Page 2 - Physical Look - Hardware
The most striking aspect of the XPG Slingshot is the exoskeleton design. This design seems to be rising in popularity with many manufacturers opting for it for weight savings. Taking a closer look, the cut outs are small triangles arranged in a circular pattern. The only areas where this pattern is not followed are around the XPG logo on the back of the mouse, and of course, the mouse buttons. The entirety of the mouse is black with a somewhat glossy finish. Otherwise, the mouse follows a fairly standard design. The XPG Slingshot is targeted for right handed users, and so has a bit of a curve to fit in the right hand. This is seen in how there is a slope down and away from the left center. On the left, we also find the two side buttons. A standard DPI switch button with a red triangle on it is located behind the scroll wheel. The scroll wheel is mostly black, but the sides allow the LEDs to shine through. The other RGB lighting zone is found in the XPG logo on the back of the mouse. The XPG Slingshot is well-designed and seems to be off to a good start.
The XPG Slingshot does not depart from the norm in the dimensions department. It measures in at 129 mm by 69 mm by 43 mm. The height is perhaps slightly higher than other mice, but otherwise it is a medium-sized mouse. A palm grip is most comfortable for use with the XPG Slingshot. It can be used with a claw grip, especially with the lighter weight. The main purpose for the XPG Slingshot is the lightweight design. That said, in this department, they could have shaved off quite a few more grams. The XPG Slingshot weighs 78g. A comparable mouse like the ASUS TUF Gaming M4 Air with the same porous shell comes in at 47g. Even wireless mice, which generally struggle a little more with weight since they have to include a battery, can be lighter than the Slingshot. The ROCCAT Kone Pro Air weighs only 75g, and that comes without the compromise of a porous shell. I am not entirely sure where all the weight comes from for the XPG Slingshot. The plastic is a bit thick in the exoskeleton design. I think this probably contributes to the heavier weight. If you are looking for a lightweight mouse, the XPG Slingshot might not be for you.
The XPG Slingshot has two large main buttons. These buttons are rated for 20 million clicks. They have the satisfying clicky sound from the switches, but they feel a bit cheap. I think this is in part due to the plastic used. It has a bit of a less-than-ideal feel. However, the buttons work well. The side buttons have a similar story. Sometimes, these buttons have a completely different feel from the two main mouse buttons, but in this case it feels the same. The buttons are quite glossy, and each of them can be easily distinguished between one another. The scroll wheel is another clickable button, which also feels clicky and responsive. Each of these buttons can be programmed and changed in the XPG PRIME software.
From the front of the mouse, we find the 1.7m braided cable. The cable is quite unobtrusive, moving easily around as I shifted the mouse around. The braiding as well seems to be high quality, meaning it should not come apart and should be durable enough for consistent use over a few years.
We find the same exoskeleton design continued on the bottom of the XPG Slingshot. You can see right through to the underside of the PCB. Otherwise, there are two large Teflon feet found at the top and bottom of the mouse, ensuring it can smoothly glide over your mousepad. Right in the center, we find the PixArt PMW3360 sensor, which is a good quality sensor. The DPI settings can be set from 400 DPI to to 12,000 DPI in 100 DPI increments, which is an incredibly high number. This can all be configured in the XPG PRIME software. As for the other specifications, the IPS is 250, while the polling rate comes in at 1000 Hz. The maximum acceleration is 50G. These numbers should ensure accurate tracking in many different environments, but we will have to see how the tracking turns out on the next page.
The XPG PRIME software for the Slingshot is a little underwhelming. The layout looks quite sleek, with the mouse found right on the front. However, it took me a while to figure out where to click to get to more features. You have to click right by the scroll wheel to get into the rest of the settings. On the next page of the software, you can adjust the DPI settings into different profiles, which can be cycled through with the button on the mouse.
One big issue I ran into was changing the RGB LEDs. I adjusted the color, and suddenly, the LEDs went out on my mouse, and I have since then not been able to figure out how to get them back on. I have looked through all the settings in XPG PRIME, restarting, reinstalling, and yet cannot find a fix to this issue. I know the LEDs still work, because they go on to indicate the profile when I use the DPI button. It is kind of disappointing to not be able to change the LEDs and now not having any on at all. The software seems to have everything there, but it just does not work as great as it should.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Hardware
3. Subjective Performance Tests
4. Conclusion
