This IS the DrunkDeer Glacier X, and it’s an interesting proposition because rather than using traditional mechanical switches for its main clicks, it’s using something called MIMS, or Magnetic Induction Micro Switch technology. Mouthful that one. I mean, I know Logitech kinda got there first with their X2 Pro SuperStrike, but DrunkDeer have now launched a mouse to Kickstarter with magnetic switches, and we’ve been lucky enough to get our hands on one, so today I wanted to talk about it because I haven’t been using it for too long, but from what I’ve seen so far, it’s a pretty decent offering.
Let’s start with the switches because that’s really the highlight here. It’s what makes this mouse stand out from most other conventional gaming mice on the market. I mean there’s only a handful of them I believe, from Logitech of course, but RAWM have one now, Keychron have one and there are a couple of others. But magnetic switches are still far from being mainstream. Magnetic switches according to DrunkDeer are designed to eliminate debounce delay, which is commonly found in mechanical switches, while also eliminating double-clicking caused by switch wear.
Of course there are several benefits to magnetic switches, but the key advantage here is you can change how your click behaves, by changing the actuation levels. Here, you can choose between 1 to 12 mm of distance. And this really depends on what you find comfortable. 1mm for me really isn’t great. It’s quite annoying as the mouse click becomes super sensitive. It feels way more comfortable around 5mm to me anyway, but of course your milage may vary and I cannot really comment on this on your behalf. And because you’ve got magnetic switches, Rapid Trigger tech comes into play too. I’m unsure if this has any kind of effect inside of competitive games or not. I’ve never had any issues, but to be fair, I’m not good enough at games for the game to think I’m using tech to make me better anyway.
And finally, you have haptic feedback so you know when you’re hitting the actuation point, and it feels okay. I’ve got mine set to 2 out of 5 levels of feedback. It gets a bit wild towards the latter end of the scale, but around 2 feels quite nice. Enough to know you’ve made a click, but not enough to feel odd.
DrunkDeer has also included different presets for how these features can be configured. There’s an FPS mode, which is configured around sensitive triggering and fast reset time, while the MOBA mode is designed around a more balanced trigger setting and reduced misclicks. Office mode turns everything gaming-related off and just keeps it more like a conventional mouse. All of this can be adjusted, as well as things like the 8K polling rate inside of the web driver, which will eventually be able to be acccessed on the DrunkDeer website.
Moving away from the switches, the Glacier X uses a PixArt PAW3955 sensor. The sensor supports a DPI range from 100 all the way up to 50,000 DPI. It has a maximum acceleration rating of 60G and a tracking speed of up to 750 inches per second. However, comparing it to the Logitech X2 Pro Superstrike’s HERO 2, on paper, they’re both seriously capable sensors, with both supporting 8K polling, but their specifications are slightly different. While the PAW in the Glacier goes up to 50,000 DPI, 750 IPS and 60G acceleration, the HERO 2 reaches 44,000 DPI, over 888 IPS and over 88G acceleration. So while the DrunkDeer has the higher maximum DPI, Logitech’s HERO 2 has the higher rated tracking speed and acceleration. I thought I’d just mention this, as the X2 Superstrike is the mouse I’ve just left to test the Glacier. What is also quite nice about the Glacier, is that an 8K polling rate is available in both wired and 2.4GHz mode.
It has a 300mAh battery, and when you are using it wirelessly, the connection is handled through that 2.4GHz system. The box also includes the wireless receiver extension adapter and a data cable, along with the mouse, quick-start guide and an anti-slip sticker. In terms of the physical design, the Glacier X has a symmetrical shape. It’s approximately 125 millimetres long, 63 millimetres wide and 38 millimetres high. This one here weighs 64 grams according to my scale here, which is slightly heavier than the Superstrike but not enough for me to be put off. It’s pretty simple in looks. It’s got a lovely grippy coated finish to it, and for me in a palm grip, it’s nice and comfortable to hold. Everything is very reachable, and the hump sits into the centre of my hand rather well. And inside of games, playing for long periods of time, it’s such a comfortable offering. On the bottom are four what I would call very skinny skates. They’re absolutely fine for gliding across the desk, but I was shocked to really see their size. There are spares in the box, as well as some grip tape if you wanted the extra grip on your mouse.
So that’s the Glacier X. A symmetrical wireless gaming mouse, weighing around 62 to 63 grams, with a PAW3955 sensor, dual 8K wired and wireless polling, a 300mAh battery, and, most importantly, DrunkDeer’s MIMS magnetic switch system. And with 12 levels of actuation, five Rapid Trigger levels plus off, and five levels of haptic feedback, there’s a lot more to configuring the click than simply plugging in a mouse and choosing your DPI. The Glacier X is now heading to Kickstarter, and that’s where this particular mouse is being introduced through DrunkDeer’s new campaign. There’ll be a link down in the comments to check it out.
