Endgame Gear XM2w 4K review

I have to admit, I'm becoming a bit of a fan of the work that Endgame Gear is putting into their peripherals that fly under the radar against the big brands, but still offer worthy and powerful choices for what are quite modest price points.

The Endgame Gear XM2w 4K is more of the same. That is, a potent wireless gaming mouse with excellent features and performance to rival the very best gaming mice out there for a reasonable price tag. It proves again that these powerful choices don't have to be flashy, but just need to get the job done well. It seems we've turned a corner for peripheral discourse—where it used to be form over function, it has now turned the opposite way.

Allow me to explain. In looking at the XM2w 4K, you might not think it's anything more than a 'generic mouse'. There isn't any noticeable branding on it, nor are there any flashy lights of the sort. It's a sleek, low-slung rodent with a comfortable and contoured plastic frame that's a lot more ergonomic than the straight-cut ultralight mice we're used to, which is a good thing. If anything, it fits my hand better than their OP1w 4K that I tested recently.

In fact, the chassis here is quite an interesting shape, with the ergonomic shaping coming more on the right side than the left, so it's a bit wider on the opposite side to where your thumb sits. It is nonetheless a very comfortable mouse, especially for both palm and claw grippers who have average-to-larger-sized hands. Those with smaller hands may wish to look at the canon of 'mini' mice we're beginning to see.

The plastics used here feel dense and sturdy, in spite of the XM2w 4K's low 62 g mass that puts it firmly in the featherweight weight class for mice. You can also get this Endgame Gear mouse in a range of colours, with straightforward black and white colourways, as well as a smart translucent black for something a bit sharper. My only complaint with the finish of my black sample is that I can see it eventually getting quite shiny from the natural oils from your hands—the same kind of shine you get on cheaper ABS keycaps on some keyboards.

Button placement here makes sense, although is quite minimal, as is becoming typical for mice of this sense. There are two main large buttons, complete with a rubberised scroll wheel and a pair of navigation buttons on the left side. Others, such as for turning the XM2w 4K on and off, and swapping between its five DPI levels, are on the underside. You also get a USB-C port on the front for charging.

I must also commend the case that the XM2w 4K comes in, which actually forms its packaging, as opposed to a more standard box. It comes with neat cutouts for the mouse, its receiver box, and braided USB-C cable.

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And now for the bit that matters—how this mouse feels and performs. Well, for starters, the main mouse buttons feel excellent, with clicky and especially responsive actuation thanks to its choice of mechanical Kailh's GX microswitches underneath. The side buttons also utilise Kailh's GM2.0 switches, and feel snappy, too.

Inside, the XM2w 4K features the same PixArt PW3395 sensor as a lot of other top gaming mice, which gives it a zippy 26,000 DPI's worth of sensitivity, while we're also getting a wireless 4000 Hz polling rate, as the name of the mouse suggests. That combination, alongside the mouse's low weight and comfortable frame, makes it one of the most responsive and quick gaming mice I've used in some time when running through several rounds in Counter-Strike 2; it's been practically obsessive.

If you take full advantage of the 26,000 DPI on offer, you'll get some especially fast movements when you need to sweep around and take out enemies, although it can have unintended consequences for general productivity usage. For more basic tasks, I've often found high-sensitivity mice to just be a bit too jumpy, which is why I'm grateful that the top sensitivity out of the box is a much more reasonable 3200 DPI.

The 4000 Hz wireless polling rate might not make much of a difference in feeling to mere mortals, but for the pros where every millisecond counts, it can make a difference. The reason for this is because it can affect how responsive a mouse feels—having a higher polling rate means a device reports its position and inputs more frequently, hence Hz as the measurement. With more frequent reports comes less latency and more responsive inputs.

The problem here is that having a higher polling rate can have a numbing effect on the endurance of a peripheral, essentially because it's doing a lot more work. As with the OP1w 4K, this Endgame Gear mouse is only rated to last for up to 30 hours on a charge at its top polling rate. It means the battery life here is fine, matching rivals such as the NZXT Lift Elite Wireless, although sitting quite some way behind the Razer DeathAdder V3 Hyperspeed's 100 hours of runtime.

Connectivity is straightforward, working in a similar fashion to other Endgame Gear mice. You don't get the traditional 2.4 GHz USB-A receiver in the box, as it instead takes the form of a small black prism that connects to a vacant USB port to provide access to the mouse's 4000 Hz polling rate straight out of the box. It certainly makes the XM2w 4K a plug-and-play mouse, although that is the only means of connectivity—you don't get Bluetooth for added versatility.

The software here is functional and lightweight, offering simple customisation of everything from DPI to polling rate and button remapping to power-saving settings. It is a little dated in look, though, taking the form of a window that looks straight out of Windows '98.

The £105/$130 price tag that the XM2w 4K goes for means it's significantly undercutting key rivals from Logitech, Asus and others. All the while offering what is genuinely a compelling package with a comfortable and lightweight frame that doesn't feel cheap, as well as some immensely powerful and responsive internals for FPS gaming. You can't ask for much more than that.