In the past, Zowie dominated the market of gaming mice. Nobody could compete with their great classic shapes; they produced products designed for professionals and used by professionals. But Zowie needed to innovate if they wanted to stay on top. One mouse manufacturer, in particular became a favorite head clicker for many CSGO professionals as other companies unavoidably entered the market and stole their thunder.

Vaxee has gained significant notoriety in the last several years, particularly among Counter Strike players. Because their mice employed new technology, they were potentially just as good and were less expensive. They have become one of Zowie’s biggest rivals.

It’s no secret that Zowie has long been regarded as the GOAT when it comes to mouse shape. Plenty of players swear by it, and it has been forever that way. Back in 2010, in collaboration with Counter Strike Legends HeatoN and SpawN, Zowie released the EC1 and EC2. Two mice later became recognizable figures in the FPS (First Person Shooting) scene.

Counter Strike players, in particular, fell in love with their shape and the fact that you could adjust all the settings by using buttons on the bottom of the mice, such as DPI, polling rate, and click response speed. As a result, the pros using LAN didn’t have to bother about downloading any software onto their PCs. Products by Zowie were genuinely designed with pros in mind.

However, since the shape did not necessarily work for everyone, Zowie added the S, FK, and ZA series mice to their lineup. Their products now covered nearly every shape and size you could imagine, and even pro players who preferred ambidextrous mice had options.

Zowie had an absolute grip on the CSGO player community. The majority of pros were using their products, sure, but as it turns out, Zowie may have taken this for granted. As other companies began implementing wireless technology and overall better components, many pros began jumping ship. To make matters worse, a few of Zowie’s founders quit the company in order to launch their own projects.

In April 2020, a group of four Zowie employees officially announced the arrival of VAXEE. A manufacturer of peripherals for the professional eSports market. It didn’t take long for the community to learn what kind of products they would produce, which was exciting in and of itself. In August of that same year, Vaxee presented their initial offering to the public.

The legendary Japanese Counter-Strike player NAPO collaborated with Vaxee to create the ZYGEN NP-01. Even the most devoted Zowie enthusiasts were intrigued to test it out because it resembled the S2 and EC2 models from Zowie in terms of size and shape.

Considering that the NP-01 was Vaxee’s first ever release, it received overwhelmingly positive reviews. Within a few months, all Counter-Strike gamers were favoring the NP-01 over their tried-and-true Zowies. Vaxee was able to produce new and improved mice with diverse shapes and, in some cases, reduced weights swiftly because of their resurgence in the CS scene.

They effectively did what was expected of them from the beginning. Vaxee made great mice with great shapes that rivaled their initial creations at Zowie, and in most cases, they were actually better. However, the Vaxee mouse still lacked one essential feature, much like Zowie.

While every other manufacturer was showing off their latest and greatest wireless tech, Zowie and Vaxee fans were begging both companies to ditch their clunky paracords and go wire free. Now, for Zowie, there was quite a lot of pressure to do this. Fans of their products had literally been waiting years for Zowie to go wireless and were beginning to get a little impatient.

So they gave in and unveiled wireless versions of the EC in January. They were, however, criticized for its high price tag and slightly outdated 3370 sensor. But the real cherry on top was the Vaxee’s announcement of a wireless version of the XE, just four days after Zowie released theirs.

In comparison to Zowie’s wireless EC, the Vaxee XE wireless mouse was less expensive, came with a new sensor, and offered customers a genuine look into the manufacturing process. The wireless XE was introduced by Vaxee along with a video that explained why particular parts were used and why the mouse weighed 76 grams.

The company’s transparency has definitely earned them a lot of respect from fans over the past couple of years. You, too, would be eager to know how this mouse performs. Well, here are some reviews I can share from my experience.

First things first, the packaging is made up entirely of recyclable paper and cardboard. There is simply a mouse, a dongle, and a cable. There is also zero plastic which I really appreciate. All that matters to Vaxee is how the product works, and lowering packaging costs is an excellent way to support that.

As for the mouse itself, it’s basically a G Pro with a Zowie grade adjustability interface. The clicks are super crispy, as are the side buttons and have little to no post travel. The scroll wheel gives no cause for complaints. At the top of the mouse is a function button that lets you check the battery life, which, according to Vaxee, is 90 hours in standard mode and half that in high speed mode and when run in the competitive firmware.

Compared to the Logitech G Pro, the Vaxee XE feels, maybe, built better. It comes off as less dinky and toy-like in hand. All in all, the Vaxee XE seems like a cheaper, arguably better G Pro. Because of the pricing, XC is a better option if you prefer the G Pro shape.

The dimensions of the Vaxee XE mouse are about 12 cm in base length, 12.4 cm in length (including overhang), 1 cm in front height, and 3.87 cm in height. It boasts a safe, carefully constructed, ambidextrous shape that Vaxee was smart to put forward as their first wireless offering.

Therefore, there is no denying that the Vaxee team has created an amazing mouse. It’s not surprising that professionals are already experimenting with it because it might even be superior to the wireless EC that their former company, Zowie, just announced. Many casual users will tell you that Vaxee mice are the future, but despite their high price and inferior hardware compared to that of other manufacturers, there are many loyal fans willing to foot the bill once Zowie adds a wireless option for their favorite shapes. The strong competition between these two companies may actually hasten this process.