Before the end of our SideWinder X8 review, we lamented the fact that Microsoft released yet another SideWinder Mouse that looked just like two of its predecessors, offering just a few more bells and whistles yet with the same design. Give us something different, we mused.

Enter the SideWinder X3. While it does carry the SideWinder gaming brand, it does offer users a different look and feel over the three previous SideWinder mice. For starters, it's a bit smaller, boasts an ambidextrous design, and carries a side button on the left and right of the mouse. A price tag of $39.99 is also more like it too.

Let's examine the X3's speeds and feeds:

• 2.76" wide, 4.74" long
• Symmetrical design—suitable for both lefties and righties equally
• 2000dpi laser tracking engine; 500Hz polling rate
• Three on-the-fly dpi switching buttons
• Two side buttons (one on each side)
• Clicky scroll wheel
• Wide glide feet
• Ability to record macros via included software

Just by going over these specs can we see that this is engineered for gaming, most notably its quick enough laser sensor, on-the-fly dpi buttons, and clicky scroll wheel. Those features have become synonymous with gaming mice.

SOURCE: www.extremetech.com