Optical vs laser vs infrared, which is best gaming mouse?

A Xbox Controller is OBVIOUSLY far more accurate then a mouse.

Nothing beats ball mice.

Laser.

Ok you got to ask yourself one question? Do I feel lucky...
No, other one. Whats are you gonna use mouse for and how long and why?

mindcontroll is the best !

They're all the same thing.

An optical mouse uses an infrared laser to track movement, as opposed to a mechanical mouse which uses a rubber ball.

[EDIT] I should correct myself here. Many optical mice use a LED, which isn't a laser even though it's often referred to as one. "Proper" laser mice use an actual infrared laser, which tends to be more precise than an LED.

Both types are optical, but one uses a LED and the other uses a laser. All laser mice are optical, but not all optical mice use lasers.

I personally prefer plasma. But on a serious note, yeah they're all basically the same. You're better off wondering about how the shape of the mouse fit your grip style.

i use mamba 2012 (6400 dpi) which is both optical and laser sensors.

totally recomend it, its so confortable im so happy with it.

I use it at max dpi all the times even with sensibility of 1.4.

The laser mice are more precise. Higher dpi = higher accuracy on your movements :)

I love my laser mouse (X-750F), rocking like a champ for the last 5-6 years.

laser is better for me, i've used both and i like more the laser ones
and also you can use the laser to play with your cats

Microsoft BlueTrack + cloth mouse pad = success!

Lasers, though I hate anything Razer related, junk products imo.

Optical sensor - that means infrared - and thus they are the better choice
Choose mouse by the way it fits your hand

All laser sensors currently available have some flaw - most common used in gaming mice:
Philips Twin Eye - Z-axis instability [cursor moving when you lift the mouse], tracking issues on many surfaces - in Razer Naga, Imperator, Ouroboros, Corsair M60/90, R.A.T 3/7/9, CM STORM SENTINEL, [most high dpi mice have this damn thing - you usually don't need that much DPICPI - unless you play on enormous display in high resolution]

Avago-9500\9800 - has positive acceleration - 9800 is better but they still didn't fix that problem - Steelseries sensei (also RAW), logitech G9x, something else but I can't remember at the moment

Laser sensors are still a marketing gimmick that fails to catch up with the performance of the infrared sensors

All Deathadders are infrared including 4G [that's the green light 6300 DPI new one]
I personaly use deathadder 3.5G Black Editions - rubbery coating is awesome on that one, had Imperator 1G, didn't fit my hand that well.

So tl;dr - get an optical mouse that is comfortable for you with a perfect sensor - commonly recommended ones: Logitech G400, AM Zowie, Microsoft intellimouse, CM storm spawn [for claw grip, cm storm recon, razer deathadder, razer abyssus

Edit... forgot about logitech mice - shame on me.

Any mouse will do. Just make sure you have a decent mouse mat and a durable mouse. That's it. Don't fall for branding bullshit like Razer.

I got wireless laser MX600, not new, but it's so inaccurate, that I wouldn't recommend it even if it was free. Currently I'm using cheap Logitech optical cable mouse with LED + additional cable - works perfect.

PS I don't use any pads, I keep it on the bed, armchair, etc.

Lasers are the best and you can buy dual laser mice for extra accuracy.
I personally have a CMStorm Sentinel Advance Z3RO-G as it was cheap (£35) and I was on a budget having just built my new rig.
One of my friends who is big on the more expensive gaming gear instantly placed an order for his own CMStorm Sentinel Advance 2.

If you go with optical, you want one with a blue optical light (I think it's called bluetrace) because that is more accurate than the normal one. I have an optical mouse with the blue light and I can even use it on my glass desk with no mousepad and it is still accurate.