Endgame Gear XM1r review: Premium comfort at a competitive price

The Endgame Gear XM1r ($49) is an excellent budget option for your next gaming mouse — it offers solid performance thanks to the clicky switches underneath the mouse buttons, and boasts a subtle ergonomic shape; perfect for supporting your hand for long gaming sessions.

The drawbacks are few, but notable. The model I reviewed was the Dark Frost version, which features a cheap feeling transparent plastic that doesn’t do all that much for the visual appeal of the mouse. I would have preferred the mouse to be wireless, too, and the cable was of lesser quality than other wired mice I have used such as the Razer Deathadder V2 ($70) , causing a small amount of drag on my desk.

Despite these small drawbacks, this is one of the best gaming mice you can get on a budget, and brushes shoulders with the very best mid-range mice thanks to its simple versatility.

Read on for my full Endgame Gear XM1r review.

Endgame Gear XM1r review: Cheat Sheet

• What is it? A wired gaming mouse.
• Who is it for? Anyone looking for a straightforward mouse that works well for gaming and productivity.
• What does it cost? The mouse is currently on sale from the Endgame Gear website for just $49, or £49 in the U.K.
• What do we like? It feels great in your hand and performs flawlessly. There’s a nice amount of customization on both the adjustable DPI and the two sets of mouse skates.
• What don’t we like? The transparent plastic on the Dark Frost model isn’t the best to hold or look at, and the drag caused by the wire is a pain despite the improvement over the XM1.

Endgame Gear XM1r review: Specs

Endgame Gear XM1r review: The ups

The XM1r worked great, no matter what I threw at it. It is as effective in the office as it is with my gaming rig, thanks to the high build quality and amazing switches on the buttons. Two skate options means this mouse will glide effortlessly around any desk, with a decently low weight to boot.

Build

The design of the XM1r is simple but effective — there won’t be anything new here if you’ve used a gaming mouse in the last decade. Two thumb buttons and a DPI switch underneath the mouse provide enough functionality for most games as well as productivity. The X1Mr comes in at 2.5 ounces, which is about half an ounce heavier than some ultra-light mice that I’ve tested recently, such as the Fantech Aria XD7 ($78). This gives the XM1r a weighty and substantive feeling relative to the super lightweight competition, which is my personal preference for mice. And besides, it isn’t heavy enough to affect rapid movements.

Underneath the mouse, you will find the pre-installed small mouse skates, but those who prefer smoother mouse travel at the cost of more friction can switch these out with an included large skate set. Below the sensor are the only two RGBs on the mouse — these act both as DPI indicators and to show the current polling rate. This is one of the best uses of RGB lighting I’ve seen, and gives the XM1r some independence from the companion software.

Performance

What really elevates the XM1r are the excellent Kailh switches underneath the left and right mouse buttons. It made click-heavy tasks, like using a semi-automatic weapon in Insurgency: Sandstorm, feel very responsive. Managing my economy in RTS games like Victoria 3 was not tiring for my fingers thanks to both the amount of bounce in each mouse click and the perfect amount of resistance, making the XM1r great for long sessions of mouse-intensive games.

Similarly, the thumb buttons were joyfully clicky and reliable — they were nearly as responsive as the main mouse buttons, and I was able to rely upon them for commonly used actions. In Valorant, I was able to bind my Q and E abilities to these buttons and it felt as responsive as using my keyboard. Using the thumb buttons both frees up the keys on my board for other purposes, as well as allowing quicker access without having to take my fingers off my movement keys. 

Ergonomics

While not strictly an ergonomic mouse, the XM1r has a well designed case that is perfect for medium sized hands — the 4.8 inch length of the mouse makes palm grip feel like the most natural way to hold the mouse. Both claw and fingertip grips are comfortable for me, although the length and shape of the mouse best fits my go-to palm grip. 

The mouse is also ambidextrous, allowing you to hold it in either hand. Much like the budget Corsair M55 RGB Pro ($40), the simplicity of the XM1r’s design is a core strength that prevents any obtrusive ergonomics from affecting left handed use. The positioning of the thumb buttons on the left of the mouse means that the right hand is greatly preferred, but it is possible to use these with your pinky finger if using it left-handed.

Onboard Features

One of my favorite features of the XM1r is the ability to adjust settings using on-board mouse shortcuts, without needing to install the companion software. These include an adjustable polling rate, switched between 125Hz, 500Hz and 1,000Hz by holding down the DPI switch. You can also toggle Motion sync — a feature that smooths out irregular mouse movements — by holding down the DPI switch along with the middle mouse button.

One feature that isn’t available on the companion software is the 'Slamclick Filter', toggled by pressing the left mouse button along with the DPI switch. This will prevent accidental mouse clicks caused by hitting the mouse against a surface. I haven’t seen this before, but it works well, and I can see it being particularly useful if you tend to pick up the mouse when using it. 

Endgame Gear XM1r review: The downs

There isn’t much to dislike about the XM1r, besides some questionable design choices, specifically with the transparent model. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I felt like the quality of the mouse took a dive with the transparent plastic case. A few minor complaints about the Companion App, and the limitations of the cable, are the only caveats for an otherwise excellent mouse.

Appearance

The XM1r is available in multiple editions, with the one I tested being the ‘Dark Frost’ version, which has a transparent back. It reminds me of the Turtle Beach Kone XP Air ($129) in that the see-through plastic feels cheap and tacky to touch. While the Kone XP Air had a garish lighting pattern inside the case, the XM1r has no visible details or lighting. The result is a case that shows grease and sweat with an off-putting amount of clarity, without adding all that much to the visual design.

Thanks to the other editions available, you can easily avoid this if you also aren’t a fan of the transparent look — you can opt for the plain black or white models instead.

Companion App

The X1Mr’s companion app feels a little undercooked, mostly due to the “work in progress” features that remain unfinished — the “input selection” only has “raw input” as an option with the promise of more to come. Also, as mentioned previously, the Slamclick Filter is mysteriously absent from the software toggles. The companion app does however include an option to toggle angle snapping; a feature that assists with keeping your mouse cursor from wobbling when it detects movement in a straight line, as well as the ability to remap any mouse button.

Wired Only

I would love to see a version of this mouse with wireless support, as the cable has a little too much friction and holds the mouse back from being as maneuverable as possible — this might be a dealbreaker for competitive use. Other wired mice I use, like the Razer Deathadder V2, have a more robust cable that slides across my mousepad — I wish the softer, thicker cable on the XM1r was similar, to lessen the amount of drag when moving the peripheral around my mousepad.

Endgame Gear XM1r review: Verdict

The XM1r is an easy recommendation for anyone on the lookout for a gaming mouse without breaking the bank. While it is more expensive than quality mice like the Redragon M916 Pro ($44), the XM1r offers a much more comfortable design to compensate, while having a more substantive build quality that gives it a premium feel.

While I have some misgivings about the design on the transparent Dark Frost model, this mostly boils down to personal preference — non-transparent versions of the mouse are readily available for a similar price. The lack of a wireless option might be a dealbreaker for some, though.

The XM1r should definitely be considered as one of the best cheap gaming mice available, especially if you can catch it on sale for less than $50.