While this isn’t a particularly new bit of hardware, it’s still a top seller. People who game require and demand a lot more from their input devices than most other users, and in answer to this need, an entire genre of peripherals are offered to give you that extra edge whether you’re a World of Warcraft addict, or an FPS freak.
The USB-only Microsoft Sidewinder retails for around 60 dollars USD, which is roughly mid-range on the price spectrum for gaming mice. (Mouses? Input on this, please) Like most gaming mice, the Sidewinder is hard-wired.
Some of the newer gaming mice use Bluetooth tech, so they’re not as susceptible to the lag that traditional wireless mice can experience. In gaming, lag is a worse enemy than any of the bad guys you’ll face.
A cord? I know, I hate the cords, too, but Microsoft has addressed this. The Sidewinder comes with a well-weighted box that the cord can be fed through, reducing cord drag to almost zero if positioned correctly. The weight doubles as a storage box for the other accessories, which include 3 different types of ‘feet’ and weights depending on the surface and feel you want for your mousing experience. The feet and weights all switch out quickly and easily.
In addition to the usual left and right buttons, which have very positive response and short travel, the Sidewinder has 8 other buttons. The two by your thumb are pre-set for ‘back’ and ‘forward’ in an explorer or browser window. These are well designed, and once accustomed to them, I appreciated them for the fact that the shape prevents me from pressing them accidentally. Last thing I need is to stand up and wave facing against an army of advancing foes.
The one just to the front of them is out of reach to all but the the double-jointed, and strikes me as almost pointless, as I have to take my hand off the mouse to reach it. It’s default task is to start/stop the recording of macros, automating repetitive tasks in gaming, but I would still like to see it a bit easier to get to.
The scroll wheel does NOT make me happy. I have this wheel bound to the ‘melee’ task in FPS games, so when I need it, I need it FAST. The texturing on the wheel is VERY slight, so depending on the humidity and the condition of my fingers (sweaty from intense action?), there are times when I have to press down on the wheel so hard to get it to scroll, that I actuate the ‘scroll-click’.
Just behind the scroll wheel, are 3 backlit buttons, which allow super-quick DPI (dots per inch) switching, perfect for games with different modes, such as switching from piloting an aircraft to storming through the jungle on foot, aiming down the sights of your favorite weapon.
These buttons are joined with a small LCD screen on the left side of the device, which Microsoft uses as a major selling point, but I consider a waste of space. The screen displays the current DPI setting, but the actual number associated with your DPI is not as important as the results, and if you set the DPI for each button yourself, you’re not going to need to squint at this tiny screen to know if you’ve got it wrong, you’ll know immediately by the movement of the mouse.
Microsoft touts the Sidewinder as the “first mouse with an LCD display” and I’m of the opinion that there is a really good reason it hasn’t been done before…it’s dumb.
My last gripe is one that comes up often for me. Pretty LED’s are great, but lately they seem to be popping up on everything, and the Sidewinder is no exception. You can’t turn them off. If you sleep in the same room that your comp resides in, you’re going to find the need to throw a towel over it or turn off the computer. This ain’t no ‘faint, cheery glow’, folks.
The overall ‘feel’ of this mouse is, for me, a bit short, but I have large hands, more suited to working on an oil rig or running fence than daintily grasping a finely–tuned human interface device. Most people, I believe, will find this mouse very comfortable for hours of fragging, sniping, or immersing yourself in whatever flavor of game you like.
Highs: Accessories, configuration, on-the-fly DPI switching
Lows: Stupid LCD, scroll wheel slippery, lights annoying.
For the past 12 years or so, Paris, France, has been the location of a unique phenomenon (unique in Europe, at least): within a radius of 150 meters (about 500 ft), you can find over 60 shops selling computer parts at extremely aggressive prices. They even have a dedicated collective web site where you can search for the component you need and see where it’s available and at what price. Not all the shops participate in the site, but you’ll be able to drool at their shop windows when you stroll the “rue Montgallet” area (every computer nut in Paris – and possibly in France – knows where it is).
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