Frequently Bought Together
Technical Details
- Brand Name: Microsoft
- Model: JQD-00001
- Color Name: Black
- Width: 8.60 inches
- Weight: 0.00 pounds
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images? |
Product Description
From the Manufacturer
Overview:
A powerful keyboard for serious gamers. The Microsoft SideWinder X4 Keyboard has all the core must-haves for serious gamers, including industry-leading anti-ghosting, a first-ever Repetitive Macro key, in-game macro recording, a full media key set, automatic and manual mode/profile switching, adjustable backlighting for playing in dim conditions, and more. Plus, at the touch of a button, this customizable keyboard-the latest in the award-winning Microsoft SideWinder line-doubles as a high-performance keyboard for everyday computing.
Features:
Clean lines and eye-catching shape
Show it off - complement your style.
Lightweight and compact
A perfect fit wherever you use it - here, there, anywhere.
Stowable Nano Transceiver
Be free, with wireless freedom.
Other Features:
Automatic profile switching
The keyboard detects the application you are running and applies your custom profile to the application.
Programmable macro keys
Switch among three banks of six programmable macro keys to assign up to 18 macros per profile.
In-game Macro Record button
Record a sequence of keystrokes. Macros are stored on your hard drive and can be easily shared.
Automatic macro repetition
Set your macros to repeat.
Media keys
Access Play/Pause, Previous Track, Next Track, and Mute.
Volume control
System Requirements:
- Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP (excluding Windows XP 64-bit)
- 100 MB hard drive space
- CD-ROM
- Powered USB
Product Description
Microsoft SideWinder X4 Keyboard
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 50 people found the following review helpful
By syrik
Amazon Verified Purchase
Just got this keyboard today, so this is my first impression. Out of the box it dosen't look like anything special, just an ordinary keyboard, 6 buttons running down the left side are the only thing not standard looking. Software is simple and installs quickly. The feel of typing on the keyboard is very nice, fast and crisp. It is sized nicely with the keys all seeming have a natural curve (keyface) and distance for my hands and fingers. Key action is superb, just the right resistance with a nice "punch" when pressed. The backlighting has 4 settings, high-med-low-off and is clearly visible in normal office/household lighting. Many keys are programmable with either preset conditions or fully customizable (all the locks, windows key, etc.). Macros are simple and quick to program and they keys easily reachable with a pinky.
The negative points are few. First, the lighting is red, think Pontiac dashboard and you've got it. I would prefer blue, but it does actually look cool next to my blue lit mouse. Second, its glossy. I don't know what manufacturers fascination with shiny is lately, but QUIT IT!! Haha, seriously, would really prefer a matte finsh however this is not a deal breaker. Lastly, the keys keep with the glossy and are smooth on the surface. It is not slippery or uncomfortable, just different and takes getting used to. The key action and press feel more than overshadows this minor oddity. It is also worth mentioning that the wrist rest is inconsequential, it could just as easliy not be there.
In the end, first day, I can already tell I type faster with this keyboard than I did and that should only improve with practice. If it holds up for the entire warranty period without needing to use it then it will be money well spent. If it does fail, then the 3 year warranty is there (impressive length). The features are not overwhelming or extensive. They are what you need, at a price that is fair compared to the competition. No extra crap you'll never use, but everything you will use. In the bang for the buck category (many keyboards with fewer features cost more) this one stands tall.
I will now extensively test the anti-ghosting so prominently advertised with this keyboard. I can already say, in WoW the my old keyboard that this is replacing had several ghost keys (default Dell POS) and those same key combinations have not produced any ghosting at all. I look forward to running, casting, talking and jumping all at the same time.
Oh, and one more thing. Amazon shipped this post haste and it arrived well packaged and protected. Sooner than anticipated!!! Simply superb on their part.
EDIT: 10/16/10 Used this for several days now. It is very, very responsive. I am a person who tunes their equipment to the utmost sensitiviity (mouse is set to 5600 DPI, the max) and this keyboard keeps pace with the mouse. Hit a key, and it registers, NOW. That is of utmost importance for me. No ghosting, mushy feeling keys, I took to it fast and really really like it.
4/5/11 6 months later - fantastic keyboard. ZERO problems, works like a champ, macro's are easy, love it.
4/12/12 - Year and a half later and I love my keyboard. Still works flawlessly, well built and not a single problem.
The negative points are few. First, the lighting is red, think Pontiac dashboard and you've got it. I would prefer blue, but it does actually look cool next to my blue lit mouse. Second, its glossy. I don't know what manufacturers fascination with shiny is lately, but QUIT IT!! Haha, seriously, would really prefer a matte finsh however this is not a deal breaker. Lastly, the keys keep with the glossy and are smooth on the surface. It is not slippery or uncomfortable, just different and takes getting used to. The key action and press feel more than overshadows this minor oddity. It is also worth mentioning that the wrist rest is inconsequential, it could just as easliy not be there.
In the end, first day, I can already tell I type faster with this keyboard than I did and that should only improve with practice. If it holds up for the entire warranty period without needing to use it then it will be money well spent. If it does fail, then the 3 year warranty is there (impressive length). The features are not overwhelming or extensive. They are what you need, at a price that is fair compared to the competition. No extra crap you'll never use, but everything you will use. In the bang for the buck category (many keyboards with fewer features cost more) this one stands tall.
I will now extensively test the anti-ghosting so prominently advertised with this keyboard. I can already say, in WoW the my old keyboard that this is replacing had several ghost keys (default Dell POS) and those same key combinations have not produced any ghosting at all. I look forward to running, casting, talking and jumping all at the same time.
Oh, and one more thing. Amazon shipped this post haste and it arrived well packaged and protected. Sooner than anticipated!!! Simply superb on their part.
EDIT: 10/16/10 Used this for several days now. It is very, very responsive. I am a person who tunes their equipment to the utmost sensitiviity (mouse is set to 5600 DPI, the max) and this keyboard keeps pace with the mouse. Hit a key, and it registers, NOW. That is of utmost importance for me. No ghosting, mushy feeling keys, I took to it fast and really really like it.
4/5/11 6 months later - fantastic keyboard. ZERO problems, works like a champ, macro's are easy, love it.
4/12/12 - Year and a half later and I love my keyboard. Still works flawlessly, well built and not a single problem.
46 of 48 people found the following review helpful
By Brian
Amazon Verified Purchase
The Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard is a fantastic keyboard and so far the best keyboard I have ever owned.
Pros:
- The keyboard has an amazing blood red back light and looks really good in the dark. You can choose from three different lighting settings as well as turn it off.
- There are six macro keys and you can program them to any key combination you want using either the included Microsoft Intellitype software or by pressing the record button for on-the-fly programming. There are also three different profiles to separately store the macros for the buttons allowing for 6x3 = 18 different macros.
- Keys feel good to type on and keyboard can be inclined using latches on the back.
- Anti-Ghosting technology. I haven't tested pressing 26 keys at once (cause I only have ten fingers lol) but this keyboard certainly lives up to its promise of registering 10+ keys at once.
Cons:
- Hand rest cannot be removed but I have no problem with that. It actually feels comfortable to both game as well as type on.
- Media keys only work for Windows Media Player which is what I primarily use. This may annoy those who rely on a different default media player.
Conclusion: The Sidewinder X4 is awesome. I highly recommend it to both gamers and those looking for a really good keyboard.
Pros:
- The keyboard has an amazing blood red back light and looks really good in the dark. You can choose from three different lighting settings as well as turn it off.
- There are six macro keys and you can program them to any key combination you want using either the included Microsoft Intellitype software or by pressing the record button for on-the-fly programming. There are also three different profiles to separately store the macros for the buttons allowing for 6x3 = 18 different macros.
- Keys feel good to type on and keyboard can be inclined using latches on the back.
- Anti-Ghosting technology. I haven't tested pressing 26 keys at once (cause I only have ten fingers lol) but this keyboard certainly lives up to its promise of registering 10+ keys at once.
Cons:
- Hand rest cannot be removed but I have no problem with that. It actually feels comfortable to both game as well as type on.
- Media keys only work for Windows Media Player which is what I primarily use. This may annoy those who rely on a different default media player.
Conclusion: The Sidewinder X4 is awesome. I highly recommend it to both gamers and those looking for a really good keyboard.
35 of 39 people found the following review helpful
By Pilchard
Amazon Verified Purchase
I work in a dark room at night, while my spouse sleeps. Occasionally I need to hit a letter, function, number or some special key like "[". Being the poor typist that I am, this usually requires either trial and error or worse turning the light on enough for me to read the keys. The older I get, the more light is required to actually see the keys.
My search was for a well built backlit keyboard to help prevent my need for any other light source. There is another model the Microsoft Sidewinder X6 that seemed interesting, however on a search this model was available for pre-order and seemed interesting.
My need is not as a gamer, just a sometimes past bedtime typer. This keyboard comes with software from Microsoft and on the USB cable over the USB connector there is a piece of cardboard that says to install the software CD first. When opening the box, the CD wasn't noticed by me. However it was there. It installs Microsoft Intellitype. Which seems to do something for my PC, what I have no idea.
After software install on Windows XP, my old keyboard was unplugged and this new keyboard was put in. It has worked out very well. The color is a solid red, and it is easy on the eyes. This is an extended 102 / 103 key keyboard (it has some extra keys). There is a non-detachable numeric pad. There is also a non-detachable hand rest.
While the hand rest is comfortable, it would have been nice to have it removable. Space is an issue in the area of my keyboard, and the hand rest uses about 1/3 of the keyboard surface area.
The black for most of the keyboard is glossy, the hand rest is matte and has a textured feel. All keys are lit, with the exception of the space bar. The space bar isn't hard to find even in the dark as its a large area flanked by lit keys.
Only the tops of the keys glow, there is no light leakage on the sides of the keys or on the base of the keyboard. A choice of color would have been nice. Red isn't bad, I'd have preferred blue.
Some keyboards have a key to orient your hand for touch typists (usually a physical bump on the letter "J" if I recall correctly). This allows you to orient yourself to the QWERTY keyboard without looking. Unfortunately all keys are the same, and you must learn by use which key is where.
This keyboard is a bit louder than other keyboards. I do not much care for the noise. During long periods of typing, my thumbs seem to get a bit sensitive to the space bar. Overall when typing longish posts (like this review) my fingers get more tired on this keyboard than on my very old basic dell keyboard.
There are 6 keys labeled S1-S6 along the left side. Additionally there is a menu key on the lower right of the main keyboard close to the space bar. These are non-standard keys. What the S keys do I have no idea, the menu key seems to work like the right click button. Unfortunately hitting it a 2nd time doesn't undo the right click (it doesn't take down the menu).
There are also multi-media keys, for play / pause, skip fast forward, sound up and sound down also mute. There is a key that changes a light from one of 3 positions, I suspect its related to the game capability of this keyboard. There is also a key to set the light intensity. There are 3 levels of light plus and off, you change from one to the other by repeatedly hitting the light button. A final non-standard button is the calculator button, which launches the Microsoft calculator.
Overall it is a well made keyboard, a detachable hand rest would have been nice. My hope is over time the sensitivity to the space bar will decrease. Most of the extra keys are useless to me. I do really appreciate how well lit this is, and how there seems to be no bleed through of light between the keys.
I'm happy. Amazon sold this at a lower price than it is listed at today. Today it is listed at $59.99, my price was $45.10. For $45.10 this was a very good purchase in my opinion. With any luck as this device becomes a bit more mature the price will settle down.
My search was for a well built backlit keyboard to help prevent my need for any other light source. There is another model the Microsoft Sidewinder X6 that seemed interesting, however on a search this model was available for pre-order and seemed interesting.
My need is not as a gamer, just a sometimes past bedtime typer. This keyboard comes with software from Microsoft and on the USB cable over the USB connector there is a piece of cardboard that says to install the software CD first. When opening the box, the CD wasn't noticed by me. However it was there. It installs Microsoft Intellitype. Which seems to do something for my PC, what I have no idea.
After software install on Windows XP, my old keyboard was unplugged and this new keyboard was put in. It has worked out very well. The color is a solid red, and it is easy on the eyes. This is an extended 102 / 103 key keyboard (it has some extra keys). There is a non-detachable numeric pad. There is also a non-detachable hand rest.
While the hand rest is comfortable, it would have been nice to have it removable. Space is an issue in the area of my keyboard, and the hand rest uses about 1/3 of the keyboard surface area.
The black for most of the keyboard is glossy, the hand rest is matte and has a textured feel. All keys are lit, with the exception of the space bar. The space bar isn't hard to find even in the dark as its a large area flanked by lit keys.
Only the tops of the keys glow, there is no light leakage on the sides of the keys or on the base of the keyboard. A choice of color would have been nice. Red isn't bad, I'd have preferred blue.
Some keyboards have a key to orient your hand for touch typists (usually a physical bump on the letter "J" if I recall correctly). This allows you to orient yourself to the QWERTY keyboard without looking. Unfortunately all keys are the same, and you must learn by use which key is where.
This keyboard is a bit louder than other keyboards. I do not much care for the noise. During long periods of typing, my thumbs seem to get a bit sensitive to the space bar. Overall when typing longish posts (like this review) my fingers get more tired on this keyboard than on my very old basic dell keyboard.
There are 6 keys labeled S1-S6 along the left side. Additionally there is a menu key on the lower right of the main keyboard close to the space bar. These are non-standard keys. What the S keys do I have no idea, the menu key seems to work like the right click button. Unfortunately hitting it a 2nd time doesn't undo the right click (it doesn't take down the menu).
There are also multi-media keys, for play / pause, skip fast forward, sound up and sound down also mute. There is a key that changes a light from one of 3 positions, I suspect its related to the game capability of this keyboard. There is also a key to set the light intensity. There are 3 levels of light plus and off, you change from one to the other by repeatedly hitting the light button. A final non-standard button is the calculator button, which launches the Microsoft calculator.
Overall it is a well made keyboard, a detachable hand rest would have been nice. My hope is over time the sensitivity to the space bar will decrease. Most of the extra keys are useless to me. I do really appreciate how well lit this is, and how there seems to be no bleed through of light between the keys.
I'm happy. Amazon sold this at a lower price than it is listed at today. Today it is listed at $59.99, my price was $45.10. For $45.10 this was a very good purchase in my opinion. With any luck as this device becomes a bit more mature the price will settle down.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
nothing special
it's an ok keyboard really, there are so many more out there. Keys are tough, it does not elevate much from the table and other annoying issues with the keys.
Published 17 hours ago by EastCoast123
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended
I was confused between the sidewinder and other gaming keyboards. But I am not regretting for buying this beautiful keyboard. Read more
Published 1 day ago by ARJ
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not a gamer; but great for working in the dark
I wanted a keyboard that lit up so that I could get on my computer at night or in the early morning without having to turn the lights on and wake everyone else up (I'm a... Read more
Published 6 days ago by T. Angelo
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Keyboard!
I ordered the Microsoft SideWinder x4 a few days ago, and it arrived in perfect condition. Nothing less then I wanted or ordered. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Dylan Grenier
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome price!
The perfect mesh of gaming and regular keyboard. Keys are backlit and don't make too much noise. Very responsive and build quality is good.
Published 9 days ago by Hokis
5.0 out of 5 stars
works awesome
got to love this keyboard the only problem is getting used to the keys being a bit to the right with the keys to the left
Published 11 days ago by Troy
5.0 out of 5 stars
First Microsoft Keyboard.
This is a cool keyboard for the price, and is one of the best deals I have found. Got it for $44 bucks! It works well and is made solid. Read more
Published 15 days ago by Phoenix Custom PCs
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well lit keys!
Bright keyboard keys make this easy to use in any room lighting. The keys also have a very solid and responsive feel.
Published 15 days ago by Oscar R. Cantu
4.0 out of 5 stars
Useful, slight getting use to
I upgraded my old logitech keyboard which I had for roughly 4 years . The board never failed me but it was getting noticibly old and torn . Read more
Published 17 days ago by Julio Falco
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome keyboard
I love this keyboard for many reasons:
- Edge at the base of keyboard holds my palms nicely, even after getting sweaty from gaming
- Different profiles for... Read more
- Edge at the base of keyboard holds my palms nicely, even after getting sweaty from gaming
- Different profiles for... Read more
Published 17 days ago by cbailey
