Apparently some of the best gaming mice aren’t staying at the right DPI when moved slowly
According to PC peripheral YouTuber MouseCast, several popular gaming mice featuring the latest sensors contain a problematic firmware feature that causes unexpected DPI changes during slow mouse movement. The issue specifically affects mice using PixArt’s PAW3395, PAW3950, and PAW3399 sensors—chipsets found in some of the market’s best gaming peripherals.
The root cause is a “DPI downshift” feature in the firmware, designed to prevent cursor jitter when the mouse remains stationary. However, the feature inadvertently throttles higher DPI settings down to lower ones whenever the mouse is moved at very slow speeds. This creates an unwanted side effect for users who intentionally make slow, precise movements—a common requirement in competitive gaming and precision work.
The issue was originally discovered and highlighted by an X user several years ago, but has recently resurfaced as MouseCast brought renewed attention to the firmware quirk affecting these high-end gaming peripherals.