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Does the shape of a mouse really make an enormous difference? Well, yes. It’s one of the key design points of mice and can drastically change comfortability and feel. That’s why the XTRFY M4 Gaming Mouse is so interesting. This medium-sized, ergonomic, RGB gaming mouse hits a lot of checks in my book for a quality mouse, but there’s something about its shape that I keep getting stuck on.
The first thing you notice about that mouse is that they covered its matte surface in holes. The irony of having a mouse covered in holes like Swiss cheese was not lost on me. Fortunately, it didn’t feel like a cheese-grater and gripping the mouse didn’t slice my fingers into fine chunks.
The RGB at a glance looks nice alongside my RGB keyboard and the internal components of the mouse hold up. So, would this gorgeous kitchen-appliance of a mouse with a funky shape live up to my expectations?
Performance
The mouse is lightweight, weighing in at about 69 grams, but it doesn’t feel cheap. I’m personally a fan of heavier mice, but I have to say, the lightweight feel and airflow was a pleasant surprise. I was also very impressed with the control of the PTFE skates and rounded edges against my mousepad. It glides smooth like creamy butter. And, with a max acceleration of 50G, it caught all of my quick movements with accuracy once I got my preferred DPI and polling rate set.
(Image Credit: Xtrfy.com)
Mouse button 1 (left) and mouse button 2 (right) have a great feel and tension when pressed. Button 1 has a bit of left-right movement to it when pressed. This worried me at first, since it’s the button I press the most but it wasn’t enough to be distracting while playing.
The sound from clicking is nice and will make lengthy gaming sessions satisfying each time you press it. The Scroll wheel is one of the best I’ve used with 24-steps and is smooth and quiet. When web browsing you won’t hear an obnoxious clicking for each step and scrolling down is like brushing a feather.
The extra buttons on the left side of the mouse have a low travel time and have a nice sounding click. They were easy to reach with my thumb and made an excellent addition to my gaming experience. I typically prefer extra buttons on my mouse, but not to the point where I have to come up with reasons to use them. Since there are only two, it made my selection easy, so I could focus on playing.
The 1.8 meter EZcord was braided and matched the color of the mouse. It wasn’t as flexible or soft as some other gaming mice, but it wasn’t bad compared to a regular cord. It works perfectly with pro gamer mouse accoutrements like a mouse bungee to reduce drag. When cords hold their shape too much mouse travel gets stifled, but I didn’t have that issue with the M4. As expected, the mouse uses a USB-A connector cable and was simple to plug-and-play.
The RGB looks nice with the ambient spill on the sides of the chassis, and the XTRFY logo glowing from inside the device is visually stunning. There are a couple different lighting modes including rainbow, breathing, and off that you can adjust by using the button beneath the scroll wheel and the side buttons.
Unfortunately, this is the only way to adjust the lighting effects as XTRFY does not provide software to make adjustments or personalization. This isn’t a huge deal as the lights still look great, but for those who want to sync their entire gaming rig’s light’s — you’re out of luck.
In the packaging were two key-caps, one with the XTRFY logo and the other with the letters ‘GG’. A nice little touch and a welcome replacement to a couple keys on my keyboard.
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Design
The M4’s ergonomic design was crafted with great care using feedback from casual and professional gamers. The color schemes you can choose from are interesting and aren’t offensive to the eyes. The Retro model was a bit too much for me aesthetically, but to those who love the old Commodore 64, Atari, and Nintendo – it’s perfect for you. I have to say the look of the design is really sharp and challenges the current look of gaming mice with abundant personality.
The holes were visually jarring at first, but after a couple of hours of use they grew on me. The airflow under your palm was unusual but felt remarkably comfortable. Gripping the mouse with my palm and fingers also felt a lot easier.
(Image Credit: Xtrfy.com)
It’s specifically designed for right-handed use so those few who use their mice with a left hand aren’t given an option. And, it’s one of the lightest mice I’ve ever felt, making quick movements both small and large fun and anything but taxing on the arms.
Including the wheel click there are a total of 6 buttons on the mouse. One of these is the button for setting the RGB lighting effect, and the other two extra buttons rest on the left side of the device. The limited buttons make it feel compact and covers all your bases without adding too much. This is not including the two switches on the bottom for DPI and polling rates.
The downside — the shape of the device isn’t for everyone. The large curves made it difficult for me to get comfortable holding the mouse normally. With light use it didn’t bother me, but during extensive work and gaming sessions my hand started cramping a bit with the curves being slightly too deep. Everyone’s hands are different and your experience may be different, but for me it was just too much compared to my daily driver, the Razer Naga Chroma.
They introduce the lighting effects in an interesting way with ambient light filtering through from inside the device into a bar that wraps around the front half of the mouse. An XTRFY logo emits its own light beneath the holed chassis that gives the mouse a strong aesthetic edge against its competition.
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Durability
The fully plastic chassis provides good durability and the interior is covered with conformal coating to protect against dust and splashes. The holes do make it look like it flexes with pressure but it didn’t when I tested it. I did find that it makes a pretty significant creak though.
The creak was rather unnerving, especially for a $65 mouse, so I did some research to see what the deal was. After a few minutes on google, I found that the earlier models are known to have this creak which XTFY fixed in the newer models.
Longevity is always a huge plus with gaming mice and the M4 will deliver. Aside from the creaks, the chassis is still sturdy and the components it protects are also long-lasting. The device contains an Omron switch that can sustain 20 million clicks. That many clicks take around roughly 7.2 years, according to Digital Citizen. If you’re a gaming enthusiast that likes to future-proof their gaming rig, then this mouse should suit your needs.
The cord is protected by braiding which will always beat out rubber cables. Most gamers may not be concerned with cables being destroyed, but if you’ve got pets in your home like I do, there’s always a concern that the tasty-looking cord get’s nibbled through. The braiding provides that extra line of defense.
Features
Packed inside the mouse is the Pixart 3389 adjustable sensor. It can be set to track the smallest of flicks and twists all the way up to large gliding moves. It’s controlled by the CPI button on the bottom of the mouse near the center. CPI means the same as DPI for future reference.
The button uses a color-coded light to indicate what it’s set to. This makes it easy to adjust on the fly if you need to in the middle of a competitive game. It includes a wide-breadth of options from 400 DPI to 16,000 DPI with 6 settings in-between. No matter what sensitivity is most comfortable for you the M4 has you covered.
The polling rate switch is on to bottom of the mouse near the back and has three rates: 125, 500, and 1000 Hz. Polling rates above 500Hz aren’t usually noticeable, but you have the option to crank up to 1000 if it suits your play-style. Typically, competitive gamers choose a lower DPI and higher polling rate to get better accuracy and stabler aim.
The M4 carries an ARM 32-bit micro-controller inside that provides excellent performance and speed. The high-speed processing is a necessity with fast hand-movements and the ARM 32-bit micro-controller works like a champ.
Below the scroll wheel rests an easy to use lighting effects button. The button works by holding it while pressing the two side buttons to increase/decrease brightness and select lighting effect mode. My favorite of the modes is the Breathing mode, where the ambient light billows up and down like the device is breathing. It really brings life to and personality to the device even though it isn’t something you can directly personalize through software.
The two extra buttons on the side provide extra opportunity to make selections in games easier. They feel quicker to use than using a key-press on the keyboard, and they are just as satisfying to touch.
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Final Verdict
With some minor revisions it could be one of the best medium sized ergonomic gaming mice on the market. There are just a couple features it lacks that other gaming mice have been doing for a long time, and the sleek design isn’t quite enough to beat out some of the competition.
Although it’s quite popular, RGB takes a certain type of gamer to invest in it. When they do, they expect to have the option to adjust and fine-tune how they wish. The lack of software on the M4 makes it stand out against the rest of the RGB enthusiasts toolset because there’s no way to synchronize colors.
If you couldn’t care less about light syncing, then the device’s shape might hold you back. It’s deep curves make it uncomfortable for some player’s hands over a lengthy period of time. It wasn’t enough to prevent me from continuing my work, but was mildly uncomfortable. If neither worries you then it’s worth the buy.
Aside from that, the mouse is a solid gaming mouse for under $100 USD. The black model comes in at about $59 USD, the colored options run five dollars higher at $65 USD, and the Retro model rides up to $69 USD. If you made up your mind on the M4, you can purchase it on Amazon.
Xtrfy M4 Gaming Mouse
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Pros
- Excellent Performance
- Attractive Aesthetics
- Solid Build Quality
- RGB Lighting
- Great Mouse Feet
Cons
- No Dedicated Software
- Specific Shape
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