Adisharr's Full Review: Microsoft Intelli Optical (D58-00026) Mouse
Over the years I've been using PC's, I have used a number of mice. They have ranged from different brands (Logitech, Microsoft, Kennsington, etc..) to types (wireless, multifunction, trackball, etc..). They all had one thing in common - I wasn't crazy about any of them. They all had their good points but I could always find something to not like about each one of them.
The wireless mouse had too short of a range and the batteries drained too quickly. The multifunction type had cheap switches and felt like it dragged across the mouse pad instead of glided. The trackball type just never felt right. Had to move my hand around too much to get anywhere and if you adjusted the sensitivity to high things would start to get jumpy.
I work all day with PC's as an Engineer and am an avid PC gamer as well. I started getting into first-person shooters a few years ago and this put a big strain on the Microsoft Intellimouse (ball-type) I had at home. Moving around in game and trying to aim my weapons accurately proved to be more difficult than one would initially think. I went to a few of the local PC stores and tried out a few of the display models of various types. That's when I first came across the old (2 button w/ wheel) Intellimouse Optical. After trying it out on a demo PC there at the store, I was so impressed I purchased it immediately.
I plugged it into my PS2 port (also USB compatible) when I got home and it worked without any software installation required. The mouse sends serial information just like any other mouse without needing any special software driver to sit in the background using your precious PC's system resources. The built-in W95/98/2000 driver worked just fine.
I noticed an improved ability in aiming for small targets and also that the mouse seemed to glide over the mouse pad (standard covered foam rubber) where as before I had to 'drag' it across with the ball mouse. I was hooked. The optical sensor in the original mouse was quoted as being updated 1500 times a second. This is not the update rate of your mouse port mind you (that's closer to 60-200 times /sec) but the one used by the internal mouse tracking system.
I played with the unit in some other games (Diablo II, Everquest, UT, Half-life) and all seemed well. I definitely showed improvement in my accuracy. I found one MAJOR problem (for FPS gaming) however, sometimes when I would turn around rapidly, I was left looking straight up at the sky. It was as if I had tricked the optical sensor into thinking I was moving up instead of left or right. This was a problem as quick movements happen quite frequently in FPS games. I found that others had the same problem and I chose to just live with it as it did not happen often enough to warrant going back to a ball mouse again.
Somewhere down the line I had the need for more buttons on the mouse side of things. The 3 on the unit I was using (left, right and wheel) didn't cut it anymore. I needed to be able to map more functions to the mouse side of things for some games.
I did some research and came across the new Intellimouse Optical five button (lower left, left top, wheel, right and lower right). This new version also claimed to have a 33% improvement in response over the older type. I took one home to try it out and let me tell you - IT IS ALL IT CLAIMS TO BE!
The feel is excellent. The unit is designed to be equally usable for left and right handed people. The switches are relatively quiet and appear to be of a high quality. The scroll wheel is a bit looser than my last unit but that difference was easy to get used to. In fact, my hand gets less tired now after using this mouse for 5+ hours than it did on the older style.
The serial port rate (also USB compatible) is still shown as 87Hz on my P3 900 home PC but the internal update of the mouse has indeed improved. Before, if you shook the mouse very quickly left and right, the cursor would drift to the left or the right. Now, you would be hard pressed to move this mouse fast enough to make it respond incorrectly. I now have no more problems with tracking like I had with the old mouse style. Personally I've am using a high performance mouse pad (Ratpadz) that compliments this mouse very well with the pads irregular surface pattern. The optical units need a diffuse irregular pattern to track correctly. Do not use any mirrored or tiny repeating patterns as the unit may not track correctly in fast movements. I don't know the resolution of this unit but I have no problem moving my mouse cursor a pixel at a time at 1024x768 desktop resolution.
The two side keys are definable in the included intellimouse software and can be made to simulate function keys, the delete key, cut/copy/paste functions, etc.. The side keys will NOT work, however, without the MS driver software installed. I use the left side key to launch grenades and the right side key to detonate explosives in a popular game that I play and had to map the game keys to function keys and then use the mouse software to map the side keys to those same function keys. It works like a charm with no problems.
I expect this mouse will be the mouse I will be using for the next few years until something better comes along. If it performs as well as it has been for the past few months, I may be using it for longer than that!
The more efficient way to work. The IntelliMouse lets you browse the Web without using toolbars or the keyboard. Simply use either side button to goMore at TigerDirect.com
Hand Orientation: Both HandsOperating System Supported: Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP or Windows 2000 SP4 or higherSystem Requirement: 1 PS/2 ...More at Newegg.com
"Ergonomic comfort for either hand; Unprecedented performance and control; Sleek, ambidextrous design; Compatible with both PC and Mac computers"More at Microsoft
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