For most PC gamers, the mouse is a very important gaming device. The key factor determining a mouse's performance is the sensor. Currently, mouse sensors are mainly divided into optical and laser types. Here, let's briefly discuss their differences.
Optical sensor: By shining LED light at a 30-degree angle from the bottom onto the desk surface, it captures the shadow cast by the surface, then through refraction on a flat surface, it is directed through another lens back to the sensor. Essentially, it is also a camera. Its disadvantages are also evident, as LED light is Incoherent Light, with unpredictable and uncorrelated parameters, which makes it difficult for the sensor to collect accurate data. Therefore, optical sensors cannot handle too many surfaces and their precision is not high enough. Of course, this does not mean that optical sensors are at a disadvantage. In the actual market, we see that many high-performance gaming mice still use optical sensors.
Laser sensor: It is actually an upgraded version of the photoelectric sensor, replacing LED light with laser (Laser). Since laser is coherent light, it can maintain its intensity and waveform even after long-distance transmission. For laser sensors, their characteristics are equally prominent. Mainly, they have good accuracy compared to photoelectric sensors, can achieve higher DPI, and have better adaptability to different types of surfaces.
The main manufacturers of mouse sensors are Avago, Philips, and PixArt. The first two primarily produce laser sensors, while PixArt mainly produces optical sensors. Of course, we can also see some rather unique sensors, such as Logitech's Hero sensor and SteelSeries' TrueMove3 sensor, which are all improvements or customizations based on the sensors produced by the three major manufacturers mentioned above.
Currently, the flagship sensors mainly include the following: optical sensors such as PixArt's PMW3389, PMW3366, and PMW3360, and laser sensors from Philips like the PLN2038; mainstream sensors include: Avago's A9800, S9808, and S9818 laser sensors, as well as PixArt's PMW3330, PMW3310, and Mercury.
Of course, this does not mean that mice using these sensors necessarily have an excellent experience; it also depends on how each brand tunes their mouse, and so on. So when choosing a mouse, everyone should definitely try it out based on their own preferences.