PC Gamer: Side buttons on gaming mice are for copy and paste on desktop

GG Brief Editorial Desk · AI-assisted, source attributed

PC Gamer's Jacob Ridley argued in a 23 September 2026 opinion piece that the two side buttons found on many gaming mice are best used for copy and paste on desktop. The article says the PC Gamer hardware team debated Razer's new MMO gaming mouse, which it reports has 12 buttons, and that this prompted disagreement about how to use side buttons. Ridley reports that most people and default mouse assignments use the typical two side buttons for forward and back navigation in web browsing. The piece is presented as a contrarian hardware-team opinion rather than as a quantitative study of user behavior.

• What happened: PC Gamer's Jacob Ridley published an opinion piece on 23 September 2026 arguing the two side buttons on many gaming mice should be used for copy and paste on desktop.
• Why it matters: Ridley notes those two side buttons are common on gaming mice and that the default out-of-the-box assignment is often forward/back for web browsing, per the article.
• Context: The article recounts a disagreement among the PC Gamer hardware team after discussing Razer's new MMO gaming mouse, which the piece reports has 12 buttons, and whether side buttons are best used for browsing or for desktop copy/paste.
• What next: The article presents an opinion and does not confirm any changes by manufacturers or shifts in default button assignments or user practice; it does not report any follow-up actions.