PSA Method
Sensitivity Feels Inconsistent? A Practical FPS Troubleshooting Guide
A useful sensitivity setting should survive more than one good warm-up. Use this troubleshooting process when PSA results disagree, tracking feels different between sessions, or a new setup makes familiar movements feel wrong.
PSA Method editorial guide · October 17, 2026
1. Describe the problem before changing the number
“My aim feels bad” is too broad to test. Write down the movement that breaks: stopping a short flick, following a moving target, turning to a sound, or correcting after a wide swing. Separate overshooting from undershooting. If you consistently pass the same stationary target, sensitivity is one candidate explanation. If the target is already beside your crosshair before you start moving, crosshair placement may deserve attention first.
Use one sentence as your test question, such as “Can I stop small corrections without making a second correction?” Keep that question for the whole session. Do not change the goal after seeing a better score on a different drill. A clear question helps you recognize when a setting solves the original problem and when it only makes an unrelated task feel easier.
2. Save a baseline you can actually restore
Record the game, mouse DPI, in-game sensitivity, resolution, aspect ratio, mousepad, and available pad width. Note scoped sensitivity separately if your game exposes it. Check that the mouse has not switched to another onboard DPI profile. A new USB port or a freshly installed mouse utility is a reason to inspect the active profile, not evidence that your skill has changed.
Keep the original settings in a note or screenshot before experimenting. The PSA calculator stores round progress in the current browser tab, but that is not a permanent equipment diary. If your browser restores a previous session, verify the saved base value before continuing. Use Reset when the equipment or test question has changed enough to make the old rounds irrelevant.
3. Check physical distance and display separately
Choose a recognizable landmark in an offline practice area. Place the mouse at a marked starting point and measure the pad distance needed for one full horizontal turn, using a comfortable controlled movement. Repeat instead of trusting one pass. Avoid lifting the mouse halfway through a measurement. The result is an approximate physical reference for your own setup, not a laboratory measurement of the sensor.
If physical turning distance is similar but aiming looks faster after a resolution or aspect-ratio change, first test the display change separately. Apparent target width and screen motion can influence your judgment without establishing a change in mouse rotation. Do not compensate by changing resolution, sensitivity, and crosshair together: you will lose the ability to identify which change helped.
4. Run a short, balanced comparison
Use the same practice map, target distance, weapon, and drill duration for both candidates. Include a small correction, a moving-target follow, and a larger comfortable turn. These tasks reveal different compromises. A setting that wins a close-range tracking drill may make distant corrections harder; a very low setting may feel precise until your available pad space limits a turn.
In one block, test the lower candidate before the higher one. In a second block, reverse that order. Give each the same opportunity to become familiar. Record a brief observation immediately after each block: “stopped cleanly,” “needed a second correction,” or “ran out of pad.” These are observations, not proof of a universal best setting. Stop if discomfort or fatigue changes how you move.
5. Interpret a PSA result without false precision
The calculator narrows candidates using the choices you make. It cannot observe your in-game aim or decide whether a preference came from fatigue, practice order, or a changed mouse profile. Seven choices produce a candidate for validation, not a certified optimum. More decimal places do not make the underlying judgment more reliable.
If two complete runs disagree, compare the conditions and the rounds where your preference changed. Repeat the uncertain comparison under consistent conditions instead of averaging two unrelated sessions automatically. If the difference disappears after reversing the test order, familiarity may explain it. Keeping a comfortable existing value is reasonable when the new value has no repeatable practical advantage.
6. A worked DPI example
Suppose your baseline in one game is 800 DPI and 1.00 sensitivity. Multiplication gives 800 eDPI. Changing to 1600 DPI with 0.50 sensitivity also gives 800 eDPI within that same game and input model. This arithmetic preserves the product; it does not prove identical sensor behavior or transfer the value to another game. Check your physical turning distance after changing the hardware profile.
Now suppose your PSA result is 0.92 at 800 DPI. That is 736 eDPI. At 1600 DPI the matching product would use 0.46. Both numbers are illustrative calculations, not measurements collected from players. Scoped multipliers, input options, or another game’s sensitivity scale require their own checks. Never paste a CS2 in-game number into a different game and assume its meaning is preserved.
7. Keep a log that can explain a decision
Use a small table with date, setup, candidate, task, observation, and decision. Include interruptions such as a frame-rate drop or a moved mousepad. A single best score can hide unstable attempts, so record whether the same difficulty repeats. If you record scores, use comparable attempts and retain unsuccessful runs as well as successful ones.
The example rows below show a recording format, not a benchmark or a claim about expected performance. Replace them with your own observations. After selecting a candidate, use it in ordinary practice on another day. Review whether the original issue is improved and whether a new limitation appeared. Avoid restarting the entire search after every missed shot in a match.
8. Know when to leave sensitivity alone
When large turns are comfortable and small corrections are repeatable, persistent misses may be better addressed by reviewing movement, timing, target selection, or crosshair placement. A reaction-time browser test measures a different task and cannot validate an FPS sensitivity. Likewise, professional settings describe another person’s configuration; popularity alone is not a controlled comparison for your setup.
If every candidate feels worse late in the session, stop and return later rather than forcing a conclusion. Keep the baseline available, change one variable at a time, and choose the value that repeatedly supports the movements you actually use. A stable decision with an understandable reason is more useful than a constantly changing number labeled perfect.
| Setup / candidate | Task | Observation | Next step |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 DPI / 1.00 | Short corrections | Often needed a second correction | Compare under the same conditions |
| 800 DPI / 0.92 | Tracking and a wide turn | Comfortable turn; tracking still uncertain | Reverse candidate order next time |