ENDGAME GEAR’S focus is perhaps the
most singular we have ever seen of a
niche peripheral manufacturer, and
that’s saying something, given the
company we often keep. The XM1 is,
says EG, nothing more than the world’s
fastest mouse. Partial credit for that
really must be given to your wrist. It’s
certainly not very fast without it. But
let's move past the terrible dad jokes:
How exactly do you go about making the
fastest mouse in the world?
Part the first, you use Pixart’s class-
leading PMW3389 sensor, which eyes up
your surface at a maximum of 16,000 cpi.
That in itself should be enough, because
using the XM1 at full resolution (and
indeed any mouse that also carries said
sensor, such as the Razer Deathadder
Elite) results in an unusably twitchy level
of sensitivity, so much so that we’re not
positive that there’s a human on Earth
who could take full advantage of it. Given
that the PMW3389 is not unique to the
XM1, though, there has to be more.
OK, how about the switches? These
are from Omron, which is always a
solid check mark, and on the top face of
the mouse, there’s barely any travel to
actuate them. Fast. Once they’re clicked,
there’s some kind of analog sensing
inside (don’t ask us how it works) that
promises to take switch polling below
1ms, which combines with 1,000Hz USB
polling to make for a minuscule click-
to-register ratio—our testing definitely
showed that it was fast, though we’re
perhaps not esports enough to detect any
perceptible difference. Middle click on
the wheel is a heavy short-throw switch,
which is appreciated, and the wheel
itself is low profile, with a pleasantly soft
notched movement.
Those, at least bar the analog switch
gimmick, are features you commonly find
in other mice. Fast ones, admittedly, but
other mice nonetheless. But the XM1’s
commitment to speed does not end there.
There’s some of the slipperiest PTFE
pads underneath, in all four corners,If everything seems
under control, you’re
not going fast enough
Endgame
Gear XM1
8
VERDICT Endgame Gear XM1SPEED Super-light; super-
sensitive; super-simple.
KILLS Rather unexciting; comes with a
questionable cable.
$60, http://endgamegear.comSPECIFICATIONSSensor Optical
Sensitivity Up to 16,000 cpi
Sensor Model Pixart PMW3389
Polling Rate 1,000Hz
Programmable
Buttons
5
LEDs RGB x2 (on base)
Cable Length 6 feet
Weight 2.5ozensuring friction is never an issue. The
whole thing has been cut down to only
the essentials—there are two LEDs on
board, but they’re underneath, so you’ll
never see them—giving the mouse body a
remarkably light construction, and giving
your wrist less work to do. It’s a whole
high-velocity package; the only aspect
that perhaps could have been made
speedier is the edge button construction.
This left-edge pair has more travel than
a transatlantic businessman embroiled
in a scandal from which he is desperate
to escape, and a spongy feel that doesn’t
match the solid construction of the rest.
A clever touch, and one that needs to
be aped more elsewhere, is the base-
mounted resolution button. When you’ve
gotta go fast, sausage-fingering a DPI
switch on the top of the mouse is the
last thing you want. This one doesn’t
change unless you want it to, and you can
configure the four resolutions it toggles
through in software. Despite Endgame
Gear being a relatively new company, its
software is actually pretty accomplished,
with button remapping, lift-off sensitivity,
and an exponential smoothing function
tucked away in there for those who desire
a more syrupy cursor.
This would normally be the point in
a relatively positive review where we
complain about the price, but EG has
succeeded there, too—this doesn’t have
the traditional esports premium placed
on it. The only real negatives are frivolouswants rather than lacking features: It’s
a lot less exciting than many mice in
terms of its design and decoration—not
a sliver of grippy silicon on the edges,
no outward LEDs—and a braided cable
would make us slightly more confident
in the longevity of its hard wire. And the
speed? This is certainly fast enough to
satisfy anyone whose current mouse
feels too sluggish, but we suspect such
rubber-wristed mousers are realistically
few and far between. –ALEX COXin the lab
88 MAXIMUMPC DEC 2019 maximumpc.com