Steelseries Xai vs. Razer Imperator

Ok, im currently using the Razer orochi but i found that its way to small for my hand, so i did alot of looking and i narrowed it down to the Razer imperator and the Steelseries xai. At first i didnt even look at any other brands other then Razer, because i like razer products, and the the Imperator seemed to be nice. but after looking i think i like the Steelseries Xai. I know its not as flashy but it seems to be a nice solid mouse. And the Xai doesnt have the high DPI like the Imperator but im never going to go over 3000 dpi, so have the 5600 dpi is not worth it IMO. so i guess im asking, what do you guys think about the two mice ?

 

Go to your local Best Buy; odds are they have a bunch of gaming mice on display for you to check out. I don't remember ever seeing SteelSeries mice there, but I know they've usually got a bunch of Razer and Logitech models, and some others.

 

^ my best buy has both these mice, not on display, but there ha.

 

If you want a full sized mouse, I'd suggest you look into the Logitech G700. Since it's release a month or two ago, it's been the hottest mouse out there.

It has features and specs that trump the Razer Orochi, Imperator, and SteelSeries Xai in every regard. Absolutely fantastic mouse. You'd be doing yourself a disservice by not looking into it.

 

There is no doubt that its a hot mouse, but im not sure how the buttons stick out so much? has any used this ?

 

I own the G700, and don't have a problem with the side mouse buttons.

I actually posted in another thread a little bit about the size/shape of the Logitech G700 - in particular, it was for someone who was asking about the "full sized" palm grip of the mice. But I think that it might be relevant here as well:




If you've been using Logitech MX510 / MX518 for a while and like the mice, then check out the Logitech G700 or the Logitech Performance MX. Those two mice are aimed at the gaming and office / productivity markets, respectively.

Both of them have much higher "humps" that fill in to your hand. The end result is that the weight of your hand ends up being supported by the hand itself, rather than resting on the palm.

If you like Logitech mice, then a Logitech G700 or Logitech Performance MX will be what you need.

See below for pics:


Logitech G5 (same shape as Logitech MX510 / MX518)



Logitech Performance MX



Logitech G700

 

Nice job on the pics ! ill be looking into G700, iv never used a logitech mouse before. The only thing i dont like is the buttons, i dont really use all those buttons, maybe 2 of the side ones.

 

I don't use all the buttons either. I use maybe... 4 buttons? (left-click, right-click, 2 thumb buttons). I also use a button to indicate remaining battery life, and another button that toggles the mouse wheel from a "click" motion like all mice do, or a free-spinning motion for really fast scrolling.

What I really like about the mouse is that it's a full-sized mouse that operates at 100% performance in both wired and wireless mode. It does not "downgrade" its wireless performance in terms of DPI or polling rate like the Razer Orochi. I spend quite a bit of time on airplanes, so the ability to play a game on an airplane with a nice wireless mouse is a huge plus for me.

As for Logitech as a company... I think the products speak for themselves. They are a company that actually builds features into their mice that make better mice. They don't bother with crap marketed towards a "g4M3Rz" image like colored LED's or gold-plated USB connectors that do jack squat for mouse performance.

The reviews for Logitech products speak for themselves. You should notice a trend about how highly their top-end mice are rated in comparison to other mice.

Logitech G700
Newegg: 5/5 stars, 60 reviews
Amazon: 4.5/5 stars, 23 reviews

Logitech G500
Newegg: 5/5 stars, 464 reviews
Amazon: 4.5/5 stars, 135 reviews

Logitech G9X
Newegg: 5/5 stars (notice a pattern?), 140 reviews
Amazon: 4.5/5 stars, 64 reviews

Razer Imperator
Newegg: 4/5 stars, 51 reviews
Amazon: 4/5 stars, 22 reviews

Razer Mamba
Newegg: 4/5 stars, 212 reviews
Amazon: 3.5/5 stars, 87 reviews

Steelseries Xai
Newegg: 3/5 stars, 23 reviews
Amazon: 3.5/5 stars, 11 reviews

 

I have the Imperator and the Xai . . . I would take the Xai any day.

The Imperator was the mouse I bought first. The mouse clicks are too shallow and not defined enough, and the whole mouse feels cheap to me (for $80). Also I find the mouse a bit tall for my hands.

The Xai has an excellent click feel, scrolling wheel, and side buttons. It is ambidextrous too; I find it easier to grip overall. It is also a more accurate mouse; you can adjust the CPI and polling rate in increments of 1. It's just a great mouse and it accommodates a variety of grip styles well.

 

kent1146, i will agree with you that logictech is an awesome brand, if anything id look into the G9x. ive read only good things about it. You def know your stuff, nice job.

 

Charles P. Jefferies, I reallly like the XAI, but it seems to be alot of money for something that doesnt "look like a gaming mouse " ? you know ?

 

Ah. Yes it is rather nondescript. That was actually a selling point for me, I wanted a gaming-grade device without the look. Anyone with a trained eye will know what it is though. The world's top Counter Strike players use SteelSeries exclusively; the Xai is the most precise mouse out there.

 

Is the xai worth $90 ? i have pretty big hands, would you consider it a bigger mouse ?

 

It's not a big mouse, just a regular-sized desktop mouse. It's essentially the same size as the mice that typically come included with a desktop.

I have an Orochi, much more comfortable than that to use for extended periods of time though.

 

how would you compare it to say the razer deathadder ? in size. and any mouse would be more comfortable then the Orochi haha

 

The Xai is smaller and lower-profile than the DeathAdder. The DeathAdder is probably Razer's best mouse at the moment, overall, in terms of comfort/feel. Like I said I'm disappointed with the Imperator which is why I switched brands.

I'll see if I can get you a pic of the Xai vs. the Imperator side-by-side along with the Orochi.

 

that would be great !!! thanks

 

Pics ... enjoy.

 

Thanks for the pictures! I think Razer is decent, but I can't stand the way they put a slick plastic on the sides of all their mice. I think they have the most comfortable left and right mouse buttons though.

I still have my Logitech G9x, which I plan to use for a while, but SteelSeries has been great so far (I'll consider the Xai as a future option). I use a QcK Heavy, and having so much space feels great (if you're a low sensitivity gamer).

What pad is that Chaz?

 

I agree, the 'sticky shiny' plastic of the razer imperator is also something that bothered me from the start.

But overal I like the imperator, its very very light which is probably why charles described it as feelling cheap, but I actually prefer it, especially compared to my logitech g500 which I find to heavy even with all the weights removed.

I have a question for the logitech g700 owners, how is the scrolling wheel? The g5 and g500 have a scrolling wheel which is hard to hold (so if you want to hold a nade for a while, you will most likely fail because you will probably throw it away immediately due to of some kind of design error).

I wouldn't recommend the g500 to anyone because the scrolling wheel doensn't work properly. If it would, i'd give the mouse 4 stars (not 5 because I find it to heavy).
Regarding the imperator: I can recommend it to everyone, the shiny plastic on the sides is something you easily get used to (or maybe its just not as sticky anymore because it got hand grease on it lol). Eventhough the g500 has 100dpi more, the razer is still waaaaay faster.

 

I think it's a 9HD -- might be a 4HD (they look the same, the only difference is the surface texture grains). It's a very simple pad and it works great.

And yeah the glossy plastic on the side gets smudged up and feels kind of "ick" after a while, you just need to wipe it off every now and then.

I like the fact that the Imperator is light; the click feel is what makes me think it's cheap. Also, the scroll wheel is not precise enough; it is too easy to move and the positions are not well-defined.
The Xai on the other hand has an excellent scroll wheel, it is very accurate and notchy. For example, I can scroll five positions up in a very short amount of time; with the Imperator I have to concentrate to figure out how many positions I moved.

 

I own both a Logitech G5 and a Logitech G700.

Pressing down on scroll wheel on the G5 was a pain in the butt. It wouldn't press down smoothly, and your finger often accidentally scrolled the mouse wheel when you pressed it, causing the button press to cancel because the mouse received a different input.

This was caused by the fact that the mouse wheel on the Logitech G5 required you to press down at an angle to register, rather than straight down (which feels more natural). I'm glad to say that the Logitech G700 corrects this, and allows you to press with a much more natural motion.

 

Thanks for the Pics !!! i decided to go with the razer deathadder, it seems to be a favorite to most, i just bought it today so i havent been able to use it yet, but it feels Amazing !

 

Excellent choice. I used one (technically two) for years before I got my Mamba.

 

^ i LOVE IT, it seriously feels like theirs noting there, Its basically a mamba with a cord haha they both feel about the same(too me).

The XAI was a little to small for my hands and the Imperators bad reviews turned my off.

 

The Deathadder is probably Razers only mouse that is worth getting. Good Choice.

 

thanks im glad i got it, the Imperator is kinda small compared to the deathadder! and the shape of the deathadder is amazing !

 

I just reread a few of the comments regarding the Logitech scroll wheels. I absolutely hated it at first as well (same grenade cooking, or rather, lack thereof issue), but eventually I used the Logitech Setpoint software, and made it so leaning the wheel registers as a middle mouse button click. I have become so accustomed to this that I now find it easier to use than pressing a normal scroll wheel down.

I reached a point where I even bought a Razer Mamba because I just couldn't stand that scroll wheel, but all is good now.