The little-known German brand Endgame Gear doesn’t have a wide product range. The XM1 gaming mouse is just one of three mainline products offered by the company. Much like Endgame’s catalogue, it seems like a modest offering. What’s The Best’s William Lobley puts it to the test.
The Review
With its matte black body, scroll wheel, five buttons, and not much else, the Endgame Gear XM1 is an understated gaming mouse. Compared to some of its rivals, you’d be forgiven for considering it plain - but underneath its humble shell, the XM1 is a pleasing example of a lightweight gaming mouse.
Weighing in at just 70g, the XM1 is extremely light, moving under the hand with the utmost ease. The braided ‘Flex Cord’ cable is equally as light, providing a drag-free manipulation that could be mistaken for a wireless connection in a blindfold test. This is especially true when paired with the Endgame Gear XM1 Mouse Bungee, which helps keep excess cable up and out of the way. On the underside of the XM1, four glide plates make sure that the lightweight design suffers no interruption, allowing the mouse to silently skate across the desktop with minimal effort.
Related: The best gaming mice | The best gaming mouse mats
Back up top, the button layout is simple but well executed. The tension of the scroll wheel is impressive, offering a notched rollover that's particularly nice for inventory scrolling. The two thumb buttons are well-positioned, being easily accessible without intruding onto the grip position - this is great for avoiding accidental presses. The body shape of the mouse plays into this second point too - its gentle and curved ergonomics work to suggest a natural hand position, rather than forcing a more ‘tactical’ positioning. This neutral design means that the XM1 will comfortably accommodate claw, fingertip or palm grip types.
The XM1 is loaded with a Pixart sensor, capable of tracking up to 16,000 CPI. With four customisable sensitivity settings, the versatility this high count affords means that the mouse feels just at home in any game, and with any loadout. My twitchy-exploits in Doom Eternal were sharp, the ranged weapons in COD: Warzone were as precise as they’ve ever been. The mouse feels great in slower-paced titles, too, like survival city-builder Frostpunk.
Four custom CPI profiles can be controlled via the Endgame Gear software, allowing a user to take advantage of all the Pixart sensor has to offer. Profiles are customisable in increments of five. Along with switchable CPI profiles, the XM1 allows the user to select their preferred polling rate, offering a choice of 250 Hz, 500 Hz, or 1000 Hz.
Many will have noted that a CPI button, a commonplace feature of gaming mice, is missing. That’s because Endgame Gear has hidden its CPI switch on the underside. While I was initially suspicious of this design choice, the button’s position forced me to confront something: how often do I change my CPI mid-game? My answer was, in truth, never. In fact, it's one less button to avoid and streamlines the overall design of the XM1. For some, the lack of a topside button will be impracticable, but for most, it’ll be an unforeseen relief.
Related: The best budget gaming PC | The best gaming PC under £1,000
Continuing the minimalistic spirit is the configuration software, which is so sparse that it feels almost archaic, especially if you are coming in off the back of Logitech’s G Hub or Corsair’s iCue suites. Yet, here again, Endgame Gear’s dedication to simplicity pays off. The user can customise four sensitivity presets and control lift-off distance, and the button configuration is limited to activating or deactivating a switch. The result of this barebones suite is that the interface is clean and clutter-free, and most importantly, there’s next to no impact on the PC’s resources.
The PC gaming community is one that is continuously barraged with products claiming to be the next big thing, boasting increased complexity, resource-heavy features, and account-emptying price tags. This gaming mouse is different. The Endgame Gear XM1 knows what you need and what you don’t - probably better than you do.
Pros: Minimalist, lightweight and carries a reliable sensor
Cons: Lacking the customisation some users seek