I was in Seattle Wednesday to watch the unveiling of a new gaming mouse from Microsoft dubbed the Sidewinder X8. Set for release in February, the latest product in the newly re-launched Sidewinder gaming hardware line will use Microsoft's proprietary BlueTrack technology.
Announced just a day earlier, BlueTrack employs a blue laser with a wider, softer beam than the traditional red lasers found in most optical mice. I don't pretend to completely understand how it works (this is despite having sat through a briefing with the technology's impassioned inventor), but the upshot is this: It lets mice track accurately and without interruption on just about any surface, be it reflective, polished, or rough.
I had the chance Tuesday to try the very first BlueTrack equipped mouse—the Explorer (seen above) which Microsoft will launch in North America in November for $89.95—on several typically troublesome surfaces, such as marble counters and hardwood flooring. It never missed a beat, tracking fluidly and without disruption the entire time. This is potentially a massive benefit for laptop users—gamers included—who find themselves mousing on a wide variety of surfaces. I suspect BlueTrack will all but extinct red laser mice in the years to come.
But BlueTrack isn't the X8's only improvement over previous Sidewinders; it's also wireless. Some gamers eschew wireless mice, citing a noticeable lag in communication between the mouse and the transceiver that adversely affects the gaming experience. But Microsoft claims to have solved this problem by offering “full speed USB” transfer rates via a 2.4 GHz wireless protocol.
“It's fast enough that even a professional gamer won't be able to detect any latency,” explained Bill Jukes, a Product Marketing Manager with Microsoft. Still, we'll have to wait until launch to see whether hardcore gamers—a notoriously finicky bunch—are satisfied with Microsoft's wireless technology.
Other, less ground-breaking improvements found in the X8 include a programmable, tilting scroll wheel and vertical side buttons redesigned to allow the player's thumb to rest comfortably between them.
The X8 also has all the features of the original Sidewinder, including customizable weighting, a selection of swappable feet that offer varying levels of gliding resistance, three preset DPI sensitivities that can be selected via physical toggles, and a handy Macro record button.
Microsoft Canada has yet to provide a regional price, but the American MSRP is slated to be $99.95.
