Microsoft SideWinder X8 Mouse Review by Nathan Vansyckel

Overall Rating:

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To be honest, I wasn’t very excited about the SideWinder X8. Microsoft hasn’t impressed me much with their previous gaming mouse, the X5. Well, I just recently got the chance to try out the X8 at a friends house and…I’m impressed. The first and coolest thing about the X8 is its BlueTrack technology. This thing tracks flawlessly on all kinds of surfaces most notably a glass top desk.

The X8 is embracing an ever growing feature becoming predominant in gaming mice: it’s wireless. More and more I am becoming convinced that wireless mice are suitable for gaming, and the SideWinder X8 confirms this belief. Up to 30 hours of continuous play comes with each charge and its wireless receiver doubles as a charging dock letting you plug and play, for non-stop gaming.

3 DPI setting buttons let you toggle the X8′s sensitivity between low, medium, and high, maxing out at 4000 DPI. With the push of a button, you can adjust the sensitivity for both super crucial sniper shots, and fast paced spray fire shootouts. Coupled with it’s easy in game macro recording, the X8 has all the essential benefits I look for in a gaming mouse and a cool design to boot.

Check out this video review of the Microsoft SideWinder  X8 Mouse!

Take a look at all the benefits the Microsoft SideWinder X8 Mouse has to offer:

  • Play and Charge dock provides up to 30 hours of active gaming on a single charge, or make use of the play and charge cable for non stop gaming.
  • BlueTrack Technology processes images at a blazing 13,000 frames per second making it the most advanced tracking technology available.
  • A 2.4 GHZ wireless connection provides best in class performance.
  • On the fly DPI changes for maximum precision in any situation.
  • Up to 7 programmable buttons. You get 5 customizable main buttons, and left/right tilt.

One of the biggest problems I had with previous Microsoft gaming mice was their ergonomics. The original SideWinder reminded me of an xbox controller. Big, bulky, and uncomfortable. The X8 has fixed this issue 10 fold, and is one very comfortable piece of equipment. They nixed all the sharp angles and the pointy back, leaving nothing but a comfortable, solid feel.

The last notable feature of the SideWinder X8 that definitely deserves mention is its hockey puck shaped charging unit/wireless receiver. No worrying about dead batteries with this thing, thanks to a play and charge cable which connects easily even mid-game. The charging unit also doubles as storage space for replacement mouse feet which can really come in handy on unconventional surfaces.

Take a look at what other users of the Microsoft SideWinder X8 have to say:

Aaron Smith,
“I just got the Microsoft SideWinder X8, and this thing is awesome! It not only works on every surface I’ve tried it on so far, but it performs on them as well. On the fly DPI adjustments are a must have for any gamer and I found the different DPI settings on the X8 work perfectly in FPS games. Battery life is good and the hockey puck charger is very convenient and cool! All around a very cool mouse and I give it a full 5 stars!” Read Full Review

Erik Meyer,
“The Microsoft SideWinder X8 is an excellent gaming mouse and the fact that it’s wireless makes it all the better. So far my favorite part about the SideWinder is its button placement. I am a big macro user, and the extra programmable buttons are in the perfect spots for me. The charging puck is incredibly cool and allows for plug and play charging so there’s never any downtime in your gaming. All in all, I’m very satisfied with the SideWinder X8 and I highly recommend it.” Read Full Review

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