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I just wanted to share my experience with this mouse because there are relatively few reviews by who I consider to be actual gamers.
First Impressions
The first thing I noticed when I unboxed it was the odd texture on the shell that feels almost like rubber. This is really weird and I can't say that I care for it, but it's a minor issue.
So I plugged it in and ran the firmware update. I had heard that with many xais the firmware update produces an error and renders the mouse useless. I was ready to rma it for any reason just in case. Sure enough the update gave me an error and the mouse went dead. I feared the worst but when I restarted it suddenly started working again, and worked fine from then on.
During initial testing I found that my hands were hurting. I thought it was the shape and was ready to return it because it did not fit my hand, but upon closer examination it turned out not to be the shape at all, but the threshold. I turns out that my previous mouse, the mx518 would begin registering movement after a smaller distance had been made than with the xai. Although this distance is very small, like ~200 micrometers, it felt like twice as much as with the 518, so my fingers were putting in extra effort to get the movement started. I was actually wondering if anyone else had experienced something similar, and what mice on the market have the shortest threshold.
Once I got used to this I decided not to return it and use it as my main mouse.
Tracking speed
I have no issues with this at all, and I consider myself a low sensitivity player. It does not error at any speed I can produce with my hands.
ExactSense (cpi)
No problems with this either. 400 cpi tracks as well as 5001 cpi. I haven't had any problems with any other cpi values I tested.
ExactRate (hz rate/polling rate
Now here there are some small issues. First of all, it does what it claims, sets the polling rate to the value you desire. This rate is not consistent on any mouse I've ever used, and this one is no exception. It fluctuates between 495 and 503 hz when set to 500, but occasionally mouserate gets confused and reports something like 5600 hz (obviously not actually happening). I don't know what's going on there or if it's even important but I thought I'd mention it.
The next issue is more serious though, at values greater than 500 hz I have experienced occasional tracking issues. What happens is that the mouse will look straight up or straight down seemingly at random. Although infrequent, and not problematic, it is worrisome. I believe I tried 625 hz and did not get the issue, but somewhere in the 700+ range it started up again. I just decided to keep it at 500 hz after this and saw no reason to use any higher value.
ExactAim (jitter calculations)
This I just keep off and have no issue with. With it on I can feel some difference, but it is hard to describe. I read the explanation on the ss website but I would like to know more about what it is actually doing. Further experiments are required to determine what if any value adjusting this setting has. It could hold the key to preventing tracking errors at those higher hz rates, I do not know. I am using a qck+ which is supposedly not its ideal pad so perhaps I should investigate this setting.
Freemove (prediction, angle snapping, etc)
This works exactly as it should, and when I first changed from my 518 I turned this setting on full and it felt just like my old mouse. To be honest now that I have tested both fully on and fully off I think that mouse prediction is a minor issue. Yes, technically you lose precision when using it, but I don't think it's a large hindrance and may even help your aim in some cases. Having it off took some getting used to, but I keep it off now.
ExactAccel
I have tried this a few times, but I find that the hardware acceleration just feels downright strange. I prefer to use the in-game acceleration (I play quake live) if I use accel at all. As far as I know this works as stated though.
LCD setup
I don't mess with this, but I thought I'd mention that the lcd screen is actually quite useful for testing different settings in-game and that the buttons to control the menus are intuitive.
Positive accel
I have not noticed any positive or negative acceleration with any of its settings (other than exactaccel ofc). I have ran many tests on this, and I simply cannot find it.
Braided cord
This was actually a big disappointment for me. I've never owned a mouse with a braided cord before, so I thought that maybe it was some kind of very loose cord that would make it much easier to stop the cord from influencing mouse movement. No, it's the exact same as any mouse cord and I see no advantage to it. It still has the issue of being 'pressed' into that zig zag pattern you get from the cord being in the package. Kind of a minor issue but w/e.
Fuzz problem
My qck+ sometimes has these very tiny 'fuzzes' on it, and a fuzz sometimes finds its way into the sensor. You know right away when this happens because the mouse becomes incredibly insensitive in a particular direction. You can usually just shake it and keep going, but I also keep an air can on my desk for this situation. The problem I believe is caused by the small size of the sensor aperture. On the 518 optical the aperture is very large, and this seems to be the case with optical mice, whereas laser mice use tinier ones. Example photos here:
http://www.dansdata.com/images/moremouses/exp3basedetail440.jpg
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSerie...bottom.jpg
http://www.geek.com/xyzimages/stories/reviewi...18_003.jpg
http://www.arghyle.com/hosted/razer_deathadder/dadd_03.jpg
http://www.dansdata.com/images/ieye/mouses320.JPG
In Conclusion
I like this mouse and I use it. It tracks beautifully and the feet are excellent. I like the feel of the shape and buttons. My main issue is with the weird threshold, which I would prefer to be lessened. Some minor tracking issues exist when set to a higher polling rate (>500 hz), but also when a hair or fuzz gets into the sensor aperture.
Note on problems
I believe what is happening with the xai and possibly with other mice that use its sensor is that there is a manufacturing issue under which many of the mice come out with problems or are defective. This would explain the wide range of problems that are reported. If you choose to purchase a xai, be ready to rma it just in case.
First Impressions
The first thing I noticed when I unboxed it was the odd texture on the shell that feels almost like rubber. This is really weird and I can't say that I care for it, but it's a minor issue.
So I plugged it in and ran the firmware update. I had heard that with many xais the firmware update produces an error and renders the mouse useless. I was ready to rma it for any reason just in case. Sure enough the update gave me an error and the mouse went dead. I feared the worst but when I restarted it suddenly started working again, and worked fine from then on.
During initial testing I found that my hands were hurting. I thought it was the shape and was ready to return it because it did not fit my hand, but upon closer examination it turned out not to be the shape at all, but the threshold. I turns out that my previous mouse, the mx518 would begin registering movement after a smaller distance had been made than with the xai. Although this distance is very small, like ~200 micrometers, it felt like twice as much as with the 518, so my fingers were putting in extra effort to get the movement started. I was actually wondering if anyone else had experienced something similar, and what mice on the market have the shortest threshold.
Once I got used to this I decided not to return it and use it as my main mouse.
Tracking speed
I have no issues with this at all, and I consider myself a low sensitivity player. It does not error at any speed I can produce with my hands.
ExactSense (cpi)
No problems with this either. 400 cpi tracks as well as 5001 cpi. I haven't had any problems with any other cpi values I tested.
ExactRate (hz rate/polling rate
Now here there are some small issues. First of all, it does what it claims, sets the polling rate to the value you desire. This rate is not consistent on any mouse I've ever used, and this one is no exception. It fluctuates between 495 and 503 hz when set to 500, but occasionally mouserate gets confused and reports something like 5600 hz (obviously not actually happening). I don't know what's going on there or if it's even important but I thought I'd mention it.
The next issue is more serious though, at values greater than 500 hz I have experienced occasional tracking issues. What happens is that the mouse will look straight up or straight down seemingly at random. Although infrequent, and not problematic, it is worrisome. I believe I tried 625 hz and did not get the issue, but somewhere in the 700+ range it started up again. I just decided to keep it at 500 hz after this and saw no reason to use any higher value.
ExactAim (jitter calculations)
This I just keep off and have no issue with. With it on I can feel some difference, but it is hard to describe. I read the explanation on the ss website but I would like to know more about what it is actually doing. Further experiments are required to determine what if any value adjusting this setting has. It could hold the key to preventing tracking errors at those higher hz rates, I do not know. I am using a qck+ which is supposedly not its ideal pad so perhaps I should investigate this setting.
Freemove (prediction, angle snapping, etc)
This works exactly as it should, and when I first changed from my 518 I turned this setting on full and it felt just like my old mouse. To be honest now that I have tested both fully on and fully off I think that mouse prediction is a minor issue. Yes, technically you lose precision when using it, but I don't think it's a large hindrance and may even help your aim in some cases. Having it off took some getting used to, but I keep it off now.
ExactAccel
I have tried this a few times, but I find that the hardware acceleration just feels downright strange. I prefer to use the in-game acceleration (I play quake live) if I use accel at all. As far as I know this works as stated though.
LCD setup
I don't mess with this, but I thought I'd mention that the lcd screen is actually quite useful for testing different settings in-game and that the buttons to control the menus are intuitive.
Positive accel
I have not noticed any positive or negative acceleration with any of its settings (other than exactaccel ofc). I have ran many tests on this, and I simply cannot find it.
Braided cord
This was actually a big disappointment for me. I've never owned a mouse with a braided cord before, so I thought that maybe it was some kind of very loose cord that would make it much easier to stop the cord from influencing mouse movement. No, it's the exact same as any mouse cord and I see no advantage to it. It still has the issue of being 'pressed' into that zig zag pattern you get from the cord being in the package. Kind of a minor issue but w/e.
Fuzz problem
My qck+ sometimes has these very tiny 'fuzzes' on it, and a fuzz sometimes finds its way into the sensor. You know right away when this happens because the mouse becomes incredibly insensitive in a particular direction. You can usually just shake it and keep going, but I also keep an air can on my desk for this situation. The problem I believe is caused by the small size of the sensor aperture. On the 518 optical the aperture is very large, and this seems to be the case with optical mice, whereas laser mice use tinier ones. Example photos here:
http://www.dansdata.com/images/moremouses/exp3basedetail440.jpg
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/SteelSerie...bottom.jpg
http://www.geek.com/xyzimages/stories/reviewi...18_003.jpg
http://www.arghyle.com/hosted/razer_deathadder/dadd_03.jpg
http://www.dansdata.com/images/ieye/mouses320.JPG
In Conclusion
I like this mouse and I use it. It tracks beautifully and the feet are excellent. I like the feel of the shape and buttons. My main issue is with the weird threshold, which I would prefer to be lessened. Some minor tracking issues exist when set to a higher polling rate (>500 hz), but also when a hair or fuzz gets into the sensor aperture.
Note on problems
I believe what is happening with the xai and possibly with other mice that use its sensor is that there is a manufacturing issue under which many of the mice come out with problems or are defective. This would explain the wide range of problems that are reported. If you choose to purchase a xai, be ready to rma it just in case.
Edited by Lorfa at 03:50 CST, 7 March 2010 - 20910 Hits
