MeinMMO editor Dariusz has played first-person shooters with an arm sleeve for six months. Should you do that too, or is it pointless?
If you’ve ever watched an e-sports match, especially of shooters like Valorant, Counter-Strike, or Rainbow Six: Siege, you’ve probably noticed those weird sleeves some players wear on their arms.
These thin, stocking-like nylon sleeves are called arm sleeves, and many players expect them to enhance their gaming performance. The movements of the arm are supposed to be smoother and more fluid with the sleeves compared to a regular sweater or bare skin.
But do arm sleeves really provide an advantage, and is it sensible for casual players to use such a sleeve? MeinMMO editor Dariusz has tested an arm sleeve and summarizes his assessment here.
When playing shooters, Dariusz always aims to win and does not shy away from investing hundreds of hours in training or spending money on seemingly unnecessary gadgets like ultra-light mice and special mouse pads.
What purpose do arm sleeves serve?
In short: Arm sleeves are supposed to improve performance in games. Of course, a piece of nylon won’t suddenly make your aim or game understanding better. Instead, the sleeves offer small advantages over bare skin or a regular sweater that can help you get the most out of your aim.
I have tested my arm sleeve for the past six months and have noticed the following advantages:
- Arm sleeves create less friction when moving the arm compared to a regular sweater or bare skin. The skin on the arm or the fabric of a sweater has noticeably more resistance. With a sleeve, movements feel smoother and unimpeded.
- The friction created by the arm sleeves is often more consistent than with a sweater or skin, as they have a consistently smooth surface. Sweaters, on the other hand, may have various patterns woven into the fabric or can wrinkle. Skin can also create wrinkles when laying on it. Since movements with a sleeve during aiming have a consistent friction due to the smooth surface, precision in aiming is less prone to deviations.
- There are arm sleeves that also cover the wrist. Those who touch the mouse pad with their wrist during aiming can hinder themselves due to the reduced glide ability of the skin.
- For glass mouse pads, known as glass pads, an arm sleeve is almost essential because the skin can “stick” to the glass of the pad – especially on sweaty summer days. Playing with an arm sleeve in great heat is definitely a matter of getting used to, but it’s better than sticking to the pad or wearing a sweater at 35 degrees.
- The sleeves act as a fabric layer between the mouse pad and the arm, keeping sweat away from the mouse pad. This means the mouse pad needs to be cleaned less often. Of course, you should wash the sleeve regularly, but that’s less effort involved than cleaning a mouse pad (except for glass pads).
Have I noticed an increase in performance?
Yes, I have noticed an increase in performance using the arm sleeve – but mainly in aim trainers. During fast, continuous arm movements, I felt particularly compared to a regular sweater that I glide over the mouse pad much better.
The statistics from the aim trainer showed me immediately that I was able to improve my precision in shots at small targets as well as my speed in precise aiming.
In Valorant or Rainbow Six: Siege, however, I did not notice any significant improvement. The effects of the arm sleeve were even less noticeable in shooters like CoD, Battlefield, and The Finals. In winter, my arm was warmer, but that was about it.
Also useful for casual players – but only to a certain extent
All the advantages that an arm sleeve brings also apply to casual players. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an e-sports player participating in tournaments or just want to enjoy 1-2 rounds of your favorite shooter in the evening. The benefits remain, and therefore the arm sleeve is sensible – you just don’t need it.
An arm sleeve doesn’t suddenly turn you into a god gamer, so why should you wear it while playing casually if you don’t have a glass pad? The perceived 3% increase in performance goes unnoticed, and your personal results don’t matter to anyone if you’re not playing for a prize pool.
The arm sleeve becomes even less relevant if you’re not just playing PvP. In the almost six months that I’ve used the sleeve, I have also played Palworld, Helldivers 2, and Neon White. In these games, I don’t wear the sleeve – what’s the point?
I really only wear the sleeve when I play competitive PvP shooters on the glass pad. For PvE, I set the glass pad aside and the sleeve as well. On a normal fabric or Cordura pad, I would almost never wear the sleeve – unless I am again chasing records in aim trainers and actively trying to improve my aim. Then I want to feel all the advantages of the “gamer sock.”
I played 100 hours of an aim trainer to get better at shooters – but did it really work?
