Comments on: Microsoft Sidewinder Gaming Mouse Review

By: Microsoft Sidewinder X8 Wireless Gaming Mouse Review — The Gadgeteer

Microsoft Sidewinder X8 Wireless Gaming Mouse Review — The Gadgeteer — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:55:27 +0000

[...] recently reviewed the Microsoft Sidewinder Gaming Mouse, which is the wired sister to this X8 model. I was very impressed with its features, feel, and [...]

By: Henry

Henry — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:31:23 +0000

No problem. Got 2 things to clear up, hope you don’t mind.

First, what is precision boost?
Second, is it just me or do the 2 silver macro buttons lag in the first use on a game? Whenever I play CoD4, the first time I hit my macro nothing happens. The second time the action is performed. This has been for the last 10 tries.

Thanks

By: David Flowers

David Flowers — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 17:24:41 +0000

@ Henry, Good to hear, who knows? Maybe Crazy Sweaty Steve Ballmer issued a directive for all MS hardware to be sweat proof? We may never know…. Thanks for the feedback!

By: Henry

Henry — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 16:32:48 +0000

Received it on Tuesday, been working fine up to now. I cannot reach the top left (macro?) button which turns on extra lighting unless I move my hand forward and have the end rest in my palm.

One thing I noticed was the mouse’s sweat durability. My friend who sweats a lot even if he uses it for only 30 seconds used my mouse for FPS the other day and at the end of playing half an hour the mouse wasn’t nearly as sticky/humid as my previous mice. Haha.

By: David Flowers

David Flowers — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 14:03:37 +0000

@Steve, Well, there’s a lemon in every bunch I guess, good luck with it. Mine is still performing quite well, and the more I use it, the better I like it. Let us know how it works out for you and thanks for the post.

By: Steve Duford

Steve Duford — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 05:51:58 +0000

I got this mouse just today, and I love the features, but already right of the box, the right mouse button is screwed up. Sometimes it will sort of stick down, and is slow to come back up, it’s a serious distraction and problem after 3 minutes. It may be just this one, but it could also be that they are all quite fragile and not built well. Everything else is fine, so I’m going to take it back and try a different one to see how it is.

By: David Flowers

David Flowers — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:05:12 +0000

@Henry. You should have no problem at all. It’s not really much larger than the average mouse. I was referring to the way in which I weighted the device more than the physical size of it. I have to actually move the mouse forward in my hand a bit for use, the butt of the mouse doesn’t rest in the palm of my hand, it rests in the base of my fingers. So, it should actually fit you a bit better than me. Thanks for posting, and let us know how it works out for you!

By: Henry

Henry — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:52:08 +0000

I ordered one of these the same day you reviewed it. Looks good so far, should get it next week.

One question, do you know anyone that doesn’t have a huge hand that is able to use this? My hand is average size and I’m worried I won’t be able to use this comfortably.

By: Kevin Stephenson

Kevin Stephenson — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:30:57 +0000

Great Article David. Look forward to seeing many more from an ‘old gamer’ like myself!

By: David Flowers

David Flowers — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:23:00 +0000

@ wow gold, Thanks for the comment! Now, gimme some gold so I can get my 70 mount!

By: wow gold

wow gold — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 08:12:57 +0000

I’ve had this mouse for the past few weeks, too. And I love how the customizable weights feel. I agree with you David, it might just be a personal feel and most users might not even notice it but I think if you use your mouse for such detailed work then I think a heavier mouse could make you mouse-handling skills a little bit more stable. I say that if you use your mouse more than an average user would, this would be a good investment.

Nice review, David.

By: David Flowers

David Flowers — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:27:27 +0000

Thank you sir, you are most kind!

By: Ryan

Ryan — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:19:12 +0000

Nice review David. Good job! I can not wait to see more gaming gear reviews.

By: David Flowers

David Flowers — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:18:15 +0000

@Jackie: The trackball I referred to earlier in the review is a Logitech Marble Mouse. I’ve used this mouse forever and I love it. To my horror it seems they are working on phasing it out. So in some regards I’m a Logitech fan, and I do like some of their speakers. I’ve had a few disappointments with their gaming headsets being a bit fragile. But as far as the comparison between mice, the Microsoft wins easily in my opinion. It feels and looks solid, this is a very nicely finished device IMHO. Thanks!

By: Jackie

Jackie — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:56:21 +0000

@ David: How would you compare this MS mouse with a Logitech one on build quality? I’m usually a big fan of Logitech products.

By: David Flowers

David Flowers — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:16:50 +0000

@ Fred, It’s a personal feel I guess. In my case, having a set of fingers that looks like a pack of Johnsonville Brats and a hand like an orangutan’s foot could skew typical laws of physics here. The mouse is not heavy enough for me to create inertia, but it does feel weighty in my hand, which I like. It at least gives me a better sense of control. I probalby do work harder with it, it’s almost an analog feel, but that’s the big feature of this mouse in my mind, the ability to tailor it to your feel. Thanks for the comment!

By: Fred

Fred — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:47:49 +0000

Sorry, I don’t get it, why a heavy mouse is better than a light one to “swing (…) around and come to an abrupt halt right where [you] want” ? I thought that is the other way around due to its inertia. Just curious, not being a gamer though.