Microsoft SideWinder X6 Keyboard | 
| Brand: Microsoft
Category: CE
List Price: $74.99
Buy New: $45.00
as of 7/31/2010 08:24 CDT details
You Save: $29.99 (40%)
New (8) Used (2) from $44.50
Seller: IOquest
Rating:  89 reviews
Format: CD
Platform: Windows
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Operating System: Windows
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 17.2 x 9.6 x 3.1
Warranty: 3 years warranty
MPN: AGB-00001
Model: AGB-00001
UPC: 882224707626
EAN: 0882224707626
ASIN: B001DWI4FM
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Switchable key pad - Flexible design, choose right side or left side confi guration. Switch between standard key pad and macro pad in gaming mode. | | • | Two-color adjustable backlighting - Keyboard keys are red, and key pad and Macro keys are amber in Game mode. Lighting dial adjusts the brightness of the keyboard and key pad. | | • | Cruise Control - Use Cruise Control to continue an action without having to hold down the key or keys assigned to the action. You can use Cruise Control with up to four keys at a time. | | • | Mode switching - Manually toggle the keyboard from standard mode to either of two gaming modes. LEDs show the selected mode. | | • | In-game Macro Record button - Record any sequence of keystrokeseven standard chat messages. Macros are stored on your hard drive and can be easily shared. |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Powerful. Programmable. Gaming Keyboard. Ready for the next dimension in gaming performance, custom tuning, and action. Then grab on to the Microsoft SideWinder X6 Keyboard the powerful companion to the Microsoft line of award-winning SideWinder gaming mice. This breakthrough keyboard incorporates a host of powerful features, including a detachable key pad, in-game macro recording, a full media key set, automatic and manual mode/profi le switching, two-color dimmable backlighting, and much more. Plus, at the touch of a button, it doubles as your Ready for the next dimension in gaming performance, custom tuning, and action? Then grab on to the Microsoft SideWinder X6 Keyboard--the powerful companion to the Microsoft line of award-winning SideWinder gaming mice.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 89
 Something No Other Good Keyboard Has November 5, 2008
Paul of California (Los Angeles, CA USA)
21 out of 24 found this review helpful
I have the Logitech gaming keyboard, and have owned a number of keyboards, and this is by far the best. The simple reason is that it is a gaming keyboard that allows the number keypad to be placed on the left side of the keyboard.
I am right handed, so this may seem a strange reason to recommend this keyboard, but ergonomically moving out the keypad puts the main part of the keyboard and the mouse closer together. You don't reach far to move the mouse. For regular and gaming use this is a big win.
As a gaming keyboard it is fine, and the keys feel adequate (not stellar). If Logitech made a keyboard with this break-off keypad design it would beat the Microsoft keyboard in most respects. But again, an adequate gaming keyboard with one really great feature.
I also like the big round knob used for controlling volume versus the usual + and - buttons.
Minor quibbles include the placement of the "Esc" key, I keep hitting F1 by mistake and that it has a non-detachable hand rest.
But the detachable keypad for ergonomic reasons makes this keyboard a "must have", and deserving of 5 stars despite minor problems.
This is a winnner! September 30, 2008
Brett Schandelson (Missoula, MT)
18 out of 21 found this review helpful
I received this keyboard today and have had nothing but good experiences with it so far!!
The back light is bright but not offensive; the numberpad/macropad easily switches between sides and removes completely when not needed; macros are easy to program, though the macro programing ui could be a bit better (software complaint - the hardware is great!); and it feels really well made. The different modes makes it easy to turn off buttons that annoy me during game play (windows key, app key) without remapping them or using custom keybinding software (I realize that this came with just such software, but the button on the keyboard itself is much easier!).
All in all I love this thing and can't wait to play more games with it!! If you're in the market for an illuminated gaming keyboard that provides plenty of options, this is the one!
Does It Work For Non-Gamers? A Big Yes. February 20, 2009
Bradford Schmidt (Meatist dot com)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I'm going to say right out that I'm not a heavy gamer. I do play occasional games, but plenty of other reviewers have covered the pros and cons of this keyboard for game use; what I haven't seen are a lot of reviews for general use.
When I recently built a new computer, I decided to treat myself to a back-lit keyboard. I write quite a bit at night, don't like keeping my office lights on, and, while I can touch type, I do need to be able to see function keys, the number pad, music controls etc,. The sidewinder is on the (rather short) list of keyboards that have this feature.
But while I bought it for the backlighting, I'm keeping it because as a keyboard on ANY terms, it's great. Key action has just the right resistance and clickiness; it feels great and is never annoying. Travel is less than any other keyboard I have, though more than a laptop, and the keys don't stick up annoyingly far; they are flatter than other desktop keyboards I've worked with. The action is also firm and not spongy at all: stroke feels positive and reminds you that you are using a well-built keyboard. So for me, it's an "A" in ergonomics.
As for the unique features, the back-lighting is great, and fully adjustable from off to bright-but-not-obnoxious. Some folks have complained that you can't change the color, but I personally like red, and find color changing keyboards a bit gimmicky (and just one more thing that can go wrong). The vertical row of six keys on the left are fully programmable using the Microsoft software (download only, strangely - if you don't have a fast connection you'll be waiting a while as it isn't included on a CD). Each can hold two macros (you switch from one set to another with a small switch at their base) and they are lit in yellow-orange to make them easy to delineate quickly. There are also three different keyboard profiles that you can set up and select based on use. I find ALL of these features useful, even when not gaming, particularly the programmable macro keys.
So overall, if you're looking for a nice looking keyboard with great action (really - I like the action on this keyboard more than ANY other keyboard I've ever had, and I've had a few), think back-lighting would be useful, and, like I, find the occasional delays and connection problems associated with wireless desktop sets an irritant, I'd urge you to give the Sidewinder a shot. For me, the gaming capabilities are just a great bonus to a wonderful keyboard.
Highly Recommended.
My best keyboard in a long, long time December 30, 2008
A. Dent (Minas Anor, GD)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
To state that I am impressed with this keyboard would be almost an understatement. I've been using a Microsoft Digital Media Pro Keyboard for the past couple of years and I was very happy with it and, I thought I was going to give this one to one of my gaming little sons but... it looks like I'm keeping it for myself and I'm ordering a second one for him.
I am going to state what impressed me or disappointed me as a lite gamer but a relatively heavy keyboard user. Everything else, it's probably available in the official product description or in other reviews.
+ Quality build:
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Unlike what another review states, this is a well-built, well designed keyboard. The plastic does not feel 'cheap'. On the contrary. In addition, the keyboard is so heavy, it 'sticks' to the desk and it would hardly moved when accidentally bumped.
+ Switchable and REMOVABLE numeric keypad:
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Taking off the keypad is as easy as pulling it. It's kept attached to the main body via a couple of strong magnets so it's easy to remove but, once it's attached it will stick to the body.
+ Excellent for typing:
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Bing a touch typist I hereby testify that this is a GREAT keyboard. It's not as quiet as the one I am now abandoning (see above) but a little more click does not bother me.
+ A large number of easy-to-program macro keys:
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There are 12 (2 * 6) dedicated macro keys on the left side plus 18 keys on the numeric keypad which COULD be assigned to single-key macros, adding up to 30. Multiply that by the 3 easy to switch 'profiles' and there's a total of 90 single-key macros.
A rough 'draft' of a macro can be done by simply performing the task while in 'record' mode. Then, the IntelliType Pro utility allows for refinements and adjustments. I was able to build a rather complex macro within minutes of trying one for the very first time.
+ Macros aren't for gaming only
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The macro that I just built is not for game-playing. It's for business use and it's saving me lots of dumb keystrokes and therefore a lot of time.
+ Not as many unneeded keys
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It's probably just me but I never use those dedicated keys that would start 'mail', take you to the 'pictures' folder or maybe open a browser. This does have the 'calculator' button and the speaker volume and the play/stop/skip keys but all others are missing. I feel that this is a pretty good compromise.
= Backlighting is cool but, why not blue or green?
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I do appreciate the fact that the macro-assignable keys have a yellow backlight vs the the red for everything else but I wish that other color choices were available.
- The numeric keypad feels like it's about to break
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As I mentioned already, it's held onto the main body with magnets. I am not used to my new keyboard yet so, every time I am moving it around, it feels like the right section is about to break.
- It can't be raised
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The only serious issue is its lacking those little legs that would allow me to raise the keyboard a little. I thought I was going to miss it more but, it seems, I'm getting used to it already. However, not everyone may feel that way.
Overall, this is an easy 5-star. I am NOT a Microsoft fan but this Microsoft keyboard is a keeper.
Macro keys and volume knob For teh win!! August 7, 2009
Donald Smith (Martinez, CA United States)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is my first gaming keyboard, and I like it overall.
Pros:
*Macro keys: I love this feature. They are easy to program. You just press the "macro record" key, select a macro key, and then hit whatever key combo you need. Press the record key again and you're done. I have used this for various things, including:
*Remapping W, A, S, D to the keypad (I'm left handed). Some games don't let you use the arrow keys.
*Making multi-key combos into a single keypress (I use Shift+space to read through my Google reader from the oldest to the newest.
*Volume knob: This is wonderful too. The thing that annoys me most about video games is that once it's running, you can no longer adjust the Windows volume level. If I turned it down while on the web, I had to exit the game to turn it on again.
*The keypad is removable: yes, you can move it from side to side, but you can also get it out of the way completely if you don't need it.
*The cruise control button is also nice (and it may help with those people having the "Ctrl+W+R" problem).
*Good solid construction overall.
Cons:
*Like others have mentioned, the keys have been rearranged some. I have definitely found myself pressing "~" at odd times.
*The backlight (which can be turned off) makes the keyboard hard to look at when the lights are on. As I am not in the habit of gaming in the dark, this stays off most of the time.
*The knob for the volume seems a little flimsy. I'm not sure how it will hold up in the long run.
*You are supposed to install the software before plugging in the keyboard. This could be problematic if you don't already have a keyboard.
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Final thoughts:
This is a solid keyboard, and I like it a lot. Until I found this one in the store, it never occurred to me that there were keyboards with macro keys (for a reasonable price). I am very happy with this purchase.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 89
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