SteelSeries Xai Laser Mouse Review

A Closer Look
[COLOR=#000000]After taking the mouse out of the packaging you might be surprised to find that there is no CD or software included. SteelSeries do however supply software and drivers for this mouse but they have to be downloaded from their website. There is of course a User Guide which lists the standard operation and installation of the mouse in several languages.
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[COLOR=#000000]The design of the mouse is very similar to the original Microsoft mice; it is a bit longer than most but remains quite narrow. It is more of the typical mouse shape than we have seen recently. Quite typically, it is still quite sleek for instance; the whole of the top of the mouse is made out of one piece of plastic so there are now awkward gaps surrounding all of the buttons. The plastic also has a rubbery layer added on top which also gives it a very dark matt black with a tiny bit of shine. This allows the SteelSeries logo at the back of the mouse to really stand out.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]From the left hand side you can there are two buttons, which enable you to go forward and back during internet browsing.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]The right hand-side is very similar to the left as this also has 2 buttons in the same position, however these are by default not programmed and so you do need the additional software to set this up. The two sides of this mouse are a slightly darker black and are not shiny compared to the top of the mouse; this gives some contrast between the two.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=#000000]From the top of the mouse you can see there are the standard two buttons and a scroll wheel. Although there is of course an addition, which is nearly becoming standard on all gaming mice, is a button behind the scroll wheel that allows you to change the cpi settings. This is triangular in shape. There is also an indicator light in between the scroll wheel and the CPI button which shows you which CPI setting you are on.

Turning the mouse over, we see quite a typical sight towards the top. This is the standard SteelSeries underside, which has the logo and lists a few of the specs of the mouse. It also of course has the serial number and reminds us that this is a Laser Class 1 mouse.
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[COLOR=#000000]More importantly however, on the bottom of this mouse is a LCD display, which will by default say ‘SteelSeries’ and does manage to fit the SteelSeries logo in at the beginning. This will show the settings menu for the mouse, and should allow you to change profile settings on the mouse itself.
The cable is the standard SteelSeries braided cable to improve durability, it also has a gold-plated USB connector for improved connectivity.[/COLOR]