A simple web search reveals a saturated market of gaming mice with buttons everywhere and sensors that register thousands of DPI. However, that doesn't seem to be enough for a large number of players. Acceleration is a fundamental factor, Windows has a big influence, and even the mousepad can affect your games. If you want to optimize your mouse for gaming and modify acceleration values like never before, you need to download a copy of RawAccel.
Mice have become a very subjective topic. Some users swear by specific models with a certain set of sensors, and others say they have no problems with a 5-euro Logitech mouse. A high DPI number means nothing if the sensor is of poor quality. Nor can we forget the famous poll rate, and there are secondary details like desk height, mousepad material, and even the user's muscle memory.
Above all that we must place acceleration, and if there's one thing we're sure of, it's that Windows doesn't do a great job with it. One of the first recommendations is to disable pointer precision, but the story doesn't end there. If you want to optimize your mouse for gaming and control acceleration with a superior level of precision, all arrows point to the RawAccel application, spiritual heir and direct replacement for InterAccel.
How to Optimize Your Mouse with RawAccel
I must make a warning: RawAccel is an advanced tool that demands a long-term commitment, with lots of trial and error. Without going too far, the official introductory tutorial (shown above) is 29 minutes long, and it's filled with information I recommend studying closely. What's the most important thing we can extract?
The video explains that acceleration is applied in relation to DPI. A classic problem is that some users jump (for example) from 400 DPI to 1600 DPI with a new mouse, but feel the cursor is uncontrollable (blame Windows, which interprets the extra information as additional speed). So what if you want to use a higher DPI value, but feel comfortable with a lower "speed"? RawAccel offers a sensitivity multiplier that's relatively easy to use: divide the old DPI value by the new one (400/1600=0.25), and place the result as the amplifier.
Obviously, RawAccel delivers much more than that. It also includes profiles or "acceleration curves" worth exploring. "Linear" has a fairly close relationship with professional Quake players, and is one of the most popular options. "Classic" is virtually identical to "Linear", but activates the power value that modifies the curves even further. Personally, I recommend experimenting with those two options at first. I decided to activate "Linear" with an acceleration of 0.02, and when I move my mouse at the maximum available 2500 DPI everything is more precise and smooth, while factory settings feel like it had consumed too much caffeine.
The changes are very easy to undo, and once you have your ideal configuration, you'll need to open RawAccel to activate it, or configure the program manually to start with Windows (it doesn't need to stay open, just start once). At the same time, RawAccel has some dependencies: Windows 10 as a minimum, the Visual C++ 2019 runtime, the .NET Framework 4.7.2 or higher, and you must install its driver (double-click installer.exe, restart, and open RawAccel). The best part is that RawAccel doesn't conflict with anti-cheat systems, and can be used to improve your online matches.
Official site and download: Click here
