XTRFY M3-Heaton
Feature
Impresses at first touch
Focus on reliable performance
XTRFY’s M3-Heaton gaming mouse impresses at first touch. The marketing materials reveal that the development - including finding the right shape - took two years and included the professional gamers in the Ninjas in Pyjamas crew. They also stress that the company selected the most reliable components, rather than the latest and most high-specced, in order to produce a mouse that will not fail you on-the-go (which has happened to a depressingly high percentage of so-called high-end gaming mice during my gaming career). They also state that the mouse fits all grip styles, which seems rather a tall order. So, let’s see how it performs!
Specs
The specifications of the M3 are not the most impressive. One example is the max DPI which sits at 4000. However, the design team’s announced aim was to make a reliable mouse, rather than one with untested, ultra-high specced components. This approach shows very well in every aspect of the mouse, such as the chosen Pixart 3310 optical sensor, Omron switches for the clicker buttons and Kailh switches for the two side buttons.
On the bottom of the mouse you’ll find two buttons. One is used to switch the CPI (DPI) between 400/800/1600/3200/4000 and the other to select the polling rate (125, 500, 1000 Hz). I’ve traditionally found my sweet spot for DPI to be somewhere around 3200, so my style of play was well served. The large jump from 1600 to 3200 might raise some eyebrows, however. The mouse has good max acceleration and very nice heft - not too heavy or too light - but just right for my preferences.
Max. DPI: 4000
Buttons: 5
Form factor: right
Size in mm (lxwxh):
135 x 75 x c. 38 mm
Weight: 104g
Price: c. 79€
Acceleration: 30g
Ergonomics
The rubber coating is very comfortable and the shape feels natural, especially for a palm-grip controller. It also fit my claw grip pretty well, being perhaps only slightly too narrow. When leaving enough room between the mouse and my palm for easy fingertip control, however, the side buttons end up a bit too far forward to actually be useful in the midst of a game. Hand sizes and shapes differ, so these are highly subjective feelings and, in this particular case, come from a gamer with largish hands. Nevertheless, I must say that the developer’s claim of “fitting any grip style” needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
I must repeat my praise for the rubber coating though. It is very important for claw grip, where you only touch the mouse with your fingertips and here the M3-Heaton really excels. Additionally, the large teflon pads give a very smooth movement against a thin mousepad.
XTRFY’s announced “no nonsense” approach continues in the button and wheel department. There are only 5 buttons on the mouse, including the wheel button. They give just about perfect tactile feel and click. The wheel button requires a bit more force, but that is a good thing: you won’t accidentally press the wheel while using it for scrolling.
Rating
Overall, the XTRFY M3-Heaton makes a good impression. With two weeks of experience with the mouse I have not found myself missing any of my usual mice - the M3 has served me well in all needs. The best point about it is the lack of drivers - for someone trying out various mice every so often, nothing feels as good as not needing to install yet another software in order to use a new mouse. What this also means, however, is that you are stuck with the XTRFY greenish yellow LED lighting for the mouse highlights (what I wouldn’t give for a darker green shade).
The XTRFY M3-Heaton is an excellent mouse, especially well suited for full palm grip gamers, but also good for claw grip gamers so long as their hands are not very much larger than the average. Definitely recommended!
Score: 8.8/10