The market for gaming peripherals is almost over-saturated. With so many to choose from, whether you’re on the hunt for a keyboard, mouse or headset, the variety in choice makes it hard to pick. But, we hope our reviews help you in that department, and today we’re looking at Genesis’ latest gaming mouse, the Xenon 800.
Build Quality & Design
To kick things off, as usual, I’ll begin by looking at the Xenon 800’s build quality and design. This particular mouse is very different from any of the others manufactured by Genesis. The outer shelf as been perforated over and over again, with small hexagonal shapes cut into the casing. The reason for this? Well, besides looking cool, it allows Genesis to make the Xenon 800 its most lightweight gaming mouse to date. Weighing in at just 58g.
Whilst you may think cutting parts out of the case may sound like something that will make it less robust, due to the design, it actually keeps its strength and rigidity. This is due to the hexagonal shapes actually improving the Xenon 800’s structural integrity. And all of this whilst being moulded to a nice ergonomic shape that offers both optimal comfort and a reassuring grip, as long as you’re right-handed anyway. Sadly, at this current time, there is no left-handed version.
Along with the solid and sleek looking case, the mouse also has RGB lighting which sadly is covered up a little and 6 programmable buttons. For some 6 buttons may not be quite enough, especially if you play MMO games, but they have their Xenon 770 gaming mouse around for that, which we reviewed late last year. Still, they’re nicely laid out, and with a rubber coating on the scroll wheel, you can definitely tell this has been designed with comfort and grip in mind.
If you don’t like the look or the feel of this mouse though, Genesis have you covered. As you can actually remove the top of the casing and put on a solid one. This will obviously add a little more weight but that may be something you prefer. Which is why there is lso a set of weights included you can place inside the mouse to weigh it down, removing individual weights to adjust it so you can get that perfect balance thyat you’re looking for.
Functionality
So in terms of functionality, you’re going to want to download the Genesis software for this from their website. It’s not the best, bu it’s basic and simple enough o do what you need it to do. And it allows you to customise the mouse to get the most potential out of it. Setting things like RGB lighting, what you’d like specific buttons to do, and obviously, the important one, the DPI of the mouse.
Now for DPI, it does have some preset levels you can switch between. But you can customise these further with the software up to 16,000 DPI. So if you have different games where you like quicker or slower movement then this is ideal, as you can set multiple levels, ideal for individual games. Then you just have to switch between them with a simple press of a button on the mouse itself.
Whilst it may sound good though being able to adjust all this, it’s important to see how it reacts in-game. At the heart of the Xenon 800 is one of the best PMW3389 sensors available on the market, meaning this mouse is extremely responsive. Like I couldn’t even recognise a delay at all. Although my eyesight isn’t what it used to be, just watch me play Apex Legends and be amazed at how much I miss my targets.
What’s particularly impressive about his sensor though, is using the software, you can set the Lift-Off Distance (LOD) to three levels. So, if you’re one of those people who like to pull your mouse away from the desk, you can do whilst still contriolling your cursor in game. This not only offers you better control, but allows you to game more comfortably as you’re not going to be straining yourself too much moving the mouse aroubnd wildly.
Value for Money
The big question. How much does it cost? Well, when we reported the news of the Xenon 800 being announced, Genesis stated it would retail for around €50. Which isn’t a bad price point when you convert that over to good ol’ Pound Sterling, coming in at £45. This makes it roughly the same price range as Glorious PC Gaming Race‘s models, and just a smidge more expensive than Cooler Master‘s MM711, both of which look similar in design trying to make their mouse’/s lightweight.
Sadly, whilst those initial impressions sound good, and prices do in fact show on some sites the Xenon 800 being sold for around the €45 mark, cheaper than originally suggested, for UK Gamers its not quite the case. Genesis is still struggling for stockists in the UK, and this current pandemic probably hasn’t helped in their search. But sadly it does mean that prices are inflated because of this, and the cheapest we could find the Xenon 800 was for £69.23 on Amazon (price correct as of 18/10/2020).
You may get more luck actually buying abroad and having it shipped over. It sounds crazy, but we are in crazy times right now. So is it value for money? If it was at the price it realistically should be, then yes it is excellent value for money. It’s designed well, good quality and extremely functional and customisable. But sadly, with an inflated cost, you may want to wait until these are more easily available, but how long that could take is unknow. So maybe you may have to look elsewhere for now if in the UK.
Genesis Xenon 800 overall thoughts
There is no doubt in my mind that the Xenon 800 is a fantastic mouse. It might not be the best available, but golly does it looks great. It feels comfortable and it’s so responsive too that you’ll have no issues with it when gaming, even on a competitive level. But despite all it does well, you will struggle to get it at a fair price in the UK.
This will hopefully change in time, but as of right now, you can get similar products for lower than that of the Xenon 800 in the UK. However, if you’re in the EU or know someone who is that can get one and ship it over for you, you’re quids in. Because this is a fantastic mouse that offers a lot for your money when you can get it at the right price.
You can get more information on the Xenon 800 and more Genesis products on their official website HERE. Whilst the mouse is now available and easily attainable across Europe, UK Gamers will have to stick out the wait for Genesis products to become more widely available as they try to find a stockist in the UK to help bring prices down. Don’t worry though, we have plenty of other Hardware Reviews for you to check out right HERE.