I don’t care what you lot say, the side buttons on a mouse are for copy and paste (on desktop)
PC Gamer’s hardware team sparked a lighthearted debate about the optimal configuration of side buttons on gaming mice. While industry standard practice defaults these thumb-accessible buttons to browser forward and back navigation, one author argues they’re more effectively utilized for copy and paste functions during desktop work.
The discussion emerged during the team’s evaluation of Razer’s new MMO gaming mouse, which features 12 programmable buttons, prompting broader questions about peripheral configuration preferences. The author contends that copy and paste—operations performed frequently throughout everyday computing—represent a more practical application than browser navigation, which has become the established default across the gaming mouse market.
The piece reflects ongoing disagreement within the gaming community and PC enthusiast circles regarding optimal peripheral configuration and button assignment priorities. It highlights how hardware preferences remain inherently subjective, with no universal consensus on the best way to utilize gaming mouse buttons beyond their primary gaming function. The debate underscores the diverse use cases for gaming peripherals that extend far beyond gaming into general productivity and daily computer tasks.