Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0

by Microsoft

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 8.2 x 2 inches ; 3.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000GOUE7O
• Item model number: B75-00113
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (121 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 14, 2004

Product Description

From the manufacturer

Experience legendary responsiveness, tracking, and comfort in the optical mouse preferred by professional gamers. Improved mouse feet for ultra-slick gliding.

Key Features

• Customizable buttons
• Microsoft Optical Technology
• Wheel scrolling
• USB connector
• Mac-compatible
• PS/2 connector

Additional Features

Optical Tracking Performance: Legendary accuracy delivered from an optical engine that produces 9000 Frames per Second, Maximum Speed of 54+ Inches per Second, and Maximum Acceleration of 25g’s combined with Microsoft’s Intelligent Tracking System with a centered optical port.

Comfortable ergonomic design: Button placement for improved sensitivity and soft touch materials for a sure grip.

Five programmable buttons: Reassign any button to fit your needs.

Optical Tracking Performance: Legendary accuracy delivered from an optical engine that produces 9000 Frames per Second, Maximum Speed of 54+ Inches per Second, and Maximum Acceleration of 25g’s combined with Microsoft’s Intelligent Tracking System with a centered optical port.

Scroll Wheel with Detents: A specially designed scroll wheel with detents enables more accurate scrolling through documents, spreadsheets, or video games.

Improved Slick Feet: For smooth movements across a variety of surfaces.

Centered Optical Port: For enhanced targeting and accuracy.

Flexible Cord: The thin, flexible cord was designed to provide the sensation of wireless with all the performance of a wire.

Gaming Toggle: With the push of a button you can switch between your favorite weapons or actions—it's easy to quickly change settings while playing..

Precision Booster: Switch between default speed and precision mode for enhanced control.

Intelligent Tracking System: Enjoy smoother tracking over a greater variety of surfaces with the Microsoft Intelligent Tracking System.

Product Description

Cable - Optical - Mouse - 5 x Button Programmable - 1 x Scroll Wheel - USB

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Awesome mouse, but highly unreliable., January 25, 2007

By 

static3d (Syracuse, NY, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 (Personal Computers)

The Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer is without a doubt the best mouse you can buy, until it starts acting up, which every one of them seems to do. I've owned two of them, and each has started malfunctioning after about a year and a half, which is after the warranty is up. Both had the same problem -- the buttons (or the switches underneath them) start becoming intermittent. Every button will lose its' accuracy: the forward and backward buttons will start moving multiple pages, the LMB will make it nearly impossible to click-and-drag or highlight-and-copy text, and the RMB will make it very frustrating to try to simply pop up the RMB box and keep it there. This also causes additional annoying (and potentially dangerous) side effects, such as accidentally closing multiple windows when trying to just close the top one. My mouse wheel is also now totally useless, since if i push it down (as a center mouse button) it sticks in and won't come back out unless I pry it up with a screwdriver. Granted, I use the mouse for several hours almost every day, so it does take quite a beating. Spending $50 on one of these mice is something I will reluctantly not do again, since Microsoft decided to use cheap pushbutton switches that oxidize and act up. If they hadn't, they just may have created the perfect mouse.

24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A living legend, plus, only low sense gaming mouse on the market., October 17, 2008

By 

Michael K. Pessolano (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 (Personal Computers)

First of all...

They fixed the scroll wheel!!!!!!!!!!!
The newest revision of the IME 3.0 has fixed the scroll wheel problem people were reporting.

This is great news.


Pros
1.2mm lift off distance on every surface
Perfect comfort and shape
5 buttons
Works perfectly at 400dpi

Cons (of course)
Only 400 dpi...desktop resolutions are like, 1920x1200, and anything less than 1600 dpi feels sluggishly slow on a desktop. 400 dpi is awesome for games...but come on, can't be helped though.
Only 5 buttons...gaming mice these days like to have at least 7 fully programmable buttons, 5 is standard though. Not many games need 7, I have ten PC FPS and RTS games...and I only use 7 mouse buttons in Gears of War.

Other Thoughts And Comparisons
Many people get a Razer DeathAdder or MX518 because they want an Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 with high DPI, that can switch to low DPI.
Unfortunatly what happens is that those mice, in their low DPI modes, do not perform the same as the IME 3.0, they don't track as well, they force straight lines, and in general are not as accurate.

If you want a faster mouse, or more buttons...
Microsoft Habu is the way to go.

It's the only mouse that has the Intellimouse shape, and the build quality behind it to make it good enough to compare.

Cons on the Habu though...
Need a hard pad to make it track good.
2.4 mm lift off on most hard pads. 1.2mm is the perfect lift off, and you can pretty much only get it with the Intellimouse Explorer 3.0

Please buy this mouse if you're hardcore into gaming.
Use it seperate from your high DPI mouse, use this mouse for gaming, and the other mouse for desktop use.
Unless you're used to 400 dpi desktop mice...then you win all over.

They fixed the scroll wheel problem.
This mouse is a legend.
Original unopened go for over $200 on eBay.

SteelSeries limited editions go for over $100 on eBay.

Don't pass this up, it's getting rare again.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The last Great Gaming Mouse on this Planet, February 8, 2008

By 

Dean L. Schwenz (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0 (Personal Computers)

After shopping for a new mouse for online Gaming,I found that the new ones
no longer have detents in there scrolling wheels which I needed for changing weapons and customizable buttions are to hard to press rapidly. This mouse is hard wired to my PC which means lighter,no batteries,solid signal and never has to be reset like the wireless ones.Optical means no mouse ball to collect lint and screw up your movement. This mouse feels good in your hand, very well built and programming ability of 5 customizable buttions is far superior then other ones which always have
limitations in what you can do. This is the best gaming mouse ever made and cheaper than all the rest on this site. The people designing mice and the stores selling mice today clearly do not have gamers in mind,Frankly with all the products on the shelf,why couldnt they make one with us in mind. I wish micosoft would keep this one on the shelf because they had a good thing going