Microsoft SideWinder X8 Black 12 Buttons Tilt Wheel 2.4GHz Wireless 4000 dpi Gaming Mouse

Pros: This is a great mouse if you have gorilla mits like myself. The weight is perfect the button actuation is spot on. When your battery runs low the LCD flashes the battery icon with an exclamation mark as well as the light on the back of the mouse pulses amber. I keep trying to find things wrong with it but it really is the best bang for your buck. It comes with 3 sets of feet, the set that is on the mouse and 2 sets inside the "puck." Magnetic plug for the charger IMHO brilliant, quick disconnect and connect keeps you gaming and not having to stop, open up the mouse pull out the battery and swap it out trust me is a godsend. Side button placement is excellent, takes very little effort to press these buttons and I use them alot between ventrilo and grenades. Intellipoint software is lackluster but gets the job done.

Cons: Mouse wheel was the only con I could find it kinda has a feeling like it sticks sometimes especially if your trying to use your mouse wheel while clicking either your left or right mouse buttons.

Other Thoughts: If like me, you are skeptical about getting this mouse, dont be, give it a try you may just fall in love with it. After having the Razer Diamondback 3G; Razer Lachesis, Razer Imperator and Razer Deathadder it is nice to know that there are still other companies that can compete and deliver quality products for reasonable prices.

Pros: -Very easy to recharge
-Wireless that goes far. When I used to play runescape I would watch tv and use this mouse to AFK the game while in my bed.

Cons: -Horribly buggy driver software (Intellipoint), how come when I have this software installed, the MMB (MiddleMouseButton), when pressed, clicks multiple times. So annoying when trying to close tabs..! Also it opens random stuff and goes crazy. I have to uninstall the software..

-I have to press on the MMB extra hard now after owning this mouse for less than a year just for it to function. I've resorted to using the G key to throw grenades in games..

-Mouse is for people with big hands. I'm 16 and this mouse fits my hands barely but good enough.

Other Thoughts: Thankfully I only spent $40 on this mouse when it was on a special.

I should have bought a wired Logitech mouse for the same price.

I can not believe my HP mouse I've had since 2007 still works 100% and this mouse from Microsoft doesn't.

Pros: it recharges

Cons: This mouse is designed for those of you out there with big hands. I also seem to have issues with the left and right click buttons not being so responsive. Sometimes the mouse pointer lags. I got to the point where im back to using my old mouse again.

Other Thoughts: I plan on getting a new mouse soon, thinking about going with something from the razor variety.

Pros: Feels solid.
Good Battery Life.

Cons: Bad button placement.
Too big for my average hand.
Reception issues over time.

Other Thoughts: The mouse worked well for the first year. Although it's too big, or just not the right design for my hand, i've learned to deal with it.

Now though, I'm having reception/tracking/charging issues, even though I have not adjust the installation at all. Receiver is sitting in the same spot it's been since installed.

I've notice the charging cable doesn't sit properly in the mouse anymore. It's always a little tilted. Again, I have changed nothing about the installation or placement since I first installed it, so i' attributing this to wear.

I would NOT recommend this, especially for medium to smaller hands (i've never reached the front thumb buttons.)

I'm going back to my wired Logitech 518, best evAr mouse.

Pros: Size, weight.

Cons: Everything else. The DPI buttons are only programmable to a certain extent. 1k, 2k, and 3k dpi are how I have it set. However, 2.5k would be PERFECT for some of the uses I need this for. The scroll wheel spring is somehow messed up. Makes a screeching sound when scrolling. The battery charge cable is finicky, and takes several minutes to get a good connection. Even then, it's unusable while charging due to bad connections. I've cleaned all contacts several times too.

Other Thoughts: I'll never buy another Microsoft mouse. Go Logitech, or Razer. Period.

Pros: Confortable. Easy to use

Cons: Scroll wheel died. But wasnt surprised. Seemed to be made cheaply to me. It always would randomly scroll in FPS games(not good at all) and near its end had a horrible rattling noise.

Other Thoughts: Go with something else. NOT ALL THE BUTTONS ARE PROGRAMMABLE.

Pros: Responds well to movement and slides well on all surfaces

Cons: The right mouse button does not "click" like the left one does it requires more force and at times feels like it sticks. the side buttons do not work at all while using them as the back and forward button. You click the forward button it goes back 2 pages then goes ahead 1. The charging cord does not work well while in use the magnetic charger does not stay on points thus NOT charging

Other Thoughts: There are better mice out there for the money. I got this with high hopes and expectations but it failed in my gaming and surfing uses. I went back using my older wired mouse because it feels better and the buttons work well, unlike this one.

Pros: + Up to 4000 DPI with 3 settings
+ Rechargeable with cord - no messing with batteries
+ Feels solid
+ Programmable buttons
+ Power Switch for extended inactivity.
+ Price ($45 on sale)

When it works, it's pretty good. It is responsive in desktop applications. 1000 - 1500 DPI makes a nice general use setting.
****** Starting the CONS Early for space
- False advertising (12 buttons literally, but not functionally)
- Intermittent Jumpy/skippy/laggy/c.r.a.ptacular performance
- Macro button is about useless and a potential security risk
- Designed for MICRO HANDED PEOPLE
- Single AA battery requires frequent charging
- No low battery warning popup

There are physically 12 buttons. Only 7 are actually programmable. If you want to use the macro feature, one of those is used, so 6 programmable buttons plus a single macro. 3 DPI buttons is excessive and they are placed in such a way as to force you to take your hand off to change the setting. A cyclic DPI switch is better.

Cons: A button dedicated to opening Intellipoint is useless when I can make a shortcut, and it's position also makes you lift your hand. Large handed or two-finger mousers will find buttons 4 & 5 out of reach without c.o.c.king the mouse, and the macro button's only saving grace is it is even further away. Button 4 is so close to the table top, it is hard to click it without hitting 5 as well.

Setting sensitivities is complicated, b/c there is the normal sensitivity slider in Windows, The DPI settings in Intellipoint and your in game setting on top. And Bluepoint does NOT work well on all surfaces. I have a coffee table and a couch that makes it jump all over.

The mouse lags on a fairly consistent basis (for a few minutes every half hour or so) and becomes choppy and slow. It happens in desktop apps, games, movies etc. When I use the touchpad attached to my keyboard during these periods, the mouse pointer works normally. Game frame rates are NOT affected by this problem.

Other Thoughts: More Cons Actually...
The macro has quite a long record buffer. You could record an hour or more of game play key presses and mouse clicks, and if the variables were removed, theoretically play the same hour long session over and over again. In the same manner, logins and passwords can be recorded, As could any typed info... My sister watched this mouse play WoW by itself for an hour thinking her computer was possessed.

The mouse wheel is FLAKY. It randomly scrolls when you move the mouse fast. Very annoying when suddenly you're wielding a knife at a gun fight

If you're calling it a Sidewinder, give it proper profiling software. If this mouse wasn't forced to operate within the confines of Intellipoint, It might actually be worth the sale price I bought it for, let alone $87.

As far as macros go, Gameboards like the G13 and my Belkin n52te are far more versatile and do the job better. If you really want macros on your mouse, I'd bet a Logitech G9x does it better too.

Pros: the speed selection is nice, the buttons are well placed except for the one thumb button at the very front. i have small hands and the mouse fits very well with that exception.

Cons: ok now to the good stuff this mouse comes with a "dock" it has 10 ft of cord for the usb plug... this is unnecessary i use it for my laptop and having the extra bulk and wire is very frustrating.

the mouse will lock up at random times and cannot be unfroze until you hit it very hard with your fist (experience talking there) or you unplug and replug the usb.

I still havent found the macros to set the mouse buttons to function as keys which is also a big hindrance, im almost sure that there are no customizations for this mouse

Other Thoughts: dont buy it, not worth it get anything else, i would go back to my wired LG mouse from the late 90s if i still had it

Pros: Most comfortable mouse I've used for gaming yet. Has a nice weight to it. It's got better thumb buttons than my busted X5(middle click failed after a year). Wireless is nice, and I especially like the charging system. 4000dpi is plenty for me.

Cons: Owned it for less than 2 months before it became unusable. When charging/using it at the same time, sometimes the cursor would get stuck, or jump around the screen for a couple seconds before it'd be ok again. Then out of nowhere, yesterday it started acting erratically. It makes it's own selections, 'registers' whatever key it likes while idling(or even in use), so it would randomly click on, and move things without my consent. The buttons would function 'normally' when I click them, but it was still possessed while it was connected.

Other Thoughts: Of course right before it dies, MS decides to discontinue this product. So I have to not only do the RMA through MS, I wont even be getting a new mouse. I have to wait for them to process the RMA, then I have to wait for the cash to come in the mail. In which case, then I'll only be able to buy an inferior mouse(for the same money), because I happened to buy it when on sale on Newegg.


It's a shame the mouse failed me, because I thought it was definitely a keeper. Due to the quick failure of the mouse, and pretty much the lack of support (too late to rma through Newegg, and it's discontinued), I gotta rate it 1 egg. I've never had anything electronic fail in less than two months.