Endgame Gear XM2 8k Mouse Review

This mouse has a straightforward style very similar to other recent Endgame Gear mice. There's a small Endgame Gear logo on the front left side, and while there are no RGB lighting zones, there's a small LED on the underside that displays what CPI you're using.

We bought and tested the White Frost variant, which has a translucent body. You can also buy this mouse with an opaque plastic body. For more details about the coating differences, see the Build Quality section.

Note: Our 3D scanner had difficulty capturing a visually accurate model due to its translucent plastic body. We applied a spray aerosol which leaves small white flecks to achieve a readable scan. The accuracy of the dimensions represented are unaffected by this process.

The Endgame Gear XM2 8k isn't designed specifically with portability in mind. While it isn't very large and has a fairly low-profile shape, the cable isn't detachable making it unwieldy to transport.

The Endgame Gear XM2 8k has excellent build quality. Its plastic body feels sturdy and high quality. There isn't any noticeable flexibility anywhere on the body unless you press very forcefully into the sides. However, even pressing deliberately into the side doesn't produce any creaking noises and doesn't unintentionally actuate the side buttons. There are also no loose or wobbling parts and no rattling sounds if you shake the mouse.

The L/R click buttons have very little side-to-side travel and a crisp, satisfying actuation. The side buttons use Kailh 2.0 switches which also provide crisp tactile feedback.

We bought and tested the White Frost color variant which has a translucent white body. The coating on the White Frost and Black Frost colorways has a slightly soft, rubbery feel.

You can also buy this mouse in standard Black or White colorway options which are opaque. Endgame Gear describes this coating as chalky, similar to dry stone.

Endgame Gear also notes that both the White and White Frost colorway models have an additional UV coating designed to keep the mouse from yellowing over time.

This mouse is remarkably lightweight, and the weight is well-centered, making it easy to move quickly and accurately.

This mouse has an identical shape to the Endgame Gear XM2we and the previous generation Endgame Gear XM1r. The shape is symmetrical, with a centered hump that's closer to the rear of the mouse. It also narrows slightly in the middle and has a fairly wide back end designed to fill out your palm. This shape is especially well-suited to support a claw grip for most hand sizes. That said, the overall size of the mouse and its width towards the back can make it unwieldy to hold if you have very small hands.

The Endgame Gear XM2 8k has a lightweight and flexible paracord-like cable that glides very smoothly across mousepads and desks.

It only retains minimal kinks from its packaging, and the cable connection with the mouse is angled slightly upwards to help minimize potential drag.

This mouse's feet glide very smoothly on mousepads and desks. There's also an alternate set of larger feet as well as an additional skate that fits around the sensor, included in the box.

Endgame Gear also sells replacement feet on their website.

• Alternative set of larger mouse feet/additional sensor ring foot
• User documentation

The Endgame Gear XM2 8k uses Kailh GX SPDT (single-pole double-throw) switches with top and bottom contacts. These switches are designed to provide exceptionally low latency while limiting potential accidental double-clicking.

Using the configuration software, you can toggle SPDT switch modes between GX Speed, GX Safe, and OFF.

GX Speed mode provides the lowest possible click latency performance. Its click detection starts when the contact plate separates away from the top contact, whereas with the SPDT setting OFF (and with most other mechanical switches), the click detection starts when the contact plate hits the bottom contact.

GX Safe mode will be just as fast as the OFF setting but adds extra hardware debounce to guard against potential double-clicking events. For reference, you can read a description and see a visual illustration from Endgame Gear's public Discord channel.

Note: Unlike the Endgame Gear OP1 8k, which has a swappable switch design, this mouse doesn't. If you want to change the switches on this mouse, you'll need to desolder the stock switches and solder in new ones yourself. Endgame Gear has indicated that the button height makes this mouse incompatible with the swappable PCB design used in the OP1 8k.

You can reprogram all the buttons with the exception of the button on the bottom of the mouse, which cycles between custom CPI settings.

Note that the left-click function always needs to be assigned somewhere. Additionally, the software doesn't support the creation of multiple settings profiles.

The Endgame Gear XM2 8k provides exceptionally low and consistent click latency, producing an incredibly responsive in-game experience suitable for playing games in any genre at any competitive level.

The above measurements are achieved with the maximum polling rate of 8000Hz and with SPDT settings set to GX Speed mode.

For more details on SPDT settings, see the Main Button section.

Note that we performed supplementary testing at lower polling rate settings and confirmed that regardless of your chosen polling rate setting, this mouse sends L/R click inputs at 8000Hz. This means that click latency performance is the same using all polling rate settings.

The sensor on the Endgame Gear XM2 8k provides outstanding and very consistent tracking accuracy without any significant variation whatsoever.

This mouse delivers remarkably low sensor latency. The sensor reacts extremely quickly when you move your mouse, and these movements closely match the timing of the cursor movements you see on-screen.

Our results were achieved using the maximum polling rate setting of 8000Hz and with the Motion Sync setting turned off. Motion Sync is a setting that attempts to synchronize sensor information with polling events sent to your computer. This can make mouse movements appear slightly smoother on-screen, but it usually comes with a small cost of added sensor latency (typically ~1 ms).

We also conducted supplementary testing at 4000Hz and 1000Hz polling rates with the following measurements:

4000Hz

• Delay to start of movement: 11.9 ms
• Delay to half of movement: 2.0 ms
• Delay to end of movement: 2.8 ms

1000Hz

• Delay to start of movement: 11.9 ms
• Delay to half of movement: 2.4 ms
• Delay to end of movement: 3.2 ms

The available polling rate options are 1000Hz, 2000Hz, 4000Hz, and 8000Hz.

This mouse has a grooved rubber scroll wheel. It has a TTC silver encoder which operates quietly and has smooth but well-defined steps. The scroll click has a satisfying tactility that doesn't require too much force to actuate.

The left- and right-click buttons, scroll wheel, scroll click, and side buttons on this mouse are fairly quiet and unlikely to bother those around you.