The Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard is a fantastic keyboard and so far the best keyboard I have ever owned.
Pros:
- The keyboard has an amazing blood red back light and looks really good in the dark. You can choose from three different lighting settings as well as turn it off.
- There are six macro keys and you can program them to any key combination you want using either the included Microsoft Intellitype software or by pressing the record button for on-the-fly programming. There are also three different profiles to separately store the macros for the buttons allowing for 6x3 = 18 different macros.
- Keys feel good to type on and keyboard can be inclined using latches on the back.
- Anti-Ghosting technology. I haven't tested pressing 26 keys at once (cause I only have ten fingers lol) but this keyboard certainly lives up to its promise of registering 10+ keys at once.
Cons:
- Hand rest cannot be removed but I have no problem with that. It actually feels comfortable to both game as well as type on.
- Media keys only work for Windows Media Player which is what I primarily use. This may annoy those who rely on a different default media player.
Conclusion: The Sidewinder X4 is awesome. I highly recommend it to both gamers and those looking for a really good keyboard. Microsoft SideWinder X4 Keyboard
I work in a dark room at night, while my spouse sleeps. Occasionally I need to hit a letter, function, number or some special key like "[". Being the poor typist that I am, this usually requires either trial and error or worse turning the light on enough for me to read the keys. The older I get, the more light is required to actually see the keys.
My search was for a well built backlit keyboard to help prevent my need for any other light source. There is another model the Microsoft Sidewinder X6 that seemed interesting, however on a search this model was available for pre-order and seemed interesting.
My need is not as a gamer, just a sometimes past bedtime typer. This keyboard comes with software from Microsoft and on the USB cable over the USB connector there is a piece of cardboard that says to install the software CD first. When opening the box, the CD wasn't noticed by me. However it was there. It installs Microsoft Intellitype. Which seems to do something for my PC, what I have no idea.
After software install on Windows XP, my old keyboard was unplugged and this new keyboard was put in. It has worked out very well. The color is a solid red, and it is easy on the eyes. This is an extended 102 / 103 key keyboard (it has some extra keys). There is a non-detachable numeric pad. There is also a non-detachable hand rest.
While the hand rest is comfortable, it would have been nice to have it removable. Space is an issue in the area of my keyboard, and the hand rest uses about 1/3 of the keyboard surface area.
The black for most of the keyboard is glossy, the hand rest is matte and has a textured feel. All keys are lit, with the exception of the space bar. The space bar isn't hard to find even in the dark as its a large area flanked by lit keys.
Only the tops of the keys glow, there is no light leakage on the sides of the keys or on the base of the keyboard. A choice of color would have been nice. Red isn't bad, I'd have preferred blue.
Some keyboards have a key to orient your hand for touch typists (usually a physical bump on the letter "J" if I recall correctly). This allows you to orient yourself to the QWERTY keyboard without looking. Unfortunately all keys are the same, and you must learn by use which key is where.
This keyboard is a bit louder than other keyboards. I do not much care for the noise. During long periods of typing, my thumbs seem to get a bit sensitive to the space bar. Overall when typing longish posts (like this review) my fingers get more tired on this keyboard than on my very old basic dell keyboard.
There are 6 keys labeled S1-S6 along the left side. Additionally there is a menu key on the lower right of the main keyboard close to the space bar. These are non-standard keys. What the S keys do I have no idea, the menu key seems to work like the right click button. Unfortunately hitting it a 2nd time doesn't undo the right click (it doesn't take down the menu).
There are also multi-media keys, for play / pause, skip fast forward, sound up and sound down also mute. There is a key that changes a light from one of 3 positions, I suspect its related to the game capability of this keyboard. There is also a key to set the light intensity. There are 3 levels of light plus and off, you change from one to the other by repeatedly hitting the light button. A final non-standard button is the calculator button, which launches the Microsoft calculator.
Overall it is a well made keyboard, a detachable hand rest would have been nice. My hope is over time the sensitivity to the space bar will decrease. Most of the extra keys are useless to me. I do really appreciate how well lit this is, and how there seems to be no bleed through of light between the keys.
I'm happy. Amazon sold this at a lower price than it is listed at today. Today it is listed at $59.99, my price was $45.10. For $45.10 this was a very good purchase in my opinion. With any luck as this device becomes a bit more mature the price will settle down.
Can't say I've noticed some of the problems that ElectroDragon mentioned (but I also don't use a KVM switch). I've only had the keyboard for a couple days but I'll list the pros and cons that I've noticed so far as a student and FPS fan.
Pros:
1.) Keys feel great while gaming/casual typing. Now key feel preference is very person specific, I know people who love mechanical keys and hate "laptop style" keyboards and vice versa. Personally I like the feel of the keys, it's a perfect middle ground for me between typing out the occasional paper and casual gaming. It does feel a bit better while gaming than if you're purely looking to type up novels, but overall I prefer it to the Logitech DiNovo Edge I had previously (laptop style keys, which was quieter but mushier). The keys feel solid even when pressing down on edges or corners, the fluid motion is the same no matter where on the key you hit.
2.) Simplicity/Design. Great keyboard that has everything I want and not all the wild non-sense that I don't (My old Logitech Elite seemed to believe I needed 10 media and email keys). Looks good too, nice clean lines and edges. With a nice weight to it, this keyboard appears to have excellent build quality. Time will tell of course (3 Year warranty though whooo!).
3.) Terminator color backlight. Can't say I see any pinkness in the backlighting. With all the lights on in the room it does look more orange than red (But then why would I need backlit keys), but at night with minimal light it looks killer. Terminator red.
4.) Software. I was wary about the software after reading some initial reviews, but so far haven't had any problems. It is simple and does the job. Doesn't even have to run in the background like Logitech software does. Just open the utility, set your settings, close it and you're good to go.
5.) Misc. The addition of a calculator button is handy; really wish I had this while taking my Accounting and Finance classes (Balance sheets and excel arrrrghhh). Textured wrist pad: prefer this to the slick or metal ones I've had in the past, feels better under my palm. The 26key Anti-Ghosting function is nifty (this requires the software fyi) but not the reason I bought they keyboard initially. Even while playing MW2 or BFBC2 I've never run into ghosting problems with my other keyboards so that wasn't really a prerequisite but is obviously nice to have.
Cons:
1.) OMG fingerprints. Pretty minimal gripe but I'm not sure why keyboard makers insist on having shiny keyboards....my DiNovo was the same way. Looks cool out of the box I guess, but after about an hour or two you'll easily start to build up a nice collection of fingerprints. Would really prefer to have the whole thing in flat black!
2.) Wrist-pad. It isn't removable. Not a big deal since I wouldn't take it off if I could, but some people might not like that decision by Microsoft.
3.) Macro-keys mess with my mind a bit. Being used to a normal keyboard, the macros keys to the left have thrown off my mind a little bit. In my peripheral vision (like in 40yo virgin) my mind thinks the macro keys are the: TAB, CAPS, and SHIFT column at times. So today I've found myself being shifted over occasionally while I being typing. Probably just take getting used to but figure I'd mention it.
4.) WMP key. Now truthfully, I never use these media keys. Out of habit I almost always open programs and applications without keyboard shortcuts. This keyboard/software however only allows Windows Media Player to open by default when you hit it. Sort of dumb, but continues the Microsoft tradition of: favoring their programs over anything the customer might want to assign.
So that's all I can think of right now. Certainly nothing glaringly bad about this keyboard in anyway, but it also won't blow your mind. If you're looking for a great gaming keyboard that feels perfectly fine to also type on, then get the X4. Plus the backlight is something different than the usual Blue or White you'll normally see. You might find the features of the X6 to be a bit over the top too. Does what I want perfectly and I'm happy with that! - Microsoft - Keyboard - Gaming Keyboard - Microsoft Keyboard'
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