Manufacturer: SteelSeries
System requirements: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/Win 7/Mac OSX (configuration software not available for Mac systems)
MSRP: $89.99 USD/79.99 Euros

PC users in general (and most gamers in particular) tend to take the humble mouse for granted. It’s standard equipment on every PC, and it’s our primary movement tool through the marvel that is the Internet (try getting around your favorite site using just your keyboard and you’ll gain a new appreciation for your mouse). Yet most of us rarely give it a second thought. All, that is, except hardcore gamers looking for the little extra edge that could make them a force to be feared in their favorite online game.

And that’s where SteelSeries’ Xai laser mouse comes in. The Xai, a new entry in the hardware maker’s expanding collection of gaming mice, offers the user advanced features, customization options, and the portability that tournament players need when playing on unfamiliar rigs. SteelSeries has drawn upon its considerable expertise in the specialized gaming hardware business to create a mouse that aims to stimulate the geek gene in everyone who plays to win. And, for the most part, they succeed.

The Xai is an eight-button mouse using a symmetrical design, making it comfortable for both left- and right-handers. Aside from the normal to buttons and scroll wheel, two thumb buttons are placed on the top of both side edges of the mouse. The eighth control is set just below the scroll wheel, and is used to switch between pre-programmed CPI settings. CPI (counts per inch) is a sensitivity setting that compares the speed that the cursor moves to the distance it travels; the higher the number, the touchier the control. The Xai’s possible settings range from 100 to 5001 CPI, although the average high sensitivity mark of the pro gamers on the SteelSeries site is only 1280 CPI; there’s a certain point where the eyes stop noticing the difference.

One of the things that sets the Xai apart from other gaming mice is the downloadable configuration utility that can be obtained from the SteelSeries Web page. It allows you to tweak a number of features until you get the performance that you need. Along with the CPI settings, you can sync the mouse to your monitor’s refresh rate and a game’s frame rate, compensate for jittery cursor movement caused by low-grade mousing surfaces, and adjust how much help the mouse gives you when you try to move the cursor in straight lines. All of this can be saved in five individual profiles, which can be downloaded from your PC into the mouse. You simply flip over the mouse to reveal a tiny LCD screen; a press of the scroll-wheel button and some quick scrolling allows you to pick any of the five imported profiles. You can also download the preferred settings of a number of pro gamers from the SteelSeries site.

All of this fancy technology is useless if the mouse fails to do what it’s designed to do: move the cursor smoothly and accurately, whether it be picking off tangos in Modern Warfare 2 or working on your personal finances in an Excel spreadsheet. I tested the Xai in games ranging from hidden-object casual games to frenetic FPSs, and the mouse handled very well. It has a slippery lower surface that allows it to track accurately and swiftly on almost all surfaces. It’s a bit small for players who have large hands; not nearly as small as the relatively tiny Razer Copperhead that I was using until recently, but still slightly too small for me. I also prefer the claw grip to the palm grip (I move the mouse with my fingertips instead of the palm of the hand), which places both sets of thumb buttons within dangerous reach of my fingers. Fortunately, the configuration utility allows you to disable and/or remap the functions of each of the eight buttons, but it’s still a bit unnerving to hear thumb buttons clicking by accident; stacking the buttons on the front of the mouse’s side edges would’ve been a preferred layout for claw players such as myself. Also, the primary top buttons are unusually stiff, especially the right button, which requires more downward pressure than my third finger is trained to exert. The ability to store profiles in the mouse itself is a boon to tournament players who are usually denied the ability to install drivers on a foreign rig, but the power required from the USB connection to support this feature can make the mouse unusable with low-power hubs such as a USB keyboard. And the Xai also comes with a hefty price tag ($89.99 MSRP), which is more than most gamers would consider spending for a mouse.

In a hobby ruled by blazing-fast graphics cards, quad-core CPUs and fast Internet connections, something as seemingly mundane as the mouse can easily avoid notice. But with the Xai gaming mouse, SteelSeries has lifted the lowly human-interface device from obscurity and made it a vital consideration for all serious PC gamers. It has some design quirks and its price borders on the prohibitive, but the level of customization and the features that the mouse offers make it worth the extra cash. Anyone intent on moving up in rank on their online leaderboards will find a valuable ally in the Xai.

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