Tired of all the same bland looking mice everyone has? Want something different that can still deliver behind the layers of camouflage? Look no further than A4Tech’s X-777F.

Category: Mice
Manufacturer: A4Tech
Product: X-777F-AC
Gallery: Click Here
Price: $49.99

Introduction

A4Tech isn’t exactly a brand you think of when it comes to the computer peripheral market. Established in the late ’80’s, the company has a diverse product line ranging from keyboards to web cams, and have solidified themselves as a global market leader. Recently A4Tech has sought to make a splash in the hardcore gaming market by releasing their unique line of X-7 mice. While not one of the big brand names you’ve heard of, you would be surprised how well designed the mice are considering they are from a relatively unknown manufacturer. We emphasize with peripheral reviews that personal preference plays a large role in determining the final score. That being said, the goal of this review is to supply you with as much information about performance and personal experience when using the mouse in normal day-to-day desktop and gaming applications as possible. We’ll take a closer look at the intriguing 3-in-1 click button and other features on the X-777F so you can determine for yourself if this is the right mouse for you.

Specifications

  • Three Fire Button: Rapidly fires three shots with just one click, increasing target accuracy
  • Gaming-Grade Laser Engine: 2500 Maximum DPI
  • Scroll Wheel Changes Color To Indicate DPI Level
  • 600-800-1200-1600-2000-2500 DPI No Driver Needed
  • SPI Time: 1 ms and Maximum Acceleration of 20g
  • Image Processing: 6.4 Mega Pixels / Second
  • OMRON Button Lifetime: 800,000 Clicks
  • Agilent 6010 Chip providing 7,080 Frames / Second
  • Advanced X-7 Software: Performs a complete keyboard simulation interface for players to create and set their favorite game commands on the 4th and 5th mouse button.
  • Three Different Camouflage Styles: Exclusive textured pattern coating with soft rubber thumb grip even during the most intense play!

Test Setup

Hardware Configuration

  • Case: Antec Solo
  • Power Supply: Antec TruePower Trio 650
  • Motherboard: DFI Lanparty 939 nForce4 Ultra
  • Processor: AMD Opteron 146 2.0GHz (Overclocked 2800 MHz)
  • Hard Drive: Western Digital 100GB IDE HDD
  • Hard Drive: Seagate 300GB SATA HDD
  • Hard Drive: Maxtor 250GB SATA HDD
  • Video: eVGA GeForce 7800GT 256MB GDDR3 VIVO PCI Express
  • Memory: OCZ Dual-Channel PC4000 Gold Edition VX 1024MB
  • Optical: Lite-On 8x DVD+/-RW
  • Audio: Creative Sound Blaster Audigy 2 ZS
  • Cooling: Zalman CNPS9500 CPU Cooler
  • Cooling: Zalman VF900-Cu GPU Cooler
  • Cooling: ThermalRight HR-05 Chipset Heatsink
  • Media: Mitsumi 7-in1 Media Drive
  • Display: Samsung Syncmaster 710N 17" LCD
  • Mousepad: fUnc sUrface1030 Archetype MBA
  • Mousepad: SteelSeries SteelPad QcK+
  • Surface: Engineered Wood Desk

Software Configuration

  • Motherboard BIOS: NF4LD406 BIOS Update Revision A (2006/04/06)
  • Chipset: nForce4 Series AMD Windows Vista 32-Bit v15.00 WHQL Certified
  • Operating System: Windows Vista Business Edition
  • Video Driver: NVIDIA ForceWare Release 100 v100.65 32-bit WHQL Certified
  • Audio Driver: Creative SB Audigy 2 Series Vista Beta Driver 2.12.0001
  • Driver: Smart X-F Mouse Driver 7.80.0.2
  • Operating System: Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2
  • Test Game: Counter-Strike 1.6
  • Test Game: Battlefield 2 v1.41
  • Test Game: Counter-Strike: Source
  • Test Game: Quake 4 v1.4 Beta
  • Test Software: Audacity 1.2.6

{mospagebreak title=First Impressions }

Unlike other mouse reviews we’ve done we won’t be snapping any pictures of the packaging for you and trying to discern what the product maker is trying to tell gamers on the box. This is because the A4Tech X-777F is so new that at the time of writing this article no link to the product is available on the manufacturers website nor has any packaging been finalized. This is a first for GotFrag Hardware and more importantly it lets us dive right into the product itself. So even though packaging and attention to detail can make or break the first impressions with a product, in the end whether or not the mouse is clutch is what matters. One thing that we will do differently is compare the mouse to other more well known brands. This is not done to put the A4Tech X-777F at an unfair advantage, on the contrary - we believe the mouse stands up quite nicely in terms of design compared to the competition.

A4Tech offers the X-777F in three distinct camoflague configurations. Obviously the mouse isn’t meant for an executive’s office, but I was pleasantly surprised at the smooth and textured feel of the A4Tech X-777F. Although looks are subjective, this mouse looks unlike anything else out there. The wavy chrome side fenders encapsulating the arctic camo will definitely make this mouse stand out in a crowd. Even though the design of the X-777F is ambidextrous in shape, the mouse is clearly meant for right-handed gamers. The scroll wheel is translucent and lights up with the right amount of light - capable of being spotted during the daytime and bright enough not to be annoying or light up an entire room at night. The ingenious part of this is that the mouse wheel changes color depending on what DPI setting you’re at. This effectively eliminates any on-screen notification system that may interfere with your game. A4Tech actually states what color the scroll wheel should be set at depending on the resolution being used in-game but it’s still really your preference, since everyone has a different individual in-game sensitivity for different games. The only gripe I can take from this design is that you can only scroll through different DPI settings, instead of being able to go back and forth like other mice. That would have been a nicer feature.

The mouse has perfect tension when it comes to the primary mouse buttons. I want to emphasize how much the texture feels great and helps maintains great grip even when your hands are dripping with sweat. You’ll actually find yourself rubbing your fingers against it constantly the first few times you’re using it because it feels bumpy but there aren’t any physical differences in terms of surface height on the actual mouse. I can grip a standard men’s size regulation basketball by the seams and this mouse feels perfectly suited to my hand. The thumb grip area found below the side buttons can actually get a little slick with moisture but you’ll be glad it’s there. For once, the chrome is actually easy to clean, all it takes is a wipe with your shirt and it’s spotless again. The actual curvature of the mouse makes it great for those who pick up their mouse with frequency. I would have liked to have seen huge mouse feet such as those on the Logitech G5.

As it stands the mouse feet are of decent size, but it’s just a personal preference of mine. I tend to think the bigger the feet, the longer their life. The USB cord is the lightest data cable connector I have ever seen, used, or felt. Never before has the sensation of a wired mouse feeling cordless ever been this nice. Of course, if you’re the brutish type that’s aggressive you might find a way to cut, destroy or mangle the cord, but that’s your fault. Besides the mouse wheel being lit up well, scrolling with it is amazing. A4Tech has made it possible for each mouse dent in the wheel to be very precise and satisfying all while making it extremely silent. It’s such a nice pleasure to be able to rotate the wheel as much as you want and have it almost completely silent, more mice should do the same. Sure, this isn’t the best thing for Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, but we’re talking games not numbers. Speaking of numbers, the engine used by the A4Tech X-777F is the Agilent 6010 laser engine, which has been on the market for a couple of years now.

We’ll come back to the 3-in-1 mouse button towards the end of the article, but for now let’s take a peek inside the guts of the X-777F. All it takes is a small screwdriver to get rid of two simple and easy to access screws to unleash the innards. Unlike other mice, because of the silent mouse scroll wheel technology, you don’t have to worry about the mouse wheel popping off and rolling away since it’s basically sitting tight. There is a weight inside the X-777F that can be removed if necessary. Some of you may want to do this because you may feel that the mouse isn’t light enough. Unscrewing the X-777F’s mouse weight is a piece of cake, just open, unscrew, and you’re done. Something to take notice of is the OMRON mice buttons made in China that are used to actually register your clicks. These are rated at 800,000 clicks, so you’ll most likely be dead by the time the mouse stops working. Like other mice, an LED is all it takes to change the scroll wheel’s color. The one thing I was puzzled by was the rather shoddy construction and cutting of the PCB and how the actual tiny individual USB cable hooked up to the mouse. It seemed rather frail but unless your are whipping your mouse around trying to lasso some dude at a LAN, I wouldn’t worry about it.

Besides the dual PCB layer containing the DPI sensor and other chips, if you notice carefully you’ll see markings labeled ‘X-750BF-K’ and ‘2006.02.03.’ This leads me to believe A4Tech, like Logitech, Razer and others, is simply regurgitating the same standard mouse design and slowly releasing additional models with incremental feature upgrades in order to get the consumer to buy newer mice. Not that any of this should come as a surprise to you since any corporation should be trying to maximize profit while minimizing expenditures by re-utilizing the money spent on R&D, but nonetheless it’s still something to keep in mind when you, the consumer, are bombarded with ‘ultra cool’ new mice that claim to turn you into a dominating FPS machine. We all know practice, talent, and reaction time can go a long way in making you a better player no matter what gear you’re using.

However, if your equipment is what is holding you back, this mouse isn’t a bad option to consider. Unlike the current generation of Logitech G5, the A4Tech X-777F actually has two side buttons. The buttons are a little on the loose side but they are still perfectly suited for use in both desktop and gaming environments. As you can see from the spread above, Logitech users looking for something different will feel nearly at home with the mouse’s curvy design. Razer lovers and Apple Mighty Mouse freaks look elsewhere. In all seriousness, the mouse for the most part has a great exterior and is thoughtfully designed, the problem though is that this mouse still utilizes the Agilent 6010 that the Logitech G5 and Fanatec Headshot have been equipped with for a while now, and we all know of the inherent quirky-ness of laser mice. It’s pretty obvious to those of us who use low and medium sensitivities that laster technology obviously isn’t as mature as optical engine technology. So if you’ve been experiencing skipping problems with your Logitech G5, this mouse isn’t going to fix it. If you’re the type of person that fits in this category and moves the mouse at a high rate of speed, you will suffer stuttering and skipping problem without a doubt

{mospagebreak title=Features}
After connecting the mouse and booting up I ignored the drivers that were sent to me and tested the mouse without them. A quick session of Counter-Strike gave me the impression that the mouse worked perfectly fine without drivers. So users who intend on using their A4Tech X-777F’s at LANs need not worry about this issue. Afterwards I installed the unreleased drivers for the mouse. After a quick reboot I noticed the ugly A4Tech mouse icon in my systray and the newly created A4Tech Hardware folder in my Program Files menu. I opened it up and the usual ugly half-assed interface stuck out like a sore thumb. Some of you may not even care about drivers but when trying to rate the entire experience it is essential that the company not rest on it’s laurels and actually pay attention to what could be a really nice piece of software. The first thing you’ll see is the button assignment tab where you can test your double-click speed and customize what you want your second to fifth mouse buttons to do. This would have been great but there didn’t seem to be an option for simply leaving the button function as ‘Mouse 4′ and Mouse 5.’ Because there was no option I couldn’t access my grenades I had previously bound for these buttons in Counter-Strike.


It’s a shame really because although the presentation is awful the software has the capability of being really useful. The additional mouse menus basically rehash everything you would find in the standard mouse options panel but instead centralizes everything in one place. This is nice but it is missing one key setting I was looking all over for. I had honestly hoped that there would be some way to adjust the speed of the 3-in-1 mouse button. If such an option would have been included it would have literally saved the mouse. I’ll articulate on why this missing feature was so crucial to this mouse’s success later on. For now, the advanced menus of the driver software will pop up settings that will allow you to customize the sensitivity of both the X and Y axis of the mouse, Windows sensitivity options, and whether or not you want acceleration.


I normally use a Logitech MX518 and I enjoy using the Mouse 4 & 5 buttons to move back and forth between webpages. On the A4Tech X-777F not only is this possible but an intriguing Net/LuckyJump menu system is integrated into the driver software. This lets you create and customize a menu system with whatever buttons you want to launch any program or command you want. As you can see in the screen shots above you can literally open 14 programs if you assign your Mouse 4 or 5 button to either setting anywhere on the screen. You might be saying, "well I already have desktop and quicklaunch icons for that", but imagine not having to move your mouse hardly at all to open iTunes or mIRC. Sounds nice right? Too bad the visual implementation is on the weak side. The icons seem to only display themselves in 8-bit color so even if you’ve hunted down a snazzy new icon for mIRC your stuck with something that looks straight out of Windows 95. A4Tech: it’s the year 2007, we don’t want crappy looking software or icons invading our desktop, if you can’t do it right then maybe just don’t do it at all.


{mospagebreak title=Testing}

Again, reviewing mice is a subjective thing. I’ve always been amazed by the threads in the forums by people asking strangers what ‘the best’ mouse is and what mouse pad they should use it with. The answer is that only you will know what mouse is right for you. Everyone has different hand shapes and sizes. I particularly enjoy the feel and ergonomics of Logitech mice. I’ve used my hybrid Logitech MX510/518 for a long time now, and if I had to switch to the A4Tech X-777F in the middle of a CAL or CEVO season, I would hardly be bothered by it. Think of this mouse as what those other mice should have been. That isn’t to say this mouse is the best, but it seriously picks up where those mice left off in terms of additional buttons and comfortable design.

After inspecting the drivers I tested the mouse at both high, medium and low sensitivities on three different types of mouse surfaces. The hard plastic of the fUnc pad made this mouse glide pretty well. However, it was by no means a ’smooth-as-butter’ experience. I would have loved it if A4Tech had used big super slick Teflon mouse skates instead of the average run of the mill feet you find on any Dell mouse out there. The gigantic QcK+ was a little less smooth than the hard plastic but the friction felt really nice. Lastly, the most slippery surface was my engineered wooden desk. The mouse skates made a high pitched friction sound that I didn’t enjoy, and if I moved the mouse quickly the surface was OK to use, but if I moved the mouse slowly it would drag on me. I don’t recommend using this mouse without a pad at all. During my personal testing I found optimal tracking at 1.25 sensitivity in Counter-Strike 1.6 on the fUnc pad and the Green LED DPI at a resolution of 1280 x 1024 @ 60Hz. I literally felt back at home with the mouse.

So you may think by this point that I totally enjoyed using this mouse and wouldn’t ever go back to my old one. Well, this isn’t the case. At a sensitivity of 1.00 and using the SteelPad QcK+ I found myself a victim of the immature laser engine. On several occasions while playing both versions of Counter-Strike I would be trying to perform a do-or-die 180° and found my view skewed off to the side, top, bottom or even shaking. This is unacceptable for those of you who whip your mouse and entire arm around on a huge pad when your reaction time demands it. I found myself never ever using the DPI changer in any Counter-Strike game and hardly using it when playing Battlefield 2. As neat as the feature is, I think many people will find it unnecessary for almost any game.

Clearly gamers value speed, efficiency and accuracy above all, and the inherent design of laser mice at this current time prevent those three elements from being achieved with this mouse at all levels. This mouse is no slouch, but it will skip at higher velocities - no ifs, ands, or buts about it. I did however verify that the acceleration-disabled option worked fine by moving the mouse and lining up my crosshair with parallel angles and managing to land my crosshair in the same spot every time I ran out of mousepad space. Only until I started whipping the mouse around very quickly did I notice that the aim was way off. Acceleration is every player’s worst enemy in games like Counter-Strike, but Quake or Unreal Tournament players who still enjoy the benefits of acceleration can rest assured that they can still have their acceleration if they want it.

The biggest attraction this mouse offers by far is the 3-in-1 mouse button. You’ve probably been wondering if your favorite tournament/league might even ban the use of such a mouse, since it could be considered a cheat. Well you can forget it being considered an illegal aid in combat because it fails to function properly with almost every single weapon in Counter-Strike 1.6, Counter-Strike: Source, BattleField 2, and Quake 4.

Take a look at the waveform above. It is the visual representation of a Mac-10 firing three rounds in Counter-Strike 1.6. Now it is logical to assume that the 3-in-1 button won’t work with every weapon, such as the knife. However for guns that have a fast firing rate you’d expect the mouse to be pumping out bullets as fast as it can, just as if you were burst firing. Unfortunately for the A4Tech X-777F this isn’t the case. Notice the first wave and how the sound is in one continuous wave. This tells us that the bullets are firing as they should at a high rate of speed. Now look at the waveform on the right, it clearly shows the gaps in between each round as I clicked the 3-in-1 button. This is why I advocated so strongly for a setting in the mouse drivers that would allow me to adjust the speed of the 3-in-1 button. Obviously the way the mouse is designed is to fire one round after the other in three shot bursts. However, it does so so slowly that you are better off trying to burst fire on your own. Perhaps the firing rate is designed this way so that it can work universally with most weapons? This is not the case at all.

 

In my testing I found that the 3-in-1 button was actually firing at a slower rate than if I had just held down my main mouse button to shoot three bullets. This is unacceptable. Eliminating the opposition in an FPS game is key, and it must be done as quickly as possible. I am not going to wait for three bullets to slowly come out of my weapon when using the 3-in-1 button if I can just hold down the button I’ve been using for all these years to kill the enemy faster and more accurately. As you can see above I actually stopped testing weapons in BattleField 2 since it was the last game I tested and because it was clear what the results were across the board. It is interesting that A4Tech is using a snapshot of Counter-Strike 1.6 in their promotional materials when I could only get the button to work absolutely flawlessly with three weapons in the game. Other weapons that did fire three shots did so so slowly you could make out each bullet as it was fired from a given gun. I’m sorry but if most guns will fire faster by just regular clicking than with the 3-in-1 button, this feature is completely useless. Yes, it can function as a useful highlighting tool in desktop applications, but we’re primarily talking about games here. I don’t particularly like buying products that have features I can’t use because the design is either implemented wrong or it simply doesn’t work as advertised. In this case the A4Tech X-777F fails to deliver on its 3-in-1 mouse button, plain and simple.

The following URL is a link to .mp3’s of several weapons fired in Counter-Strike 1.6 to show the velocity at which the 3-in-1 mouse button discharges bullets. It is very apparent when listening to each file carefully that the first three-round manual burst is always faster than that of the second three shot burst conducted using the special mouse button. Before I go any further I will say that in one file the 3-in-1 button is actually discharged first, then the manual 3 shot burst is heard. I will not say which file this is, but it should be apparent that when the button works properly you can hear how fast and effective the rate of fire can be. Too bad it is the exception rather than the norm.

Click Here For Weapon Discharge Test Audio Files

{mospagebreak title=Conclusion}

The A4Tech X-777F is a well-rounded mouse. Even though one of the primary features of this mouse ended up being a dud, the mouse is designed in such a way that you can safely ignore the 3-in-1 button and continue using the mouse normally. That is, if you’re ok with paying for features and buttons you aren’t going to use. That being said, this mouse still packs quite a punch with an impressive 2500 DPI - but what is all that DPI good for if you can’t track properly? Gamers don’t want to deal with their hardware being inadequate. They already have other things to be worried about and asking whether or not their mouse will fail them in critical situations is a huge minus for this mouse. The fact that the buttons and ugly driver software don’t allow you to change the rate of fire of the 3-in-1 button is a huge mistake, as it would have probably saved this feature. One should always remember that a better mouse doesn’t make you a better player. Some of world’s best players use mice that aren’t nearly as powerful as the mouse shown here today. You should use a mouse that simply makes it easier for you to do the things you want to do. Be it flick shooting or railing, a mouse should be designed to help, not deter from your gaming experience. Unfortunately the inherent oddities of the laser engine and the complete uselessness of the 3-in-1 button detract from the overall value of this mouse. Yes it is true that the laser engines found in this and other mice have the ability to track on surfaces their optical cousins simply cannot, but at least the older technology functioned properly. I loved that A4Tech included all the buttons a gamer could want with the X-777F and placed it in a unique exterior, but in the end the faults may come back to haunt.

Pros

+ Aesthetics unique, eye-catching
+ Very well designed ergonomics. Easy to pickup and frag.
+ Feels great on a variety of surfaces (plastic, cloth, not wood)
+ Texture on main mouse buttons feels really great
+ DPI indicator unique and although it only cycles it works well without drivers
+ Extremely lightweight cord. As if it was cordless.
+ Scroll wheel is dead silent
+ Internal weight is very easy to remove

Cons
- Tracking problems inherent to laser engine
- Ugly software driver missing key features
- 3-in-1 mouse button fails to deliver effective results
- Mouse skates not even close to being gaming-grade
- Non-ambidextrous (subjective)
- MSRP considering the cheap mouse skates, software, and useless button

Rating
6.0 out of 10

The A4Tech X-777F performs very well for the most part and is sure to be an eye-catcher at any event you attend. Besides the unique aesthetics the mouse was able to handle high sensitivity play on medium to small sized mousing surfaces without a hitch. Only in the intense and grueling gaming sessions with low to medium sensitivities did the mouse fail to perform. Although the mouse is packed with features, I can say without a doubt that you will find the additional 3-in-1 button as useless as the software drivers provided. While we very much appreciate innovation and the concept is very intriguing, it just didn’t work right. The ergonomics are well designed but considering the cost compared to other mice that don’t have tracking issues and useless features tacked on I cannot recommend this mouse to gamers that play with the aformentioned style of sensitivity and play area. Always knowing in the back of your mind that if you play at low to medium sensitivity with a large pad and you whip your mouse around too fast that it could stutter is unacceptable for a gaming mouse. With that being said, I absolutely recommend the A4Tech X-777F for anyone who wants a comfortable mouse with two side buttons that plays at a high sensitivity. You won’t see the problems the Agilent 6010 engine has and you’ll be standing out in a crowd of clones. Always remember that with mice your mileage may vary. Whatever you choose to do, as long as you are satisfied with your mouse and how it feels and performs in your hands, then keep on fragging! Thanks for reading.

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