A Cheaper Sidewinder Arrives

Microsoft’s other introduction to the family of gaming peripherals is the Sidewinder X5 mouse. It is almost identical to the previous Sidewinder we’ve tested, except for a few minor changes. The Sidewinder X5 is a laser mouse with a 2000 dpi sensor.

The mouse is still huge, and the entire body has a matte plastic finish except the sides, which have an anti-bacterial finish. The two buttons on the side are available as well. Three lit-buttons on the top can be used to change the DPI on the fly. The DPI that you want to use for each of the three buttons can be set through the drivers.

The scroll has a clicky-feel to it and the buttons feel cheaper. The scroll movement is smooth though; the mechanism is robust and lets the scroll wheel stay very steady. The surface pads at the bottom of the mouse were changeable before, but are not now. The drivers allow a good amount of customisation.

The mouse performs flawlessly in games. There is no skipping whatsoever at any of the resolutions. The buttons on the side are suitably placed and are useful while playing.

Overall, this mouse is a big downgrade in terms of features. The performance is still great. Is it as good as the best gaming mice today? It is. For users who were never really impressed by weights and LED screens, but just wanted a pure gaming mouse, the X5 might be just perfect.