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Microsoft's pared-down SideWinder X5 Mouse is supposed to offer PC gamers a lower-cost version of its award-winning higher-end model. Instead, it comes across as flimsy and overly stripped down. Other mice deliver better control for the same price.

Unless you’ve got some huge mitts this thing won’t feel right in your hand. That said, it’s responsive and the buttons feel good. At $60 it’s not a luxury so if you’re feeling that your mouse is just a little too small, this might be the upgrade for you.

Microsoft's Sidewinder X5 might not be the most advanced or feature-filled gaming mouse on the market, but its combination of precision, customisable buttons and comfortable design makes it a worthy choice nonetheless.

The stripped down SideWinder X5 is a pretty handy mouse, with enough features to encourage at least a try. But, the awkward feel for those of you not packing huge hand spans, and the slightly cheap and lightweight feel only nudge the score a few points downwards.

Microsoft shows their dark side with the X5 and gives us a real taste of the force in its gaming performance.

People who already have an 800dpi mouse may have no problem skipping the X5, but to Microsoft's credit, it's worth a consideration.

An improvement on the more expensive Sidewinder original, but there are still cheaper, more comfortable budget mice out there. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: If you can’t palm a basketball, your hand is probably too small to comfortably use a Sidewinder.

The X5 will make gamers happy with its dpi buttons and number of buttons. For a better deal, however, look for the original model.

The Sidewinder X5 is a good mouse, but loses out to, well, the original Sidewinder, which doesn't cost any more, either. For the same price as an older model, you get fewer features and poorer quality materials.

A responsive and comfortable entry-level gaming mouse, but better-featured models are available for just a little more.

The mouse, essentially, contains the core features of any of the other serious gaming mice and attempts to create the best mouse possible. ... I feel that the Sidewinder X5 is definitely one of the most comfortable I've used and I whole-heartedly recommend it, especially to those with large hands.