Author Topic: Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB  (Read 6180 times)

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Offline itlnstln

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« on: Mon, 22 September 2008, 16:18:08 »
http://arstechnica.com/journals/hardware.ars/2008/09/22/quick-take-microsoft-sidewinder-x6-gaming-keyboard

If you care.  Unfortunately, it seems to be a rubber dome 'board, at least, I assume so, because it is MS, and the author said that better typing feel could be found elsewhere and it does not feel as good as the Logitech PerfectStroke 'boards.  The (re)movable numpad and other features might be pretty nice, but the poor typing feel and over-styling will definitely make this a pass for me this Holiday Season.


Offline Eclairz

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #1 on: Mon, 22 September 2008, 17:56:54 »
As someone has already said another keyboard with a movable numpad is almost upon us. With brown/black cherry mechanical keys to boot but a strangely using apple layout, from none other than DSI

http://www.notestation.com/kb-modmac-u.htm

It will probably cost more though but then you are paying for lasting quality, I wish it came out in blue cherrys though as they are my favourite kind, not good for work as my browns are already load enough that i can tell my work mates get a little irritated but still my favourite are blues

edit: they are in blue my mistake they can't be found in black or white keyswitches
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Offline xsphat

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #2 on: Mon, 22 September 2008, 18:22:41 »
What are Cherry whites like? Are they the blues without the click or what?

Offline Eclairz

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #3 on: Mon, 22 September 2008, 18:42:30 »
I would say cherry whites feel like stronger cherry browns, but not the same as white alps. Cherry used to puts whites for spacebar in mainly brown switch keyboards. I would say where the alps has linear increase of force upto the key press point, the cherry whites are more similar to browns that theres a less force increment until the key press point. Whites feel a bit more tougher than browns so you might like them.

Except they are very hard to find, almost like egyption gold to find, and when you do find them who knows what condition they're in. I have only one white cherry switch to my name and that came from my compaq keyboard.

Cherry greens are also interesting but are only found in blue keyboard's space bar, similarly same as blue but with more force (and click noise in this case), it would be interesting to assemble a keyboard from greens alone. I think greens are more heavy duty than blues or browns though.

White Cherrys have a steeper stem slope which is the attribute used to determine how much force each key requires to push down, i guess with a good mould you could make lots of white cherry keys or even ones with varying degrees of pressure and different pressure points.

Designing blues and greens are more difficult as they have two part stems and are a lot more complex to configure.

Either way if you ever find an "All-white Cherry keyboard" you can consider it a needle in a haystack, Cherry seem to no longer build this stem any more, and it isn't used in any keyboards for the past few years or so.
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Offline zwmalone

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #4 on: Mon, 22 September 2008, 20:14:18 »
Cherry White switches like these?


These switches are indeed as Eclairz describes them.
Can't get enough of them ALPS

Offline Eclairz

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #5 on: Tue, 23 September 2008, 03:50:37 »
Ye those are the keys, they are like gold dust these days so I'd keep a hold of it or sell it to one of us if you don't like it ;-)
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Offline Bluemercury

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #6 on: Tue, 23 September 2008, 04:51:19 »
Quote from: Eclairz;9020
Ye those are the keys, they are like gold dust these days so I'd keep a hold of it or sell it to one of us if you don't like it ;-)


They're still selling those i think....
Collection:
Das Keyboard II
Model M5-2
Model M5-1(considering selling this one)
Cherry G80-3000LCMPO with black switches
Cherry G80-5000HAMPO (Brown switches)
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Offline zwmalone

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #7 on: Tue, 23 September 2008, 15:21:12 »
Quote from: Eclairz;9020
Ye those are the keys, they are like gold dust these days so I'd keep a hold of it or sell it to one of us if you don't like it ;-)


I would sell it, it's already on the marketplace, but I haven't heard anything from anybody yet.
Can't get enough of them ALPS

Offline Eclairz

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #8 on: Tue, 23 September 2008, 17:48:17 »
I live in England UK so you won't see me buying it mainly due to delivery costs. Anyway any examples of white cherry keyboards? because at the moment I haven't found such a keyboard still in production. And i mean proper full on white mechanical keys not some membrane hybrid that I saw some where else.

edit: on closer looks it might not be a white cherry keyboard but one of those hybrid membrane/switch thing that cherry also create as my white cherry doesn't have those red things on the side of the key stem. The only way to find out is by taking the key apart of course, but i'll take your word on that the keyboard is a fully mechanical white
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Offline zwmalone

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #9 on: Tue, 23 September 2008, 17:58:40 »
Quote from: Eclairz;9036
I live in England UK so you won't see me buying it mainly due to delivery costs. Anyway any examples of white cherry keyboards? because at the moment I haven't found such a keyboard still in production. And i mean proper full on white mechanical keys not some membrane hybrid that I saw some where else.

edit: on closer looks it might not be a white cherry keyboard but one of those hybrid membrane/switch thing that cherry also create as my white cherry doesn't have those red things on the side of the key stem. The only way to find out is by taking the key apart of course, but i'll take your word on that the keyboard is a fully mechanical white
I don't know, but I don't think it's membrane, as I can see gold contacts in the switch from the side.

EDIT: Also, if it is a fully mechanical switch, the only keyboard I would know of is this  (2nd keyboard down, the first has ML switches.)
Can't get enough of them ALPS

Offline lowpoly

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #10 on: Wed, 24 September 2008, 02:30:40 »
Quote
edit: on closer looks it might not be a white cherry keyboard but one of those hybrid membrane/switch thing that cherry also create as my white cherry doesn't have those red things on the side of the key stem. The only way to find out is by taking the key apart of course, but i'll take your word on that the keyboard is a fully mechanical white
The Cherry MY is totally different on the outside.

Edit: Here is an old NCR board, a rebranded G81-3000:

http://park10.wakwak.com/~jpspace/key/kaitai_g81.html

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Offline Eclairz

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #11 on: Wed, 24 September 2008, 07:07:04 »
I prefer full size keyboards, rather than double height keyboards at the moment, also the company still only makes keyboards for the USA so too costly to buy one here in cold London. Still its an interesting key layout, I think i've got too used to normal layout and am not as bothered by hand distance to mouse anymore like i used to be.
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Offline wellington1869

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Review of the MS Sidewinder X6 Gaming KB
« Reply #12 on: Thu, 23 October 2008, 20:11:12 »
I just found out that I'm now the proud owner of a white cherry MX keyboard. I'm trying to figure out how these are different from cherry blues. The whites in my board actually do CLICK. they are both clicky (not too loud but definitely there) and tactile (feel a bump) and light to the touch - the description sounds just like the blues. They're also definitely white cherry mx's since they're identical with the white switches in these pictures.
 
The board is a qtronix scorpius kt-305. Someone else mentioned they got one of these with blue cherries, but mine turned out to be white cherries.
 
The layout of the board is perfect actually (spacesaver with numpad, I like it). But since I dont yet have experience with blue cherries (my DAS is still in the mail) I cant figure out how these switches are different from blues.

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