Xtrfy Gaming Peripherals - Pro Gaming Scandinavian Style
Let’s be honest, we love gaming, especially gaming on the PC and good gaming peripherals are a must-have for a great gaming experience. There are many brands on the market that are very popular right now and with the explosion of esports, the Scandinavians became a major player in the gaming peripherals market.
Names like Fnatic, Astralis, and Ninjas in Pajamas have their origins in the northern peninsula. This story is about the last. NiP have been in a very good relationship with SteelSeries for a long time. After a while, things started to go sideways. At that moment, Xtrfy took the opportunity and became an important player in the esports world.
Since then, we've been able to see them wherever the Ninjas in their Pajamas were. On their T-shirts, the peripherals used in tournaments and more. Xtrfy makes everything: mice, keyboards, headphones, mousepads, and accessories. The company's vision is to offer the highest quality products, specially created for esports and to offer a very easy user experience.
Today we are going to talk about some of Xtrfy’s best selling. Here is the outline:
Ok, let’s have a closer look at these gaming peripherals and see what are they made of.
We are going to talk about the gaming mouse first, the M4 Retro color version. Its design is inspired by Commodore 64, Atari and Nintendo. A design that will take you back in time and that combines the retro look with modern specifications.
The mouse has a very pleasant construction, with a honeycomb design to reduce its weight as much as possible. Thus, the Xtrfy M4 weighs only 69 grams, it’s very precise and convenient to use.
We were surprised by how robust it is, despite the holes in it and we loved the attention to detail. Under the airy case, we have a PixArt PMW 3389 sensor, accompanied by a 32-bit ARM microcontroller. A combination that ensures perfect tracking and uncompromising accuracy.
Another nice thing about this mouse is the cable. Xtrfy EZcord is a cable that gives you the feeling that you are using a wireless mouse but with a minimum input lag. It is very light and the very slippery textile cover assures you that you will not hang it on the desk.
We also have good news for RGB lighting fans, because the mouse has a very interesting system. The best part is that you don't need software to control the color effects. Just press the dedicated button on the mouse, and in combination with the clicks and side buttons, you customize your colors as you want.
But is the Xtrfy a perfect gaming mouse? Well, not quite. There is one thing bothered us, well me in particular. If you have big hands, like me, you will put most of the pressure vertically. Unfortunately, the finish of the Xtrfy M4 Retro in combination with the holes on the sides often made me actually drop the mouse from my hand while gaming especially in shooters where you move the mouse quite a lot. But other than that, with a little getting used to, that issue goes away.
We have always been passionate about mechanical keyboards and have had everything from the IBM Model M to some of the most expensive models on the market. Xtrfy K2 instantly reached the top of our favorite keyboards, and here is why. The most important aspects that come to mind are the following: build quality, plug & play connection, and of course, switches. Let’s have a look at these aspects.
The build quality is flawless; a heavy keyboard, solid, and very pleasant to the touch that uses very high-quality materials. We also really liked the fact that it doesn't require annoying software or a driver to work. You plugged it into the USB port on your PC, and the rest only happens from key combinations.
At first, you might think the switches are a bit loud, but after you get used to it, it is very handy. RGB lighting is done individually on each key and you can create patterns and effects to your liking.
We also liked the fact that you can orient the cable in three directions: left, center, or right. This aspect is useful for the times when you want to do cable-management on the desktop.
Xtrfy K2 uses Kailh RED switches which are a variation of the very popular Cherry MX switch. This means that you have some very fast switches at hand (no pun intended) with a pleasant and very bearable sound, especially compared to the noise made by the blue switches. In addition, the manufacturer boasts a virtually instant response time of only 0.001 seconds.
Even if it is not very relevant for gaming, for long writing sessions, the wristpad is a great addition. In combination with very fast switches, typing has become a pleasure. The only problem we encountered here is when typing very quickly and a key decides it has been pressed twice. Plus we are not big fans of the Numpad, so we would always prefer a TKL keyboard for day by day work, as well as gaming of course.
The Xtrfy XPG1 X-Large is a good mousepad, but it seems a little too thick for our taste and we would have preferred it to be a bit slippery. It has an abrasive feeling that tends to slow down the mouse movement. Some may appreciate such abrasiveness, but for someone who plays with low sensitivity, it is not a good experience.
In addition to the mousepad, Xtrfy offers the A1 set for keyboard maintenance. It contains a set of o-rings to make the keyboard even quieter. Personally, we didn't feel the need, but it is good to see that the option to make the keyboard quieter exists. In addition, the package also contains five white keys to replace whatever keys you like. They are easily removed with the included key.
To clean the keyboard, the kit also contains a brush with two ends that easily goes between keys and switches.
Well, we think that gaming experience is what everyone thinks about when they see the prices for such gaming accessories. We will start by saying that skill in games means 90% talent and work and about 10% peripherals. If you buy the most expensive toys you will not automatically become a better gamer, but peripherals also play an important role. The transition from a normal mouse and keyboard to such products will be felt. From comfort to improved reaction times due to technology, will give you a small but noticeable advantage.
Yes, we can say that we play better with professional peripherals like these from Xtrfy. This is because they are of higher quality. A low-quality mouse will be uncomfortable for a long gaming session or the sensor will die on you when you flick.
The same goes for the keyboard. If you hide after a wall for example, and a button decides it doesn't want to perform the action out of the blue, you will be exposed, hence you’re dead. There are advantages that seem insignificant, but over time, the experience will be better. And you only notice these advantages from a pro gaming set when you go back to normal peripherals, and trust us, you don’t want to go back to normal peripherals ever again once you tried these.
In short, we really liked Xtrfy K2 and M4 Retro. An exceptional keyboard and an almost perfect mouse, which will last for a long time, that is if you don’t have the habit of smashing them on the table. That will shorten their life span for sure.
The quality is great, the user experience is very pleasant, and the price is just right. Such peripherals make the difference between a casual gamer and a passionate one, who is spiritually prepared to invest a large amount of money in this hobby.