Microsoft gives gamers the Blues with SideWinder X8

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 11 September 2008 02:58

Your IT - Home IT

Hot on the heels of Microsoft's BlueTrack announcement comes news that the company will be building the technology into a SideWinder gaming mouse. Don't bother asking Santa for one - it won't arrive until February 2009.

The BlueTrack technology uses a broader beam of blue light said to give superior performance on a wide variety of surfaces, including those that can trouble conventional laser mice. The first BlueTrack mice are scheduled for November delivery.

Just a day after revealing the technology, Microsoft announced - or should that be pre-announced - the first BlueTrack gaming mouse, the SideWinder X8 that will go on sale next February at $US99.95.

With generally similar styling to the original SideWinder, the X8 boasts adjustable resolution from 250 to 4000 dpi and a maximum speed of 120 inches (305 cm) per second.

The 2.4GHz wireless mouse is said to be good for 30 hours of use on a single charge, but there's no need to stop when the battery runs down. Just snap on the charging cord, and keep playing.

Other features include a tilting scroll wheel, seven programmable buttons (including left and right tilt and the vertically arranged side buttons), a macro record button, interchangeable feet in three materials, and an LCD screen to display the dpi setting and macro-recording icons.

What other tricks does Microsoft have up its sleeve for the SideWinder X8? Please read on.