We reviewed QPAD’s very first gaming mouse – the excellent 5K – back in 2009 and since then the company has gone on to produce more great gaming mice, as well as keyboards and award-winning headsets. The DX-20, though, is a complete redesign and a comparatively expensive one too. It’s still relatively long at 130mm, but it now lacks the five-finger grip support of its predecessors and sports an ambidextrous design, albeit with thumb buttons on the left side. It’s narrower too, with no support for fingers other than your usual two finger buttons.
It’s also much shallower than QPAD’s other mice. It’s Inspired by Microsoft’s legendary Intellimouse – and it’s easy to see the resemblance – yet it also retains much of the prowess of QPAD’s previous mice. Despite its smaller volume, it still feels fantastic to use and it’s long enough even for large-handed gamers, while small hands are still able to reach all the buttons, with the two main buttons requiring a fairly linear amount of actuation force most of the way back up the casing. This design will likely suit many grip types, plus the main buttons also use Omron switches.
The two side buttons are perfectly placed and only the very large or very small-handed would find any struggle to reach them. The button switches also feel fantastic in use, feeling more precise than those on Logitech’s G402, for example. The same can be said for the scroll wheel too, which is supremely quiet whether you roll or press it.
There are twin DPI toggle switches for up and down shifting of the 3,500dpi optical Pixart 3320 sensor, which boasts zero acceleration. The rest of the specification might sound lacking compared with many modern gaming mice – a maximum tracking speed of 80in/sec and imaging speed of 3.6MP/sec are lower figures than even QPADs other mice, but such high figures are nominal for most gamers anyway. The DX-20 felt fantastic in games, with very positive and precise positioning, plus we found we became used to the design very quickly. At 97g, it also feels quite weighty for a small to medium-sized mouse, although it glides easily enough over most surfaces, especially fabric mouse mats.
Meanwhile, the included software is simple but inclusive of all the features you need to adjust the sensitivity at 50dpi intervals, albeit with no independent axis tuning, plus you can tweak the lift-off distance, USB polling rate and even do some macro recording. All seven buttons can be reprogrammed and you can control three RGB LEDs on the mouse too, including the logo, a base ring LED and scroll wheel DPI indicator.
The DX-20 doesn’t have the extensive customisation of some other expensive gaming mice, but the software is easy to use and the mouse well made, well designed and very comfortable when gaming. It’s a pleasure to use and very responsive. The only downer is the price, which is high for a mouse that lacks features such as a sniper button or independent X and Y axis sensitivity adjustment. If you have the money, and these features don’t interest you, though, then the DX-20 is a cracking mouse that won’t disappoint. ANTONY LEATHER
VERDICT
Well made, well designed and very comfortable to use. The DX-20 is a great addition to QPAD’s peripheral stable, although it’s not cheap.
SPECIFICATIONS
Sensor 3,500dpi optical
Connection Wired, USB
Cable 2m, braided
Materials Plastic
Extras RGB lighting