The pursuit of victory is what inspires CS2 gamers to engage in the tense battle between counter-terrorists and terrorists. It’s also what explains why they keep coming back to the game looking to improve their abilities. Their growth as a CS2 player requires that they advance in multiple aspects of gameplay such as getting a full understanding of each map for better map control, learning each gun’s spray/recoil pattern, theorycrafting the best utility line-ups, and mastering different types of movements from bunny hops to skill jumps.
Apart from the gameplay itself, a player’s choice of gear can also positively affect their performance, since having a hardware setup that better suits you will ensure that you perform your best in key moments. For CS2 gamers, the gear that can have this type of impact include their monitor, top-notch headphones, mousepads, and their keyboard. But out of the array of equipment a CS2 gamer uses, the mouse takes center stage when it comes to affecting CS2 performance. This means that if a gamer is serious about improving their performance, their choice of mouse will be a significant decision.
Typically, players pay attention to things like a mouse’s shape, their own hand size and grip style, comfort, the type of sensor, DPI settings, and other specs when purchasing a mouse, but outside of these points of focus, a gamer should also be keenly aware of the in-game scenarios and mechanics that are common in CS2 when choosing their mouse. This is because these scenarios, and the resulting mechanics that the gamer uses, play a major part in how effective their mouse is at improving their performance.
Given the influence that in-game scenarios have over a mouse’s effectiveness, the following are some of the most common scenarios a player will encounter in CS2 and the corresponding mechanics they take:
• Entering a site and then searching for opponents lurking in the corners using swings and peeks.
• Accurately aiming and then shooting an opponent.
• Eliminating your first opponent and then shifting your aim to another target for a second kill via spray transfer and micro adjustments.
• Moving your mouse back to a center position after quick look aways by lifting.
• Using a flick shot with a sniper rifle to kill an opponent that appears.
To be able to deal with most of the scenarios described above and use their corresponding aim mechanics effectively, a gamer has to rely on a combination of several different mouse mechanics. These mechanics include micro adjustments, flick shots, lifting, and fast horizontal movements. A player who is able to skillfully utilize these mechanics will in turn see a boost in their CS2 performance. With a goal of helping gamers in their quest for victory, ZOWIE’s Human & Machine Innovation Lab oversaw tests involving motion capture and electromyography (EMG) whose data helped them evaluate the performance of these actions. The results from the tests are as follows.
When it came to horizontal movements, our tests demonstrated that gamers who used the EC series of mice had the fastest horizontal movements. This is due to the EC series’ smooth curve design that allows the back of the mouse to fit more naturally into the palm so that the palm comfortably rests against the top shell of the mouse. This then enables the gamer to perform horizontal movements at extremely fast speeds, which data from our test results clearly showed.
Data from the tests showed that the FK series had outstanding performance results when it came to micro adjustments. The reason being that the FK series features a lower hump design that allows for more space between the palm and mouse for greater flexibility for the gamer when using micro adjustments to aim at enemies from long distances or when they’re targeting moving enemies. The end result is faster aiming times and a wider range of movement, which the objective data from our tests attests to.
Quick and accurate flick shots are one of the most important factors in getting instantaneous headshots. Given this fact, ZOWIE’s sports science tests showed that our FK, S, and ZA series of mice demonstrated exceptional performance in flick shots. The ZA series specifically, features a design with a higher hump that provides full palm support which results in shorter aiming time and more accurate flick shots, as evidenced by our test data. Furthermore, the left and right curves promote more balanced muscle activation in the palm when braking, making fixed-point braking more defined, resulting in the highest aiming accuracy.
For more in-depth information on the various series of Sports Science Mice offered by ZOWIE, including the data from our tests check the links below:
