Microsoft’s Sidewinder has come back to life. Like Mary Shelley’s Dr. Victor Frankenstein, Microsoft has created life out of seemingly old parts and brand names to arrive at a monster of a design – the Microsoft SideWinder Gaming Mouse.

Like Dr. Frankenstein’s creation, the SideWinder looks grafted together and is composed of angular lines and queer shapes. Unlike the now-nominal smooth-and-sleek shape of most mice in the market today, the SideWinder is edgy and symmetrical – which fortunately, after some time with the device, proves to be a clever application of both ergonomics and design that results in a unique look instead of just a somewhat clumsy shape.

Even the SideWinder name has elements of Mary Shelley’s writings in it, in that the brand name was originally attached to flight controllers sold by Microsoft in the 90’s. Design-wise, the symmetrical description comes from a couple of elements – primary of which is the vertically-arranged back and forward buttons placed in front of the thumb rest of the device. The buttons are round, silver, and looks like cut-off car engine pistons. It looks awkward, yet takes less than a minute to get used to – bottom button for back, top button for forward. It is positioned in such a way that the thumb is just a twitch away from the buttons – facilitated by how the hand naturally falls around the shape of the mouse.

A total of 10 buttons festoon the mouse, 5 of which are programmable. A programmable - macro button rests on the front left portion of the mouse, safely out of the way. Three DPI buttons are located at the middle of the palm rest, behind the scroll wheel – these serve to change between three pre-set mouse sensitivities on the fly – programmable using the included mouse utility for changing between six different DPI speeds – 200, 400, 800, 1000, 1600, and 2000. The buttons light up to indicate which was pressed. Additionally, current DPI is displayed on a small LCD to the left of the mouse near the thumb rest in very legible, black-on-red fonts. A quick-launch button is placed near the rear of the device, where it cannot be accidentally activated when in normal operation.

Now we delve into what I feel is the best feature of the SideWinder mouse – the scroll wheel. It is machined out of some light metal (presumably aluminum or stainless steel), knurled and textured for maximum grip while retaining a smooth-feeling finish. Detents on the scroll make it possible to scroll slowly, but high speed scrolling is a joy to perform with the scroll wheel’s smooth movements. The scroll also serves as a middle button, and requires a soft but positive press to activate.

Weights and mouse feet in the form of easily-removable casters comprise this mouse’s customizability and the package includes three 10g weights and a single 5g weight, with three sets of increasingly slippery feet all contained in a weighted accessory box that doubles as a cable holder. The accessory box itself looks attractive with the Microsoft logo in front, and is finished in a velvety, matte-black finish that spells quality. The weights slot into an easily-removable compartment accessed through a button at the bottom of the mouse, enabling easy customizing for each user’s preference.

Other visual cues abound: red LEDs at the left and right bottom ends of the Sidewinder add to the DPI switch and small LCD red accents to create a menacing color scheme. Itty-bitty ergonomic details like a slight indent on the main mouse buttons, an indent for your thumb, and a slope designed to cradle your ring finger, all subtly add up to a very comfortable position for medium to large hands; this mouse’s main drawback lies in its size – this is definitely one mouse to steer clear off if you prefer petite to portly.

It’s been a long time coming, especially here in the Philippines, but Microsoft has finally resurrected the SideWinder name, and its peripherals product range in general. While its new SideWinder mouse looks like it just came back from Dr. Frankenstein’s apartment – lab, the design works and its looks grow on you; ergonomics-wise, it is top of the heap, even against stellar competition from the Logitech camp. A glad welcome to the newly released Microsoft peripherals.