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

TMR vs. Hall Effect Controllers: Battle of the Magnetic Sensing Tech

The magic of magnets tucked into your joysticks can put an end to drift. But which technology is superior?

Competitive gamers look for every advantage they can get, and that drive has spawned some of the zaniest gaming peripherals under the sun. There are plenty of hardware components that actually offer meaningful edges when implemented properly. Hall effect and TMR (tunnel magnetoresistance or tunneling magnetoresistance) sensors are two such technologies. Hall effect sensors have found their way into a wide variety of devices, including keyboards and gaming controllers, including some of our favorites like the GameSir Super Nova.

More recently, TMR sensors have started to appear in these devices as well. Is it a better technology for gaming? With multiple options vying for your lunch money, it’s worth understanding the differences to decide which is more worthy of living inside your next game controller or keyboard.

How Hall effect joysticks work

We’ve previously broken down the difference between Hall effect tech and traditional potentiometers in controller joysticks, but here’s a quick rundown on how Hall effect sensors work. A Hall effect joystick moves a magnet over a sensor circuit, and the magnetic field affects the circuit’s voltage. The sensor in the circuit measures these voltage shifts and maps them to controller inputs. Element14 has a lovely visual explanation of this effect here.

The advantage this tech has over potentiometer-based joysticks used in controllers for decades is that the magnet and sensor don’t need to make physical contact. There’s no rubbing action to slowly wear away and degrade the sensor. So, in theory, Hall effect joysticks should remain accurate for the long haul.

How TMR joysticks work

While TMR works differently, it’s a similar concept to Hall effect devices. When you move a TMR joystick, it moves a magnet in the vicinity of the sensor. So far, it’s the same, right? Except with TMR, this shifting magnetic field changes the resistance in the sensor instead of the voltage.

There’s a useful demonstration of a sensor in action here. Just like Hall effect joysticks, TMR joysticks don’t rely on physical contact to register inputs and therefore won’t suffer the wear and drift that affects potentiometer-based joysticks.

Which is better, Hall effect or TMR?

There’s no hard and fast answer to which technology is better. After all, the actual implementation of the technology and the hardware it’s built into can be just as important, if not more so. Both technologies can provide accurate sensing, and neither requires physical contact with the sensing chip, so both can be used for precise controls that won’t encounter stick drift. That said, there are some potential advantages to TMR.

According to Coto Technology, who, in fairness, make TMR sensors, they can be more sensitive, allowing for either greater precision or the use of smaller magnets. Since the Hall effect is subtler, it relies on amplification and ultimately requires extra power. While power requirements vary from sensor to sensor, GameSir claims its TMR joysticks use about one-tenth the power of mainstream Hall effect joysticks. Cherry is another brand highlighting the lower power consumption of TMR sensors, albeit in the brand’s keyboard switches.

The greater precision is an opportunity for TMR joysticks to come out ahead, but that will depend more on the controller itself than the technology. Strange response curves, a big dead zone (which shouldn’t be needed), or low polling rates could prevent a perfectly good TMR sensor from beating a comparable Hall effect sensor in a better optimized controller.

The power savings will likely be the advantage most of us really feel. While it won’t matter for wired controllers, power savings can go a long way for wireless ones. Take the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro, for instance, a Hall effect controller offering 20 hours of battery life from a 4.5-watt-hour battery with support for a 1,000Hz polling rate on a wireless connection. Razer also offers the Wolverine V3 Pro 8K PC, a near-identical controller with the same battery offering TMR sensors. They claim the TMR version can go for 36 hours on a charge, though that’s presumably before cranking it up to an 8,000Hz polling rate — something Razer possibly left off the Hall effect model because of power usage.

The disadvantage of the TMR sensor would be its cost, but it appears that it’s negligible when factored into the entire price of a controller. Both versions of the aforementioned Razer controller are $199. Both 8BitDo and GameSir have managed to stick them into reasonably priced controllers like the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, GameSir G7 Pro and GameSir Cyclone 2.

So which wins?

It seems TMR joysticks have all the advantages of Hall effect joysticks and then some, bringing better power efficiency that can help in wireless applications. The one big downside might be price, but from what we’ve seen right now, that doesn’t seem to be much of an issue. You can even find both technologies in controllers that cost less than some potentiometer models, like the Xbox Elite Series 2 controller.

Caveats to consider

For all the hype, neither Hall effect nor TMR joysticks are perfect. One of their key selling points is that they won’t experience stick drift, but there are still elements of the joystick that can wear down. The ring around the joystick can lose its smoothness. The stick material can wear down (ever tried to use a controller with the rubber worn off its joystick? It’s not pleasant). The linkages that hold the joystick upright and the springs that keep it stiff can loosen, degrade and fill with dust. All of these can impact the continued use of the joystick, even if the Hall effect or TMR sensor itself is in perfect operating order.

So you might not get stick drift from a bad sensor, but you could get stick drift from a stick that simply doesn’t return to its original resting position. That’s when having a controller that’s serviceable or has swappable parts, like the PDP Victrix Pro BFG, could matter just as much as having one with Hall effect or TMR joysticks.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 18, #513

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 18, No. 513.

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

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition has a fun yellow category that might just start you singing. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: I don’t care if I never get back.

Green group hint: Get that gold medal.

Blue group hint: Hoops superstar.

Purple group hint: Not front, but…

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Heard in «Take Me Out to the Ball Game.»

Green group: Olympic snowboarding events.

Blue group: Vince Carter, informally.

Purple group: ____ back.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is heard in «Take Me Out to the Ball Game.» The four answers are Cracker Jack, home team, old ball game and peanuts.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is Olympic snowboarding events. The four answers are big air, giant slalom, halfpipe and slopestyle.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Vince Carter, informally. The four answers are Air Canada, Half-Man, Half-Amazing, VC and Vinsanity.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ____ back. The four answers are diamond, drop, quarter and razor.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Feb. 18

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 18.

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.

Today’s Mini Crossword is a fun one, and it’s not terribly tough. It helps if you know a certain Olympian. Read on for all 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.