[FarEast]

Now this was a good idea!

Microsoft has announced that new versions of its mouse will be fitted with wheels that tilt as well as roll.

The innovation means that users will be able to scroll vertically as well as horizontally without using on-screen navigation bars.

Wired and wireless versions of the mice will be released in early September.

Buttoned up

Since the vertical scroll wheel was introduced, it has become a very popular way of moving quickly through documents.

Now 80% of the mice sold have a centrally-placed scroll wheel.

Microsoft's new mice will have the wheel sitting in a tilting cradle that means it can be used to scroll from side-to-side and help people browse documents, spreadsheets or webpages that do not fit neatly on a screen.

Viewing large documents or spreadsheets usually involves recourse to the scroll bar that is usually found on the bottom edge of a window.

The mice will also have a feature that lets people switch between open applications by pressing down on the scroll wheel instead of using the keyboard.

Microsoft's new mice are due to go on sale on 3 September when retail prices will be revealed.

Peripheral rival Logitech said that it had no plans to introduce a competing mouse that adds vertical scrolling.

It also questioned Microsoft's decision to stop scroll wheels clicking as they are spun back and forth.

Logitech said research with consumers showed that they liked to get some feedback from a mouse when they were using its buttons.

[FireMogle]

Its not everyday you see micorsoft coming out with a good idea, but it does sound like it would work.

[fiji]

the only thing that m$ does good, imo is keyboards/mouses

[Tebore]

So they will have a mouse that has a dual action wheel right? If so, I think that there are already mice that have that or dual wheel. Way to play catch up on MS's part. I can't wait to see the pricing I sure hope they don't pull a MS Intelimouse Explorer V1 again with the cord.

Sorry if I sound disappointed with MS but if you went from a Intelimouse Explorer to an MX700 you would be too in MS.

[OLMI]

i have the intellimouse explorer and it's been workin great since like.. forever. i have the older version with the bigger buttons on the side. i love it. i use the big side button to open windows explorer, and the smaller side button to delete. the scroll click is a double-click. this microsoft mouse is good enough. i wouldnt spend more money for a horizontal scroll.. i have no use for that.

[madcow235]

I have had 3 ibm mises with control sticks instead of wheels that could scroll horizontally and Vertically. I loved that control stick to bad the mouse wasnt to hot

[stan03]

Originally posted by OLMI
i have the intellimouse explorer and it's been workin great since like.. forever. i have the older version with the bigger buttons on the side. i love it. i use the big side button to open windows explorer, and the smaller side button to delete. the scroll click is a double-click. this microsoft mouse is good enough. i wouldnt spend more money for a horizontal scroll.. i have no use for that.

I have this mouse, and haven't even had it for all that long. Now it stops responding to the computer at random times... its very annoying. Its not the usb port either.

[FireMogle]

Originally posted by stan03


I have this mouse, and haven't even had it for all that long. Now it stops responding to the computer at random times... its very annoying. Its not the usb port either.

Its the wire, one of my mice does this too, and it had an "accident" with the wall one day because of it.

[Maxvla]

its about time!!!

[AMD_Me]

I wonder whether the dual action whell could be assigned 5 actions in a game instead of the standard 3? If it could, im goign to have to pick one up before the next LAN/JK2 tourney.

Also, Would it be possible to move your character in a game using the wheel instead of WASD?

[Maxvla]

Originally posted by AMD_Me
Also, Would it be possible to move your character in a game using the wheel instead of WASD?

that would be really cool

[FarEast]

Originally posted by AMD_Me
I wonder whether the dual action whell could be assigned 5 actions in a game instead of the standard 3? If it could, im goign to have to pick one up before the next LAN/JK2 tourney.

Also, Would it be possible to move your character in a game using the wheel instead of WASD?

Like the strafe keys? That would be a very good thing to have, Im sure you could assign the correct keys to the mouse.

[n17ikh]

So I'm not alone with the MS Intellimouse Explorer V1 cord problem? Glad to hear it.... On my old computer, I used that mouse but had problems... What happens is, MS didn't include a rubber strain relief on the mouse side of the cord, so after a bit of usage, the internal wires chafe and short out intermittently... It's pretty easy to fix, just splice 'em together inside the mouse again, but it's only a short-term solution unless you add a $.75 strain relief like MS should have done in the first place... I now have the WIRELESS MS intellimouse explorer and am very satisfied with it, much better than the wired version, worth the little bit extra cost....

[stompah]

Originally posted by FarEast
It also questioned Microsoft's decision to stop scroll wheels clicking as they are spun back and forth.

Logitech said research with consumers showed that they liked to get some feedback from a mouse when they were using its buttons.

I agree with Logitech 100% I defeated the click on my Logitech optical mouse only to open it back up a while later to put the clip back.

This idea is useless for me. And anyone else who uses a high resolution. Pretty good for people who use 800x600 on 17" like my gf at work. I taught her how to change to 1024x768 she was thankful

People with the MS mouse that has the cord problem should be able to get an RMA from MS.