Author Topic: MS Sidewinder X3  (Read 4704 times)

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Offline itlnstln

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MS Sidewinder X3
« on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 12:07:26 »
http://arstechnica.com/hardware/news/2009/04/microsoft-announces-40-sidewinder-x3-gaming-mouse.ars
 
For you gaming mice folks.  It looks like it's about $40 worth of mouse.  It is nice to see a new mouse in a reasonable price range, though.


Offline itlnstln

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #1 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 12:44:41 »
One other plus I didn't think about is that this mouse is ambidexterous.


Offline FKSSR

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #2 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 13:05:23 »
Looks nice to me.  It looks like the size I like in gaming mice.  I would like to see more about it.

Thanks for posting.
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Offline itlnstln

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #3 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 13:08:01 »
Quote from: FKSSR;85438
I would like to see more about it.

Your wish is my command: http://www.engadget.com/2009/04/14/microsofts-ambidextrous-sidewinder-x3-mouse-available-for-presa/
 
I don't think it really has much more than the first link, but it does have a bigger picture.


Offline FKSSR

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #4 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 13:46:03 »
Thanks! :)  I like the simplicity of it.  I'm currently happy with both of my gaming mice, but you never know when I may want another...  Next on my list is a black 1.1A Intellimouse for general use, though.
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Offline cnt

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 13:55:11 »
Your targeted "General use" mouse is a better gaming mouse than the ones you're currently using, to be honest.
Filco FKBN104M/EB
Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical 1.1A

Offline FKSSR

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 14:15:08 »
Yeah, that's the other reason I want one, to test that out.

I've heard a lot of people saying the Intellimouse 1.1A is the best, but I honestly just have a hard time believing it, since the other mice were built for gaming.  However, I'm not saying that it's not possible for the Intellimouse to be better - that's why I want to try it to see. :)
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Offline itlnstln

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #7 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 14:15:50 »
Dude, my MS Natural Laser Uber Nonpareil Peerless Penultimate Vanglorious Mouse 6000 is by far superior to any mouse on the planet.


Offline bigpook

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #8 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 15:09:05 »
Quote from: itlnstln;85469
Dude, my MS Natural Laser Uber Nonpareil Peerless Penultimate Vanglorious Mouse 6000 is by far superior to any mouse on the planet.


Oooh! I want one of those. It has the word uber in it...
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Offline itlnstln

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #9 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 15:11:36 »
Man, they couldn't give that mouse a longer name.  It extends almost the whole width of the bottom of the mouse in, like, 3 pt. font.
 
BTW, I forgot "Wireless." :rolleyes:


Offline huha

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #10 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 15:39:00 »
Microsoft really like giving their mice ridiculously long names. And retroactively changing them every few years. Oh, the joy!

The most mind-boggling buzzword-trigger-happy mouse name I've encountered so far is the Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000. Too bad they didn't make a bluetooth gaming model, but apart from that, it features all the buzzwords you'll ever need.

-huha
Unicomp Endurapro 105 (blank keycaps, BS) // Cherry G80-3000LSCDE-2 (blues, modded to green MX) // Cherry G80-3000LAMDE-0 (blacks, 2x) // Cherry G80-11900LTMDE-0 (blacks, 2x) // Compaq G80-11801 (browns) // Epson Q203A (Fujitsu Peerless) // IBM Model M2 (BS) // Boscom AS400 Terminal Emulator (OEM\'d Unicomp, BS, 2x) // Dell AT102DW (black Alps) // Mechanical Touch (chinese BS) Acer 6312-KW (Acer mechanics on membrane) // Cherry G84-4100 (ML) // Cherry G80-1000HAD (NKRO, blacks)

Offline itlnstln

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #11 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 15:40:07 »
Quote from: huha;85533
Microsoft really like giving their mice ridiculously long names. And retroactively changing them every few years. Oh, the joy!
 
The most mind-boggling buzzword-trigger-happy mouse name I've encountered so far is the Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000. Too bad they didn't make a bluetooth gaming model, but apart from that, it features all the buzzwords you'll ever need.
 
-huha

 
This is exactly the mouse I was making fun of.  I love it, though. :)


Offline zwmalone

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #12 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 16:13:41 »
I just call it "investment".  I have the model below, the Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 5000. It's amazing.  Feels great in the hand and I like the 1k DPI.  I've had it for maybe 2 years, really nice mouse.
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Offline FKSSR

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #13 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 16:19:03 »
I use the MS Intellimouse Explorer 2.0 at work.  I used it at home for years.  I really like it, but I'm thinking of buying that L-Trac to try at work.  Not sure about that, yet, though...

I thought about buying the Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000, but I don't think I need such an extreme curve.
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Offline cnt

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MS Sidewinder X3
« Reply #14 on: Tue, 14 April 2009, 20:36:57 »
Quote from: FKSSR;85468
Yeah, that's the other reason I want one, to test that out.

I've heard a lot of people saying the Intellimouse 1.1A is the best, but I honestly just have a hard time believing it, since the other mice were built for gaming.  However, I'm not saying that it's not possible for the Intellimouse to be better - that's why I want to try it to see. :)


I don't know whether the IMO 1.1A is "the best", but I find the shape to be a lot more comfortable than the other mice I've used so far. Gaming mice nowadays seem to focus on 1337 H4X0R sensors and "Oh, shiny!" looks instead of what's truly important about a mouse: ease of use.
Those simple 3 words sum up what does matter:
1. The mouse being ergonomically comfortable.
2. The sensor reliably translating to a fine degree your hand gestures onto the screen.

To put it simply: a good mouse should feel like an extension of your hand.

There are an extreme amount of things that can affect these two things, with the "G" series by Logitech for example, the main problem if we live aside prediction/correction* is the fact that the sensor is off-center, this means that when you use your wrist to move the mouse, the gesture translation on the screen will differ from your hand movement. With the Salmosa it's simply a matter of comfort, the mouse felt too damn small and it was hard for me to use it for long sessions. But then again, my hands are pretty much the normal size, so this mouse might work out better for people with smaller hands.

The IMO 1.1A is not perfect, the grindy texture it's shell comes with is awful and it's extremely advisable to sandpaper or completely mod the mouse. The 400DPI sensor still holds up with higher resolutions but it might not in a couple of years. And unless you clock your USB port to 500hz or 1000hz, the negative acceleration can drive you mad if you're not using an extremely high sensitivity while gaming. But I've tried quite a hefty number of "gaming mice" over the past couple of years (I've only bought two though, most were loaned by friends for try-outs), and the IMO 1.1A feels more natural in my hand and does a better job translating my gestures than any of the other, extremely a lot more expensive mice. The only popular gaming mouse I have yet to try is actually 1.1's "brother", the IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0. It's unavailable in Israel and was never really popular with the Israeli gamers as Logitech or Razer mice.

*A word about prediction/correction: judging the fact that there quite a few exceptional FPS gamers who used mice with prediction I can't say that it has a universal and critical effect on your control, but I personally had a feeling of "Smth is weird with the way the mouse behaves" with the Logitech MX series for years before I've found out about this issue. Nonetheless, Razer has recently released a firmware update for the DeathAdder (should also work for the Salmosa, since they share their electronic hardware) which cancels the mouse prediction for it, Logitech has also mentioned something about the G9x having an option to turn prediction off. So luckily for those who have a hard time using a mouse that feels as cheap as Microsoft's but still are paranoid or sensitive for the prediction issue, there is an alternative.
Filco FKBN104M/EB
Microsoft IntelliMouse Optical 1.1A