like the police simulator or similiar ones ?

I have The Precinct in my wishlist, but haven't bought it yet. But i play other simulation games, like ETS2 and ATS (last 10 years for each of those). Also: FS17, FS19, FS22. I like those. FS25 (farming simulator) is in my wishlist. Oh, PC Building Simulator too, when it 1st came out. Neat game. Quite accurate to actual PC building.
Star Trucker (great indie title). Pacific Drive (another great indie title). Gold Mining Simulator (when it 1st came out). BarnFinders, Game Dev Tycoon, Subnautica + Below Zero (superb games), Breathedge (love the comedy), Cities: Skylines. Etc.
Have House Flipper too but haven't had time to play it. Same with FrostPunk.

I have so many games and so little time to play them. 😒
For the last 2 years, i've tried my level best not to buy any new games, instead, trying to play those that i already have.

 

[zgzdgz]

Pretty much. Since mice needs to move side-by-side. And depending on a game, diagonally as well. In pro/e-sports, it's battle of milliseconds. Bad mice can ruin your entire gameplay.


Thumb rest is very comfortable to have. Dark Core RGB has also a pinky rest, that you can remove if you don't like it.


Hence why to read reviews/comparisons beforehand.


Yours is MMO mice, which buttons are mostly used in e.g WoW to hotkey different ability/spell activation to it. Hence the 12 buttons close together. It acts more-or-less like a numpad on full-sized KB.


You mean the retail store offering extended warranty, which you have to pay for? If so, you need to read the warranty terms of those, since they could differ what the manufacturer offers. But most of the times, you'd pay way too much for a mere 1 year extension.

Though, some brands offer extended warranty free of charge. Where all what you need to do, is register on their site and validate the purchase with invoice. E.g MSI has such warranty extension program in use. With this, i registered my MoBos, GPUs and monitor too with MSI, getting 3 months of warranty extension just spending ~5mins of my time. Or you can buy extended warranty from MSI as well (it has some restrictions).


I have The Precinct in my wishlist, but haven't bought it yet. But i play other simulation games, like ETS2 and ATS (last 10 years for each of those). Also: FS17, FS19, FS22. I like those. FS25 (farming simulator) is in my wishlist. Oh, PC Building Simulator too, when it 1st came out. Neat game. Quite accurate to actual PC building.
Star Trucker (great indie title). Pacific Drive (another great indie title). Gold Mining Simulator (when it 1st came out). BarnFinders, Game Dev Tycoon, Subnautica + Below Zero (superb games), Breathedge (love the comedy), Cities: Skylines. Etc.
Have House Flipper too but haven't had time to play it. Same with FrostPunk.

I have so many games and so little time to play them. 😒
For the last 2 years, i've tried my level best not to buy any new games, instead, trying to play those that i already have.

Well, from what I could tell by buying from my local shops is, something like Aerox 5 wired comes with 24 months (as per standard ALL electronics in the EU), and an extended warranty of 60 months around 20-30 eur~, since not that many manufacturers actually bother to offer more than 12/24 months. For example, the mouse or the keyboard costs 70 or something, add 20-30, and 7 years of warranty in total, or in your personal opinion it's a bit of an overkill😀 ?

Damn, that's a lot of simulation games, Respect🤘😎😁 ! You must have a LOT OF PATIENCE to play these games man ! There were times when I just played ATS/ETS2 non-stop with the wheel and all... Those were golden times... Anyway, you can always try the "PC game pass" or the Ultimate Pass as well, Police Simulator included, and it's pretty good, as it does include cloud gaming on console and pc, plus you get perks each month I think, so just a thought bud.

Also I must warn you that Police Simulator can be kinda bugged😁 (though it could be just on the console, but idk), but overall it's pretty good, and it has an online CO-OP option as well. If you'll need any help with that game, let me know, cause certain things in police simulator can be quite frustrating or difficult deal with in certain situations.

By any chance you had any sort of experience with game controllers and stuff like that, and how good/bad are they when compared to mices just in general ?

 

[Aeacus]

For example, the mouse or the keyboard costs 70 or something, add 20-30, and 7 years of warranty in total, or in your personal opinion it's a bit of an overkill😀 ?

Well, if you do end up paying for extended warranty, my question would be, if the warranty seller would actually uphold their end of the bargain. Or would they find ways to void the warranty for you. Since after all, insurance (warranty included), works fine when no-one is making a claim of warranty. But when it is time to cash out or repair/replace something, insurance/warranty giver can get VERY stingy.

Prime example would be GamersNexus'es MoBo RMA to Newegg:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fnXsmXzphI


There are several videos of the saga actually. You can look them up if you like to know how it all ended.

Damn, that's a lot of simulation games, Respect🤘😎😁 !

Compared to all the games i have, that small list is actually peanuts.

Anyway, you can always try the "PC game pass" or the Ultimate Pass as well

I'm Steam exclusive with my games. Well, i do have plethora of old games as well, back from my time when i gamed hard. Stored away on my HDDs.

Also I must warn you that Police Simulator can be kinda bugged😁

I can work around bugs. If i like a game a lot, then no bug is going to stop me.

By any chance you had any sort of experience with game controllers and stuff like that, and how good/bad are they when compared to mices just in general ?

No.

I'm ol' school. KB & mice all the way, 'til my grave. 🪦

I, personally, do not like modern console gaming. Though, way back in the day, i was rocking NES. After which, i moved over to the PCs, once gaming took hold there and have been with PCs ever since. (Btw, they very 1st PC i had, was an IBM XT. No mouse, no speakers, 10 MB HDD, monochrome monitor, OS: DOS.)

So, i have no experience with consoles, other than NES.
IMO, proper gaming should be on PC, with KB/mice.

 

[zgzdgz]

Oh, I by all means I didn't mean that it should stop you from playing it, but rather to just to let you know that they are just weird and sometimes causes penalties and such 😀 Best of luck in the future in this game bud !

Speaking of mouse and keyboard, there are actually games that support consoles and vice-versa, not all but ya know it works. PC gaming is like never ending jungle of games, so it's totally understandable that's the "proper gaming" method.🤘😎😁 So not even steam deck huh ?

That was a real dinosaur and a true relic friend ! Any chance back in the day peripherals like mice were more reliable in some way than what we got these days ?

 

[Aeacus]

but rather to just to let you know that they are just weird and sometimes causes penalties and such 😀

Yes, i'm well aware of the controllers and their "aim assist". Which, IMO, is cheating. There is no aim assist when playing with KB/mice. Either you've played a lot to be good/great and can brag about it. Or when patience gets better of you, complaints start flying:"it's game's fault, they cheated" etc etc, while everyone else will say to you "git gud".

Speaking of mouse and keyboard, there are actually games that support consoles and vice-versa, not all but ya know it works.

Yes there are. But those games are overall poor. Either bad experience on console or bad experience on PC.

Few examples;
PC exclusive game can utilize the full 104 keys KB, that PCs have. Thus giving you one key per individual command. From the top of my head: Deus Ex (2000). (My most fav game of all time. If you have played it, then you know where my avatar came from.)
Then, PC exclusive games can utilize the full graphical settings PCs can provide. No hardware limitations with PCs, as it is with consoles. One example is view distance, which on PC can be easy 400m or more. But on consoles, 100-200m.
Another big aspect of PC exclusive games is the 3rd party mod support. Many games offer that, especially simulation games. And while adding tons of mods may choke your CPU, you can easily upgrade CPU on desktop PC. RAM too.

Then, there are console exclusive games. Don't know any but they are out there.

But most games today are ports.
Meaning that the game is 1st developed for the console, with all the hardware and controller limitations it has. And after that, ported over to PC. So, when you play it on the PC, you are stuck with the low hardware conf of the console. Not to mention one key having multiple commands (e.g weapon wheel). One such example is State of Decay 2. Great game, but console limitations of it annoy the play.

There have been few games that have been made for PC 1st and then ported over to console. Prime example would be CyberPunk 2077. Just compare how it is on PC vs e.g PS5. Since PS5 has fixed hardware, the visual fidelity and game's overall stability is terrible.

Oh, another big diff between PC and console is FPS.
Last gen consoles, PS4 and it's Xbox counterpart, had fixed FPS of 30. Few games were able to run at 60 FPS but that was max.
Current gen consoles, PS5 and it's Xbox counterpart, are capped at 120 FPS. While most games run at 60 FPS.

With PCs, FPS goes through the roof. I have 144 Hz monitor and 144 FPS is common for me to get out of the games i play. Beefier PCs can push 200-240 FPS. Heck, there are even several 500/520/540 Hz monitors out there, if you have hardware to match it. There is even one 600 Hz monitor you can buy (BenQ XL2586X+).

With all this, i see no value with consoles.
Consoles have 1 purpose - play games. But only those games that are released for that specific console. E.g you have Xbox, but you can't play PS5 exclusive games, right?
Also, you are stuck with the hardware conf it comes with. Maybe you can upgrade the SSD in it for more storage but that's it. No CPU upgrade, no GPU upgrade, no cooling upgrade. And you have to wait easy 10 years before next gen console is released.

With PCs, desktop ones, you can upgrade as soon as new hardware is released. Also, customize the build as you see fit. Add SSDs, fans, LEDs etc etc. E.g just look at my rigs from my signature. Skylake is my main build, Haswell is misssus'es and AMD is my old main build. While my builds are old, in 2 months time or so, i will upgrade them with new CPU-MoBo-RAM combo. New GPUs next year.

PC is the most versatile piece of hardware out there. And gaming is just 1 thing it can do. Heck, if need be, i can emulate ANY console and play console exclusive games if i so desire. I have actually emulated NES, SNES and DOS to play the good old games. Like Mega Man series and Supaplex.

So not even steam deck huh ?

No. Not even that.

Heck, i even didn't have a smart phone for a long-long time. Instead i used "dumb" phone, since it was all i needed (Nokia 108 was last one). Only after my missus gifted me Fitbit activity tracker in Q3 2021, i had to get a smart phone. Since that stupid thing needs smart phone to communicate via Bluetooth, to save data in the app.
And now, my smart phone, Samsung Galaxy A52S 5G, is only for making calls and sending SMS. Oh, as a camera too, to take neat pics of my doggo. But i don't game with it.

That was a real dinosaur and a true relic friend !

Yes, it was. After the XT, i got IBM AT. Then Intel 286. Upgrade to Intel 386. Then Intel 486. Pentium I 133Mhz, Pentium I 166 Mhz, Pentium II 266 Mhz and so forth.

OSes also evolved. Started out with DOS, then MS-DOS, Norton Commander, Win 3.1, Win95, Win98, Win98SE, WinXP, WinME, Win2000, (skipped Vista), Win7, (skipped Win8.1) and now Win10. Though, i'm forced to move to Win11 starting Oct'25 this year.
Oh, have used GNU/Linux distros over the years as well. From the top of my mind: XandrosOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Lubuntu. (Latter one is currently on my laptop.)

Any chance back in the day peripherals like mice were more reliable in some way than what we got these days ?

Back in the day, when mice 1st came, there was no scroll button. Only left and right click. Also, all mice were ball mice with PS/2 port.

Back then, when pointer didn't want to move anymore; flip the mice on it's back, plop the ball out, clean the ball, clean the inside rollers, plop the ball back in and it was good to go.

Like so:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoX482me22k


Mice back then were very robust. No RGB or programmable buttons though. But since mice and KB were PS/2 and not USB, it means that whatever input you did, it interrupted the CPU, forcing CPU to deal with inputs, before it went back to whatever it did. With this, latency wasn't a thing back then. Now, with USB, the inputs are sent as packages that wait in line, until CPU has time to deal with them.

I still have several old PS/2 mice and one KB around, in working order.
Heck, i need to use PS/2 KB when i want to get to BIOS on my missus'es PC. Since for whatever reason, USB KB does not work past POST. But PS/2 KB will (MoBo has PS/2 port for that).

 

[zgzdgz]

Yes, i'm well aware of the controllers and their "aim assist". Which, IMO, is cheating. There is no aim assist when playing with KB/mice. Either you've played a lot to be good/great and can brag about it. Or when patience gets better of you, complaints start flying:"it's game's fault, they cheated" etc etc, while everyone else will say to you "git gud".


Yes there are. But those games are overall poor. Either bad experience on console or bad experience on PC.

Few examples;
PC exclusive game can utilize the full 104 keys KB, that PCs have. Thus giving you one key per individual command. From the top of my head: Deus Ex (2000). (My most fav game of all time. If you have played it, then you know where my avatar came from.)
Then, PC exclusive games can utilize the full graphical settings PCs can provide. No hardware limitations with PCs, as it is with consoles. One example is view distance, which on PC can be easy 400m or more. But on consoles, 100-200m.
Another big aspect of PC exclusive games is the 3rd party mod support. Many games offer that, especially simulation games. And while adding tons of mods may choke your CPU, you can easily upgrade CPU on desktop PC. RAM too.

Then, there are console exclusive games. Don't know any but they are out there.

But most games today are ports.
Meaning that the game is 1st developed for the console, with all the hardware and controller limitations it has. And after that, ported over to PC. So, when you play it on the PC, you are stuck with the low hardware conf of the console. Not to mention one key having multiple commands (e.g weapon wheel). One such example is State of Decay 2. Great game, but console limitations of it annoy the play.

There have been few games that have been made for PC 1st and then ported over to console. Prime example would be CyberPunk 2077. Just compare how it is on PC vs e.g PS5. Since PS5 has fixed hardware, the visual fidelity and game's overall stability is terrible.

Oh, another big diff between PC and console is FPS.
Last gen consoles, PS4 and it's Xbox counterpart, had fixed FPS of 30. Few games were able to run at 60 FPS but that was max.
Current gen consoles, PS5 and it's Xbox counterpart, are capped at 120 FPS. While most games run at 60 FPS.

With PCs, FPS goes through the roof. I have 144 Hz monitor and 144 FPS is common for me to get out of the games i play. Beefier PCs can push 200-240 FPS. Heck, there are even several 500/520/540 Hz monitors out there, if you have hardware to match it. There is even one 600 Hz monitor you can buy (BenQ XL2586X+).

With all this, i see no value with consoles.
Consoles have 1 purpose - play games. But only those games that are released for that specific console. E.g you have Xbox, but you can't play PS5 exclusive games, right?
Also, you are stuck with the hardware conf it comes with. Maybe you can upgrade the SSD in it for more storage but that's it. No CPU upgrade, no GPU upgrade, no cooling upgrade. And you have to wait easy 10 years before next gen console is released.

With PCs, desktop ones, you can upgrade as soon as new hardware is released. Also, customize the build as you see fit. Add SSDs, fans, LEDs etc etc. E.g just look at my rigs from my signature. Skylake is my main build, Haswell is misssus'es and AMD is my old main build. While my builds are old, in 2 months time or so, i will upgrade them with new CPU-MoBo-RAM combo. New GPUs next year.

PC is the most versatile piece of hardware out there. And gaming is just 1 thing it can do. Heck, if need be, i can emulate ANY console and play console exclusive games if i so desire. I have actually emulated NES, SNES and DOS to play the good old games. Like Mega Man series and Supaplex.


No. Not even that.

Heck, i even didn't have a smart phone for a long-long time. Instead i used "dumb" phone, since it was all i needed (Nokia 108 was last one). Only after my missus gifted me Fitbit activity tracker in Q3 2021, i had to get a smart phone. Since that stupid thing needs smart phone to communicate via Bluetooth, to save data in the app.
And now, my smart phone, Samsung Galaxy A52S 5G, is only for making calls and sending SMS. Oh, as a camera too, to take neat pics of my doggo. But i don't game with it.


Yes, it was. After the XT, i got IBM AT. Then Intel 286. Upgrade to Intel 386. Then Intel 486. Pentium I 133Mhz, Pentium I 166 Mhz, Pentium II 266 Mhz and so forth.

OSes also evolved. Started out with DOS, then MS-DOS, Norton Commander, Win 3.1, Win95, Win98, Win98SE, WinXP, WinME, Win2000, (skipped Vista), Win7, (skipped Win8.1) and now Win10. Though, i'm forced to move to Win11 starting Oct'25 this year.
Oh, have used GNU/Linux distros over the years as well. From the top of my mind: XandrosOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Lubuntu. (Latter one is currently on my laptop.)


Back in the day, when mice 1st came, there was no scroll button. Only left and right click. Also, all mice were ball mice with PS/2 port.

Back then, when pointer didn't want to move anymore; flip the mice on it's back, plop the ball out, clean the ball, clean the inside rollers, plop the ball back in and it was good to go.

Like so:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoX482me22k


Mice back then were very robust. No RGB or programmable buttons though. But since mice and KB were PS/2 and not USB, it means that whatever input you did, it interrupted the CPU, forcing CPU to deal with inputs, before it went back to whatever it did. With this, latency wasn't a thing back then. Now, with USB, the inputs are sent as packages that wait in line, until CPU has time to deal with them.

I still have several old PS/2 mice and one KB around, in working order.
Heck, i need to use PS/2 KB when i want to get to BIOS on my missus'es PC. Since for whatever reason, USB KB does not work past POST. But PS/2 KB will (MoBo has PS/2 port for that).

😁🤘Just to clarify—when I mentioned penalties and bugs, I meant in-game stuff in Police Simulator, not anything about controllers vs. mouse/keyboard. That game can be wild with random penalties, ridiculous bugs, and those classic glitches, sometimes you need patience just to get through a session! 😁🤘

I’ve pretty much switched over to console gaming these days, even though I’ve got an Asus TUF Gaming VG34L34 ultrawide (3440x1440, 160 or maybe 180Hz—honestly can’t remember which at this point 😁). Truth is, I rarely push that high refresh rate since I care more about hitting the visual quality and resolution sweet spot. If I’m not getting the visuals I want in 4K or ultrawide, then high refresh rate just isn’t a big selling point for me yet. Maybe when more powerful hardware becomes affordable, I’ll care more about getting those insane frame rates.

Another thing, my monitor’s HDMI port doesn’t support 120Hz with my console, only DP 1.4 does, and Xbox Series X doesn’t do DP, so I’m capped at 60Hz anyway (which is fine for me). 60 FPS is good enough, but yeah, dipping down to 30 FPS is a bit of a letdown when it happens. Also, at some point I've looked for HDMI to DP 1.4 cables online, but there was quite the math behind those connections and I am not sure if they exist ar all.

About consoles vs. PCs—I totally get the “limiting” thing, but I think consoles are almost as powerful as PCs these days, especially because games are built to take full advantage of the hardware and you get stuff like checkerboarding or upscaling to help boost performance and visuals (correct me if I’m wrong). Plus, consoles keep things simple: pick a mode (performance/quality), no fiddling with drivers or settings for hours, just play.

Honestly, I wouldn’t write consoles off. Sure, the limitations can suck if you’re after maximum flexibility, but “keep it simple” is underrated. The “play anywhere” features, built-in mods or in-game cheats, and cross-save stuff are all pretty cool now. You’re really not missing that much if you choose console—unless you’re into hardcore tweaking, custom modding, or specific PC-only stuff. For me, simplicity wins, at least right now. 😁🤘

Appreciate all your insight and the nostalgia trip, man! Makes me remember why I loved PC gaming for so long, but for now, plug-and-play is just easier.😁🤘

 

[Aeacus]

I meant in-game stuff in Police Simulator, not anything about controllers vs. mouse/keyboard. That game can be wild with random penalties, ridiculous bugs, and those classic glitches, sometimes you need patience just to get through a session! 😁🤘

I gave it a look and we are talking about two different games.
The one you have, is Police Simulator: Patrol Officers (Steam), which looks like a poor copy of GTA V and it's police roleplay mod.
While what i have wishlisted, is The Precinct (Steam). Looks more refined game.

If I’m not getting the visuals I want in 4K or ultrawide, then high refresh rate just isn’t a big selling point for me yet.

Drop down to 1080p and you'll get high FPS.

E.g if you look Steam hardware survey results (link), then out of all possible resos PC monitors can output, 1080p gaming has 54.54% stake in it. 2nd place is 2K (1440p) with a mere 19.86% stake.

but I think consoles are almost as powerful as PCs these days

This is only true 1-2 years after the new console generation is released. Anything longer than that and consoles will lag behind performance wise.

E.g;
PS1 came out in 1994. PS2 in 2000. PS3 in 2006, PS4 in 2013 and PS5 in 2020. That's 6-7 year lifespan, before you could get a new one.
Xbox came out in 2001, Xbox 360 in 2005, Xbox One in 2013 and Xbox X/S in 2020. That's 4-8 year lifespan.

Both the PS5 and Xbox X/S are using 8 core AMD Zen 2 CPU, comparable to R7 3700X. Yet, what we currently have for desktop, are Ryzen 9000-series. E.g R7 9800X3D that i'm planning to buy. And R7 9800X3D will wipe the floor with R7 3700X + then some.
Comparison: https://versus.com/en/amd-ryzen-7-3700x-vs-amd-ryzen-7-9800x3d
2nd one too: https://technical.city/en/cpu/Ryzen-7-3700X-vs-Ryzen-7-9800X3D

GPU wise, Xbox S GPU is comparable to GTX 1660. That's even weaker than my current GTX 1660 Ti.
PS5 has better GPU in it, comparable to RTX 2070.
And Xbox X GPU is beefiest, comparable to RTX 2070 Super.

While at current moment, we have RTX 50-series GPUs available. RTX 5070 wipes the floor with RTX 2070 Super.
comparison: https://technical.city/en/video/GeForce-RTX-2070-Super-vs-GeForce-RTX-5070

Let alone RTX 2070 or GTX 1660.

especially because games are built to take full advantage of the hardware

Well, if you only have one set of hardware to work with, it is easy to code a game to run optimally on it. But as time goes onwards and consoles age, devs are very limited on what they can or can not add to the game.

Plus, consoles keep things simple: pick a mode (performance/quality), no fiddling with drivers or settings for hours, just play.

Honestly, I wouldn’t write consoles off. Sure, the limitations can suck if you’re after maximum flexibility, but “keep it simple” is underrated. The “play anywhere” features, built-in mods or in-game cheats, and cross-save stuff are all pretty cool now.

Consoles may die out, namely in favor of mobile gaming. Since current day smart phones are beefy enough to play games (e.g i was a bit amazed to see friend's 10yo son playing Fortnite on his dad's smart phone). You can even hook bigger screens and controllers to the smart phone. And since smart phones have much better utility than consoles, not to mention their portability, consoles could soon be history.

PCs in the other hand, have been around since the dawn of computing and will remain 'til the end of time. After all, all other devices are modeled after what PCs can do.

Hardware that has only 1 purpose, dies out. Few examples;
* VHS players to watch movies, died out after CD/DVD discs came. CD/DVD/blu-ray are almost dead now, in favor of streaming services.
* Portable CD players to listen music on-the-go. Died out once iPod and the like came. But those portable *.mp3 players died out as well, once you could listen your music via your smart phone. Just pop one or two earbuds in and off you go.
* Camera to take pictures (e.g Kodak film camera). Died out once digital cameras came. But those are now essentially dead as well, since smart phones have good cameras for taking pics and recording vids. Dedicated cameras are a niche nowadays, only for die-hard photographers.

And i think gaming consoles follow the same suit. In favor of mobile gaming. The two (PS and Xbox) are still lingering around, since the two companies producing them (Micro$soft and Sony) have deep pockets to sustain them. But gaming scene is changing.