A4Tech X-718 Gaming Mouse

Intro

A4Tech has been associated with peripherals that cater to mainstream users for a long time. The X-718 is A4Tech's foray into the gaming mouse market.

Review

I've recently gotten the X-718 by A4 Tech. Incorporating a 2000dpi sensor and a dedicated button for changing dpi, will it be able to stand up against the more well-known gaming mouse?

The specifications of the A4Tech X-718, according to A4Tech's website, are as follows:

• Mouse Dimension : 4.6L x 2.5W x 1.3H in
• Package Contents: A4tech X-718 MouseSMART-x7 Driver(CD)USB or PS2 mouse port
• Three-year limited warranty

The X-718 comes in a box that bears a striking resemblance to Razer's packaging. The features of the X-718 are splashed on virtually every side of the box. A proprietary mouse testing program from A4Tech, miceJUDGE, is also advertised on one side. On the box, the X-718 is claimed to have scored 95 marks in the miceJUDGE program.

Opening the box, I find the X-718 mouse neatly packaged in a plastic packing, along with a driver CD and a USB-to-PS2 converter.

However, I noticed a discrepancy between the box and the website.

The box states a warranty period of 24 months (two years). However, A4Tech's website states that the X-718 has 3 years of limited warranty. It would be good if A4Tech can clear up the confusion.

The X-718 is not larger than your standard mouse in terms of size, but in terms of looks, it is far from any ordinary mouse.

"X7" and the A4Tech logo are emblazoned on the blue, plastic surface of the X-718. The finishing gives the interesting visual effect of the surface being bumpy. Two metallic looking strips run the length of the mouse.

The scroll wheel is found in it's usual position, with the DPI adjustment button just below it.

Turning the mouse over, I found 4 smooth teflon 'feet' at the four corners, and 2 feet on either side of the sensor, making a total of 6 feet. I also found that the label specified, among other things, the different colour codes for different DPI settings.

Unlike Razer's golden plated USB connector, a standard USB plug is used here.

Plugging in the mouse, the optical sensor lights up in the usual red colour. The LED beneath the scrollwheel also comes to life. Pressing the DPI button, the colour of the LED changes in tune to the DPI mode, as specified on the bottom of the mouse (see above). In 2000 DPI mode, the LED flashes between yellow and red constantly. I found this cool.

The X-718 is ergonomically designed. The contours of the mouse have been tailored to comfortably fit a normal hand, making it comfortable even after using it to play games for several hours. Note the sides of the mouse, which have been designed such that the thumb and last finger can grasp the sides comfortably.

The scroll wheel is smooth and accurate. The DPI button doesn't really take time getting used to although its position is below the scroll wheel, requiring one to either bend one's middle or index finger to press it, but otherwise well placed since it isn't used very often.

The DPI adjustment button works perfectly fine without drivers (another + point), but I was curious to see what additional programmes they offered in the cd.

CD Programmes

I installed the drivers and the miceJUDGE programme onto my computer. However, while using miceJUDGE, the testing kept stopping after awhile.

The main configuration panel allows you to assign which button does what. There is an entire army of functions to choose from, including two special ones called "NetJump" and "LuckyJump", which I haven't explored yet(I'll add it in another time).The double-click speed can be found here. The option to reverse the button configuration for left-hand usage is also found here, but as we found earlier, this mouse seems designed for right-hand use only. For some reason, the sensitivity controls are not located here.

Notice the X7-Jump button? This lead me to a separate configuration window.

HereI found the previously missing software sensitivity control. A unique function to create your own keystrokes can also be found here, for gamers to assign functions such as reload, switch weapon, etc.

There are two different modes for recording your keystrokes. The first mode allows you to hold down the assigned button for repeated 'spamming' of the keystroke, while the second mode activates the keystroke only once. Even if the user decides to hold the button down, the action will not be repeated for the second mode. For the first mode, you can record your keystrokes separately, while the second mode requires you to record the desired keystrokes all at once in the desired order.

I tested the X-718 in various games, ranging from first-person shooters such as Counter-Strike: 1.6 to real time strategy games likeAOE II. I felt that the X-718 to be very responsive and accurate in 2000dpi mode. Turning down the sensitivity using the DPI button was a nice and convenient thing to have. However, turning down the sensitivity using this method also sacrifices DPI and thus accuracy. Although the vast majority of users would prefer to see A4Tech implement such on-the-fly senstitivity adjustment in software instead, I'm perfectly happy about it. More importantly,it would be great of A4 Tech to provide finer steps between different levels of sensitivity. The dpi change on-the-fly, once a gamer is accustomed to his range, can be a really useful feature especially in First Person Shooters. Some weapons require finer aiming while some require one to navigate the cross-hair fast. Switching dpi as you switch your weapon can help once you get used to your customized range of control.

Conclusion

The X-718 is indeed a solid gaming mouse.

In 2000DPI mode, it was responsive and accurate.The driver software is also a well done piece of work, providing many functions and much customisability. On-the-fly DPI adjustment with a dedicated button is also a nice feature, although its large jumps in sensitivity somewhat negate its purpose.

To wrap up, the A4Tech X-718 is certainly a mouse not to be overlooked in favour of more expensive gaming mice. Its performance is good, and considering that its retail price is only around SGD$40, it probably gives the best value of any 2000DPI gaming mouse around.

EDIT: I bought this mouse for $29 only! So Razer, eat that! :D