Microsoft SideWinder X8 Mouse

I'll begin this review by stating an opinion: "gaming" these days is a loaded term. It is a label often applied to many products in order to justify a (sometimes) 150% increase in cost, and sometimes more than that. I've found that many products that have this label applied to it to be SORELY lacking, and most people that buy them seem to do so SOLELY because it says it's a "gaming" product. So, with that in mind, here's the review:Mice are one of the few things I'll justify spending a bit more on. I say "a bit more" as in "more than the 2 button $[...] mice you used to find in schools." I don't however, fall for the frequent traps the industry seems to be laying for customers these days (see above). In fact, I'm one of those people who rarely ever upgrades anything, unless it breaks or needs upgrading to continue to function. I've been a PC gamer since I was a kid, but have only purchased 3 mice (in order of progression): a Micrsoft Intellimouse optical (these used to be all the rage) that I paid a whopping $[...] shipped for on Ebay, a Logitech G5 2142 edition mouse that I paid $[...] for on eBay, and this Microsoft Sidewinder X8 that I purchased on Amazon for $[...]ish. In point of fact, I only purchased this because my trusty old Logitech was starting to wear from having the cord wound and unwound from moving it all the time, and figured a replacement was in order.I checked out a cousin's Razer (I think it was a Mamba, but it was wired), which seemed kind of nice, until you look at the price of them. Sure, they had more buttons than my old Logitech, but cost over twice as much, and didn't seem to perform much better than the Logitech. Obviously, they were taken out of contention. So off to Google I went, and much to my surprise, Microsoft had produced a (wireless) gaming mouse, which according to most of the reviews I've read was a fairly decent product. I also have a 360, and while I am more than a little annoyed that it has been back to the factory thrice, I figured a company that has been in the video game and computer industry as long as Microsoft has might know what it's doing. For the most part, I was right.So about a week after I ordered the mouse, I received it, and immediately set to work unboxing and installing it. One of the first things I liked about it was that it's a sharp looking mouse. The color of the mouse (and the "puck" that it connects to) is in a Black/Grey/Silver motif. The LED's visible on the mouse are a nice red color, and it really gives off a vibe of power (for lack of a better word). The mouse is a wireless/wired hybrid, and functions well in both modes. The reason I called it a hybrid is that unlike some other products, this mouse can be used while it is charging, as the charging interface magnetically connects to the bottom front of the mouse, and doesn't require you to put the mouse in the cradle to charge it. So long story short: When it's wireless, it's wireless. When it's charging, it acts (and looks) very similar to a conventional corded mouse. +1 on this design feature.Another aspect I like is that the battery that the mouse uses isn't integral to the mouse itself. Anyone familiar with portable electronics will immediately realize that the weakest aspect in said devices is the battery. Batteries in comparison to the devices themselves are relatively short-lived, with many devices going through several batteries in the life of the product (Cell phones, I'm looking at you!) The X8 uses a humble NiMH AA battery, and includes one with the mouse. +1 on this design feature.One of the two complaints I had is this: The Logitech G5 I had that preceded this mouse provided an ample platform for my huge mitts (XXL sized gloves), and I never had any issues with comfort. The X8 I have issues with. To me, it seems like there should be more mouse to the right of the right mouse button than there actually is. I know that's a strange way of describing it, but it's all I've got. I use my Index and Middle fingers to operate the buttons on the mouse, and move my index finger over to the wheel as needed. My ring and pinky fingers hang off the side of the mouse, and feel...strange, for lack of a better word. I blame this feeling in large part to adjusting to a different set of ergonomics over the old Logitech I had. After a few weeks however, most of this feeling has gone away. It still annoys me from time to time, however.The only other complaint I had with the mouse is that there have been several instances where the cursor on the screen lags for a few seconds. It has occurred I think 3 times since I bought the mouse, so it isn't a huge issue. I have to admit however, that due to the rarity of the occurrence I haven't exactly been observant of other factors that may have influenced it. I only know that I never had these kinds of issues with the old Logitech. Having said that however: (to paraphrase Spock): "When you eliminate the impossible, whatever is left, however unlikely, must be the truth."Something else interesting to note: I an attempt to figure out if there was any delay in the switching between the wired and wireless modes, I conducted a couple of tests. Both in games and just surfing the web, I moved the mouse rapidly, and in the middle of doing so, disconnected the mouse from the charging cable. There was no delay, or noticeable lag in the motion of the mouse. My initial belief (before having conducted the test) was the the mouse functioned in a wireless mode only when disconnected from the puck, and functioned as a traditional wired (IE USB) mouse when it was connected. The results of my humble experiment lead me to believe that the mouse functions wirelessly 100% of the time, and the cable is used only to charge the mouse. Since I don't have any tools to test this theory, I can't be 100% sure, but it warrants some further thought or research on the topic. This might also explain the issues I was having above, seeing as thought we live an increasingly wireless world, and I'm in range of about 6 wireless access points, and probably 30 cell phones at any given time, any one of which could have potentially interfered with wireless signals.The X8 has many more features that have been covered in both the product description, as well as other reviews, and I didn't feel like reiterating what has already been said. Suffice it to say that this product is a well-built, for the most part well designed, and very all around solid product for the money. You won't be disappointed.

Prior to purchasing the Sidewinder X8 I had been using a Logitech G500, and before that the G5. I have used (and loved) the Logitech mice for so long that I honestly cannot remember what mouse I used before the G5 and G500. Over that time I wasn't narrow minded though, I tried out many other "gaming mice" (Predominately a lot of Razer models as well as several previous iterations of the Sidewinder series) and none provided the combination of comfort, control and durability that I demand in a mouse.Fast forward to now...I had no choice but to replace my Logitech mouse. Since the advent of Vista the Logitech Setpoint drivers have been flakey, losing custom DPI settings and being hit or miss as to whether they would properly recognize a game and apply custom button mappings as setup. With the release of Windows 7 I had hoped the newest Setpoint would resolve these issues....but alas, that was not to be the case. So I have given up on Logitech, permanently. 3+ years of waiting for them to sort out what the issues are with Setpoint and Vista/Win 7 is long enough.Upon making this decision, I did some searching of the web to try to find a good alternative to the G500, and this is one of the mice I looked at. The wireless aspect,combined with the ability to go wired to charge while still being able to use the mouse ended up being a deciding factor. I sometimes play my games piped over to my HDTV while relaxing in my easy chair...and not having a cord to deal with on my mouse is a huge bonus.So how does this mouse perform? Flawlessly, I'm happy to say. Custom bindings are activated properly with every single game, a feature I've too long not had consistently. And the precision and control of the X8 felt, suprisingly to me, better than the G500. I particularly liked the ability to bind a button to precision mode which slows down the tracking rate of the mouse without changing the dpi whenever the button is pressed (or held, depending on what you set it to). This proved to be quite handy when going into "sniper mode" in several of the shooters I like to play. You also have the option of binding keypresses, or even custom macros, to buttons. I used the keypress bindings a lot with the G500, but the macro option is not something I've had before...haven't found a use for it yet, but I imagine as I get used to the fact that it IS an option for me, I will find uses for it.The weight of the mouse, for me, is a little on the heavy side. I would have like to see a lighter mouse with custom weight capability for those who like it heavier, like some of the other gaming grade mice out there (including the G500). I know I tend to like my mice on the light side, though, so I won't hold it against the X8 too much. I also felt the mouse was a little bit large. Initially, until I got used to it, it was a bit uncomfortable even for me, and I have huge hands...I have to order gloves special, as off-the-shelf sizes don't fit me. As I got used to it, it become comfortable for me, I just needed to slightly adjust my grip and raise my arm-rest one notch to account for it being a very different "form" over what I was using previously. Those with small hands, however, might find it impossible to adjust and should be warned that this may not be a good choice of mouse for them.Hands-down, I consider this an excellent gaming mouse. Do I like it better than the G500/G5? Nope...I doubt I'll ever find a mouse that I consider better than those, simply in terms of the sheer comfort, which is very important considering how many hours straight I sometimes game. But in all areas other than comfort, the X8 matches or beats the G500/G5 series. And, drivers work properly all the time...which is more than I can say for Setpoint over the last few years. So, ultimately, I give it a higher rating.