Pulsar's eS (short for eSports) series is supposed to be a complement to their regular releases, namely the Xlite V3, X2H, and X2A. Unlike the Xlite V3 (see here for our review), which is offered in three sizes (Large, Medium, Small), the Xlite V3 eS is restricted to the Medium size. Size aside, the other main differences are as follows: The eS series comes with 4000 Hz wireless polling by default, and wired operation allows for up to 8000 Hz, instead of being limited to 1000 Hz. Configuration is done entirely on-device through buttons and an OLED display, forgoing the need for software completely. Due to this and the larger 500 mAh battery installed, at 65 g the Xlite V3 eS ends up weighing a good 10 g more than the Xlite V3 Medium, although one has to keep in mind that the latter also utilizes an open-bottom design, whereas the Xlite V3 eS has a solid shell top to bottom. That said, build quality at least is in a good spot on my unit: There is no shell creaking or flexing when applying lateral pressure, and the side buttons cannot be actuated by pressing below them, but when shaking the mouse there is indeed a rattle, although I'm unable to tell where it comes from. Still, the build is solid, and the weight compares quite well to the likes of Razer DeathAdder V3 Pro or Glorious Model D 2 Pro 4K/8KHz Edition, both of which are larger, however.
In terms of buttons, the differences to the non-eS editions are rather subtle. Once again, RAESHA optical switches are used for the main buttons, and as far as pre and post-travel go, they fare a bit better than the Xlite V3 non-eS. Button response is firm and snappy, and lateral button movement is low as well, so I have very little to complain here. The same goes for the side buttons, for which mechanical switches from Huano are used: Pre-travel is low, post-travel moderate, and actuation is even across their entirety. The scroll wheel encoder likewise is no different from the Xlite V3 non-eS: Pulsar's custom Blue encoder is used, which provides rather low noise levels and very good tactility. Compared to the non-eS, the aluminium alloy wheel confers a higher sense of quality, but otherwise there is no difference. The same is true for the feet as well, which are exactly the same as the non-eS skates, and glide just as well. Lastly, the coating of the Xlite V3 eS is ever so slightly glossier than that of the Xlite V3, and accordingly more difficult to keep clean.
When it comes to performance, the Xlite V3 eS isn't quite as spotless. CPI deviation at least is low, which is particularly relevant in that the Xlite V3 eS only offers six pre-defined CPI steps to choose from, so any deviation would have to be accounted for by adjusting in-game sensitivity. Motion delay is the same regardless of the CPI step chosen, as there is no smoothing applied across the entire CPI range. In wired operation, motion delay varies depending on polling rate. At 1000 Hz, we're already seeing parity with the Logitech G403 (control subject). Upon switching to 2000 Hz, the Xlite V3 eS acquires a lead of roughly 1.1 ms, and this holds true for 4000 and 8000 Hz as well. Keep in mind that these values only apply if MotionSync is not enabled, which adds motion delay of varying degrees and thus is best left disabled. This applies to 8000 Hz in particular, where enabling MotionSync will result in the target interval of 0.125 ms not being met. In wired operation, polling is stable for the most part, though I've found bouts of elevated noise to be quite common, regardless of polling rate. Since tracking is unaffected by these, I consider them largely negligible. Click latency is entirely unaffected by polling rate and only differs depending on the set debounce time. At the 0 ms setting, 0.5 ms are averaged in wired operation, which is perfectly fine, but falls short of the level other 8000 Hz wired mice are able to put forth, such as the Razer DeathAdder V3, which averages 0.1 ms. The disadvantage to running 0 ms debounce time is the presence of so-called slam-clicking, which describes inadvertent button actuation upon resetting the mouse, and which only disappears when increasing debounce time to the next highest value of 3 ms, in turn increasing click latency to a less competitive 3.0 ms.
In wireless operation, the main issue doesn't so much lie in the numbers, but rather with their consistency. Regardless of polling rate, motion delay fluctuates constantly, either due to polls being dropped or polling not being stable in general. Granted, the variance isn't huge, but it is at least significant enough that I'm unable to properly measure motion delay. The only thing I can say with confidence is that in terms of motion delay, the Xlite V3 eS remains ahead of the G403, and that MotionSync increases motion delay, but anything beyond that would be guesswork. For what it's worth, I didn't notice much of the fluctuation while using the Xlite V3 eS in-game, but at the same time, it is inarguable that the showing of the Xlite V3 eS in this regard falls short of what the Xlite V3 non-eS is capable of doing in conjunction with the 4K Wireless Dongle. The exception to this claim is wireless click latency, which is on a similarly great level at 0.7 ms if using the lowest debounce time of 0 ms, but on a less competitive level of 3.2 ms at 3 ms debounce time, and once again regardless of polling rate.
The lack of granularity regarding debounce time settings is also among the few downsides of the on-device configuration approach. In order to get rid of slam-clicking, setting debounce time to 1 or 2 ms should typically suffice, but on the Xlite V3 eS, after 0 ms, the next available step is 3 ms, which increases click latency significantly. On a technical level, there is no reason not to include these lower settings, and doing so most definitely would have been more worthwhile than having a value such as 12 ms, which nobody in their right mind would use anyway. This deficiency aside, configuration through the OLED screen works well, and the most important settings are all present. This includes a battery charge indicator, although this one, despite nominally being percentage-based and featuring single-digit precision, isn't all that reliable. In my testing, it only went down by 1% after two hours of use at 4000 Hz, yet when set to 1000 Hz, it suddenly went down by several percent. Hence, this only serves as a rough indicator, and isn't accurate in gauging battery life. Pulsar cites 100 hours battery life, presumably at 1000 Hz, which is in fact a plausible number given the 500 mAh battery used. Charging is also reasonably fast, but the charging cable leaves something to be desired. Unlike the charging cable of the Xlite V3 non-eS, which only needs to handle polling rates of up to 1000 Hz, this one requires stronger shielding to ensure signal integrity at 8000 Hz in wired operation, which is why it ends up quite a bit stiffer. In fact, it is stiff to where playing while charging feels restrictive, and this of course extends to regular use of the Xlite V3 eS in wired mode as well.
At $129.95, the Xlite V3 eS costs $10 more than Xlite V3 would with the 4K Wireless Dongle, while having 8000 Hz wired polling, an aluminium alloy scroll wheel, and on-device configurability over the Xlite V3. Accordingly, the Xlite V3 eS could be considered a fair deal, and also is in line with the $129.99 Glorious Model D 2 Pro 4K/8KHz Edition, with which it essentially has feature parity. At the same time, wireless performance on the Xlite V3 eS is worse than on the non-eS with the 4K Wireless Dongle, and the usefulness of 8000 Hz wired polling is somewhat limited by the stiff cable. Overall, the Xlite V3 eS is a very decent mouse, and for those who value on-device configurability and battery life in particular, and don't mind the higher weight, it is definitely worth considering. Everyone else is likely better served by the regular Xlite V3.
