The best gaming mice come in all shapes and sizes: honeycomb, standard, you name it. The Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless hopes to join the big leagues but just falls short. It’s a lovely-looking mouse, sporting a minimalist design, and it’s mighty comfortable too. With 26,000 DPI and 1,000Hz polling to boot, it boasts great gaming performance too.
So what’s the problem? The M64 Wireless isn’t without its flaws, and given its price, those flaws feel jarring. Surprisingly, there’s no companion software for customizing the mouse, and the lack of Bluetooth may be disappointing for some. The mouse also features an awkwardly-placed USB-C port that limits wired use.
Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless review: Specs
Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless review: Cheat sheet
- What is it? A right-handed mouse with 26,000 DPI and 1,000Hz polling
- Who is it for? Casual gamers
- How much does it cost? The Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless is available for $99 / £84
- What do we like? The low-key design, comfort level, variable 26,000 DPI, and great gaming performance
- What don’t we like? The lack of Bluetooth and companion software, and the awkwardly-placed USB-C port
Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless review: The ups
The Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless sports a lovely, minimalist and comfortable design, and its 26,000 DPI and 1,000Hz polling make it great for gaming.
Simplistic, low-key design
I’ll be honest: I’m not usually a fan of flashy mice that feature loud RGB lighting. I also don’t like honeycomb mice as the design is divisive and I don’t like being able to see dust collect on the insides. Case in point: the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2 ($109). The Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless, then, is the antithesis of the Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2.
The M64 Wireless sports a simplistic, low-key design which makes it fit right into the office as well as most gaming setups. It’s available in Black, White and Blue colors. I tested the Black model with teal accents, and I love the look. The teal adds a nice pop of color without drawing too much attention to the mouse, and the teal strip under the scroll wheel looks lovely.
Comfortable and ergonomic
The Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless is a very comfortable and ergonomic mouse. It’s designed for right-handed folks (sorry to my left-handed brethren), and it fits my hand like a glove. The mouse measures 4.72 x 2.67 x 1.53 inches so it’s well-suited for small- and medium-sized hands. My medium-sized hand had no issues cradling the M64 Wireless, and I found the matte finish provided a good grip on it too.
This is quite a light mouse too, weighing just 1.87oz. It’s lighter than the 2.39oz SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2, the 2.75oz Keychron M6 8K ($69), and the 2.32oz Glorious Model D2 ($99). Though it’s light as a feather, the rubber strips on the M64 Wireless’ underside provide a sturdy grip on most surfaces. They also help it glide easily and without any friction.
Having used the M64 Wireless for the better part of a week, I can confidently say that it’s extremely comfortable. My hand and wrist didn’t feel fatigued even after using the mouse for a long gaming session.
Great gaming performance
What good is a comfortable mouse that isn’t great for gaming? Thankfully, the Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless packs performance in spades, and it’s well-suited for casual gaming. It boasts a maximum DPI of 26,000 which is adjustable in four levels via the button on the mouse’s underside. You also get 1,000Hz polling over wired and 2.4GHz wireless connections.
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To test the M64 Wireless, I played Cyberpunk 2077 and Counter-Strike 2 on our testing rig. Being able to adjust the DPI on the fly was very handy as I could drop it down to 400 for slow-mo movements, or increase it to 26,000 for ultra-fast movements. When I was in close-quarters combat in either game, I opted for a high DPI as I could then move and attack quickly, especially when surrounded by multiple enemies at once. This enabled me to change directions speedily and attack NPCs with, say, my knife — or whatever weapon I had equipped.
But when it came to using a big weapon like a sniper rifle to take out targets at a distance, I dropped the DPI by pressing the designated button. This helped me slow down my movements and I could aim better. When there multiple NPCs standing together and I needed to take out just one target, I was able to fine-tune my movements and execute a precise headshot, move to the next enemy, rinse and repeat. They never saw me coming.
In addition to variable DPI, the M64 Wireless packs a 1,000Hz polling rate too, which negates latency issues and input lag. 1,000Hz polling is enough for casual players, but if you’re a competitive gamer who partakes in high-refresh-rate gaming, you may want to consider a 4,000Hz mouse like the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2, or an 8,000Hz mouse like the Keychron M6 8K.
Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless review: The downs
Unfortunately, the Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless doesn’t feature Bluetooth or companion software, and the awkwardly-placed USB-C port makes it difficult to use the mouse wired.
No Bluetooth
Surprisingly, the Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless doesn’t feature Bluetooth. Now, I’ve used and tested my fair share of mice, and this is probably the first time I’ve seen a wireless mouse not pack in Bluetooth connectivity. Cherry advertises this as a competitive gaming mouse so I can kinda see why there’s no Bluetooth. Polling over Bluetooth is, more often than not, limited to 125Hz, so realistically, no gamer would be using it.
But does that justify its absence? Not entirely. We’ve seen similarly priced mice, like the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2, feature Bluetooth connectivity. It’s nice for those who work or play across systems. The only way to connect the M64 Wireless wirelessly is by using the included 2.4GHz dongle… but there’s no slot on the mouse’s body to slot the dongle into, so be careful you don’t lose it!
Awkwardly-placed port
In addition to wireless connectivity, the Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless can be used wired too, thanks to the included USB-C cable. But what’s frustrating is the USB-C port’s location on the mouse’s body. For some reason, Cherry decided to put it alongside the right-hand edge of the mouse.
To say it’s awkward and makes the mouse practically unusable as your hand keeps pressing against it would be an understatement. What gives, Cherry? I suppose the silver lining here is that Cherry didn’t decide to place it on the mouse’s underside (looking at you, Apple Magic Mouse).
If you want a great mouse with port placement that makes sense, I’d recommend the SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless Gen 2, the Keychron M6 8K or the Keychron M7 ($49). All are excellent alternatives and they feature tri-mode connectivity.
No companion software
Another thing that surprises me about the Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless is its lack of companion software. Sure, you can change the DPI, debounce time and polling rate via the buttons on the top and the mouse’s underside, but to not have any form of companion software for further customization is disappointing.
I’d have liked to have been able to assign custom values to the DPI and polling rate buttons, instead of the set of four (each) preloaded ones.
Expensive for what’s on offer
Last but not least, the Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless is an expensive mouse. Its pros simply fail to outweigh the cons. The lack of companion software and Bluetooth, as well as an awkwardly placed port make it difficult to justify the M64 Wireless’ premium price. It retails for $99 / £84 at Amazon — that’s quite a bit!
Thing is, mice have come leaps and bounds in recent years, and you’ve got brands like Keychron making fantastic mice for less than $70 — case in point, the Keychron M6 8K and the Keychron M7. The M6 8K even offers 8,000Hz polling while the M64 Wireless tops out at 1,000Hz. If the M64 Wireless was a little cheaper, it would have been a different story. But as things stand, I find it difficult to recommend it outright when it faces such fierce competition.
Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless review: Verdict
The Cherry XTRFY M64 Wireless isn’t without its compromises. There’s no Bluetooth so wireless connectivity is limited to 2.4GHz. The lack of companion software means you can’t customize the buttons and their respective functions. And don’t get me started on the placement of the USB-C port.
But this doesn’t mean that the M64 Wireless is all bad. For the price, you get a comfortable and minimalistically designed mouse that’s a joy to use. 26,000 DPI and 1,000Hz polling also make it great for casual gaming.
Unfortunately, those strengths just don’t make up for the M64 Wireless’ weaknesses, and when the mouse faces such fierce competition from the likes of Keychron, it’s difficult to recommend it at its retail price.
