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Gast Sun May 01, 2011 7:10 pm

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SteelSeries Xai review SteelSeries Xai Review

I’ve
been using the SteelSeries Ikari Laser as my gaming mouse so I was
quite excited when I saw the press release of the Xai, months ago. The
hype was on, because the product wasn’t readily available on the shops
until weeks later and some hardcore gamers have been asking and trying
to pre-order the mouse. I actually got the Xai last month (22nd December
2009) and I’ve been using it for almost a month before I wrote this
review.

I’ll try to keep the SteelSeries Xai review explaining
more about my personal experience with the mouse, rather than rewriting
about the technology and specifications, which you can read for yourself
anyway on the product page.

SteelSeries Xai Review – The Look-and-Feel

SteelSeries
Xai look 300x199 SteelSeries Xai ReviewSteelSeries surprisingly decided
to go back to the old days in terms of a mouse design. The Xai looks
almost identical with my 5-year-old Microsoft WheelMouse Optical 1.1A.
They are not the same (build quality, technology, feel, etc), so don’t
get me wrong here, but on the looks department, they are quite
identical. It was kinda funny because I disliked some of the mouse
shapes nowadays – you feel like holding irregular giant alien weaponry.
While they look cool to stare and to show off, sometimes I missed going
back to the old days where a mouse was shaped…like a mouse.

SteelSeries
Xai brings back those memories and actually, the minimalist, yet
stylish design works quite well. It feels like a mouse, yet the
technology & research being put behind the scene to reshape an old
mouse’s blueprint is amazing.

SteelSeries Xai Review comfort
300x199 SteelSeries Xai ReviewIt’s made with high quality material
(non-plasticy) which feels good in your hands and “sweat friendly”. The
mouse has an ambidextrous shape, so it fits well for both left and right
handed players. Since SteelSeries Xai is tailored for both worlds, I
still find my old SteelSeries Ikari more comfortable than the Xai (the
Ikari has these nice contours to fit my pinky and other fingers).
However, the Xai is still a comfortable gaming mouse even though it’s
not designed specifically for right-handers.

As for the aesthetic
look, the only thing that you can see on the mouse is the SteelSeries
logo attached at the bottom corner of the mouse. No fancy lights or
other bling-blings, giving the mouse a minimalistic look.
SteelSeries Xai Review – the Buttons

8 programmable buttons

SteelSeries Xai Side Buttons SteelSeries Xai Review

SteelSeries
Xai has 8 buttons in total and they are all programmable through the
SteelSeries software (available for download on their website). Each
side has 2 buttons so you’ll always have all of the side buttons in
handy, even if you are a left hander. However, I found that I
accidentally pressed one of the right buttons with my ring finger. I’m
not used to having buttons on the right side of the mouse (I’m a right
hander) so it might be the way I hold the mouse? Nevertheless, if this
happens to you too, simply don’t program the button to do anything.

Button clicks and feedback

As
a heavy first person shooter gamer, the mouse button you set to shoot
is probably your most important button on a mouse. Xai main button click
registers very well. When I first using it though, I found that it took
considerably more force than the Razer Imperator I reviewed not long
before the Xai. On the first 5 minutes of using the Xai, I didn’t press
my left mouse button “harder” enough for the clicks to get registered.
After getting used to the Xai button feedbacks though, this problem
quickly went away. Then, I started to appreciate it. It gives me less
accidental clicks yet the force is good enough to do comfortable yet
rapid clicks. I remember a comment when I was playing Left 4 Dead 2
online, telling me to slow down because I was turning my 2 pistols into a
sub-machine gun with my rapid clicking using the Xai icon smile
SteelSeries Xai Review

Unlike most Microsoft’s mouse, clicking on
the middle mouse button doesn’t require a brute force. The click is as
smooth as the other 2 main buttons on Xai. It certainly requires more
pressure compared with the right and left buttons, but it’s still
reasonable unless if you use the middle mouse button to shoot!

High/Low CPI switching (CPI == DPI if you are already used to the term)

SteelSeries
Xai CPI Switcher 300x199 SteelSeries Xai ReviewRight under the middle
mouse button, there is a tiny CPI switcher button with an even tinier
LED to indicate the mode you are on. The location is perfect as you’ll
never accidentally press it even if you are on “panic mode” during a
game. Some gaming mouse give you “Up” and “Down” switches so you can
cycle through different CPIs but SteelSeries Xai only provides going
from 1 CPI setting to another using the CPI switch button. I myself only
use 2 CPI settings normally, a low CPI (around 900) for my daily
desktop activities (browsing, emailing, etc) and a higher CPI (around
4000) for gaming. This might disappoint players who like to cycle
through the sensitivity on a single gaming session though.
SteelSeries Review – Other Features

Packed with Advanced Technologies from SteelSeries

SteelSeries
has done extensive research with lots of professional gamers around the
world to provide the best gaming experience as much as possible. These
technologies include:

SteelSeries FreeMove Technology: Removing auto path correction completely if you want to.
SteelSeries ExactSens Technology: Hardware based sensitivity settings to increase your precision.
SteelSeries ExactRate Technology: Set custom polling rate on the mouse.

From SteelSeries FAQ: “Set this value to correspond to the lowest
value in either your in-game frame rate or monitor refresh rate.

Example: If you utilize a screen with 60Hz, you should try setting this
at 960Hz (or something else that is dividable by 60). With this setting
your report rate will be synchronized to the refresh rate of your
screen, improving consistency and smoothness of your movements.”

SteelSeries ExactAim Technology: Gives you a total control over the
amount of jitter correction and prediction calculations for non-gaming
mouse pads.

12,000 FPS & 150+ IPS

Feel free to watch this video too to find out more about this:

Up to 5001 CPI

Once
you set the Windows default mouse pointer speed to the middle and also
set the sensitivity in the game to 1, crank up the CPI on Xai. According
to SteelSeries, this will give you the maximum precision and accuracy.

I’ve
been playing back and forth on a network cafe these couple of weeks
(they are using a standard Logitech’s mouse) and I can definitely tell
you that I missed my Xai’s accuracy so much.

Braided USB cable with gold-plated connector

SteelSeries
Xai’s cable is also of high quality. With a braided cable and a
gold-plated connector, SteelSeries Xai durability is improved even
further. The cable is also 2 meters long so you shouldn’t have any
trouble in setting the mouse up.

Huge Teflon feet

SteelSeries
Xai has large pressure points beneath the mouse and they are optimized
to give you a smoother glide experience with the mouse. I find that the
Xai flies on a hard surface but it also works wonderfully on a soft
cloth pad.

LCD Display

Just like the Ikari, the Xai has a
built-in LCD display where you can see what the current profile &
settings are. The LCD display is pretty sharp and you can also navigate
the in-menu using just the mouse alone.

In-Mouse settings

SteelSeries Xai LCD SteelSeries Xai Review

Using
just the LCD and the mouse scroll wheel, you can actually change the
settings of the mouse on the fly without using its application. This is a
new addition to SteelSeries mouse products and I’m sure it will make
lots of vendors jealous. As a hardcore gamer who goes to tournaments and
LAN parties, you may not have access to install any software. Even
though you might already save some pre-set settings into the mouse,
there are times where you might need to make minor adjustments.

This
is also useful when you are trying to find the perfect setting for your
Xai. Rather than using the software for a trial-and-error set up,
tweaking & trying it directly on the mouse are much quicker.

Driverless

Simply
plug the Xai and use it straight away without the need of having to
carry a driver’s CD with you. You download/install the application only
when you need to modify the Xai’s mouse settings.

On-board memory

Save
up to 5 different profiles on the mouse (yes you can name the
profiles), each containing different settings, tailored to different
games and usage. With a built-in memory, it also means that the Xai
retains all of your settings even when you plug it in to a different
computer.
SteelSeries Xai Review Conclusion

SteelSeries Xai Review SteelSeries Xai Review

So
we’ve come to the conclusion of the SteelSeries Xai Review. SteelSeries
Xai is the latest gaming mouse from SteelSeries. It actually looks
elegant and minimalist, even though some people might not be happy with
the “traditional” look for such a high-end gaming mouse. Its
ambidextrous design means that the mouse is tailored for both left and
right handed gamers yet comfortable to be used with either hand. The
design is simple, yet of high quality: it’s not built with glossy
plastics, durable, cables are braided, and the USB connector is gold
plated. The mouse itself is not too heavy to move but yet not too light
either. So whether you are a low or high sensitivity gamer, the mouse
feels just nice to use.

The buttons register well, although it
may take a few minutes to get used to if you are coming from a mouse
with very light button pressures. It has 8 programmable buttons overall,
including a CPI switcher by default. They are located well on the mouse
except that my ring finger accidentally pressed one of the buttons on
the right side of the mouse a couple of times.

As for
performance, I can say that the mouse has been running great so far when
I use it to play Left 4 Dead 2, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, and the
recent Battlefield Bad Company 2 Beta. It’s smooth, fast, comfortable,
and also accurate (I’m running it on 4000 CPI sensitivity for gaming).

If
you have the money and you are looking for a great gaming mouse, pick
up the Xai. Even when I find the Ikari more comfortable with its unique
contour design, Xai is technologically more advanced than the Ikari, a
greater CPI, and the ability to change the mouse settings without any
software.