Comments Microsoft SideWinder X8 BlueTrack Gaming Mouse - Peripheral - review

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Lord Comben III

1:34 AM on 17 March, 2009

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Well fair play to microsoft

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stranded

4:00 AM on 17 March, 2009

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Is there a gaming mouse with good "handling"? Really?!!

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JonTseng

9:04 AM on 17 March, 2009

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"the X8 uses BlueTrack technology, which is - as experience shows - a notable improvement on optical and laser."

Is there an advantage because its BlueTrack or because its a 4,000 DPI mouse. You shouldn't confuse the two - there are perfectly good 4,000 DPI laser mice out there.

The main advantage of Blue Track seems to be the (rather pointless) advantage of working on rougher surfaces like "carpet and rough-grain wood" - because obviously millions of l33t gamers regularly use rough-grain wood and carpet gamer mouse pads...

Also having a plug-in wireless mouse is nothing new - Logitech did it with their MX1100 a while ago (although for some bizarre reason, only with the one that comes bundled with their cordless desktops).

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TheLostSwede

11:10 AM on 17 March, 2009

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@Jon, uhm... Logitech had a "proper" wireless gaming mouse, the G7 http://www.trustedreviews.com/peripherals/review/2005/09/24/Logitech-G7-cordless-2000dpi-Laser-Mouse/p1

The biggest problem with that one was that you had to change the battery all the time, but as it came with a pair of batteries, you could easily swap them and charge the second one in the provided charger. The MX1100 is NOT a gaming mouse.

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Energizer Bunny

11:29 AM on 17 March, 2009

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Hey great review Hugo. I dont even need a new mouse but I've just ordered one of these puppies on the strength of that (though I will confess to digging out a few second opinions elsewhere on the net).

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hankb6d

12:44 PM on 17 March, 2009

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Looks at 50p ebay "perfect" wireless mouse with dead LED, feeling more pleased it did not cost £70!!!

Thats still a nice mouse of course.

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Ironduke

1:06 PM on 17 March, 2009

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I had a Bluetooth Mouse for my Mac that allowed you to charge via USB and keep using

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Keldon

2:54 PM on 17 March, 2009

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How does this compare against the *KING* of mice the logitech MX Revolution?

Im a sucker for a new mouse but dont want a downgrade :)

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Hugo

3:24 PM on 17 March, 2009

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I can't stand the Revolution, so to me it compares extremely favourably.

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colonelclaw

3:33 PM on 17 March, 2009

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Ok this is interesting - MicroSoft's own website has a driver download for this mouse for the Mac. Can anyone confirm if it works and all the buttons can be programmed etc?

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Keldon

5:16 PM on 17 March, 2009

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Heh fair enough hugo, I just find it fits nicely in my hand and only needs charging once a fortnight :)

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dustofnations

1:04 AM on 18 March, 2009

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I've read on a couple of other review sites that they've had varying problems with this mouse, for instance; pointer skipping (especially on cloth mousemats), odd scrollwheel behaviour when the custom drivers are installed (sometimes), and some interference problems

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/03/16/microsoft-sidewinder-x8-review-update/

Would definitely be beneficial to the readers if you could confirm if these are present on the one you're using :-).

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Hugo

3:23 PM on 18 March, 2009

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I've not noticed any such issues - although I don't have a cloth mousemat to test with.

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colonelclaw

4:16 PM on 18 March, 2009

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Is there any way to reprogram the 3 buttons just below the mouse wheel or are they only for changing the DPI?

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Hugo

1:29 PM on 19 March, 2009

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IIRC they're only for changing sensitivity.

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Borg

4:25 PM on 1 July, 2009

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how much is the ms of this mouse? razer mamba got only 1ms as wireless

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elitehunter

2:29 PM on 22 December, 2009

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the x8 has 2ms i believe, however, in the hundreds of hours i have spent playing games online and the range of mice I have used (from cheap £20 gaming mice with 5ms response time and the razer lachesis at 1ms) i haven't noticed any difference, the only difference i notice is how sensitive the mouse is and how smootly it glides and i'm not the only one, my clan mates and gaming buddies alike each with a different way of using mice and different preferences have all said that they notice no visible difference between response times, only what they see on paper.

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Microsoft's SideWinder X8 combines the best aspects of both wired and wireless mice, adds its funky, high-sensitivity BlueTrack technology and wraps it up in a slick, ergonomic package. Put simply, the X8 is the gaming mouse we've been waiting for Microsoft to make.

Overall

10/10

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Reviewed by Hugo Jobling

17 March 2009

Price as reviewed

£44.99

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