Microsoft Intros New Sidewinder Peripherals

By Geoff Duncan
August 20, 2008

Microsoft targets gamers with new entries in its resurrected Sidewinder line of peripherals: the Sidewinder X6 keyboard and X5 gaming mouse.

At the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany, Microsoft has introduced its new Sidewinder X6 gaming keyboard and Sidewinder X5 gaming mouse, hoping to appeal to serious gamers and everyday computer users. The peripherals represent Microsoft's latest foray into gaming hardware, and new entries in the company's resurrected Sidewinder line, which it originally launched in 1995 but killed in 2003.

"We know that consumers don't want to pull out and set up a second keyboard for a gaming session, so we created a device that was perfect for both gaming and regular computer use," said Microsoft user researcher Kevin Flick, in a statement.

The Sidewinder X6 keyboard features a switchable keypad that can function as both a standard number pad and a programmable macro pad in game mode. The keyboard ...

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