Hey everyone, well it seems to be lightweight mouse season, here we are back with another one. Endgame Gear are a new company to me, and so far they appear just to have the one product. The XM One gaming mouse, is a lightweight offering coming in at just 70 grams, and offering a high end sensor with some fast analogue switches, lets see how it fares.
Endgame Gear XM One Gaming Mouse Specifications & Features
- Sensor:Pixart PMW3389 High-End (optical)
- Sensitivity:50 CPI to 16,000 CPI
- Max. Acceleration:50 G
- Max. Speed:11.43 m/s (450 IPS)
- Lift-off Distance (LOD):2 mm
- Microcontroller:ARM STM32-based chip
- Software / Firmware Updates:yes
- Adjustable Polling Rate:250 Hz, 500 Hz, 1,000 Hz
- Host Signal Intervals:4 ms, 2 ms, 1 ms
- Internal Signal Processing Latency:1 ms
- Ergonomics / Layout:dextral Supported
- Grip Types:Claw Grip, Palm Grip, Finger Grip
- Dimensions:approx. 122.14 x 65.81 x 38.26 mm (L x W x H)
- Primary Buttons (right/left):OMRON long-life switches (mechanical)
- Lifetime:50 million clicks
- Number of Buttons:5 (2x top, 2x side, 1x mouse wheel)
- Mouse Wheel Scrolling:2-way
- Materials:Plastic (Chassis), PTFE (Glides), Dry Grip Coating (Surface)
- Weight:approx. 70 g (including cable)
- Connection Type:wired (USB 2.0 Type A)
- Cable Length:180 cm
- Available Colors:Black
- MSRP:€59.90 / $59,99 / £53,99
- Warranty:2 years from date of purchase
Endgame Gear XM One Gaming Mouse Closer Look
Arriving in a fairly unassuming box we have an image of what appears on the face of it to be a budget mouse with some branding and base specifications highlighted. The sensor and switch imaging hinting at something more inside.
On the bottom of the box we get more description in various languages, nothing flashy here.
No plastic bubble packaging here, but that sort of thicker pliable polystyrene packaging, while this may not be the most recyclable material it is however reusable for many packaging scenarios, I might let this slide, however I will have to find out just how horrible this stuff can be out in the wild. Other than the contained mouse the box contents just has a leaflet with some links and information.
Here we have another ambidextrous mouse without the left handed buttons, what a shame, the shell is quite a basic shape, it does feel quite comfortable if a little low on the arch. The material is very smooth plastic and it looks like the kind that shows up marks pretty easy so expect to see where your fingers rest easily. The scroll wheel has a nice feel to it, the notches are good enough to feel the stepping. There is also no indication of any lighting here, doing away with much of the ‘Gamer’ look.
Looking at the left hand side we have no extra grips or textures just the forward and back buttons, I find the back button to be a little too long and is an accidental activation risk for me.
The right hand side has nothing to show, just smooth plastic.
Viewing the mouse from the front we get to see how easy it is to leave finger marks, I hope no-one unlocks my phone with this picture. The scroll wheel doesn’t look anything special and a standard plastic cord is mounted in the middle.
Underneath the mouse is quite interesting; we have four quite small yet well placed glide feet, above the sensor is an embossed company name and below it we have some information including indicators for the two lights to show which of the three Polling rates available is chosen. The other function of the lights is to change colour to determine which DPI setting is active. Under the lights we have the DPI button itself, you won’t be accidentally changing this setting during use.
Nothing too special with the connector just a decent cable length, although there is a ferrite choke toward the end to filter out any electrical interference.
Since there are no effects on this mouse the only thing that lights up when plugged in are the two DPI/Polling lights.
Software
As I found with the Glorious PC Gaming software, this app also has issue with Windows trusting it, however this time I didn’t have a bunch of firmware hoops to jump through. The main screen gets straight down to business mapping the buttons.
The Sensor screen shows the colours used for each of the four available DPI settings, there is ripple control offering some smoothing at high DPI levels and a setting for the lift off height.
The Update tab has update checks for Firmware and Software along with a full reset to factory defaults button.
The support button simply provides a link to the support pages on the company’s website.
The Endgame Gear XM One Gaming Mouse Review: The Verdict
Spending some time with the XM One mouse, I can see what Endgame Gear are trying to do. We have a lightweight mouse with no flashy ‘gaming’ gimmicks, the design is quite basic yet the form is functional. The shell is sturdy and I have no issue with the build quality, the back button does protrude too far towards the back causing me to accidentally activate it. The material used for the shell marks very easily and over time will develop a shine in places through use. The switches and sensor are excellent however so that is a big positive. The software seems a little basic so I am hoping it improves in future iterations.
What’s hot:
- Excellent Sensor
- Quality switches
- Understated design
What’s not:
- Case material marks easily
- Ambidextrous shape but lacks alternate buttons
- Expensive compared to the competition at MSRP
I have here another case of a lightweight mouse countering the slippery surface of the shell so heavier rubberised materials are not necessary. The forward and back button placements are a bit of a problem and the overall arch is a bit low for my grip style. The main switches are very fast and can activate even when pressed lightly, so this takes a little getting used to, coupled with an excellent sensor and understated looks this could be a contender. The software package is evidently a work in progress, the installer not being signed by Windows might but some security conscious users off but once installed the available features work well if a little basic.
Daily usage: Day to day tasks with the mouse are pleasant enough, the ergonomics are ok, the sensor really shines when doing any fine detail tasks and the four DPI settings offer plenty of choice without reconfiguring the software.
Gaming usage: For games the mouse technically performs really well, the only downside for me was that elongated back button causing inadvertent actions in game. The sensor tracking in CS:GO and Overwatch is exemplary and the switches never failed to activate, I did play around with the latency to find a sweet spot but ended up going back to default, this probably says more about my own skill level, as I think advanced players could make use of that feature. Moving on to CIV VI the accuracy of the sensor was again helpful when selecting and moving units. Not being able to switch DPI without turning the mouse over could hamper some gamers.
This mouse may very well appeal to those users who want performance with understated looks, however it would be great to see future products and designs catering for more grip styles and of course those left handed users. Currently the mouse is available for a lot less than the MSRP of £53.99. This may only be a promotional offer but the XM One can be had at the time of writing for £34.99, which actually makes it a better proposition since at the lower price you are getting a fantastic sensor and switches. I feel we can grant our Silver Award to the XM One as there is potential here and it won’t break the bank at the moment.
Thanks to Overclockers UKÂ and Endgame Gear for sending a sample of the XM One Gaming Mouse in for review.
*BUYER BEWARE*
I liked the non-RGB version of this exact mouse for 9 months until the connection went faulty. Customer support pressures their buyer into a DIY fix instead of first offering their service. Furthermore, despite sending personal information and my invoice on the initial emails, I was asked to relist everything over again and told I could not get service for the issue without first providing video proof that the connection is faulty.
It happens pretty often while using the mouse, but this is an unnecessary and undue burden on the customer when customer support has an entire FAQ section dedicated to the issue. Shouldn’t I be able to just open an RMA without having to provide video evidence? Extremely concerning, especially because this is such a common problem with the product.