New Microsoft Sidewinder mouse looks sluglike, comfortable

Microsoft mice are coming out like machine gun bullets! Well, not really, but we reviewed the chunky X5 back in September, the sweet and wireless but cloth-mouse-pad-intolerant X8 last month, and in between them we had the X6 keyboard. The newest gear from Microsoft’s new lineup is the X3, a smaller and less expensive version of their other Sidewinder mice.

Lefties will be happy to hear that it’s an ambidextrous mouse, though everyone will mourn the loss of the Sidewinders’ distinctive double thumb buttons. It looks like they’ve made the middle buttons programmable, which is a good change from the X8, where they were locked into their functions. We’ll get our hands on one as soon as possible and let you know. They’ll cost $40.

As for the remaining X numbers, I’d guess that there will be another keyboard coming out (X4?) and perhaps a gaming controller as a successor to the original Sidewinder? A cheaper alternative to getting a 360 controller? I don’t know. We’ll probably find out soon, though.