Entered CNET Catalog: 08/24/2007
SKU: 882224507080
Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp.
Manufacturer description
Elevate your skills with the revolutionary Microsoft SideWinder Mouse designed to provide you with unprecedented performance, handling, and adaptability. Customize your mouse with every game you play using advanced software and adjustable accessories. Use the first ever LCD display on a gaming mouse for macro recording and DPI settings to reduce on-screen interference during gameplay.Product summary
The good: Tons of hardware and software customizability; accessories box doubles as a cable management system.
The bad: Design needs some softening; superfluous LCD screen adds cost; dedicated hot button not customizable.
The bottom line: Microsoft took almost every popular feature of various high-end gaming mice and wrapped it into one highly customizable product. The design could use a little refinement, but otherwise the new Sidewinder Gaming Mouse would be a worthy addition to your PC gaming arsenal.
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: Yes
- Reviewed on: 10/04/2007
In designing its new Sidewinder Gaming Mouse, we imagine Microsoft's product designers going over the features of the Razer DeathAdder and asking "what else can we cram in there?" For a suggested price of $80, the Sidewinder delivers all of the complexity hardcore gamers demand in their mice, plus it goes a few steps farther. Some of those new features are useful, some less so, but anyone willing to dig in to what this mouse has to offer will find something to like. We have a few criticisms about its design, and overall we still prefer Logitech's G5 Laser Mouse, but this Sidewinder is a formidable competitor, largely because it offers more hardware customization out of the box than any mouse to date.
Like most high-end gaming mice, the Microsoft Sidewinder is a wired, USB 2.0 device with a 2,000dpi sensor and a customizable weight kit. With only one 5-gram weight and three 10-gram weights, you don't get as much granularity as with Logitech's weights, but Microsoft trumps Logitech in its concept for the case in which you store the unused weights. In addition to holding the weights, the small black accessory also contains two different kinds of mouse feet (which we'll get to), but it also doubles as a cable wrangler. You can feed the mouse cable through the case for the purposes of controlling the slack. The case is heavy enough that it stays put on your desk, and this actually provides a fairly handy service, in that you don't have to reposition your mouse to deal with extra cord flopping around.
As for the feet, Microsoft includes three different sets of feet that you can pop into the bottom of the Sidewinder: Teflon, half Teflon, and plastic. The idea is that you can customize the glide of the mouse depending on the surface you use it on. Like the weights, having a sensitive-enough feel to want to swap out your feet is probably the domain of only the most hardcore gamers (or those who want to create that appearance). Still, we can imagine that if you have a weird mouse pad or play on an uncommon surface that you might benefit from a new material on the bottom.
We suspect more gamers will make use of the customizable laser sensitivity. Like Logitech, Microsoft includes hard buttons on the mouse for swapping between different sensitivities on the fly. The default settings are 400dpi, 800dpi, and 2,000dpi, although you can use Microsoft's Intellipoint software to change the defaults to anything from 200 to 2,000dpi.
For button customization, you get five buttons (of the Sidewinder's 10 total) to reassign as you see fit, the two main buttons, the scroll wheel button, and two thumb-side buttons. Microsoft also includes an easy-to-program QuickTurn feature, for setting one button to automatically spin you around in a game, as well as a dedicated macro button on the mouse itself for assigning various commands without switching out of a game.
Less useful is the built-in LCD and the dedicated Games Explorer button. The LCD can tell you what dpi setting you're on, and it also has prompts for the steps involved in making a macro, but none of that information is exactly critical, and it can be found elsewhere (the feel of the mouse, the manual, etc.). And the Games Explorer button, positioned inconveniently under your palm, feels like it's there more to highlight one of Vista's minor features (the Games Explorer folder, complete with parental controls). XP users are more practically served, as under the older version of Windows, the Games Explorer button opens Intellipoint. Even better would be if you could customize it however you wanted.
Finally, we like what Microsoft has done with the shape of the mouse body itself, especially the pinkie-finger ledge on the right side of the mouse that offers support for that extra digit. We wonder if a button on that area would have been possible? What we don't like are the nubby thumb buttons, which don't let your thumb move naturally between them, and require too much distinct pressure. We also wish the bulge for your palm was a bit gentler, as it's so big that it seems to reduce the strength of your grip.
User opinions
Select a User Opinion to view: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18out of 18 user reviews
Poor buil and performance
Pros: The extra buttons and comfort of the mouse
Cons: ~Extra buttons are blocked by most antihacking systems
~The mouse control is terrible
~Constant lockups
out of 18 user reviews
Finally, a mouse I really LOVE.
Pros: I've had them all - G9, Imperator, G500, G5, roccats... and honestly, I have never expected something as good from Microsoft, but a huge surprise - This one is the best by far.
Definitively worth the price.
Cons: For me it's great, but for people with smaller then average hands probably it will be a bit too big.
Ah, and another little thing- for gaming, this is THE MOST COMFORTABLE MOUSE IN THE WORLD.
out of 18 user reviews
Great mouse...
Pros: Large size
Adjustable weight and feet
Good button placement, mostly
Great responsiveness
Nice looking
Cons: Lcd nice looking, but pointless
Games explorer button pointless
Would prefer the buttons be a tiny bit stiffer
Size may be frustrating for those with smaller than average hands
out of 18 user reviews
This is great... Sometimes.
Pros: GREAT customization, sensitivity buttons built onto the mouse!
A small LCD display screen on the mouse shows the current sensitivity and 1 or 2 other stats.
The scroll wheel is industrial titanium. :)
Can be used on almost any surface. :D
Cons: Some of the buttons are... Not used for any thing.
Buttons that are not made of titanium, scratch easily.
If you have something sticky on your hands, your screwed with this mouse.
This mouse is like moving a rock around. Its ridiculously heavy.
out of 18 user reviews
Great buy, especially with those with larger hands!
Pros: Exchangeable sliders for most any surface, removable weights for the perfect feel, easy to use on-the-fly dpi alternator, nice scroll wheel and easy UI for the software. Great as a plug-and-play as well.
Cons: The back of it is raised too much to make those with smaller hands have to readjust to properly utilize the forward/back buttons as well as the macro toggle. Nothing you can't over come, just something that takes getting used to.
out of 18 user reviews
Good gaming mouse!
Pros: Easy to manuver and enough buttons to control different aspects of each game. fairly inexpensive.
Cons: Wish it had maybe a few more buttons...
out of 18 user reviews
Stick with the Logitech mice over this one
Pros: The scroll wheel is a lot sturdier and rigid than most mice which is nice, and also the speed.
Cons: If you have average to small hands, this mouse doesn't seem to fit well.The thumb buttons are in an awkward position, and I find myself trying to "reach" for them.Also the left button is really stiff compared to other mice, you feel it after awhile
out of 18 user reviews
Made my wrist hurt
Pros: Industrial-strength buttons were easy to use if unconventionally positioned (side buttons.)
Cons: This mouse is bigger than any of the other 5+ mice I own. This might work for you, but it made my wrist hurt after extended gaming. The pain lingered after play.
Slide-out tray for weights is not smooth and seems cheaply made.
out of 18 user reviews
The Best Mouse Of Its Time
Pros: Design makes it look like a car of 22nd century or a SR 71 Blackbird with red hot jets . Has super drool worth . Great customization. The accessories box is great to give a wireless fell .
Cons: Scroll wheel is not good (actually bad) . It would have been good if one of the DPI changers and the Sidewinder button were customizable .
DO LOOK FOR THE "SIDEWINDER X 8 " MOUSE IT IS THE BEST
out of 18 user reviews
buy a g9 or g5
Pros: it was fast an good in some ways easy to get in to weights some what of a good hand feel but little big for some hands had a weird shape
Cons: was fast mouse yes but had tendency to travel left all the time an weights would come out with just a touch of finger the feet full off if you did not keep eye on them an some times laser not read on some dask tops
out of 18 user reviews
DO NOT BUY IF U HAVE VISTA
Pros: awesome mouse
for me i had a big improvement in shooters
Cons: the button assignments don't work when a program is run as an admin which is alot of programs
there is not 7 programmable buttons only 2 then u have the wheel and the right and left that u can assign
yes if u have xp but it will suck if u upgrade. i hear the logitech g9 is better though
out of 18 user reviews
Quick response weighted great size customizable buttons
Pros: All in all it is a great gaming mouse with adjustable weights, good feel in the hand, customizable buttons, and very quick, it was the best I could find.
Cons: Unclear why two of the supposed customizable buttons are there. The 400 dpi selection is redundant Who will use it? The lighted spot on left side that tells you what dpi you are using is dumb You can see that on the buttons that change the dpi .
out of 18 user reviews
First mouse I had ever apreciated
Pros: extra butons, ergonomic
Cons: none found yet
Beside that I don’t think the dpi changing system would help me in any way. At least I could use those 3 other buttons for something else.
it have another button in the logo. I wish I could launch WoW with that button, but instead it launch the game folder.
The design is cool, but, again, that is not the most important to me. I neither use the little "toolbox" that came with it.
Im very happy with it, but I would not pay more than $40 for it. I got it for $19.99 because the package was a little damage, but the product was in perfect condition.
out of 18 user reviews
One powerful mouse and lightning quick
Pros: Weight is great, laser is precise and fast, full customization
Cons: Size is slight too big on the palm; mouse wheel could be faster and more tactile
out of 18 user reviews
VERY Average Gaming Mouse!
Pros: Relatively cheap
Cons: Feels like a toy.
Check out the User reviews for both at newegg.com (30% of users rate Sidewinder as "excellent". 81% of users rate G9 as excellent)
out of 18 user reviews
Very good gaming toy
Pros: accessories and customization
Cons: lack of software
The only thing I have issue with, and i feel Microsoft will address in further updates is, a lack of software and gaming profiles ( no software is included. you must download the driver from Microsoft ) but all and all I'm impressed with the functions, especially the " DPI on the fly " function that lets you switch from Three preset, settings ( default is 2000, 800 and 400, but they are customizable ) nothing like playing Battlefield 2 and switching to 2000 dpi and being able to spin the tank turant around at light speed. And this sure beats the heck out of the wireless mouse I was using that would inevitably need its batteries changed right in the middle of a game. for gaming USB is the only way to go, and the case keeps the wire nice and tidy for you....price is the only other issue I have with this, but do like i did, and hide the bill from your wife and or girlfriend.
out of 18 user reviews
Large hand? this ones for you!
Pros: Wonderfull! smooth and cleen, I have a large hands and it fits very well.
Cons: On a solid wood desk it can foul the feet very easly and can be very hard to keep cleen. But a $6 laser mouse pad cleard that up.
I did note that none of the three choices of the feet would prevent fouling on my solid cherry desk. I went and got an 11"X9" mouse pad that is paper thin and designed for Laser mice. that solved all my problem.
One slight issues is the side buttons can seem slightly hard to get to and press, usually only happens after a long day and i am tired.
I strongly recommend this for any one with big hands and is tired of palm/pinky drag.
out of 18 user reviews
A perfectly designed gaming mouse
Pros: perfect ergonomics, amazing interface, first lcd screen on gaming mouse
Cons: a little large, not wireless
