XPG Slingshot Gaming Mouse Review

ADATA is one of the biggest names in the business, but in recent years, I’ve been much more excited by their gaming brand XPG. XPG has made some truly awesome keyboards, mice, headsets, PC cases, laptops, and so much more! Now, they’re back once again with what appears to be a vast array of new products that are prime for the market throughout 2022 and into 2023. First up, it’s the new XPG SLINGSHOT gaming mouse and the XPG BATTLEGROUND L MERA limited-edition gaming mouse pad!

XPG SLINGSHOT

The mouse seems like it’ll be a strong competitor even in today’s busy market. It features a PixArt PWM-3360 optical sensor, 20M rated mechanical switches, a fully programmable design, a lightweight braided cable, and a lightweight exoskeleton design that should make it extremely nimble. So durable, fast and light, as far as a gaming mouse goes, that’s right on trend with what their rivals are doing right now, so it should be competitive. As for the mouse mat, it is made from microfibers created with “a special thread-binding technology” and it measures 420x335mm, so it’ll easily be accommodated on most desktop spaces.

Features

• Pixart PWM 3360 Optical Sensor
• 12000 DPI tracking
• Asymmetrical design (right-handed layout)
• 20M Switches
• Exoskelent shell
• Programmable buttons

Metaverse, Meraverse?

Also, the gaming series is part of the Meraverse, which appears to be an Adata Metaverse… thing. They actually revealed these products and more in the virtual world. There’s a mascot, MERA, and she’s the young lady below dressed in very little below, that image if from ADATA. Or she’s usually in the latex ADATA garb in the virtual world and on the products. I think it’s pretty cringe, but happy to hear your comments, if you have any. Now, back to the mouse!

Packaging

Both the Battleground L mouse mat and the Slingshot mouse come in colour matched boxes, with the muted red that we often see on XPG products. There’s a little picture of Mera in the corner too, which from a distance looks like she’s flipping the bird, but she’s really just doing some magic thing. Either way, I like this logo of her more than some of the other poses.

The box for the mouse tells us very little. I can see the sensor make, but not the specifications, the switch specifications but not the maker, the programmable buttons but not how many, the cable is braided but it doesn’t say what with, and that the mouse is lightweight, but not how much it weighs. Come on XPG, you can do better than that!

It’s nicely packaged though, with a folding cardboard insert providing plenty of air gapping and protection, and a plastic shell insert keeping the mouse clean and scratch free.

The mat is rolled up into a longer box, and much like the mouse, there’s a large and clear image on the front that shows the final product design.

A Closer Look & Performance

The XPG Slingshot actually looks pretty decent, and while the design isn’t innovative, it’s certainly hitting all the key points for a competitive gaming mouse in 2022. It’s got a classic IntelliMouse ergonomic shape, so it is going to feel pretty familiar and comfortable to hold, which is obviously a good thing.

Down the left side, there are two navigation buttons, pretty standard fair really, but again that’s no bad thing for gaming, just a straightforward and familiar layout here.

The buttons themselves feel nice, and a swift flick of your thumb gives you a responsive click that’s well suited to fast-paced action.

No buttons on the right side, but a nice ergonomic shape that makes it very easy to get a sturdy hold on the mouse even with a light grip. The shape is going to work well for a fingertip or palm grip, so it’s up to you how you want to hold it.

Plus, if you’re using a low DPI lift-off technique, you’ll be glad to see the Slingshot is reasonably lightweight. It’s got an exoskeleton design that cuts down the overall weight. Strangely, XPG do not give the rated weight, so let’s go get the scales out!

With the cable.

With the cable resting off to the side (as close to without the cable I can get it). Not the lightest out there, but still pretty decent overall.

The left and right mouse buttons are all part of the top shell design, rather than being their own mounted panels. I prefer them separate, but I do like the clean lines and ergonomics this format provides. The switches feel pretty decent, with a pleasing light and fast click. Overall, it’s pretty much what you would expect so far, nothing innovative, but no glaring issues either, which is obviously a good thing.

The wheel is a good size, with a light grip coating that makes it nice and easy to control. It’s clickable too, giving you one extra button, but there’s also a profile/DPI button behind that too.

On the underside, you’ll find the PixArt sensor, which is good for up to 12000 DPI. Unfortunately, XPG doesn’t provide the rest of the specifications. However, from my own experience, it should be good for around 250 IPS and 50G acceleration.

The slipmats on the bottom of the Slingshot are quite small, but they work well combined with the overall lightweight design of the mouse, it’s pretty nimble overall. A fast, light and easy-to-move mouse makes this a swift weapon for twitchy and fast-paced gameplay. I’m not much of an FPS gamer these days, but I wish I had these modern FPS mice back in my Quake 3 Arena days, that’s for sure!

Overall, the grip and shape are very good, but as I said before the overall shape and hardware here is pretty common stuff, so the mouse feels very familiar. That’s actually not a bad thing though, you don’t always want something unique, you want something that you don’t need to think about so you can focus on your game.

One thing I do like is the Battleground L gaming mouse pad. Admittedly, I don’t care for the image on it, that’s just not by style at all. Actually, that’s not entirely true, I like the colour choices here, the red and oranges are nice, and obviously match that of the XPG branding. I also like the digital design in the top left.

It’s a good gaming surface though, and the XPG Slingshot glides on it really well, and the overall tracking performance has been superb. As you can see, I ran it through my mouse gauntlet, and it held up great, as I would have expected from a PixArt sensor. There’s no acceleration, no angle snapping, or a prediction, so top marks here.

How Much Does it Cost?

Unfortuntely, I couldn’t find up to date pricing information on the mouse just yet. Actually, XPG have been a bit light on details for the Slingshot in general, and I’m not sure why. It’s lightweight, but they don’t say how much it weights. They tell us the sensor, but not the sensor specifications, the buttons are programmable, but it doesn’t say how many, and they say the switches are 20M but not who makes them. That is a bit strange, but hopefully something they address in the future, as just slapping Meras body on the box can’t be their only sales tool. You can check for up to date prices and stock of the XPG Slingshot on Amazon here.

Overview

XPG has a rock solid lineup of PC hardware and peripherals already, and while there are a few strange qualities about the Slingshot, there’s really nothing to fault about it either. It’s a bit cooler and more gamer focused than their other more recently relasesed mouse, the XPG Primer, which incidentally used the same sensor, but has a larger and heavier design overall. Plus, while I think the whole Metaverse thing is of no interest to me, I can understand why they’re making a push to have a virtual mascot in that world, but the curvy lady is unlikely to appeal to some, that’s for sure. Still, it’s not like they haven’t done some weird stuff before. Remember the $10K keyboard?

It’s fair to say that XPG has done little to nothing innovative here, but the XPG Slingshot is certainly on trend and up to date with what everyone else is doing. Not every product has to push the market forward, and so long as the price is right, this mouse could do well for them. Look at the equivilent mouse they had four years ago, which was 5000 DPI, 20G acceleration and weighed 160 grams. Meanwhile the Slingshot is 12000 DPI, 50G acceleration, and 72 grams. Plus, I suspect the XPG Slingshot will cost a similar price of around £40-50 too, so pretty decent overall.

The build quality is excellent, and I really love that thicker paracord cable design. It’s lightweight, but it looks great, while also still being reasonably robust. The mouse has an exoskeleton design to shed weight, but they’ve still kept the plastics quite thick. The trade off is a mouse that is a little heavier than some ultralight mice, but it’s still a lighter mouse overall, while retaining a very tough and durable feel in your hand. If you’re a gamer that gives their mouse a tough time, this is going to be beneficial in the long run.

The performance is on point, and the PixArt 3360 sensor is absolutely superb. The mouse is a bit too fast on its upper DPI levels, but it certainly never hurts to have some options for fast map tracking. That being said, at the lower DPI levels, this mouse glides like silk and it’s easy to make fast, smooth and accurate movements, making it well suited to all kinds of work and gaming.

Should I Buy One?

If you can find the XPG Slingshot at the right price, you’ll be very happy with what the XPG Slingshot has to offer. While it’s design or features may not make it stand out from the crowd, it’s still a very competitive mouse. The build quality, style and performance are all great!