Gaming peripherals are something of a niche market.  On the one hand, you've got the group of players that are perfectly fine with using the mouse and keyboard that came with their PC.  But then you've got another, somewhat more fanatical, group that needs their tools as specialized as they come - down to its weight in grams!  However small this market may be, it's still substantial enough for large hardware companies to continually produce gamer specific peripherals.  Microsoft has been a relatively quiet player in this market but has garnered general success in the peripherals department.  Its line of PC gaming equipment is dubbed "SideWinder", after the infamous reptile.  Its newest entry into the mouse department is the SideWinder X8 with BlueTrack technology.  I got a chance to test drive it over these past two weeks and I have to say it's been quite impressive.

Features

The SideWinder X8 is the first gaming grade mouse from Microsoft that features both wireless and BlueTrack technology.  Wireless is supported with a 2.4GHz connection, the same as the Logitech G7, while BlueTrack is Microsoft's advanced tracking system that incorporates a blue laser for up to 13,000 frames per second processing speeds.  Other features of the mouse includes play and charge ability (30 hour battery life), 12 buttons with seven programmable, tilting scroll wheel, full speed USB reporting at 500Hz, LCD display for DPI reporting, on-the-fly DPI switching, replaceable mouse pads and macro recording.

Its feature list is long and you may recognize most of these as also available from other manufacturers.  But the key feature that the X8 has over the rest of the competition is the BlueTrack laser (http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/tracklanding.mspx).  Microsoft claims that BlueTrack will track on anything except clear glass or mirrored surfaces.  So does BlueTrack do much in way of improving your game?  In short, not really.

Where I'm Coming From

I've been using gaming peripherals since I purchased my first 3D add-on card, the Diamond Monster 3D (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_Multimedia).  I've always switched between Logitech and Microsoft while delving slightly into other manufacturers such as Razer.  But in general, I favor my hardware from the two main players.  I'm an accomplished FPS player and demand twitch accuracy.  If I can't flick my wrist and have the reticule follow, that mouse is going back to the store.  I also prefer my mice slightly lower and shorter so I can grip it with my finger tips rather than palming the whole thing. 

I have average Asian hands (which is to say that they are below average Caucasian sized) so the size of a mouse plays an extremely important role in my purchasing decision.  I have also never had success using Razer's mice or its drivers.  I used to own a DeathAdder and then a DiamondBack and while they were both good mice, driver issues and constant disconnects have tainted my view of the company's products.  While many have sworn by Razer's offerings, I personally do not like the shape or the asking price of its product line, which also means that the X8 will not be compared to the Mamba, 1/3rd the trifecta in wireless gaming mice.

What I Compared it To

My current mouse of choice is the Logitech G9 V.1.  This is an incredible mouse with a very unique shape.  Instead of the tried and true MX style of mould, Logitech went back to its Wingman days and modeled the G9 very closely to the Wingman mouse circa 1999.  It's because of the shape that I retired my previous weapon of choice, the Logitech G7 and went back to a wired solution.  However, the shape and size of the X8 is more closely related to the MX series so I pulled out my Logitech G5 and its predecessor, the MX518 for direct comparison.

I used all four (MX518, G5, G9, X8) in Team Fortress 2 (PC), Unreal Tournament 3 (PC), World of Warcraft (OSX) and World in Conflict (PC) for the period of two weeks.  Each gaming session would be played with all three products.  The idea of the test play was overall feel and effectiveness of each of the mice, not the confirmation of specification.  

What I Liked

So then, after two weeks, what did I like about the X8?  When compared to its predecessor, the SideWinder Mouse, the X8 is a much better product.  Namely, its 2.4GHz wireless connection meant wire-free play without any noticeable lag.  The built in receiver also acts as a charging cord hub where a very thin and light power cord protrudes and spans magnetically onto the underside of the mouse when you need to charge and keep playing.  This is a much more elegant solution compared to the G7's dual battery and not quite as obtrusive (or flashy) as the Razer Mamba. 

You can't help be smile a little when you snap the power cord into place as it reminded me of Apple's MagSafe connectors on its MacBook/Pro line of computers.  Another plus is Microsoft's decision to use simple AA rechargeable batteries.  I replaced the included set of rechargeables with a set of Energizer NiMH 1800mAh AA and the included charger was able to charge it.  However, this is not recommended by Microsoft but it was certainly a bonus.

The BlueTrack technology functioned as advertised and tracked flawlessly on my desk, my cloth mouse-pad (CrunchGear mentioned that cloth pads did not track well but this didn't happen to me), and on green cutting board doubling as my desktop pad.  Did the BlueTrack laser improve my game?  Not by much in terms of accuracy but it did improve my comfort level as I can swap out any pad I want for any play style while maintaining the same level of responsiveness.  How often you do that is up to you and I certainly wouldn't have swapped as much if I were not doing a review!

In terms of ergonomics, this mouse is similar in size to the G5/MX518, but adds a bit more width where your small and ring finger would grip the mouse.  It felt more comfortable than the G5/MX518 after 30 minutes in Team Fortress 2 but I still preferred the shape of my G9 over the X8.  However, if you're a player that palms their mouse and has average to slightly larger hands, then the X8 would be very comfortable.  Gone are the protrusions of the old SideWinder's spine and in its place, Microsoft has smoothed out the back of the X8 and contoured it to fit more closely to the natural placement of the hand.  All the buttons are well placed and I also quite enjoyed the vertical orientation of the side buttons since it meant my thumb would have to move that much less.  The addition of a tilt wheel was a welcomed change, which certainly increased the X8's functionality during other tasks (we don't always game, even though we should!)  I liked that the tile wheel was stiff enough to remain centered when you depressed the wheel's middle button, unlike the G5 or the G7.  Granted the G5 has seen many more battles than the X8 but I've always found the MX style mice from Logitech to have loose tilt buttons.  

Microsoft also included an extra two sets of mouse feet that you can replace with the one currently installed.  These provide a varying degree of friction and allows a particular player to tailor his/her mouse to their specifications.

What I Didn't Like

There's much to like about the X8 but it's not without its faults.  With the gift of wireless, you have to offer the gods at MS a sacrifice in weight.  The battery certainly adds a few more grams to the overall weight to the mouse but it's no so heavy that you get tired moving it.  I never actually weighed the different mice but from handling it over time, it "felt" lighter than the G7 and an MX900 Bluetooth monster I use with my HTPC.  Nevertheless, if you're like me and prefer to have their mice as light as possible for those marathon frag sessions, the X8 is not for you.

Another gripe is Microsoft's decision to preset the DPI toggles to a fixed DPI that the user can set via software.  Although this works and is readily incorporated by other manufactures, it would have been nice to see Microsoft take the lead and put in a hardware DPI scale, instead of a simple three button solution.  Nothing wrong with the actual use of quick switches but it could have been that much better.

While DPI switches technically works, scroll wheels that slip certainly do not.  The scroll wheel on the X8 is made of metal and has horizontal grooves in it to give it more grip.  But unlike the wheel on the G9, the X8's wheel has no rubber on the grooves, which means that it will take some breaking in before that wheel will spin easier with slippery fingers.  This may not be an issue for others but having to scroll more than once in a fire-fight means you will become someone else's stats.  

Lastly is the Intellipoint software.  There's a Mac OS X version of the Intellipoint software for the X8 via Microsoft's website but the X8 is not officially supported in OS X.  However, I found no issues with making it work using SteerMouse.  I did have some issues with compatibility on OS X with Microsoft drivers in that certain keys would lose its mapping or the speed of the cursor just wasn't right.  SteerMouse costs $20 USD to purchase but will enable you to tweak all of a mouse's setting in OS X where there are no native drivers.  The Intellipoint software in Windows did function as advertised and all options were available, including the application specific button mapping (not available in OS X with SteerMouse).  I know that gaming naively on a Mac is sort of a joke, especially within the enthusiast crowd (that you folks reading this now) but it would have still been a huge bonus to see something that came with official support.  Other companies such as Razer has Mac specific gaming mice so why can't Microsoft?  Maybe because there's bad blood there.

Value

MSRP on the X8 is $99 USD but I was able to find it as low as $79 CDN at a local OEM.  This is an amazing price for a wireless gaming grade mouse.  When the G7 was first released, MSRP on that was close to $150 while you were able to find it at local OEM's for near $130.  The pro's of the X8 far outweigh the con's and while BlueTrack doesn't necessarily does much to improve your game, it also doesn't hurt it either.  With the misconception that wireless has more lag than wired being nearly debunked with this generation of gaming consoles, it's safe to say that unless you're a professional StarCraft player with the reflexes of a humming bird, you won't notice a difference.  If you're in the market for a gaming mouse and want a wireless one, the X8 is the best bang for the buck.

Final Word

If I didn't have to send this mouse back, I would be using it right now and putting my G9/G5 in the closet.  Even though it's slightly heavier than your average gaming mouse, it's still the lightest wireless gaming mouse I've used.  Given the depth of driver support, and the integration of Windows, if you game on a Windows machine, this is really the best choice.  However, if you do game on OS X, and you would like to have a gaming grade mouse, I would suggest you look at either the Logitech G5/G9 as better options.  Mainly because of the better support with third party driver solutions such as SteerMouse since Microsoft's drivers do not play very well with OS X.  

Microsoft SideWinder X8 gets GamerWok's Seal of Approval