Customer Reviews

Microsoft SideWinder X3 Mouse

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am glad I purchased this although it is not without it's flaws, so I'll try to go into detail as much as possible so you can decide it it's for you.

Pros:
-This mouse is very comfortable to use for long periods of time.
-Very smooth, glides easily on a cloth pad I am now using (on hard pad it was actually hard to control).
-Good scroll wheel. It has indentations, not too noisy, and it is flat instead of rounded so it's easier to click. And the click is more like a normal button instead of the soft feel that many scroll wheels exhibit.
-Lift-off distance is good. I measured about 2.4-2.5 mm liftoff (the thickness of two CDs). This was on both a hard pad and a cloth pad. I have had no problems personally with that distance but you should measure what you currently have to see if you would have problems getting used to that. However there is a caveat with liftoff that I cover in the cons.
-On-the-fly sensitivity in the form of three specific buttons, and the active one lights up. These three points are adjustable in software.
-Light and easy to hold when you do reposition it.

Cons:
-I think the side buttons, while well thought out, might not be convenient enough to use. You will probably have to reach a little to get to the one on your thumb side, but it's not too bad. The one on the other side however will probably not get used much.
-Coarse sensitivity adjustments in software (400,800,1000,1600,2000) to assign to the three buttons. In practice this is very minor.
-No rubber texture on anything, if you like that (I only mention it in case it wasn't clear from the pictures, it's not really a con for me)
-While lift-off was OK, there seems to be a slight issue with the placement of the sensor in the mouse, it is not straight above the hole but on an angle. Since it is on an angle, when you lift the mouse off the pad the cursor will move slightly to the left. So if you are holding on to a target, and you want to reposition the mouse, it will move off the target. During actual use this has not been a problem for me but most other mice have the sensor straight above the hole so moving straight up and down does not translate to movement. To get an idea, it is like when you lifted an old ball mouse off the pad, and the ball dropped down causing a slight movement of the cursor.

So I personally like this mouse and I will probably use it a long time. I have not had experience with other Sidewinder mice nor any Razer products so I can't compare it, but I personally preferred it to the MX518 although that is just due to the size of the Logitech mouse, I'm not used to larger asymmetrical designs. At this price I think the X3 is a great choice.

I'll start off with this: The Microsoft X3 Gaming Mouse is not the Perfect gaming mouse.

Why then did I give it 5 stars? I give it 5 stars because it is excellent at being what it claims to be, a great gaming mouse at a budget price.

Major Pros:
+ Very comfortable for the hand, even after long gaming sessions
+ Has enough buttons to be relatively useful without being overboard
+ DPI switching buttons are easy to use while also being out of the way during normal use
+ Can be used without much discomfort for browsing and day to day use
+ Scroll wheel is neither overpowering nor underwhelming
+ Recessed side button means that even if you aren't use to an extra button you don't hit it accidentally
+ (Only for the left-handed) It is ambidextrous. Can be used with either hand comfortably. Makes it a great option for left-handed gamers or households who desire a higher-tech multi-person use mouse for a mix of right and left-handed people

Cons:
- Side button being recessed can be strange to hit, one has to change their grip slightly
- DPI switching settings are not customizable (although for beginning gamers I believe the pre-sets are perfect)
- It doesn't look "ferocious", call me crazy but I think even a budget gaming mouse should have some sense of aggressive style

Conclusions:
The X3 fits the needs and wants of so many beginning gamers and advanced mice users while cutting down on kitschy or cliche extras. The pros of the mouse include its comfort, usability, sturdiness, longevity, and versatility while its few cons consist mostly of minor gripes which are superfluous when one considers the X3's price. If the X3 does not suit your needs then perhaps it is not the mouse's fault as much as it yous for not investing a little more. A rational person doesn't buy a cheap sub-compact then complain about the lack of a third row or a top speed under 150 mph (or kph for that matter). The same goes for this mouse, it is a Great Gaming mouse in at its budget, there is no doubt of that in my mind.

First, I'm not a gamer, so this review relates to general computer use. I use Windows 7 64 and I have a 22" widescreen display set at 1680 x 1050. I also use a secondary display (side by side) when I am programming. I use a kind of hybred grip, I rest my lower palm on the base of the mouse, my thumb and ring fingers on the sides, and my index and middle finger are elevated over the mouse with my fingertips gently resting on buttons 1 and 2. Now on to the sidewinder X3 ...

The mouse has a conventional feel to it and it is very light. The size/shape/weight compare to my MS intellimouse optical. Very comfortable for daily use, I use mine for 8-10 hours a day. The grip is comfortable, I'm right handed, but would be the same for lefties. The mouse body is plastic, the grey top area is very smooth, the black left and right sides appear to be slightly textured but it is almost unnoticeable. The mouse has large teflon feet and it glides effortlessly. I'm using mine on a 2 dollar cloth/rubber backed mouse pad. It appears it would be very easy to clean if you got some peanut butter or sonmething on it (come on, we all have done this!). The right/left mouse buttons (buttons 1/2) are very responsive and have a nice click to them. The mouse wheel is rubber, has a good feel to it and spins in a racheted fashion. The wheel click (button 3) is very easy to do and does not cause the mouse to scroll when pressing. The left/right side buttons (buttons 4/5) are also very responsive and have a nice click to them, but they are located pretty far foward on the mouse body. To select the button on the thumb side (depends on left or right handed) you must move your hand forward on the mouse body. The button on your ring finger side is easily selected using your ring finger (for me anyways). The DPI buttons are placed on the very top of the mouse behind the mouse wheel and are out of the way, they are easy to select, but you won't select them by mistake. Overall a nice feel.

I installed Intellimouse 7.0, this software will 'enhance' the mouse applet in your control panel. With the enhanced mouse control applet you can reprogram all 5 buttons and set the dpi for each of the 3 dpi buttons (from 200 to 2000 dpi). I left the 5 buttons at their default settings, and set my DPIs to 2000/1600/1000. You can also define custom settings and/or macros for specific applications. Pretty cool. One thing to note, In pointer options, set pointer speed to 6 and enhance pointer precision to off. This will set tracking to 1:1 meaning the software will not try to speed up/slow down mouse movements, the mouse will control this. You can then use the different dpi settings to determine where you are most comfortable.

Regarding performance, this mouse is superb. The mouse is very responsive and tracking is excellent. I'm using the 2000 dpi setting, with no software acceleration (see above). The mouse polls on the usb port at 500hz so there is absoluutely no lag (at most 2 ms). Most mice poll at 125hz (8 ms lag). Precision movements are very easy to control. Selecting and clicking on specific locations is very effortless. With my previous mouse (450 dpi) I used the highest setting in pointer precision, in this mode the software tries to adjust where you are selecting, and sometimes you have to readjust the pointer, by wiggling the mouse. No more. Not at 1:1. I move the mouse, the pointer moves exactly where I want. I use this mouse for 8-10 house at a time and I feel no fatigue or stress on my hand.

Overall I highly recomment this mouse, but full retail price is still a little high. I got mine for roughly 40% off retail, so just a few bucks more than a traditional 5 button mouse. The comfort, response time, and precision of the mouse are all great. My only complaint, the side button next to your thumb. It's a pain to select, hopefully I'll get used to it.

i like ambidextrous mice (seems more natural to me) and is the reason i bought this one. i was VERY dissapointed that the DPI buttons are not programmable. i'm not a gamer and don't really need to change DPI on the fly and would like to have been able to reassign the DPI buttons.

So after finally building a proper PC (I've been a laptop guy for years) I had to figure out what peripherals I wanted...I had my heart set on a microsoft X5 mouse, but when I saw it's little brother on sale for twenty bucks I just had to have it. I was a little worried when it showed up in a plastic bag instead of the box that's shown with the description...but it was fine. All the documents and install disc were included and the mouse was new, it was just in a platic bag :)

It's quick and responsive, perfect for what I need. I've setup all the buttons and everything works perfectly...I can't imagine a better deal for the money...

I just got this mouse.

Pros:
It's comfortable
The wheel mouse turns in segments plus there's no clicking noise
It's ambidextrous
It has a long (enough) cord

Cons:
The major reason I chose this mouse was to get the side buttons. They are very small and far forward. I can't easily reach the thumb side one with my usual grip. I can reach it if I move my hand forward on the mouse but it's not a comfortable grip I can easily sustain.

Recommendation:
It's a pretty good mouse but fails at one of its major selling points: the side buttons. Maybe they employ giants in the design and testing of their mice.

Find the old Microsoft Optical Intellimouse. It was a perfect design with large, easy-to-reach side buttons. I don't know why they don't make that form factor anymore!

This is a very nice mouse from microsoft. On the fly DPI switching is very nice but if you are a gamer you'll likely only use the highest DPI setting. The mouse is very comfortable in either hand. The wheel is good and clicky, not tight like some other MS mice i've used. The only real problem with the mouse is the side buttons. They are placed a little too far up making them hard to reach. I'd say this is a great mouse for the everyday user and good entry level gaming mouse.

I do like my x3. I would say 2 minor things annoy me... 1.) the 2 side buttons are hard to reach, I wish they were moved back about 1/2 and inch back because my thumb or pinky is a bit too small. 2.) the price. This unit is a bit costly considering it is a mouse. The mouse itself is very responsive and comfortable. I needed an ambidextrous mouse as I am ambidextrous. I use my right for work and my left to game. Having a mouse that fits both hands is a must. These days most mice are right hand specific. All in all this is a good buy. My hands are large (I am 6'6") but the mouse fits perfectly in my hand. I am happy with this purchase.

I just unboxed mine and I've been playing with it for a while. It's a solid mouse; the DPI switching works quite well, the scrolling is good, the drivers are good, and it's the right size for my hand (I have pretty long fingers).

Don't expect to be able to use both side buttons with ease, because the only one that's accessible without having to stretch is the one on the right side (it's placed right under your ring finger if you're right handed). The one on the left side is too far away from your thumb to make it practical (of course if you're left handed, the opposite is true).

The included software basically adds functionality to the existing Windows mouse settings instead of adding new software, which I like. Oh, and it also lets you adjust the sensitivity for each individual DPI setting, which is cool.

The mouse is heavy enough for me, but some might like it heavier. The build quality seems a little cheap, but honestly, it's a mouse. It doesn't need to be made of metal. It'll probably work just fine for as long as I use it. Oh, and the sides aren't rubberized like a lot of mice are, so if you have sweaty hands, watch out.

I have long used the IntelliMouse optical 5 button mouse. My last one has started to die and I found that the IntelliMouse is no longer available from anyone. I have not in the past found a mouse that has the same shape and was as comfortable as my IntelliMouse until now.

The Sidewinder X3 is my loved IntelliMouse with a few updates such as recessed side buttons and mouse selectable resolution. In the very near future I will be ordering several more as spares before they become unavailable.