Thoughts on using Mouse Button 4 and 5?

General
1

Hi guys,

Nowaday, I see some games decided to use mouse button 4 and 5 which usually only exist on gaming mice. Here’s an example: Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak Official Web Manual

Depending on the game, if the game uses both keyboard and mouse, you are usually down to 5 possible inputs - left click, middle click, and right click, and you have the scroll up and down. If the player doesn’t have mouse button 4 and 5, then the player has to remap to some other keys on the keyboard, and hopefully doesn’t make them play Twister on their left hand’s fingers. Or… go buy a mouse that has such buttons.

Your thoughts on this? Do you think it is ok for games to go for mouse button 4 and 5 nowaday?

2

I would personally not do that. Even though I own Logitech MX Master 3 mouse, which has 2 additional buttons and 1 additional scroll wheel, I would not put any default bindings on these buttons. Unless these are some secondary bindings for quality of life improvements rather than primary core mechanics, e.g. some zooming in, opening inventory, but only if these can be also done with other primary keyboard bindings.
Otherwise you’re forcing players to either buy a new equipment, or rebind the controls to some other potentially non-optimal setup that can ruin their playing experience.

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