We’re big fans of gaming mice here at GamerWok.  Not only because of their design, technology, and function, but also because any serious PC gamer won’t be caught dead using any old OEM mouse!  However, the question we get constantly is how gamers can obtain a great gaming experience on a budget as spending $100+ on a mouse isn’t everybody’s bag.  Previously, the king of the budget gaming mouse (that didn’t suck) was the Razer Salmosa.  But Microsoft is the first to respond to Razer’s aggressive pricing with their own SideWinder X3, which we’ll be having a closer look at today.

Similar to most budget gaming mice, the X3 sports a smaller design that is lefty friendly.  It’s powered by a 2000dpi Laser tracking engine capable of a 500Hz polling rate.  Aside from the two main buttons, there are an additional two more, one on each side of the mouse, and three on-the-fly DPI switching profiles.  The X3 is also capable of executing macros via software.  And gamers will be happy to note that the scroll wheel is indeed “clicky”, which allows for precise scrolling selections.

While being ambidextrous has it’s advantages for the left handed gamers, it’s often looked upon as an inconvenience for right handers.  However, similar to the Salmosa, I quite enjoyed the shape of the X3.  It’s smaller than the X8 and the G5, which makes the shape quite comfortable.  And having the two side buttons, one on each side, definitely more useful than keeping them all on one side.  The X3 is also a fairly light mouse, weighing in at only 93 grams, you won’t have any issues moving this rodent around the desk.  If anything, I found the X3 to be too light for its shape.  Where the Salmosa was smaller, the lack of heft suited that mouse better than the X3.

Gamers might be still confused about the technology of laser VS. optical and the importance of DPI in all that.  Without going into a long essay on the topic, I’ll point you to this article for further reading.  As for the X3, it sports a 2000DPI Laser tracking engine, which might sound low compared to the 4000DPI of the X8, but it’s more than adequate for the majority of gamers out there.  The X3 is wholly capable of precision selection in Sins of a Solar Empire, tracking that elusive headshot in Team Fortress 2, and keeping up with the bullet spamming in Left 4 Dead.  The three DPI switches are also handy for times when you need to slow down the cursor for more precision or speed it up to help dodge zombies.  The laser engine had no issues tracking on a bare wood desk, cloth, and plastic mouse pads.  I’m happy to report that the issues experienced with the X8’s cursor skipping on cloth pads are not found in the X3.  I’m convinced that the X8’s BlueTrack Laser is what’s responsible for that phenomenon but without BlueTrack, the X3 is not reliable on glass or any highly reflective surfaces.

The scroll wheel of the X3 is also more rubberized than the X8, giving it an easier time when doing line by line scrolling.  Pushing down on the wheel also didn’t pose a problem with accidental scrolls.  All of the functions, including the DPI switches, can be customized in the Intellipoint software from Microsoft.  This of course is still Windows only so if you’re hoping to run the X3 on a Mac, you’re going to have to live with third party drivers (or go with a Mac gaming mouse).  Recording macros is also very straight forward in the Intellipoint editor.  Users can customize the keystokes, timed delay, and button assignments very quickly.  I’m not a big macro user but of the few that I did create, there wasn’t ever any issues of lag or inconsistent performance.

This is Microsoft’s answer to the budget gamer’s needs.  There’s no LCD screens, no removable weights, no braided mouse cords, but the X3 gets the job done at a great price.  If you’re looking for an alternative to the Salmosa and other budget gaming mice, the X3 is well worth a consideration.  Clocking in at $39.99 CAD MSRP, this won’t break your budget and still costs less than a full retail game.