Laser mouse actually better than infra-red?

Are people find that a laser mouse actually makes a difference in real
life when compared to an infra-red mouse?

Am not a gamer but I want a decent performance from my next mouse.

i am a (bad) gamer, always used MS mice up till 6 months ago when i bought a
trust laser mouse. can honestly say it's fantastic, works on more surfaces
(i have a black glass desk and it even works on that (though not well enough
to play)!) only prob i had was having to slow the mouse down in windows.


"Jon D" wrote in message
...
Are people find that a laser mouse actually makes a difference in real
life when compared to an infra-red mouse?

Am not a gamer but I want a decent performance from my next mouse.

On Thu, 22 Mar 2007 22:29:12 GMT, Jon D
wrote:

Are people find that a laser mouse actually makes a difference in real
life when compared to an infra-red mouse?

Am not a gamer but I want a decent performance from my next mouse.


First, mice that have red LEDs are not infrared. Infrared
mice would have light you can't see.

Yes a laser optical system can be a large improvement if
your mousing surface is difficult, or if you need higher
resolution, which is typically if you either do something
very demanding of per-pixel accuracy like photo editing or
gaming, or if your use of a mouse is to set it's movement
faster than average and move the mouse less on the pad per
the on-screen movement ratio.

Since you are not a gamer, it may depend on what your most
demanding use is, and what you'd be comparing it again. All
RED LED mice are not equal, there's more to it than that.
Different sized sensors, different sampling speeds, better
optics, even the driver can impact whether your mouse is
fine-tuned to your particular need.

So there is a real difference between laser and LED, but
only you can decide if it matters. Try a few at a local
store, the shape is as important as the optical system, IMO.