Originally Reviewed On: 10/01/07

 

A lot of products are sold to gamers with the promise of 'improving playing ability'. A lot are gimmicks, but one that has learned to take its role seriously is the gaming mouse. Offering expert precision and additional buttons, the gaming mouse has found a home on many desks. Microsoft is now dipping its toes into this gaming peripheral market resurrecting the tried and true name Sidewinder.

The Sidewinder Mouse is impressive, with a wealth of features that even crack the mold of the conventions established by the already dominate mouses. The first feature that drew my eyes to this mouse were the vertically aligned thumb buttons. While most thumb buttons on mouses require a slightly awkward forward and back forth motion from the thumb, the vertical alignment from the Sidewinder presents a gamer with a much more natural motion, along the lines of a gamepad. Not only is the positioning nice, but the buttons offer a nice click that gives a hearty feel.

The metal wheel was the next feature to steal my attention. The wheels wide shape and different material make it feel quite unlike any other mouse wheel. While having a hair trigger, the wheel (like the buttons) has a satisfying response. The additional weight accorded the wheel by its metal construction is what really makes the physics of it so wonderful. The mouse wheel button (clicking the mouse wheel) is responsive, but offers a bit more resistance than the other buttons. This prevents accidental presses while scrolling. There's nothing worse than dropping a grenade at your feet when you are just trying to pull your pistol.

Extra, non-customizable, buttons exist as well. Like one button that will pull up the game explorer, in Vista only, making its usefulness very limited. This Vista exclusive button was a waste, but the button does not get in the way, so it is easily forgettable. One feature that is certainly unique is three buttons that change your DPI on the fly. While I find the 2000 DPI offered to be great for everything, some may find the swapping adds more skill to certain games.

The Sidewinder's other features cover the gambit. Like other gaming mouses the Sidewinder offers adjustable weights which give you that feel of slamming a clip into a gun. Along with customizing the weight you also have 3 various material footpads to swap out that change the friction of the slide. What I like about all of these add-ons is that they are stored in a weighted box that also functions as a mouse cord holder. Finally something to replace my long used mouse bungie.

While the Sidewinder mouse touts custom macro creation for games, it lacks the software out of the box. This means searching and downloading are required before you can fully experience this mouse, and at a $75 price I find this a bit inexcusable. The mouse also has a digital display that will let you know the current DPI setting. This digital display is really unnecessary, but not annoying.

Much like the Cylons from the original Battlestar Galactica, the Sidewinder sports black, silver, and red into what is not the most sexy of designs. Even the useless digital display lights up in that glaring robot red. Seriously, this mouse just does not look nearly as great as it functions. The nubs of the thumb buttons look uncomfortable, and the mouse wheel's appearance belies its wonderful functionality.

One warning with regards to the ergonomics is that the Sidewinder may be poorly suited for those with small hands. The Sidewinder has a much wider profile than most other gaming mouses. The additional wide hips do allow the mouse to cradle your index finger, which can quickly spoil the user. This is a feature that could benefit all mouses.

Ultimately, the Sidewinder is a very comfortable mouse with a robust set of features. Looking past the less than stellar appearance of the mouse though, is necessary. Once you overcome the outdated sci-fi look, you will find an amazing level of performance that is well worth your money.