SideWinder Mouse
By Erin Bell
Although I’m not a pro gamer, I do play enough games to realize the importance of a comfortable mouse. For players who like to tweak their mice to get them feeling just right, the SideWinder offers a wide range of customization options, great for both casual and pro gamers.
One of my favourite aspects of the SideWinder is that it lets me use my entire hand to control the mouse instead of just my fingers. Talk about comfort!
The SideWinder sports five programmable buttons (including two accessed by the thumb). These include:
- a metal scroll wheel
- a dedicated button for creating gaming profiles and settings
- a button that quick-launches Vista’s Games Explorer.
The SideWinder is the first gaming mouse to feature an LCD screen. The screen displays DPI (Dots per Inch) settings and prompts that guide you through the steps of mapping a regular in-game action to one of the mouse buttons.
If that’s not enough, there are even more features gamers of all skill levels will find helpful.
The SideWinder body contains a slide-out weight tray and comes with four 10- and 5-gram weights that can be added or removed to adjust the heaviness and balance of the mouse. Sometimes I prefer the sturdy feel of a heavier mouse, other times the quicker reaction time of a lighter mouse; it all depends on what game I’m playing. The SideWinder also comes with three types of interchangeable “feet” that offer different levels of friction on the desk surface.
