The market for gaming peripherals is largely dominated by a few big names, so seeing a smaller company offering top quality alternatives is a refreshing sight.
X2 is based out of the Netherlands, offering high quality, stylish PC hardware and accessories for high end gaming. The Harada gaming mouse is the cheapest of X2’s peripheral range at £38, however it packs many of the features found in the higher end products.
Overview
The Harada has a stealth black colour scheme, with a matte black palm rest and left/right buttons, as well as a shiny plastic surround and thumb rest. Stylish LEDs light up across the mouse in red, pulsing slowly at a nice fixed speed. The base is a solid metal plate, adding a nice amount of weight to the mouse as well as making it feel like it could take a beating if (heaven forbid) it was dropped. A sturdy braided 1.8m USB 2.0 cable is fixed on which I personally like to see, giving plenty of reach for larger desktop gaming setup's.
Three extra buttons reside on the left side of the mouse, a forward, backward and LED switch. A button below the scroll wheel allows the user to toggle through six different DPI settings, with three blue LEDs showing the DPI setting. This is perfect for changing sensitivity quickly mid-game.
Here are X2’s specifications for the Harada:
Comfortable design with solid metal base
Ergonomic palm rest and grip
Avago 9800 photoelectric chip, precise positioning
1200/2400/4800/6200/7400/8200 DPI resolution
Fast implementation of the cursor position
Refresh rate: 150 inches per second and 30 G acceleration
1000Hz Ultrapolling
1 ms response time
Master control IC 8801
Built-in 64K memory function
7 programmable function keys
Omron switches
LED color setting through the DPI adjustment
1.8 m braided USB charging cable
2 years warranty
Testing
The Harada is a plug-in and play device, requiring no install disc. I tested it on a Windows 10 desktop computer, running Overwatch, Destiny 2 and other high fps titles. Initially I found the weight of the Harada quite bizarre, but after a few minutes of use I realised how bad my usual mouse (Corsair Sabre RGB mouse) is in comparison. Having the extra weight (180g to be precise) gives some resistance to the hand and steadying movement, making aiming a lot easier. Being able to adjust the weight of the mouse would be a great extra feature, however the weight is comfortable and will suit all but the pickiest of gamer’s needs.
The DPI switch below the scroll wheel came in handy, allowing low sensitivity when aiming and then switching to the highest DPI (8200) when steering an aircraft. After an hour of use I was already getting much higher in the scoreboards than when I was using a bog-standard office mouse.
For a right handed user, this mouse is extremely comfortable to use, with the thumb rest and curved ergonomic design fitting snugly into the hand. The left handed users among us may find the Harada a bit less welcoming due to the lack of an ambidextrous design, especially as the three extra buttons are positioned to be pressed by the user’s thumb.
Well it may no be a surprise but I do recommend this mouse and award it with our Gold Award!
So well done X2 a fantastic product and thank you for sending over for us to look at. If you would like to buy one? click here:
Thanks for reading.
-Martin Luke