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09 September 2010 

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Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad USB

"Take control of your game! Microsoft's definitive game pad sets the standard for enhanced game play. USB connection means instant plug and play setup. Optimised layout and an innovative design provide ultimate comfort and seamless integration with sports, action, and racing games. SideWinder Game Pad USB: total control and peak performance. It's all the game pad you'll ever need."


Introduction:

The Sidewinder has long been the choice of game pad for PC users for many years now. This revised version of the original SideWinder still retains the original look and has been ergonomically designed to feel both comfortable and light weight in your hands during intense game play sessions.

Manufactured by a company that needs no introduction, you can rest assured that the SideWinder Game Pad USB is a sturdy and solidly built product suitable for all types of gamers. It has been designed to ensure lightning-fast responses in all types of fighting, sports, racing, and arcade-style games


Features:

- Universal Serial Bus for simple setup. Just plug-and-play
- Eight full-action buttons. Reach new levels of game control with 6 primary action buttons & 2 secondary option buttons
- Instant response to directional movements with the 8-way digital D-pad
- Two easy-to-reach trigger buttons.


Requirements:

- Multimedia PC with Pentium 166Mhz or higher processor
- USB port
- Microsoft Windows 98 or later operating system


The SideWinder Game Pad USB:

The SideWinder comes in a rather large box (see top of page), on the front is a large picture of the SideWinder game pad and the reverse details the features of the game pad. Included in the package is everything you need...

Included in the package...

A manual (in several languages), a leaflet detailing other Microsoft Gaming products and the SideWinder game pad itself (which is wrapped in a plastic bag to protect it). As with all Microsoft products, the packaging is very well designed to hold everything in place.

There seems to be one thing not in the package - a driver CD-ROM! At first I thought it may be missing but soon realised this was not the case...

The SideWinder utilizes a USB connection for a simple plug-and-play solution. Its plug-and-play USB connection makes installation a no-brainer, installation is basically a case of plugging the SideWinder into a spare USB port or hub and Windows will automatically detect and install the drivers required for it to function (hence the lack of an included driver CD-ROM).

Installation was complete in less than one minute. Other controllers can't do this simple installation nearly as well. As suggested in the manual, you should verify the Controller ID in the Windows Control Panel under the 'Game Controllers' icon:

A successful SideWinder Installation

You can also test and configure the game pad using this menu, by clicking the 'Properties' button. This will bring up another window, where pressing keys on the SideWinder lights up numbers in the window (to show a signal is being received and the button is functional).


Features:

I have already covered the great plug-and-play aspect of the SideWinder. The other positive features of the SideWinder are its eight buttons (6 primary action buttons & 2 secondary option buttons), its 8-way digital D-pad and the two trigger buttons located on either side of the SideWinder.

Eight buttons | 8-way digital D-pad | Trigger buttons

The layout of the pad has the D-pad on the left, the two secondary option buttons in the middle the other six buttons on the right. The larger set of three buttons are labelled "A", "B" and "C". Above these are a set of three smaller buttons, labelled "X", "Y" and "Z".

Ergonomics of the SideWinder have been thought about carefully - each button is set at a slight angle to 'fit' your finger/thumb, this makes rapid key pressing quick and simple with no loss of grip. They also are well placed and easy to differentiate between - you will not end up confusing buttons and hitting the wrong one while playing.

A little raised bit of plastic can be found on the "B" key - when you are concentrating on the action on screen, you can feel this raised part as you play, therefore you know where you thumb is in relation to the rest of the keys without looking away from the screen to check.

Buttons at a slight angle

My hands are fairly large, but I still felt comfortable holding the SideWinder in my hands and my finger's found their placement without me 'thinking' too much where to place them - my index fingers connect with the triggers and my thumb 'fills' the depression in the D-pad and feels comfortable and my other thumb is in easy reach of the six buttons as they are laid out.

You can 'feel' the press of each key and movement on the D-pad. The keys are not too 'soft' so that you can hardly feel the button being depressed. They also make a slight 'click' when pressed, again this is nice to know that the key has been pressed properly and the action on screen will change as you want - although you are not likely to hear this over the in-game music/sounds.
 

Usage:

A whole host of games support the usage of the SideWinder as a controller option. The option to use the pad in game appeared in every game I tested it with, including GTA3 and Wolfenstein.

Using the games option screen, you are able to assign functions to each key for example set the "B" key to shoot and the "A" key to change your weapon - of course this all depends on the game you are playing and the options it gives you.

To confirm a 'good' connection and that power is flowing to the SideWinder, a green LED illuminates near the top of the game pad. I took a quick look inside the SideWinder and this is a small surface mount (SMD) LED. It is possible to re-solder in your own LED colour, such as blue, if you wanted to... of course, you will void any warranty!

Green LED indicator

Conclusion:

The Microsoft SideWinder Game Pad USB is comfortable, light weight, well built, programmable and well designed. Its no-brainer plug-and-play installation will appeal to many users, being so easy to setup - all that is required is plugging the SideWinder into a spare USB port or Hub, working straight out the box.

There is a fair amount of USB cable attached to the SideWinder, meaning that you can sit some distance from the computer when playing, restrictive cables can cause havoc... being a USB cable, if you wanted to increase the length of the cable even more you can simple purchase a USB Extension cable.

The ergonomics of the pad are great, everything has been well designed for "total control and peak performance" which the SideWinder excels in - for example, the angled buttons for easy grip (which are well laid out for your fingers to reach) and the depression in the D-pad for your thumb to 'sit' in.

I was only disappointed not to see a 'rumble' feature included in the SideWinder. This would have been a nice addition to bring the SideWinder in line with perfection. If the SideWinder came in a range of colours (the outer shell), rather than the grey/black as a standard, that would be a nice option for the user when purchasing it.

Overall the SideWinder is great value for money and adds a whole new dimension to your games by letting you hold the pad instead of fiddling with keyboard controls!

modtown rating: 4.5 out of 5



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