Technologies

This Entry-Level Gaming Mouse Is a Great Way to Up Your PC Gaming on a Budget

The Cherry MC 2.1 is a solid, inexpensive gaming mouse that gets most of the basics right.

A good gaming mouse can make all the difference in an intense match. It can mean the difference between that game-winning headshot and not being invited back for the next game. For more casual gamers who don’t need lots of customization options, you can still get a solid gaming mouse for not a lot of money. The Cherry MC 2.1 is just such a mouse.

What’s great about the Cherry MC 2.1

The most important thing a mouse to get right is the feel in your hand. If it’s uncomfortable, you’re not going to want to use it no matter how many killer features it has. Thankfully, Cherry got the feel of the MC 2.1 right. It’s not going to blow you away with revolutionary ergonomics, but for an inexpensive gaming mouse it feels solid and comfortable for long periods. The sides have some extra grip to help keep your hand steady and it’s lightweight at only 107 grams.

I used it for hours both while gaming and for daily use, and I never once got a cramp or experienced any soreness while using it. Cherry says it’s an ergonomic design geared for right-handers. It’s fairly symmetrical, so a leftie might be able to use it just fine, though there are dedicated leftie mice that would probably work better.

The other important feel to get right is the clicks. I couldn’t find any technical information about what buttons are used (or their stated lifespan), but suffice it to say they’re tactile and responsive. Oddly, the two side buttons felt a bit softer than the main two. I’m not sure why, but it’s not a dealbreaker. Aside from the main buttons, scroll wheel, and two side buttons, the only other one is right behind the scroll wheel on top. This button with the Cherry logo toggles between four DPI settings, all of which are fully customizable. Four pill-shaped, red LEDs let you know which setting you’re on. If you hold the button, it will launch the Cherry Utility software.

Design

For an inexpensive gaming mouse without many frills, I think the design is OK. It’s pretty unassuming and only comes in black, but again, it’s not meant to be a showstopper. On the bottom you’ve got one long skate up top and two smaller ones below, which is fine, but I tend to prefer larger skates.

There’s also customizable LED lighting, which is surprising at this price. It’s only around the scroll wheel, but I’m a fan of how it looks. It’s subtle but doesn’t feel like an afterthought.

Specs and price

Truth be told, I think Cherry nailed it here. For around $40 the MC 2.1 has a 5,000 DPI sensor with up to a 1,000 report rate, LED lighting, and the ability to save custom profiles for all your games (and for work, if you must).

What I don’t like about the Cherry MC 2.1

The MC 2.1 is fully compatible with Cherry’s Utility Software, but the app leaves a lot to be desired. The UI only recently got updated to something that looks like it was made in the 21st century, but it’s still simplistic. The customization options are also a bit lacking, even considering it’s a budget mouse. Plus, it wouldn’t always load properly when I needed to change something.

What was also a tad concerning was that when you hold the Cherry button, you actually see a Run command window open with the command being typed out before the software opens. Just a bit odd. There even seems to be two versions of this software. The one I downloaded directly from Cherry’s site is not the same one that opens when you hold the Cherry button. I never got any detailed information about this, so I’m not sure what or why this is the case. The one that launches when you press and hold the button is the much better version, so I’d recommend using that one.

I don’t know why, but having the ability to unlock the scroll wheel or customize the scroll speed outside of the Windows settings seems to be a rarity among non-flagship mice, and that’s a bummer. Granted, most games don’t require extensive use of the scroll wheel, but for daily work usage, it’s really annoying to be stuck with a slow scrolling speed. Maybe I’m in the minority here, but either way, give me the option. There’s also no horizontal scrolling, but that’s not expected at this price.

Should you buy the Cherry MC 2.1?

Honestly, the MC 2.1 is a great mouse for $40. You get a solid, reliable, responsive mouse, with some RGB lighting thrown in, at a reasonable price. There’s no wireless option, though, so if you need that you’ll need to look elsewhere and likely pay more. Plus, the software situation is limited, not to mention odd, but if you don’t care too much about customizing your mouse then there’s nothing to worry about.

Even with the slower scroll speed I still found the MC 2.1 to be a great mouse for daily usage. If you’re looking for a solid, inexpensive mouse that’s great for both work and play, the MC 2.1 is an easy choice.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, Nov. 8

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Nov. 8.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s the long Saturday one, so you might need assistance. Read on for the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Uber alternative
Answer: CAB

4A clue: Red-headed character in the «Scooby-Doo» franchise
Answer: DAPHNE

7A clue: Not arrive on time
Answer: RUNLATE

8A clue: Label on a green U.S.D.A. sticker
Answer: ORGANIC

9A clue: Prestigious engineering school in Pasadena
Answer: CALTECH

10A clue: Prepares to be knighted
Answer: KNEELS

11A clue: Parts of a city grid: Abbr.
Answer: STS

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Fashion brand with an interlocking «C» logo
Answer: CHANEL

2D clue: Silly behaviors
Answer: ANTICS

3D clue: Tree with smooth gray bark
Answer: BEECH

4D clue: Kevin ___, 15-time N.B.A. All-Star
Answer: DURANT

5D clue: They’re measured in degrees
Answer: ANGLES

6D clue: Division of the earth’s crust
Answer: PLATE

7D clue: Ice, in bartending lingo
Answer: ROCKS

Technologies

Spotify Brings Wrapped Energy Year-Round With Friend-Sharing Stats

The music service introduced new ways for music nerds to share their listening habits with friends.

It can be a long wait for Spotify Wrapped, the end-of-year promotion that allows Spotify users to view and share their listening habits. Now, users can keep an eye on those stats daily, plus share their listening habits with friends.

You can view your Spotify usage statistics every 24 hours and share your updates via social media services, such as Instagram Notes or Spotify Messages. The new share icon gives you access to eight different services where you can post your stats.

Every week, you’ll get updates on your top artists and songs from the past month, and Spotify will recommend new playlists. The app also gives you a «special highlight» based on a specific artist or song.

To access your personal musical data, click on your profile in the top left corner of the app and scroll down to «listening stats.»

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The new features are somewhat similar to Spotify Wrapped, the service’s annual end-of-year review of users’ listening habits, which is designed to be shared. Every year, Spotify adds extra details to Wrapped, such as assigning users a listening personality or a city that supposedly reflects their music tastes. It’s been the most popular way for Spotify users to view and share their music listening in the past. A number of third-party services do the same thing, including Volt.fm.

Read more: Best Music Streaming Services

Spotify is the world’s largest music streaming service, offering 100 million tracks and serving more than 713 million users. In addition to its $12-per-month subscription service, Spotify also offers a free, ad-supported option.

Technologies

Wordle Gets Personal: You Can Now Make and Share Your Own Puzzles

If you’re a Wordle obsessive, you can now make your own inside joke puzzles to send to friends.

Wordle’s an immensely popular New York Times word game (we post the answers daily), but it’s not the most personal game in the world. Answers such as GUISE and PERIL are tricky, but generic. Now, Wordle fans who have ever dreamed of making their own puzzles can test their friends and family by creating their own Wordle creations up to seven letters in length.

No surprise, you have to be a New York Times Games or All Access Subscriber to use this feature. If you are, you’ll find the Create a Puzzle option available from the top menu above today’s Wordle. While you must be a subscriber to create your own personalized puzzle, you can share it with anyone — they only need the link, not a subscription, to complete your Wordle.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Enter a word, and the site will tell you if it is available. Real Wordle limits you to five-letter words, but the puzzle-making feature lets you choose words between 4 and 7 letters.

The usual dictionary rules apply, and so curse words, some pet names, and obscure inside jokes are essentially out. If your cat is named TANGO, that’s there, but RINGO is not an option. You can drop a proposal with a single word like MARRY, but MARRYME will get rejected since that’s two separate words.

Word chosen, you can then fill out your name and add an optional hint, and the feature will generate your puzzle with a link you can send around. Unlike standard puzzles, your puzzle doesn’t appear to reset after a day, so whoever you send it to doesn’t need to rush to solve it.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.