The first joystick I ever bought was a Msft Sidewinder. Some hands on time with their new mouse, the first ever to carry this brand, was very positive: it's worthy of the marquee and a is a well engineered pointer, even if it does look like a Darth Vader's Imperial interrogation droid-ette. Or a hydrofoil. First off, a button can be assigned to have your character spin 180-degrees to about-face the punk firing over your shoulder. Then, interchangeable weights can add up to 30 grams of heft under the mouse's center of gravity, and swappable pads offer 3 levels of glide. I've got a gallery of press shots and hands on, if you care to read on.

(There are, I think 6 buttons total.) There's even an LCD that displays the currently selected DPI (up to 2000). The case those weights come in double as a cable organizer, keeping the cord out of your way during play. $80 in October. [Microsoft]

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