It’s Almost Cheating! XTRFY M4 Gaming Mouse Review

XTRFY deserves some credit for this one. The M4 RGB is an amazing entry into this very exciting yet competitive mice segment. In my entire gaming mouse collection this model is now in my Top 3 because it fits my grip and play style perfectly.

Price & Colors

The price of the XTRFY M4 RGB is bang on at $60 USD for the black model and $5 extra for the other four color options, with this retro style being my favorite. I’m not sure how popular the blue and pink bottles will be, and notice there is no glossy version available, but hopefully this sets off a trend so we can see more fun color options in the future from other brands.

I do love the included key caps, one gray GG and the other color matched piece with the XTRFY shine through. These are not PBT, but I appreciate the value add.

Design & Build Quality

The see through shell is nothing new obviously. The hole punch design gives us a 69 gram body that isn’t the lightest on the block, but the ergonomic advantage is what will sell this thing. The ambiant spill on the inside looks quite unique, plus the XTRFY text is a nice Easter Egg. The front LED illuminates the surface too.

Having all five mice on hand let’s me test for quality consistency, as previous batches were exhibiting a lot of creaking when you’re squeezing the body. Four of the models are perfectly fine and only the retro style – the one I’m using – exhibits a lot of creaking, it’s the worst copy out of all five. It seems the left button on all mice has a bit of play, while the right button stays put. This doesn’t affect gameplay in any way, but it’s still worth mentioning.

The cable is probably the weakest feature here. The sleeve is not as flexible as the competition, and there is a tiny thickness difference between the colors. It is nice that the cable is color matched to the body itself.

Buttons & Switches

Now the one thing that separates this mouse compared to everything else that we have looked at is the completely driverless approach. It’s a true plug and play, which is kind of refreshing and I don’t care about creating macros on my mouse. It can cycle between eight DPI profiles with the button at the bottom. All are color coded. I play at 400 DPI so this is perfect for me. You can change the polling rate with another slider at the bottom, and you cycle between colors and effects with the button combo. It’s a true set-and-forget approach.

I appreciate the basics, and the only thing that’s missing here that would be normally found on mice with software is some form of surface tuning that lets you customize lift-off distance. In this case the M4 does not jump around when it’s being placed down on the surface after a strong flick or after being picked up around the mouse mat. The lift-off distance is pretty low by default. The feet are 100% PTFE with a replacement set included in the box. The glide is smooth, but not as good as the Razer Viper or the Glorious Model 0.

Ergonomics

And the reason why this thing is in my Top 3 now is because of the shape. It’s like a more ergonomic and smaller Rival 310 that I used for years. I love the curvature for the thumb and the right side is perfectly shaped to support my ring and pinky fingers. The top hump is not too aggressive and it’s well suited for my hybrid grip. Plus the more angular and lower front section is just more comfortable to grip versus the Model O or the Razer Viper. I also feel like you can claw this one easily.

The scroll wheel is awesome with grippy texture and lots of controlled scroll steps. The primary triggers are crispy and fast, side buttons are tactile with a soft ending, but they have more pre-travel than any of the other mice in my collection.

Conclusion

When you combine all that with the Pixart PWM3389 performance sensor we have a winning package that has been an absolute pleasure to game with. It’s because of this mouse that I’ve been training more and getting back into CS:GO. I just feel more comfortable with spray control, finding my targets, flicking around, and after a bit of a hiatus it’s nice to get back into shape with acceptable performance, or at least what I would consider to be acceptable.

The XTRFY M4 RGB honestly surprised me. I did not expect to like the shape so much. I thought it would be too small for me given that it’s an ergonomic mouse. But for my hand size it fits me perfectly. The cable is the only weak point here, it could be slightly softer, especially compared to the competition, but with the bungee it’s not a problem. I highly recommend this one!