Microsoft SideWinder Gaming Mouse Review

Microsoft SideWinder Mouse Design
Microsoft claims their design inspirations for the SideWinder Gaming Mousewere Halo's Master Chief and a concept car from Mazda called the Senku, and the comparison may be apt: the aerodynamic top and chunky side projections call to mind some sort of high-tech car or jet. Microsoft studded the top and sides of the mouse with all kinds of controls: the standard left, right and scroll-wheel buttons, two additional programmable buttons on the left side, an on-the-fly macro recorder, a quick launch button molded into the palm rest, the world's first (according to Microsoft) LCD display in a mouse, and three DPI buttons for adjusting the sensitivity of the laser sensor.

The Microsoft SideWinder black, steel and red color scheme drips with gaming menace.

While the SideWinder Gaming Mouse features a predominantly black plastic construction, the scroll wheel and two side buttons are metal (either aluminum or steel), which gives all three controls a reassuringly robust feel. Finally, as befitting a gaming mouse with a menacing profile, the SideWinder makes use of red light highlighting: the laser sensor, DPI buttons and LCD screen all flare red when the mouse is active.

An overhead view of the SideWinder, showing the aerodynamic design and the mouse's open weight tray.

The SideWinder Mouse compared with the other two corded mice: Logitech G9 & Razer Lachesis.

The SideWinder Gaming Mouse also comes with an accessories box, which doubles as a cable control by clipping onto the SideWinder's USB cord, and contains three 10-gram weights, one 5-gram weight, and two sets of five replacement feet. Both of these accessories adjust the SideWinder's feel: you can fit up to three weights at a time into a detachable chamber mounted into the right side of the mouse to adjust the mouse's overall weight, and mix and match the replacement feet, which are made of Teflon (colored white), no Teflon (colored black) or a mix of the two (colored gray), to set your preferred level of glide. Whether or not you'll need this level of customization is something you'll discover through experimentation, but I noticed a significant difference in feel between the stock version of the mouse (gray feet and no extra weight), and a customized version using all white feet and 30 grams of extra weight.

Microsoft IntelliPoint Software
IntelliPoint is Microsoft's mouse control software, which gives you access to all of the settings you'll need to program your SideWinder effectively. The software, which integrates into the existing Windows Mouse control panel applet, divided tasks up into a series of tabs, and includes general level control, including settings for things like scrolling speed, laser sensor sensitivity, double click speed, and button programming at the top level. If you've used the Windows Mouse control panel before, the layout should be familiar, and many of the configuration options will be where you expect them.

IntelliPoint allows you to set program-specific settings in the Buttons tab via a pop-up dialog window. The new window allows you to select individual programs using Windows Explorer, then select from a list of about 25 options to program each button. Included on the list is an option for launching macros, an option for programming in individual keys or key combinations, and access to Quick Turn, which reverses a character in a game 180 degrees at the click of a button. You can disable all program-specific settings at the top level with a checkbox, and re-enable them later on with losing any of your saved settings.

Program-specific settings in IntelliPoint allow you to assign specific tasks to individual buttons.

Selecting a macro launches IntelliPoint's Macro Editor, where you can create and string together new macros using the mouse and keyboard, or edit existing macros that you've downloaded or created using the macro button. Programming the macros is a fairly intuitive process thanks to the clear design, but there's a help button that will take you right to the article on editing macros if you get lost.

There are three areas where Microsoft could improve IntelliPoint's program settings in the future: first, adding programs to the list requires navigating to the program's launch file, which will daunt anyone unfamiliar with the layout of the Program Files folder. IntelliPoint should load a list of all of the installed programs first for easy selection, and then give the user the option to find the program file themselves in case something's missing. Second, while the top level of IntelliPoint highlights each button on a diagram as you mouse-over its name on the list, the program settings dialog box has no diagram and no highlighting. If you get confused about the placement of a button, you'll need to close out of the program settings and go back to the top level for the diagram. Third, while you can program the DPI buttons to different levels of sensitivity between 200 DPI and 2,000 DPI, you can only do so at the top level - program-specific DPI settings aren't possible, which may make customization for certain programs (especially games) more difficult.

The Microsoft SideWinder as a Gaming Mouse
The SideWinder Gaming Mouse staked its claim as a gaming mouse through a week of testing using two games - Call of Duty 2 and Battlefield 2142 (with the Northern Strike expansion) - that have one big thing in common: they're both highly regarded multi-player first person shooters from the past couple of years; games where the extra features granted by a gaming mouse can mean a competitive advantage and a higher score.

Testing started by adding both games to IntelliPoint, assigning specific tasks to the buttons, and setting the DPI level on the top DPI button to 2,000 DPI to take advantage of the full range of the SideWinder's laser sensor. Call of Duty 2 has a fairly limited number of in-game items, and works well with a five-button mouse, but when configuring Battlefield 2142, the SideWinder's five-button configuration suddenly became very limiting. The problem is two-fold: first, I had to sacrifice instant access to certain in game items, and second, I had to choose between access to in game items and some of IntelliPoint's more interesting options, like Quick Turn. I suspect that Battlefield's abundance of items is the norm, and since other gaming mice have more buttons, the SideWinder mouse has a fundamental competitive disadvantage. It's a design flaw that surprises me, as Microsoft claims in their product literature that they spent two years interviewing gamers to find out what features make for the best gaming mice.

The IntelliPoint Macro Editor allows you to create and edit mouse macros.

The dearth of buttons is too bad, because the SideWinder is really a superior gaming mouse, for a whole host of reasons. Although the SideWinder's width will make it too blocky for smaller hands to control, it has a nice balance, is easy to grip, and supports the wrist for hours of comfortable gaming. Other companies would do well to copy the placement of the SideWinder's thumb buttons, whose vertical configuration works with the natural motion of the thumb, while the textured metal surface of the scroll wheel keeps sweaty fingers from slipping at crucial moments. The SideWinder mouse's smartly designed DPI buttons make it easy to not only switch sensitivity on the fly, but know whether you're at 200 DPI or 2,000 DPI without looking down the mouse.

The macro button is an excellent idea: after trying and failing to create a macro in IntelliPoint's Macro Editor that would allow me to select and throw a grenade in Battlefield with one action, I successfully used the macro button to record what I wanted to do in game. Finally, I found the accessory box to be an indifferent cable control, but I do like how it attaches to the mouse cable for easy storage, as it's all too easy to lose parts (or boxes) you're not using on a daily basis.

The SideWinder features three levels of sensor DPI customization.

A comment on the SideWinder Gaming Mouse's laser sensor: I'm a little curious to know why Microsoft launched the SideWinder with a 2,000 DPI sensor, when competing gaming mice sport sensors with up to twice the sensitivity; as with the number of buttons, 2,000 DPI is the previous generation of technology for gaming mice. A higher maximum sensitivity does equal quicker movements across the screen, which can become critical when game physics slow certain objects - like tank turrets - down with almost fatally slow turn ratios. Frankly, if I can't turn a turret and nail a passing attack helicopter as it flies by, I'm not getting the full game domination experience, and a 2,000 DPI sensor doesn't always guarantee that kind of speed.

Additional Features of the SideWinder
The Microsoft SideWinder Gaming Mouse has two additional features of note: first, the Quick Turn control, a programming option that allows you to turn your character 180 degrees with the click of a button. Quick Turn requires some calibration to work - first you program the button, then you click and hold it while turning your character in a full circle using the mouse - and the calibration may not work correctly on the first try, but once assigned it can be a great way to quickly see if someone's sneaking up on you. Unfortunately, because it requires you sacrifice a precious programmable button to use, you may find that it's not worth using with this particular mouse.

The vertically oriented thumb buttons and macro key are two of the SideWinder's best features.

The SideWinder's wide body might be uncomfortable for users with smaller hands, but it does an excellent job of supporting the wrist.

Second is the quick launch button, a separate button built into the top of the mouse's rear curve. Pressing the button in Windows Vista launches the games folder, giving you quick access to your games; pressing it in Windows XP launches the IntelliPoint software. Either way, it's a nice feature, but unfortunately you can't customize the button's function or the windows it launches.

Recap
The Microsoft Sidewinder has the potential to be a truly excellent gaming mouse: features like the thumb buttons placement, DPI buttons, macro button and textured scroll wheel complement a mouse that sits well in the hand and - thanks to customizable weight and textured feet - moves with the feel that suits you best. However significant issues, including the low number of programmable buttons and the upper limit of the mouse's laser sensor, underscore a need by Microsoft to reevaluate their design. With some revisions, the SideWinder could be the world's best gaming mouse, but it isn't quite there yet.