PC Gamer team splits on mouse side button purpose: copy-paste versus forward-back

The PC Gamer hardware team recently disagreed over the best use for side buttons on gaming mice, a debate that extended to readers through a poll.

The team discussed Razer's new MMO gaming mouse, which features 12 buttons total. The conversation turned to the two side buttons found on most gaming mice and how they should be configured.

One perspective favors mapping side buttons to forward and back for web browsing, which is typically the default assignment on gaming mice out of the box. The opposing view argues for mapping them to copy (CTRL+C) and paste (CTRL+V) instead, claiming this is more ergonomic and eliminates the need to reach for the keyboard when copying between locations.

PC Gamer polled readers on their preference. The results showed 1,343 respondents (67%) use forward-back navigation, 199 (10%) use copy-paste, and over 400 (23%) configure them for something else entirely. The "something else" category likely includes game-specific or genre-specific macros, according to the publication.

The copy-paste advocate noted that side buttons for forward-back navigation seem redundant, since browsers already support these functions through the mouse alone. The counterargument suggests the copy-paste approach offers genuine ergonomic advantage during regular computer work.

Some users map side buttons to game-specific functions like 'C' and 'V' keys while gaming but keep different configurations for desktop use.