Whether you are a long-time gamer or new in the virtual world, you may have heard of Windows Enhance Pointer Precision.
But what exactly is this feature really, and is it good for gaming at all?
It has been present since Windows XP and is usually enabled by default.
In short, the Enhance Pointer Precision setting is a form of digital mouse acceleration.
Generally, Enhance Pointer Precision is not very good for gaming as it could make your mouse movements less accurate.
Most gamers prefer to disable this feature, and we highly recommend doing this too.
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What is Enhance Pointer Precision?
Enhance Pointer Precision is essentially a mouse acceleration feature.
Having this enabled on your Windows means it will detect how fast you are moving your mouse and adjust the DPI (dots per inch) setting accordingly.
When you physically move your mouse faster, the DPI will increase so that the on-screen cursor moves a larger distance.
On the other hand, moving your mouse slower will reduce the DPI so that the cursor covers a shorter distance.
Without enabling the enhance pointer precision, it won’t matter how physically fast or slow the mouse moves.
But this feature can make the speed of your mouse’s movement matter.
Whether this is helpful depends on what you’re doing, mainly because the mouse acceleration isn’t entirely linear and can be unpredictable.
It is easy to build up muscle memory without the Enhance Pointer Precision features, while having it enabled makes muscle memory and efficiency a bit trickier.
We would say that everyday computer users and office workers will have no problem using the acceleration provided by this feature.
Even if there are a few milliseconds of a discrepancy, this could pose no significant issue.
Meanwhile, most gamers tend to avoid enabling their Enhance Pointer Precision setting, as being off by even one millisecond during gameplay can mean the difference between losing and winning.
Does Enhance Pointer Precision Affect Fortnite?
You know now that Enhance Pointer Precision may not be something you want to enable when playing online games.
But there’s still a more specific question many often wonder – will it affect Fortnite gameplay?
Some people claim that the default settings in Fortnite will automatically enable mouse acceleration is enabled by default in Fortnite.
Yet Epic Games has confirmed that there is no mouse acceleration or smoothing in this game, which means it will use raw inputs.
In other words, enhance pointer precision doesn’t affect Fortnite at all.
The game will automatically use raw inputs, regardless if you have the feature enabled on your Windows setting.
When you enable acceleration, it will be hard to predict the effects of even the tiniest speed difference on the on-screen cursor.
This is simply bad for building much-needed muscle memory that you’d need in Fortnite.
Enhance pointer precision can slow you down when trying to make precise and quick movements.
Plus, it is always better to have a 1:1 ratio for your mouse to cursor movement for a consistent and accurate play.
But remember that some games don’t use raw inputs as Fortnite does.
This means it’s essential for you to manually disable the enhanced pointer precision setting before playing.
How do I Increase Mouse Precision?
When talking about the Enhance Pointer Precision feature and gaming, it only seems fitting that we also discuss about mouse precision.
There are many proven ways to improve this, though it’s often related to Enhance Pointer Precision, DPI, and pointer speed.
In the case of the Enhance Pointer Precision feature, you can efficiently move the cursor farther simply by dragging the mouse faster.
This can help with mouse precision when you need to select small things – all you need to do is move it slowly.
It is also possible to change your mouse’s pointer speed within Windows, which will enable even more precise movements.
With this setting, you can easily adjust how far you want to physically move your mouse to move the on-screen cursor.
Alternatively, your mouse might let you adjust its DPI through the downloadable driver control panel or on the hardware itself.
A higher DPI means more sensitivity, so tiny mouse movements can move the cursor much farther.
This is an essential setting of Windows you may want to familiarize yourself with, especially when it comes to gaming purposes.
Making precise mouse movements can also help you create a more efficient, and therefore productive, workflow.
Also read: Do Gaming Mousepads Matter in 2020?
Final Thoughts: Enhance Pointer Precision On or Off for Gaming?
So, should you put enhance pointer precision On or Off for gaming in 2021?
At the end of the day, you should know how you will use your mouse before deciding if you should enable the Enhance Pointer Precision.
If you decide to turn on the Enhance Pointer Precision feature, it can make gameplays more difficult and awkward because of how unpredictable the mouse acceleration is.
On the other hand, other tasks may benefit from this feature.
Much so because you can move cursors more efficiently.
So there you have it. What do you think about this feature?
Do you use the feature for gaming? Let me know in the comment below!
Have a good day!
