First things first: The XPG Slingshot is a much better mouse than the XPG Alpha or Alpha Wireless. That still doesn't mean it is particularly good, however.

As far as the shape goes, the Slingshot is closely modeled after the Zowie EC1. While EC series-inspired mice are a dime a dozen, it's usually the smaller EC2 instead of the large EC1 that is copied. Hence, while the shape of the Slingshot is hardly unique, the size at least is somewhat rare, and turns the Slingshot into one of the few choices for large-handed palm grip users looking for a right-handed ergonomic budget option. XPG went even further in emulating the Zowie EC series in that the stiffness of the main buttons for the most part matches that of Zowie mice. If anything, the main buttons on the Slingshot may be a bit heavier than the Huano switches on recent EC series releases. Durability is rather dubious, however, as unspecified Kailh switches rated for 20 million clicks are used on the Slingshot, which typically would see use as side-button switches instead. Furthermore, the right main button leaves something to be desired, as it doesn't properly bottom out, leading to muted feedback upon actuation. The side buttons have impressively low post-travel, but pre-travel on the back button in particular is higher than desired, and the pressure point isn't even across the entirety of the buttons, either. The scroll wheel fares much better by comparison, providing tactile scrolling at low noise levels. The wheel click, however, is a bit too heavy for my liking, to where actuating it becomes a chore. From what I can tell, this isn't due to the switch used but rather the wheel construction, which is simply too rigid. For what it's worth, XPG has informed me that the switch actuation force will be lowered for future batches.

The Slingshot weighs in at 73 g, which is decently light considering its size but hardly worth writing home about. Holes have been used very liberally to achieve this weight, covering the bottom, sides, and back entirely. For whatever reason, the hole pattern extends deep into the left main button, but not the right one. This appears to be an aesthetic choice, which is doubly irritating given that the holes on the left button extend to where they may interfere with one's fingers. I'm sure most people would value function over looks in this case, especially since these holes aren't that sightly to begin with. From an engineering standpoint, I'd also argue that putting more effort into designing a smaller and thinner PCB would have been a better way of reducing weight than putting holes literally everywhere. The structural integrity of the shell at least hasn't been compromised too much by this design choice, as I can't get the shell to flex or the side buttons to actuate when squeezing, despite the shell creaking majorly. As with the the Alpha and Alpha Wireless, the feet are of the standard black-dyed variety and nothing more than decent. The same could be said of the cable, which too is just decent. In terms of flexibility, the Zowie EC3-C cable for instance is much better, whereas the cable used by older VAXEE releases is worse.

XPG has opted for the trusty old PMW3360 sensor on the Slingshot, which continues to be a serviceable choice for wired mice. Accordingly, performance is largely fine as expected, with one exception: At both 500 and 1000 Hz, polling won't be entirely stable regardless of which RGB lighting effect is active or whether illumination is enabled in the first place. I've been informed by XPG that in their testing, this could be only reproduced on some motherboards, but not on others. Other than that, motion delay is low, CPI deviation kept to a minimum, and general tracking fine. Click latency cannot be adjusted and sits at exactly 5.0 ms, which is decent and roughly matches what current Zowie mice are able to muster. I've also been informed by XPG that a later version of Prime will support debounce time adjustment, which may enable one to possibly lower click latency further. Speaking of, XPG Prime once again is the software of choice. Being prompted to create a user account every time the application is launched continues to be a nuisance, and both CPU and RAM usage can be deemed excessive, especially when the RGB lighting preview is active, which increases CPU usage quite a bit.

Overall, the XPG Slingshot isn't bad, but it also lacks any unique or otherwise noteworthy features standing out and compelling one to pick this over something else. At $39.99, the pricing is fair for what is on offer, so for those looking for an affordable Zowie EC1 and not minding plenty of holes, the Slingshot may be worth a look. Everyone else is likely better served elsewhere.