Partnering with Razer once before, the Sidewinder is Microsoft’s first solo attempt at creating a gaming mouse. The Sidewinder is a very funky looking peripheral, having the appearance of something John Travolta’s character would have used in Operation Swordfish. I know it is a bizarre reference, but it means the mouse looks futuristic and cool. Its slightly blocky however, and my ring and pinky fingers never fit on the mouse quite right. In addition, it is fairly large, being roughly the same size as the Logitech G7 but more robust. The size could be a problem for folks with small hands. The Sidewinder features a mostly black plastic body with two vertical metal thumb buttons on the left side of the mouse, metallic scroll wheel, optional weights, three different dpi buttons below the scroll wheel, dpi-displaying LCD screen, and a ‘quick-turn’ option. The primary and secondary mouse buttons would be better off being rubberized like the sides of the mouse are. In their current state, the primary and secondary buttons are a bit too ‘slippery’ for my tastes.
The two vertical metal thumb buttons on the left side of the mouse are easily clickable, allowing access to two control buttons in a space usually designed for one in other mice. The thumb buttons are a bit smaller than usual mouse side-buttons, however they depress very nicely with a tactile click.
The Sidewinder features a metallic scroll wheel with a great action. Weighted, so that it is not mistakenly turned as well as detentes to allow the user better control, the wheel feels alot sturdier than on other mice we have tried and is easily one of the best features on this mouse.
With the click of a button on the underside of the unit, the Sidewinder’s weight tray will pop out to allow the user access to its three weight-slot tray. Microsoft has packaged the mouse with three 10g weights and one 5g weight. The box which the weights are packaged in also contains two different sets of feet for the mouse so you can choose the one with the glide most to your liking. The weight box can also be used to anchor the mouse chord in place, giving the user some slack in normal usage. We applaud Microsoft for giving the Sidewinder this many customization options.
Below the scroll wheel sit three buttons which change the Sidewinder’s dpi setting. These three different levels of sensitivity are set within Microsoft’s software provided with the device. When clicked, the red LCD screen on the mouse will light up with the current dpi setting of the button. This is the first time ever that a company has placed an LCD screen on a gaming mouse. Personally, I did not find much use for the screen as I did not forget what dpi button I assigned which setting, but, it is a cool addition. However, if you happen to be in an intense LAN game and forget what you set each button to, no worries, it is right there on the display – nice!
Inside the software provided for the mouse, which basically just adds features to the standard Windows’ mouse control panel, is the option to set the buttons of the mouse to whatever controls you would like. They also provide the option of setting one of the buttons to be a ‘Quick Turn’ control. When pressed, the mouse will cause you on-screen character to do a 180 degree turn – quite useful in tight spots. Gamers can also record macros in-game using the Sidewinder’s macro button. This on-the-fly capability adds an additional layer of flexibility while in the heat of battle.
The performance is very good while gaming with the laser sensor set to 2000dpi (the highest setting available) but when using desktop applications I found it appropriately ‘non-jumpy’ at 1600dpi. The sensor will decrease to 200dpi at its lowest setting and works great for super-fine sniper shots.
Conclusion:
Even though there are better mice out there when measuring pure dpi/response rate alone, one cannot dispute the amount of customization available to gamers with the Sidewinder. With its durable construction and solid performance, it is hard NOT to recommend this mouse to those looking for a gaming mouse. The biggest factor in deciding to use this mouse would be the size/shape, which not everyone will find to their liking.
