OK, I'll try my best to put it in an easily understandable text but I will most likely fail. :D
CPI and DPI are the same thing but CPI (Counts per Inch) would be the correct term.
CPI means how much movement data the mouse sends when moved over the pad.
More CPI means that the mouse will send more data over the same distance and it also means that the smallest movement/data the mouse can recognize/send is lower which you can translate as "more precise".
But the CPI doesn't tell anything about how correct those data is and higher CPI have a tendency to send more wrong data.
In CS1.6 and other games which use the same mouse input methode (Source Engine for example) high CPI leads to negative acceleration, especially with low display resolutions.
Basically that means that the max. speed you can move your crosshair is limited but that's only an issue with lower sensitivities.
(I could tell you why but you wanted to keep it simple)
Forget what SteelSeries says, that's just to promote the ExactSense feature on the Ikari and Xai.
(Again, if you want I could go more into detail why it's BS)
You should set Windows to 6/11 because everything else is just another level of interpolation between your mouse and the game and you won't gain precision with higher CPI but lower Windows Sensitivity.
(again say it if you want more details)
Also Windows Settings don't affect more modern mouse implementations.
Bottom line, without going into details, is that you need enough CPI and all this theoretical benefits of higher CPI or whatever (besides some technical difficulties and drawbacks) don't mean much in the field.
So, allthough I say people should experiment with different settings, if your current settings feel fine for you there isn't something wrong about it.
PS: My Ingame CPI are also too slow for me on the desktop.
ok, i really wants to thank you about that you try your the best to explain it understanble, and you do it great btw.
if you can, i want to know more information about what you write. :)
I promised myself I wouldn't reply anymore to DPI threads because it just gets trolled, but.....
(A few posts I typed http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=10213 (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=10213), http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1035470202&postcount=20 (http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1035470202&postcount=20), http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1034229686&postcount=39 (http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1034229686&postcount=39))
[(Low DPI) x (Sensitivity for low DPI)] / High DPI
ex: 400 x 2 = 800(400 physical DPI 2 sensitivity) / 3200 = 0.25
So a 3200 DPI mouse to equate the same movement as a 400 DPI mouse with 2 sensitivity or a 1 sensitivity with 800 DPI needs to set the sensitivity to 0.25. And let's say the low DPI is around 30cm/360, then the 0.25 with 3200 will equal the same distance.
6/11 = 1:1 movement, 1 pixel = 1 pixel. Any more or less and you completely change the calculations based on the windows cursor multipliers.
Also just because it's 1:1 doesn't mean it won't interpolate. You either move a number of inches to match the movement. Or you set your sensitivity high enough that it skips or ignores pixels to achieve the end result.
ex: Say you got a 1000x1000 resolution. And you got a 500DPI mouse either it takes you two inches to cross the entire screen reading completely 1:1 movements or set your sensitivity to 2. To multiple the amount of movements 500*2 = 1000.
DPI/CPI = Dots per inch/Counts per inch.
If I have a 400DPI mouse every inch translates into 400 pixels of onscreen movement. So if I move 1 inch, 400 pixels are moved across the screen. But
In 1 inch you have 2.54 centimeters, 2.54/400 = 0.0635mm or 63.5μm(micrometers). That means with 1:1 movement you move physically 1 inch 400 pixels on screen and the sensor counts them once every 63.5μm.
The reason why people use low DPI in Counter-Crap is because it has an X/Y overlay it literally uses the monitor resolution as cursor movement. So if you too much DPI and low resolution then you get massive negative acceleration.
And the reason why Counter-Crap has low resolution gaming is not so much because of refresh rate but because lower resolution reduces recoil as ass backwards as it sounds, it does.
In any properly coded game there is a call called Directinput although Microsoft has separated the settings.http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee418864%28v=VS.85%29.aspx (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ee418864%28v=VS.85%29.aspx). Basically it allows you to take advantage of high DPI without negative acceleration like in the much older X/Y overlay.
People debate DPI too much and it's everywhere on the internet so much back and forth. The problem is most of these are or were people who played Counter-Crap and think it's the best game ever. So it's like a vicious cycle same bull**** keeps returning and low DPI, low DPI, etc.etc. and the same **** all the time.
This post which I mentioned above (http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1034229686&postcount=39). Is a great example of how DPI allows you to be more precise and lower your master sensitivity.
The second example mentioned above (http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1035470202&postcount=20). Shows you how DPI not only how you can lower your sensitivity much lower and maintain the same movements physically but gives you a much more precise and smoother feedback of movements.
And this is a great example of DPI image. Mice with high DPI (http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1034224027&postcount=21) When I saw that a long while back it fits exactly to what a mouse does with the whole X/Y positioning 2D system of the mouse.
Show Image
(http://img514.imageshack.us/img514/5360/mousedpiqq9.jpg)
The last example mentioned above (http://geekhack.org/showthread.php?t=10213) is merely my explanations. I wish I typed it better.
In the calculation example at the top. You might be wondering what is the difference between 400/2 and 800/1 and 3200/0.25. Nothing all of them have the same amount of physical movements but with 3200 your not only reading 3200 physical pixels but 2.54/3200 = 0.00079375 or 793.75 nanometers. And reducing your master sensitivity, plus your also able to interact with the in between of the pixels.
Right now the highest DPI is 6000, if I'm not mistaken with the Roccat Kone 2. If we do the math 2.54/6000 = 423.333333.
What does the math mean like I mentioned above. To equate an inch of movement based on the DPI and 1:1 movement the sensor is reading at far smaller magnitudes of distance over a single inch.
But there is also one other issue and that's screen resolution. Most people base their DPI on the vertical and horizontal limits i.e. 1920x1200 or 2560x1600 etc.etc. What they forget is that in between those vertical and horizontal limits are millions of pixels.
Let's take 1920x1200 = 2,304,000 pixels. So if you have say 5000 DPI mouse, you can cover that in well under half-an inch. But inside you've got millions of pixels and ironically even though most people attribute FPS to aiming side-to-side and up-and-down. You also aim in between all that when your moving your mouse to aim.
Let's recap. Even though DPI = speed, it also = accuracy.
1. DPI provides more accuracy based on reading more physical movements based on the screen resolution.
2. DPI provides more speed which allows you to lower your master sensitivity.
3. DPI is physically more accurate because it reads far smaller magnitudes of distance based on an inch.
4. You can interact with the in between pixels like mentioned in the first example.
Now with that said I will say this. I've ignored m_yaw, m_pitch; I do not know how to correlate all those calculations into the math.
I also forgot to mention in my prior postings that some mice use interpolation of DPI to achieve higher levels. Which means that some sensors can't really read movements that small per se hence interpolation of DPI. And I also forgot to mention that for current technology for some mice makes higher DPI decrease the max tracing speed. But those are issues which could easily be solved in future engines.
One other thing is the whole myth that DPI is only for high sensitivity gamers. Just because you use a low sensitivity doesn't mean you can't take advantage of high DPI.
Some other calculators which provide some abstract information.
http://www.notalent.org/sensitivity/sensitivity.htm (http://www.notalent.org/sensitivity/sensitivity.htm)
http://www.csgnetwork.com/circlecalc.html (http://www.csgnetwork.com/circlecalc.html)
and
http://phoon.us/mouse/ (http://phoon.us/mouse/)
I really Appreciate your replay beacause you break your promise for helps - thanks alot, and i hope this thread will not be trolled.
your explain was really Detailed and you help me.
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