The Cherry XTRFY M64 Pro and standard M64 are ultralight looking to rival the likes of the , , and . It may have the high-tier performance to make the grade and a stunning light design, but some curious design decisions and a lack of software customization put it in a tough spot, especially when its MSRP of $139 (as opposed to $99 for the standard model) doesn’t give it much breathing room against these more stalwart competitors.
Cherry XTRFY M64 Pro – Photos
Cherry XTRFY M64 Pro – Design and Features
The M64 Pro looks rather like your basic mouse, a turn gaming mice have taken lately for the aim of offering an ultra-light design. For the M64, that lands it at a trim 55 grams for the Pro model (and 52 grams for the non-Pro version). I’ve gone hands-on with some light mice in the past, including the Logitech G Pro X Superlight 2 and Razer Viper V3 Pro, and Cherry has the former beat and stacks up with the latter as far as weight is concerned.
That ultralight design leaves the mouse feeling a little cheap, but that’s largely unavoidable. The build is at least sturdy, with only minor flexing and creaking under pressure. There’s little else to take it beyond the basics. It offers two sizable thumb buttons and a clickable scroll wheel, but no special lighting or extra surface buttons. There is just one light on the left side of the mouse, near the bottom edge, and it serves as an indicator light and nothing more. The M64 Pro comes in either a black design with white accents or a white design with black accents (whereas the M64 can be had in black or white with teal accents or a light blue with copper accents).
The M64 Pro, as a counterpart to the symmetrical M68 Pro, offers an ergonomic, right-handed design. It has a deep hip for the thumb, but a much shallower groove for ring and pinky fingers. Along with the small size of the mouse, it ends up cramped for large hands in palm and claw grips alike. That said, it’s not so different from most mice I test, which don’t tend to cater to large hands.
Though the size is forgivable, Cherry made an absolutely puzzling design decision. It went for a very low front edge for the M64 Pro. It’s so low that there was no room for a charging port. As a result, the USB-C charging port is tucked into a little slot at the back right edge of the mouse. The slot has a small rubber cover (that most of us will presumably lose one day). Because of this placement, if you run out of battery and want to continue using the mouse, you’ll be doing so with a cable coming out of the side. It’s new to me and thoroughly unpleasant when using the firm rubber cable Cherry includes with the mouse. But a second, ultra-light fabric cable proves surprisingly pliant and makes a side-inserted cable much less obnoxious than I’d expected.
On the underside, you’ll find a four-way switch. One of these positions simply turns the mouse off, though it will continue operating over a wired connection. The others turn it on and set it into the corresponding configuration mode. With these selected, a button on the underside of the mouse cycles through different levels for each setting. The settings include CPI (sensitivity), PR (polling rate), and DT (debounce time). This allows for on-device adjustments without the need for software.
The M64 Pro certainly has the performance and design to stack up to the competition…
If you’re thinking that might be a little tedious, you’re right. You’ll probably need to keep the quickstart guide handy if you expect to make occasional changes. The CPI toggle lets you cycle through 8 different levels from 400 CPI to 26000 CPI. On the Pro model, the polling rate toggle lets you go from 125Hz to 8000Hz with three other levels between (500Hz, 1000Hz, and 4000Hz). You can finally select among 2ms, 4ms, 8ms, and 12ms debounce times. You can also adjust lift-off distance, motion sync, and sensor performance mode by holding the setting button on the bottom of the mouse and clicking a combination of buttons on the top of the mouse. To know which setting level you’ve selected, you have to look at the indicator light on the mouse and check against the colors listed in the guide (which are small and faint, making it a challenge).
The small indicator light on the mouse poses an additional challenge. With the mouse in my hand, I barely notice it, and it’s the only indicator of battery level. So far, I’ve gone through several battery cycles with the M64 Pro, and only once did I manage to catch the low-battery warning before the mouse died. And every time it died unexpectedly, I had to use it with a cable coming out of the side.
The big difference between the M64 Pro and the standard M64 is that the Pro can jump up to 4000Hz and 8000Hz polling rates by way of a specialized dongle with indicator lights for polling rate and sensitivity. To support the demands of faster polling, the M64 Pro also comes with a slightly larger battery. The M64 uses a smaller, USB-A dongle and includes just the light paracord-style cable.
Looking to upgrade your keyboard?
Best Overall
SteelSeries Apex Pro (Gen 3)
From nearly every angle, the SteelSeries Apex Pro is the ideal gaming keyboard with Hall Effect switches, an OLED control panel, and solid construction.
Be sure to check out our roundup of the best gaming keyboards!
Cherry XTRFY M64 Pro – Gaming and Performance
On the bright side, the M64 Pro performs exceptionally. Its light weight makes it easy to whip about in frantic firefights, and its tracking is on point. I had no trouble during a belated playthrough of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 campaign. Sinking a few hours into Delta Force during its early demo, I could consistently snap onto enemies with a sniper and put accurate shots down range.
Through it all, the M64 Pro proved responsive and consistent. The main mouse buttons don’t have a particular distinct feel, offering a light resistance and short, snappy travel with a rather mellow click sound. But throughout the hours of use, they never once misbehaved. The scroll wheel offers notches for granular control yet it also moves easily for quick operation. Clicking the scroll wheel proves rather firm, but again, consistent.
The thumb button design on Cherry’s mice is also exceptional. The M64’s sizable buttons make it easy to feel them out and depend on in the heat of battle. While plenty of mice go with small or overly mushy thumb buttons, Cherry's are clicky, crisp, and large.
The big downside to the M64’s performance is that you have to dial in all your game settings to meet the mouse rather than dialing the mouse to your preferred setting. You only get so many CPI options and almost no granularity. If you’ve been gaming at one sensitivity (like me at 2,500 CPI) for a long time, you may not get to set the mouse to your desired sensitivity. Instead, you’ll have to adjust settings in every game you play to get back your muscle memory.
…but its lack of software for more complete customization and the tedious way of making adjustments hold it back.
Battery life is also a bit of a black box. Cherry rates it at up to 90 hours, which is likely under ideal conditions, as the 8000Hz polling rate and the sensor’s Pro Gaming Mode consume much more power. Given I’ve had the mouse die multiple times in a week, I’d pin the peak-setting battery life at under 20 hours when using it’s performance-minded features.
For the average user, the difference between the M64 Pro and standard M64 will likely be imperceptible. Whether a keyboard or mouse, when I’ve tested products that went beyond 1000Hz polling rates, I’ve never noticed the difference (except on battery drain). While ostensibly the faster polling rate ensures every input and movement is detected that much sooner, there are so many links in the chain adding to the input lag you ultimately feel that the difference 8000Hz makes simply won’t be noticeable. An advantage is an advantage though, and if you want it, no harm in having it. If you’re not going for the pros, the $40 in savings for the standard M64 will probably make a lot of sense.
Originally posted: Oct 23, 2024 7:59 pm
Verdict
The M64 Pro performs wonderfully as a gaming mouse, but at $139, it has to. It’s exceptionally light and tracks impeccably. It also lets you tap into an 8000Hz polling rate when every iota of extra performance counts. The price marks a narrow discount next to the Viper V3 Pro, and that’s tough, because that mouse is a monster. The M64 Pro certainly has the performance and design to stack up to the competition, but its lack of software for more complete customization and the tedious way of making adjustments hold it back.