How to Keep the Same Mouse Sensitivity Across Games

Why the same number means different things

A mouse reports counts, not distance: at 800 DPI it sends 800 counts per inch of movement. Each game then decides how many degrees of view one count buys, a constant known as yaw. Because every engine picked its own constant, a sensitivity of 2 turns you 0.044 degrees per count in one game and 0.14 in another — the same slider value, three times the rotation.

This is also why eDPI — DPI multiplied by in-game sensitivity — only compares players inside the same game. An eDPI of 1600 in Counter-Strike and an eDPI of 1600 in another title describe completely different hand movements, so comparing pro settings across games with eDPI alone is meaningless.

Centimetres per 360 is the unit that travels

Distance per full turn describes what your arm actually does, so it is comparable across every game, every DPI and every engine. The formula is cm/360 = 360 × 2.54 ÷ (yaw × sensitivity × DPI). Worked through for Counter-Strike at 800 DPI and sensitivity 2: the denominator is 0.022 × 2 × 800 = 35.2, and 914.4 ÷ 35.2 gives 26 cm, roughly 10.2 inches.

As a rough map of playing styles: under about 20 cm per 360 is wrist aiming, 20 to 40 cm is the range most competitive players sit in, and beyond 45 cm is low-sensitivity arm aiming that needs a large mousepad. Knowing your number makes it easy to judge whether a pro's settings would even fit on your desk.

Field of view, scopes and the two things conversion cannot fix

The yaw ratio matches rotation exactly, but perceived speed also depends on field of view: at a wider FOV the same rotation moves objects across less of the screen, so an identical cm/360 can feel slower. If you change FOV at the same time as the game, change one and settle before touching the other.

Scoped and zoomed views use their own multipliers, and some games scale them with zoom level while others do not — check the scoped sensitivity setting separately after converting the hip-fire value. And no conversion survives mouse acceleration: if the operating system or the mouse driver adds acceleration, the same physical distance produces different rotations depending on how fast you moved, and consistent muscle memory becomes impossible.

Frequently asked questions

Should I change DPI or in-game sensitivity?

Set DPI once at a value your sensor handles well, commonly 800 or 1600, and adjust in game from then on. Keeping DPI fixed means one number changes per game and your desktop pointer speed stays the same, which is one less thing to relearn.

Is a lower sensitivity better for aiming?

Lower sensitivity gives finer control per centimetre of movement, but it costs turn speed and needs desk space. Most competitive players land between 20 and 40 cm per 360 as the compromise. What matters far more than the exact value is keeping it constant long enough to build muscle memory.

Why does my converted sensitivity still feel wrong?

Usually one of four things: mouse acceleration still enabled somewhere, a different field of view, a scoped multiplier you have not converted, or a polling rate or surface change. Check them in that order — acceleration is the most common and the easiest to miss.