Mouse Test — click, scroll & polling rate checker

Chatter is when a single physical click registers as two or more clicks in software. It happens when the metal contacts inside the click switch oxidize, wear, or develop carbon buildup, causing electrical bounce that the firmware misreads as multiple presses. Chatter is the #1 mechanical failure on gaming mice because the switches are rated for limited actuations (Omron D2F-01F is rated for 1 million; most break in 6–18 months under competitive use). Hot-swappable mice let you replace switches without soldering.

Chatter happens between separate clicks — two physical presses arrive too close together in software (under 50ms apart in our test). Bounce happens within a single click — the press and release register within 20ms because the contact is bouncing on press, before the user releases. Both indicate switch failure but require different fixes: chatter sometimes resolves with contact cleaning; bounce almost always means the switch needs replacement.

Browser mousemove events are throttled by the renderer to prevent CPU saturation. Chromium typically caps the mousemove event rate at 250–500 Hz regardless of how fast your mouse polls at the hardware level. This is not a hardware fault and not a limitation of your mouse — it is a browser implementation detail. To verify true polling rate above 1 kHz, use your mouse manufacturer software (Logitech G HUB, Razer Synapse, SteelSeries GG) which reads directly from the HID device.

Probably not. Many basic mice — office mice, laptop trackpads, small portable wireless mice — physically do not have M4 and M5 buttons. Our test does not penalize you for missing M4/M5; the verdict treats 4 of 5 buttons as Functional rather than Faulty. If your mouse advertises 5+ buttons and only 3 register, that is a real issue — typically a driver/software conflict (Logitech Options or Razer Synapse can intercept side buttons before the browser sees them).

Run this test. If you see 2+ chatter events on the same button across normal clicking, your switches are failing. If your mouse supports hot-swappable switches (most premium gaming mice 2023+ do), you can replace them yourself for $5–10 in parts and 15 minutes of work — no soldering needed. Hot-swappable Kailh GM 8.0 and Huano switches are popular replacements. If your mouse is soldered, the cost-benefit usually favors replacing the whole mouse over repair.

No, not directly. DPI (dots per inch) is a hardware setting baked into the mouse sensor — the browser receives mouse movement as pixel deltas after the OS has already applied DPI scaling, so we cannot read the underlying DPI value. To verify DPI, use your mouse manufacturer software, which reads the sensor directly via the HID device. Some manufacturers offer DPI test pages where you move the mouse a measured physical distance and confirm the on-screen distance matches.

For most users, the failure pattern is: stick drift on controller, switch chatter on mouse, then individual key failures on keyboard. Mouse switches fail first because gaming use concentrates clicks on LMB at 5–15 actuations per minute under competitive use. If you suspect a peripheral problem and are not sure which device is at fault, run all three tests (mouse, keyboard, controller diagnostic suite) — the test that reports the lowest tier is your problem device.