The computer mouse has come a long way in evolutionary development. And today, among all the variety of models, it is not so easy to understand which is which. Manufacturers only confuse the user more than solve the problem.
The days when the user had to "roll" a box of a mouse with a heavy rubber ball inside are gone. Today's devices are lightweight, comfortable, ergonomic manipulators that have become much easier to operate. A wide variety helps everyone to choose something for themselves. It is hopelessly confusing when you don’t have all the information.
Laser versus optics
There are a lot of mice. Round, oblong, matte, shiny, small, large - in general, for every taste, color, shape and filling. As for the latter, it can be either a laser beam or an optical sensor that monitors the position of the manipulator in space and transmits signals to a computer.
The optical device has a very tiny video camera inside. It shoots in real time at a very high frequency. On average, this is about a thousand images of the surface per second. This "rate of fire" may seem very high, but this is not the limit. Some high-precision instruments can do this at twice or three times the speed.
So, the signal received from the video camera is transmitted to the processor of the device and then to the computer. The data is decrypted by the software and the cursor moves in one direction or another, makes "clicks" or stands still.
The laser device has a similar device as a whole. However, the only difference is that a very small semiconductor laser is used instead of a video camera. It operates in such a range that no visible glow occurs when interacting with the device. This does not distract from work and does not pose any danger to the user.
Which device is better to choose
For clarity, you can compare these devices in some parameters:
Resolution - for an optical device it is about 1200, and for a laser device about 2000 dpi. This is invisible to the average user, but it is relevant for gamers, designers, architects.
Speed is also an important metric for those who value accuracy. For example, an optical mouse needs to “walk” a distance of 5 cm to traverse the entire screen. For a laser, 2 - 3 cm is enough.
Work surface - A laser mouse has a huge advantage here, as it works almost equally on wood, glass, fabric and plastic. The optical device will have flaws.
Economical - laser significantly better save battery consumption.
There remains one drawback - the price of the laser "device". It is definitely higher than the optical analog, but at the same time the obvious advantages offset the possible costs.
