Our friends over at Pro Gamersware GmbH offered up one of Endgame Gear"s recent gaming mice, the XM2we via OverclockersUK.
Since I had dabbled with gaming mice a few times over the years from both Zowie and Logitech G, I was quite excited to give this new one a go. I didn"t initially see the appeal, gaming mice historically tended to have silly looking aesthetics that didn"t seem too ergonomic. But things soon changed and we started to see more brands enter the market and competition heat up.
Just look at the mouse review subreddit, or any other gaming peripheral community to see how seriously people take their gaming mice. Every gram matters, and in extreme cases, even cutting holes into the palm grip to reduce some weight. Nowadays you can buy these very mice with factory cutouts, if it"s a popular trend, then it will be capitalised! Like I said, serious business.
I am more of a casual gamer, but I do appreciate a good quality mouse, even outside of gaming. I"ve personally owned Logitech"s G5 and G9 series of wireless gaming mice, but in recent times, due to a focus on productivity, have settled on an MX Master 3 where the additional buttons and app-centric customisation come into their own.
Having said that, I also used gaming mice for productivity too. Whilst the vast majority of gaming mice do not offer the same level of customisation as Logitech"s MX range, the super precise nature of the sensors and high polling rate meant I found myself preferring these for photo editing quite often over Logitech"s MX.
As these mice are all wireless, it"s easy enough to have both productivity and gaming mice without adding cable clutter, and since they both charge via USB-C, a single cable can be hidden away and used when needed.
Specifications
| Sensor | PixArt PAW3370 |
| Resolution | Up to 19000 CPI (steps of 50 CPI for 50 to 10000 CPI, steps of 100 CPI from 10000 to 19000 CPI; pre-defined: 400, 800 (default), 1600, 3200) |
| Acceleration | 50 G |
| Lift-Off Distance (LOD) | Default 2mm, 1mm enabled via software |
| Max Speed | 400 IPS |
| Microcontroller | CX52850 (mouse) / CX52650 (dongle) |
| Polling Rate | 125, 250, 500 and 1000 Hz (1000Hz by default) |
| Dimensions | 122 x 66 x 38 mm (L x W x H) |
| Primary Buttons | Kailh GO Optical Switches (80 Million Actuations) |
| Wheel Encoder | TTC silver (wide) |
| Middle Button | Pre-sorted Kailh GM 2.0 switches (20 million actuations) |
| Side Buttons | Pre-sorted Kailh GM 2.0 switches (20 million actuations) |
| Battery | 410mAh |
| Materials | Plastic (Chassis), PTFE (Glides), Dry Grip Coating (Surface) |
| Skates | Hybrid Skate Design (large skates pre-installed) |
| Weight | ~63g (black), white +0.5g |
| Connection Type | Wireless (2.4 GHz, Dongle: USB 2.0 Type A) and/or wired (PC: USB 2.0 Type A, Mouse: USB-C) |
| Cable | Black Flex Cord 3.0 Type-C (180cm, USB 2.0 Type A to USB-C) |
| Colours | Black, white |
| Price | £79.99 / $79.99 / €79.90 |
The XM2we is marketed as a budget gaming mouse, even though the specs are quite respectable and in-line with other gaming mice that fall above and below the reasonable price point. There is a higher end model priced £/$/€20 more, the XM2w, which has a slight spec bump, but short of being a competitive gamer, it is unlikely us mortals will notice the differences given how well the standard model performs anyway.
For reference, my experience with this mouse has been on an Alienware QD-OLED monitor running at 144Hz G-Sync Ultimate. It is important to note this because the performance of the display will factor into how any mouse input performance is perceived both in and outside of gaming.
Construction and feel
The plastic feels thin and very light, yet the surface finishing has a premium nature to it. Even though it is un-textured, it feels expensive. This is one area where I think other brands like Logitech could take note.
The primary buttons have a levered action to them, but only slight, you apply slightly more pressure to actuate when pressing towards the end of each button versus the area closest to the back. It"s very subtle but it is there. The optical switches feel very accurate, and the tactile feedback is welcome.
In terms of noise from any of the buttons, I find them no different to other mice, here is a video comparing the button clicks against the MX Master 3:
The underside is nicely designed, too, with wide contact patches on the skates. The CPI mode button is located in a convenient location and I am able to switch modes with the same hand simply by lifting the mouse and pressing the button by extending my ring finger. If this button was at the top, then toggling modes would be a two-hand affair.
The bottom also has the power switch, and DPI toggle button, and unlike some other gaming mice out there, the DPI for each of the modes (up to 4), can be customised from 50 to 19,000 via the Endgame software. My personal preference lies at 1000 for everything, but it"s nice having the option to toggle through at any point.
Speaking of which, the software appears basic, but just like the mouse itself, does the job with no extra frills. It doesn"t add any system resource impact either when in use. The software also does not need to be running in the background if settings have been changed, so customisations appear to be saved directly to the mouse.
The XM2we is ambidextrous, and because of that has a low profile in the palm. I found myself clawing the mouse more than MX Master 3 which is taller with my palm resting on top of it, but the added weight means movement takes more effort, especially in fast action areas of gaming.
Nevertheless, I found no issues with the XM2we, and because it is so lightweight, it felt natural to use and the buttons easy to reach. The middle wheel is also gives excellent feedback. The scrolling action is distinct, whereas I have used mice before that have a spongy wheel rotation. The middle click on the XM2we cannot be accidentally activated during scrolling.
The 2.4GHz USB wireless receiver is similar in size to Logitech"s first generation of Unifying receivers. The photo above shows the XM2we"s dongle (right), next to Logitech"s latest Unifying receiver (left) for size comparison.
Performance
I"ve been getting back into CS:GO, whilst also playing through The Last of Us: Part 1, Resident Evil 4 remake and Cyberpunk 2077"s latest path tracing update.
Whilst CS:GO is fast-paced anyway, the others can have their moments of action requiring quick movements to evade and/or attack. In the case of Cyberpunk, especially when driving, the quick camera movements to get dramatic angles speeding through Night City were made easier on the XM2we thanks to the superior sensor and low weight of the mouse.
I tried both wired and wireless and could not spot any difference, both just as accurate as each other. Even though the battery lasts a week of use, it is nice knowing that should you find yourself in a pinch and the battery dies, you can quickly connect the cable and use it as a wired gaming mouse.
The lightweight and pliable braided cable comes with a raised angle plug. This is great as it means the strain relief will not snag against your desk or mouse surface, another nice touch not seen on most other mice in this price range.
The LED is multifunctional, pressing the button on the underside changes the sensitivity and the four colours denote what mode you are in. When charging and turning it on, the LED also indicates battery level. I could not find what capacity range the LED colour refers to, sadly.
The battery life is also excellent, a whole week of daily use for hours on end is near hat we can expect in 2023. The last Logitech G series I had needed to be topped up every other day, so the XM2we has impressed in this area, and as already mentioned, should you find yourself low on charge, just plug it in and use it in wired mode whilst the battery charges.
Conclusion
I have read several other reviews online about this mouse, and I agree with much of what they all seem to say. The XM2we is a well-built mouse with a premium material finish that appears as if it will last many years, especially against Logitech"s more expensive wireless gaming mice, whilst not being a discomfort or distraction with fancy lighting.
Some said that the Endgame software battery level had not been accurate for them and felt half baked. Whilst it is true it offers just basic tweaking of the mouse,I found the software to do exactly what it needs to, without being overwhelming. It"s neatly laid out and in my experience, bug free.
The inclusion of the little Type-C to USB-A adapter offers up an alternative option on how to connect the wireless receiver dongle.
During the full week I"ve been using this mouse, I have not encountered any bugs or quirks with either the mouse itself or the software. I was not sure if I"d like the mouse initially, the specs seemed good, but the design of it didn"t gel with me when I saw the online images, it appeared boring, but that ended up being a positive!
Luckily, once in hand it all made sense, and I found myself really appreciating how light it is, where my hand can just forget a mouse is under it and just naturally go about using the PC whether for game or work.
My only wish would be that it would be nice to see some extra buttons either on top of the mouse or around the thumb area. These buttons can then be customised in the software and could be mapped to actions in specific games or apps.
Either way, consider me a new Endgame Gear mouse fan!