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Microsoft SideWinder X5 Mouse

Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp. Part number: ARB-00001

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$44.85 - $60.83 at 9 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.0 stars Good
Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: Microsoft's pared-down SideWinder X5 Mouse is supposed to offer PC gamers a lower-cost version of its award-winning higher-end model. Instead, it comes across as flimsy and overly stripped down. Other mice deliver better control for the same price.
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	Rate this store See store profile	In stock Try Free Amazon Prime for one Month	Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price	$59.99 Shop now as of 12/02/2008
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Costcentral.com	Rate this store See store profile	In stock		$55.00 Shop now as of 12/02/2008

*Total price for the Microsoft SideWinder X5 Mouse are estimated and may vary slightly based on exact tax, shipping, manufacturer rebate or any sale/promotion on the merchant site.

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CNET editors' review

Microsoft SideWinder X5 Mouse

price range: $44.85 - $60.83

Reviewed by: Rich Brown
Reviewed on: 08/20/2008
Released on: 08/20/2008

The good: Improved sculpt; moisture-resistant coating.

The bad: Competing Logitech mouse offers more mouse for the buck; lacks heft.

The bottom line: Microsoft's pared-down SideWinder X5 Mouse is supposed to offer PC gamers a lower-cost version of its award-winning higher-end model. Instead, it comes across as flimsy and overly stripped down. Other mice deliver better control for the same price.

Read full review

Microsoft's new SideWinder X5 Mouse is a stripped-down version of last year's Editors' Choice-winning SideWinder Gaming Mouse. Where the original model was a packed-to-the-gills gaming powerhouse, the X5 feels flimsy and expensive for the $60 Microsoft wants you to spend. We're willing to accept a more basic version of a product for a lower price, but what you get with the X5 doesn't quite scale appropriately, either in its features or in its design. Especially considering that you can get Logitech's still outstanding G5 Laser Mouse for the same price, we can't recommend the SideWinder X5 Mouse.

In outward appearance, the SideWinder X5 looks more-or-less the same as last year's higher-end SideWinder. Two distinct, round thumb-side buttons poke out noticeably, and the three sensitivity-switching buttons run down the middle in-line with the chunky scroll wheel. Microsoft has improved the sculpt in this newer model, it has fewer hard angles than the original. The pinkie-side especially has been refined, and in a good way. A ridge on the right side still cradles your little finger, but even more comfortably than last year's mouse. It also uses a moisture resistant material on the sides that helps keep the mouse dry.

In general, the SideWinder X5 certainly delivers most of the core features PC gamers look for. You can customize the sensitivity setting for the dpi buttons, ranging from 200dpi to 2,000dpi, with 400, 800, 1,000, and 1,600 stops in between. However, unlike Logitech's MX 1100, the software won't let you completely customize every button on the SideWinder X5. The dpi buttons have to control the sensitivity, and there's also no way to tell the "Quick Launch" button to do something other than open Microsoft's less-than-useful Games folder in Windows Vista, or the mouse setting screen in XP.

You get no hardware macro-recording functions in the X5 as with the original SideWinder, but we can't fault Microsoft for leaving them out in a lower-end product. We're more surprised that the weight kit was also left out. Perhaps that once might have been the domain of truly high-end mice, but Logitech's G5 Laser Mouse and its weight kit currently go for $60, according to Logitech's Web site. That makes Microsoft look cheap for leaving it out.

You could reasonably argue that customizable weights and feet for mice have a certain gimmicky feel, but we especially miss the weights for the SideWinder X5 because it desperately needs some added heft. It feels less like a precision input device and more like a hollow hunk of plastic, even when you play with the sensitivity. Even without its weights, the Logitech G5 Laser Mouse feels substantial. Instead, this new SideWinder X5 feels like a toy.

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User reviews

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Microsoft Corp.
Part number: ARB-00001
Description: Marketing description is not available.

General
Device Type Mouse
Orientation Right-handed
Form Factor External
Color Black
Input Device
Connectivity Technology Wired
Interface USB
Movement Detection Technology Laser
Buttons Qty 9
Movement Resolution 2000 dpi
Performance 7080 fps, 20 G maximum acceleration, Realtime sensitivity switching 400/800/2000 dpi
Features Scrolling wheel, Switchable resolution, Programmable buttons
Expansion / Connectivity
Interfaces 1 x USB - 4 pin USB Type A

Miscellaneous
Cables Included 1 x USB cable
Software / System Requirements
OS Required Microsoft Windows XP SP2, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Vista
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 3 years warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 3 years

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