The Xai is a clean looking mouse – totally in keeping with what i would expect from a SteelSeries piece of kit. The cable is also a good length coming in at 2m.


The Xai.

We have a gold plated moulded USB plug.


USB plug is nice quality.

That long cable is also braided for extra durability.


Braided cable is more robust.

Here we see the standard right button, scroll wheel and left button configuration. Just behind the wheel you can see an additional button. This allows users of the Xai to switch between sensitivity settings – i’ll talk more about this and the related programming functions later.


Xai front.

Being an ambidextrous mouse the shape of the Xai is symmetrical. Each side has twin thumb controlled buttons – these normally control forward and backwards movements in programs like Internet Explorer but can be modified using SteelSeries software.


Xai left.


Xai right.

The rear of the mouse carries the SteelSeries logo. I can tell you that i really like the tidy and minimalist look.


Xai rear.

Upon flipping the Xai over you can see the three large teflon pressure points and the hole for the laser optics to do its job. Additionally, and rather uniquely compared to most mice, there is an LCD panel. This is a very useful feature as it allows on the fly set up when used in conjunction with SteelSeries software and the actual mouse buttons themselves.


Xai base.