ENDGAME GEAR XM1 Gaming Mouse Review

1. Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing
2. Packaging, Accessories, and Documentation
3. ENDGAME GEAR XM1 Gaming Mouse
4. Inside the XM1
5. XM1 Config Software
6. Gaming and General Impressions
7. Final Thoughts

Introduction, Specifications, and Pricing

When it comes time to look for a new gaming mouse, the categories break down into two major sections. First, are the feature-rich devices with tons of lighting options, a massive amount of buttons, wings, and software so involved it may get a bit confusing.

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On the other hand, there is a group where the feature set may both have all of the latest and greatest options, it may not be the biggest mouse out there, the shape is simple yet effective, and when it comes to software, they keep it simple. Of the two types, we will be looking at a mouse from the latter segments, where we will be looking at it with wonder, to see if this new mouse can stand up against all of the various mice we have seen.

The company in question sprang up from the blue, but checking their landing page; we see that the company has included a mission statement. In it, they divulge that they are a gamer-oriented company, blah, blah, blah, but the last line sums it all up, where it states that they are making gamer's dreams come to fruition. A bold statement to make, as not all dreams are the same, but we get the point they are trying to make, and to help support them, they even have a quote from Spiidi, who is a professional eSports gamer, for those who do not recognize the name. While it always helps a product to have it in from of the masses in an eLeague tournament, with such things you do not get a bunch of information about what goes into it, and as such, we are here to do just that.

Today, what we have for you is one of the lighter options in mice, the XM1 or XM One, depending on where you read the name. Essentially, Endgame Gear, who makes the XM1, is offering a mouse that is compact, nearly ambidextrous in design, but perfect for all types of grip styles. While the focus is on gamers, and even professional gamers, the development of the mouse came down to looking almost ordinary, a wolf in sheep's clothing if you will. While at first glance, many may pass this right on by, primarily due to the lack of RGB illumination, or any visible lighting for that matter. However, once past the outer shell, all you see are top tier components, all designed to give gamers the best possible usage. With all of this in mind, we are eager to get this mouse under our right hand, and see what all the hype is about.

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As we do when possible, we borrow the specifications chart from the manufacturer, and we find that it does cover quite a bit of desired information. Things start with the PixArt PMW3389 "high-end" optical sensor. This PMW3389 is capable of a CPI range that begins at 50 and goes all the way up to 16,000 CPI and can be adjusted in single increments or jumps of 50. Tracking is still possible with this sensor at speeds of 450 inches per second, and at 50 Gs. If using lower DPI and lifting the mouse often, you will appreciate the 2mm LOD that is preset, but there is also a 1mm option.

Every mouse needs a microcontroller to make everything "talk" to one another, and in the XM1, they have opted to use an ARM STM32-based chip, which is a ton of grunt. It is what allows the software to enable changes, it controls the Hz of the polling rate, it allows for an interchangeable "host signal intervals," and the most significant part is the less than 1ms processing latency. In simpler terms, if you are in a gunfight, and you both draw and pull the trigger at the same time, the bullet from this "gun" would leave the barrel first.

The layout of the outside of the mouse is shown to be dextral, or right-handed, even though the shape is ambidextrous, just that there are no buttons on the right side of the mouse-like there are on the left. Whether you use a claw, palm, or fingertip grip, Endgame Gear says this is the mouse for you. Dimensionally, the XM1 is 122.14mm long; it is 65.81mm wide, it is 38.26mm tall and weighs in at just 70 grams with the cable. Sadly though, this is not true. Putting the XM1 on a scale, our mouse is 72 grams likely with a bit of the cable weight and is well over 100 grams once the entire cable is added. Speaking of the cable, it is a USB 2.0 cable with no special treatment, just a rubberized coating, and it is of standard length. The entire mouse is black, except for the logo painted on the heel, which is white, there is a total of five buttons, and that is not including the 2-way mouse scrolling and its clickability.

At this point, we are left with just three things to cover. One is the use of Omron switches under the right and left click buttons which boast a fifty-million click lifespan, the two-year warranty, and the cost. The bottom of the chart shows that all pricing is kept the same, no matter if in euros, dollars, or pounds. The MSRP has been set to $59.99, which is more than reasonable. Checking what the actual in-store cost is at both Newegg and Amazon, they are both listing the XM1 at $59.99. Amazon uses Noblechairs for access to shipping the mouse to you, while Newegg opted to gain access to stock using Caseking USA. Either option you prefer to take, even this early in the review, we have no issues claiming that price is not an issue with the Endgame Gear XM1 mouse.

Chad's Peripherals Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe - Buy from Amazon
• CPU: Intel Core i9 7920X - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Corsair H150i Pro - Buy from Amazon
• Memory: G.Skill TridentZ RGB 3600MHz 32GB - Buy from Amazon
• Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Hybrid SLI - Buy from Amazon
• Storage: Samsung 960 EVO 250GB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: Cooler Master Cosmos C700P - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G 1050W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional 64-bit - Buy from Amazon

Packaging, Accessories, and Documentation

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Packaging for the XM One or XM1 is dark, which makes the information pop at the top and bottom of the panel. Both the company and product name are at the top in white and orange lettering and using the same colors, we see mentions of its lightweight, the maximum CPI, and what sensor, and that this mouse offers under 1ms responses. Taking up most of the panel is what are gray triangles, maybe glass, maybe some other effect, but you do have to look closely to make out the product which should have center stage.

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On the right side of the box, the lettering is set so that it is easier to read with the box on its back. On the left is the company logo and Endgame Gear name, but you need to get to the right edge to see the XM One version of the product name.

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Ten languages are offered for the four-point list of features of the XM1, on the back of the box. In that list are things like their patented technology for the under 1ms from input to action. Endgame Gear also pre-sorts their fifty-million click Omron switches, they make sure you know the 70-gram weight again, and again address the sensor and its abilities.

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The last side of the packaging has nothing new to take in, as it is identical to the panel on the other side of the box.

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To protect the mouse for shipping, Endgame Gear opts for an open-cell foam, which encapsulates the mouse. This protects the device from minor scratches to hard knocks, and with the cable kept separate, it is likely your XM1 will arrive in as excellent condition as ours has.

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The last thing we found in the box was this card. On it, we see where to obtain the software first, in big, bold letters. The default options for the CPI levels and a mention of the mouse offering four levels of CPI control built into the mouse, as well as how to change profiles and the polling rate, are all detailed here. If you do have an issue or a question, Endgame Gear ensures you have that address handy as well.

ENDGAME GEAR XM1 Gaming Mouse

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The left side of the XM1 is straightforward in its bulbous shape, with the lowest section being indented slightly for a bit of extra grip. As part of the top half of the mouse, the surface is slick feeling but slightly rubberized, and offers a pair of buttons near the top.

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The lower part of the mouse is angled inward near the bottom, compared to at the waistline, and there you can see that the materials above and below the line are different. The lower section is rough-textured plastic, with no coating applied. Both of the body lines angle inward towards the heel of the mouse, and flank the Endgame Gear logo, painted on in white.

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Similar to the box, the right side of the mouse is nearly identical to what we saw on the left. While the shape, feel, and coating are the same, there are no side buttons to make this an ambidextrous design, even though it delivers an ambidextrously designed shell.

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The main buttons sit high on the snub-nosed front end of the XM1. The cable comes from the center of the leading edge, and built into the slight gap between the main buttons is a highly segmented, rubber-coated, scroll wheel.

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The bottom of the XM1 gives us a few things to cover. Most noticeable are the white PTFE, feet, four of them, which allow for slick glide ability on any surface. The company name is molded into the frame, just above the sensors eye, with the product sticker just below that. The last thing to note is the square button used to change CPI and polling rate, with the chart for it as part of the sticker just above the pair of LEDs.

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As for the cable, there is nothing special about the rubber-coated 1.8-meter length of it. There is no strap for cord tending offered, just a twist-tie, but we do like the inline choke. As for the connection, it is a USB 2.0 connector, and the housing for it has the Endgame Gear logo molded into it.

Inside the XM1

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To open the mouse, the feet need to be removed, to allow access to a total of four screws. Once opened, there are no cables to worry about, as the internal layout has all of the components on a single PCB, housed in the lower half of the XM1.

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Under the left-click button, we see the first D2FC-F-K(50M), Omron, blue switch. The life of the switch is self-explanatory, but the actuation force is similar to all other Omron switches. There is a defined point of activation, as well as an audible click, all be it, a bit hollow sounding. Behind that switch is the rotary TTC switch for the scroll wheel, which we said is highly segmented in its movement.

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Backing the pair of buttons on the left side of the XM1, we see a couple of TTC switches with maroon stems. These switches are the softest on the mouse but have the crispest clicks reporting back when pressed than any others on the mouse.

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Not that we do not trust the specs chart, but we like to show what we have to confirm. In this instance, we do indeed have the PixArt PMW3389 optical sensor to ensure any movement made with the right hand is recorded and sent into action on the PC.

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While this is one of the smallest chip we have seen for an ARM 32-bit processor, it is plenty to control what functionality the XM1 offers. For those wondering, the F041G6 numbers will lead you to this being an STMicroelectronics product.

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The last internal image is of the second Omron blue switch, again, rated for fifty million clicks. As for the pad switch behind it, that is for the press of the scroll wheel, and when pressed, it needs a lot of force, and again, the report is muffled or hollow sounding.

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As we do, we reassembled the XM1 and plugged it into a PC. What we end up with is that the XM1 shows all of its cards when you take it out of the box, as there are no visible LEDs, or any visual indicator LEDs visible when under power.

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If you want to look at LEDs, you have to flip the mouse over. It is pretty easy to see that since two LEDs are lit, we are set at 1000HZ, but the color is also key. Each of the four CPI settings allows a color to be set to it. So even if we are looking at the Hz lights illuminated, the color here indicates we are currently using the second CPI setting of 800 CPI.

XM1 Config Software

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Once downloaded and installed, we went ahead and opened up the XM1 Config software, and the first tab is open for "buttons." You may start to think about button remapping, but that is not even close. What this window offers is simply the ability to use the default function, or for the middle click and side buttons, one can disable them if desired.

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The sensor tab is where one goes to address the CPI level and which colors identify the four CPI settings that can be saved. There are two ways to change the CPI. In the box that says 400, for instance, you can highlight and direct enter a number, which has a one CPI adjustment rate. The other option is to use the arrows to the right of the numbers, which jumps in fifty CPI increments. There is a checkbox for ripple control, and there is a section on LOD where 1mm or 2mm can be selected, and also a "Default" box to reset the changes made in this tab.

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If you wish to use a different color to identify the current CPI setting, all you have to do is to click on one of the colored portions of the four boxes. Once clicked, the smaller window opens, which allows for four additional colors than those already in use.

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The update tab is a one-stop-shop to make sure you have the latest and greatest in both firmware for the XM1 as well as software to control it. In the same tab, you can also click the reset box, which will reset the mouse back to factory defaults, deleting any work you may have done here.

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The support tab offers up a one-click box that takes you to the XM1 FAQ page so that you can sort through various points and see if it covers your questions, but sadly the page errors out. If you cannot find what you need there, there is a link to the support page, but for us, clicking the link does nothing even though it highlights when hovered over. Hopefully, these are things that will get sorted in later software updates.

Gaming and General Impressions

DOOM & PUBG

Even though we tend to use larger mice, both in size and weight, fresh under our right hand, we had no issues adapting to the size and shape of the XM1. Right away we were in the action making headshots in PUBG like it was our job, and the hellspawn in DOOM never stood a chance, as long as we didn't run out of ammo.

We did not miss the lighting, we did not miss the wings on the sides, and to be honest, even though it sucks to flip the mouse to access a button, we found most of our changes occurring as we changed games, so we had the time to change settings then. The glide is smooth, as is the finish, and the XM1 does seem to want to get away from you at times. If your hands are oily, or it's warm in the room, and things start to get damp, you can and will find yourself wanting texture on the sides at the very least. Outside of that, we found no need to go further than 3200 CPI for our gaming needs, and when we tried higher, we found that over 500 CPI the amount of jitters and off shots increased, saying to us, to back the CPI down to a more comfortable and accurate level.

Windows and Productivity

Sitting on the desk for daily use, there is nothing wrong with what the XM1 offers in this regard. You can copy and paste with it; you can scroll as you can with any other mouse, and with side buttons, you can easily swap pages in a browser. Again, it may not be the most feature-rich option, but what it does do, it does it well. When it came to photo editing, this and opening folders on the desktop is when the CPI setting found our limit for us.

At 6000 CPI or above, we had issues keeping a steady hand to open folders or felt comfortable with the tool clicks while editing images. Keep in mind, it is not like we have tremors or our hands are not steady, as the pressure trying to left-click the mouse is enough to make the sensor wander. Just for giggles, we tried 16,000 CPI at the desktop, and while you could get in the general area quickly and with little movement from your right arm, wrist, and fingers, but honing in on anything specific was near impossible.

Final Thoughts

Right out of the gate, the XM1 had a tough hill to climb. Lacking things like profiles, Macros, programmability, customization, and no form of lighting to be seen under normal conditions are things that can be found just about anywhere these days. Taking a bold approach to mouse design, by sticking to the basic functions, soldering in top-tier components to handle the workload, and doing the basics well, so that the customer does not miss all of those fancy add-ons, it is a bold feat.

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Honestly, though, we did not miss a single one of them. Of course, we tend to gravitate to games without much need for Macros, and while profiles are helpful, we still have in-game options to reassign things, so we were not entirely at a loss. We did miss the RGB LED bling as we walk into the office every day, but when in use, we can't think of any time that we were looking at the mouse rather than the screen, making lighting sort of a moot point.

What we found is that Endgame Gear makes a reliable product ready for the rigors of gaming, and while your initial reaction may be to keep looking, for us, we are going to have a hard time when it comes time to review the next mouse. Compact and light have its advantages, and we are enjoying those advantages of ease of use too much not to find a permanent home in our office.

We do have some points we need to mention again, that, let's say, are odd to us. First is the weight. We realize that without disconnecting the cable internally and weighing the mouse only, our 72-gram measurement could be a touch off. However, Endgame Gear made it a point in the specifications chart to add the "including cable" portion of their approximated 70 gram stated weight. In no way is that true, and we feel it is something that needs to be addressed. Our other issues were all in the software.

We understand that Endgame Gear is new to the scene and that all their ducks may not be in a perfect row just yet, but we also look at it like this, the XM1 is on store shelves. While a little late for initial impressions, we did not care for things like a buttons section only to let us disable a few buttons, that and the fact that the links do not work. While in our situation, the CPI and polling rate buttons placement not to be a huge issue, it all could have been done with a single button behind the scroll wheel, and we would not have had a point to make here. Asking a user to flip the mouse to change something is a bit over the top, and not any more cost-effective to make it inconvenient to someone in the first place.

In the end, as we ponder everything we have just said, and what we remember when using it, our feelings are mixed. On the one hand, we almost want to treat Endgame Gear with kid gloves, as this is a new company and it is their first product, but that's not how we roll. We have to consider all other options out there, the cost, the feature set, comfort, feel, grip, all of that, and when we pile it all up and sort through it, we think the XM1 has missed the mark in many areas.

Not so much as to kill the mouse, as the XM1 is enjoyable to use on the most basic levels. At $59.99, it is a bit of a saving grace, as many eSports peripherals are in the $80 to $100 range. However, if it were us looking to buy this mouse, with what we know using it versus what we see on paper and in videos, we would wait until all the wrinkles are ironed out. Endgame Gear is damn close to getting it right, but for those with an ear to the market, and many devices offering a ton more features for just a couple more dollars invested, it is hard to put a sugar-sweet coating on the XM1.

Chad's Peripherals Test System Specifications

• Motherboard: ASUS Prime X299 Deluxe - Buy from Amazon
• CPU: Intel Core i9 7920X - Buy from Amazon
• Cooler: Corsair H150i Pro - Buy from Amazon
• Memory: G.Skill TridentZ RGB 3600MHz 32GB - Buy from Amazon
• Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti Hybrid SLI - Buy from Amazon
• Storage: Samsung 960 EVO 250GB - Buy from Amazon
• Case: Cooler Master Cosmos C700P - Buy from Amazon
• Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower DPS G 1050W - Buy from Amazon
• OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Professional 64-bit - Buy from Amazon