03/03, 3:35pm
Microsoft discontinues Sidewinder range again
After discontinuing its line of Sidewinder gaming peripherals in 2003 and then bringing it back in 2007, Microsoft has decided it will again axe the range, VR-Zone found. The move is believed to come as a result of added competition from dedicated brands such as Razer and SteelSeries as well as major but more universal companies, including Logitech. The software giant is also falling behind in releasing updated devices.
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11/26, 10:00am
Microsoft Black Friday gives netbook with Office
Not normally known for its Black Friday deals, Microsoft today launched a promo that promises major giveaways, including for Mac users. The highlight is a free Dell Mini 1018 netbook with a copy of Office Home and Business 2010; the deal is an effectively half-off deal that gives both the 1.66GHz Atom notebook and the software for the price of one, at $280. Those just interested in a PC can also get an HP dm3 ultraportable for $399, or $250 off its usual asking price.
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02/01, 10:10am
SideWinder keyboard has anti-ghosting tech
Microsoft committed itself further to gaming keyboards Monday morning through the SideWinder X4. The USB peripheral revolves around a freshly developed anti-ghosting technology that can recognize many key presses without losing input. A user can press as many as 26 keys at once and so can keep control even in the middle of a first-person shooter.
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04/14, 9:30am
MS Sidewinder X3 Mouse
Microsoft on Tuesday dipped into entry gaming mice through the Sidewinder X3. The mouse sits at just $40 but has a 2,000DPI laser sensor that can step down to 800DPI or 400DPI for subtler movements. It additionally has eight buttons in an ambidextrous layout, a textured scroll wheel and special feet to provide smooth motions.
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02/24, 10:45am
SideWinder X8 shipping
Microsoft on Tuesday announced its SideWinder X8 wireless gaming mouse introduced in the fall will be shipping this week. The peripheral is Microsoft's most advanced with a BlueTrack blue LED sensorand has a tracking range of between 250dpi to 4,000dpi while also updating at 13,000 frames per second and covering distances of up to 120 inches per second.
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10/13, 4:00pm
SideWinder X6 Keyboard
Video game consoles like the Xbox or PlayStation are easy to use because they offer special game controllers designed to play video games. Unfortunately, most computers are saddled with an ordinary keyboard designed for general use. If you prefer a specialized keyboard optimized for video game playing, consider Microsoft’s SideWinder X6 Keyboard.
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09/10, 1:50pm
MS SideWinder X8 Mouse
Microsoft today finished off a set of peripheral announcements with one final update to the SideWinder gaming series. The X8 wireless mouse is considered by the company to be one of the quickest and most precise mice yet through a combination of technologies. It uses the same BlueTrack blue LED sensing as the new Explorer mice to properly track over more surfaces but also boosts the sensitivity to as much as 4,000DPI, twice as much as the corded SideWinder X5 and enough to match faster gaming or those with very large displays.
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08/20, 3:00am
MS SideWinder X5 and X6
Microsoft this morning used the advent of the Leipzig Games Convention to launch a second generation of its reborn SideWinder gaming and performance peripherals. The X6 Keyboard is completely new to the range and has extra game-specific touches such as a Cruise Control feature, which sustains a common action, and in-game macro recording. It also has more intuitive game-oriented controls such as large dials for screen brightness and volume, a breakaway number pad and a lit-up W/A/S/D key area for playing first-person shooters in the dark.
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