Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0
by Microsoft
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Our Price: $129.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $99.99 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Microsoft Intellimouse Explorer 3.0
Customer Review: Used to be the best wired optical mouse
Summary: 5 Stars
Update: This review is now woefully outdated. At the time this was a great mouse, but it's since fallen by the wayside. I suggest the Logitech MX 518.
This mouse is great for gamers. It's original version was very, very good with perfect response, nicely tactile buttons in perfect positions and light weight. The new version is as good as the original in most ways and adds several great features to an already wonderful design. First, the new electronics inside this mouse triple the accuracy with 9000 samples per second (compared to the originals very respectable 3000). It moves even better because Microsoft changed the feet on the bottom to a very slick material and used a thinner, more flexible wire. I know these sound like little things, but they actually do make the mouse "feel" nicer. Speaking of feel, the mouse is now covered in a soft, rubbery material. One of the few gripes I had with the original was the cheap plastic construction, corrected very elegantly in this new iteration.
I know the temptation is strong to go for an expensive laser or wireless mouse. I actually placed an order for a $90 mouse first then canceled it when I found this one. Laser technology is only better than optical if you use the mouse on rough surfaces because laser can track over cracks and small holes. Wireless is good if you want to play games from the couch. However, for at-your-desk gaming, nothing can beat the instantaneous response of high-quality optical coupled to a wire.
Finally, if you would like a matching keyboard, this new IntelliMouse 3.0 fits the aesthetics of the Microsoft Natural Ergo Keyboard 4000, also available from Amazon at the time of this writing.
Customer Review: 5 Stars
Prior to MS re-releasing this mouse I had been searching for the older x08 model online via eBay. I saw them going for $100+ sometimes for a brand new one! I had almost given up since the Laser 6000 mouse was such a flop. I was so ecstatic when they said they were going to re-release it. I saw it available a week or two ago and I bought four. Once I purchased it the next time I saw that it had been changed to pre-order. I thought that was strange but I actually received it in two days. It's the same exact mouse from prior years except for the color change. The buttons feel the same, the mouse acts the same, everything is pretty much the same. Yes, the scroll wheel has dedents so that you can know if you're switching just to the next weapon or whatever.My ONLY gripe right now is with the IntelliPoint 6.0 software. I am hoping someone else who has installed the software and has been using this mouse can confirm via the comments or their own review but basically when I use programs such as Excel, Outlook, Word, Photoshop, etc, for some odd reason or another, I can see parts of the screen refresh or redraw itself. That's the only way I can explain what is happening. You can easily see it and it's very annoying when it happens over and over again in a short time period.
I narrowed it down to the IP6.0 software as once I uninstalled it, I had no more problems! A bug as big as this should not be overlooked and I only wish I knew who to contact or report it to as it's annoying as heck! If you've experienced this, please let me know!
Customer Review: Intellimouse 3.0, best option for FPS gaming
Summary: 5 Stars
Hands down the Microsoft Intellimouse 3.0 is the best option when it comes to gaming, mainly for first person shooters.
The mouse fits perfectly in your hand, rarely you'll find it too big or too short. The design is great. The weight is perfect, not very heavy and not super light which translates into much more accuracy. There are other mouses in the market with much more buttons. However, those extra buttons are only useful for select games, MMORPGs mostly, like World of Warcraft.
The 3.0 has nothing to envy to other mouses from Razer or Steelseries. Truth is the Intellimouse is been around since almost the beginning of Counter-Strike, Quake, and other popular FPS games, and it's still rocking. Other gaming mouses may offer a more fashionable design, but that's that. They will also be much more costly than the 3.0.
Many professional gaming organizations currently are being sponsored by either Razer or Steelseries, in result, you will get to see Razer and SS products in every major gaming event. Those players are obligated to use the products and it is not necessarily because they think it's the best option, at all. Don't let this to interfere with your purchase. If you want to have the best gaming mouse to excel and improve your game, the Intellimouse is the answer, and the price is very reasonable.
I gave four stars out of five to durability because the reason I bought the 3.0 again was because my last one died. You have to be careful with the cable, and I wasn't.
Customer Review: Highly recommended FPS and multi-task mouse
Summary: 5 Stars
Since I started playing Counter Strike Source a little more seriously I've been looking for the perfect mouse for it.
At present I have 2 versions of the Logitech G5 and a Razer Copperhead. While the G5 and Copperhead have their good points they also have bad ones some of which are inexcusable in my mind (drivers and firmware installation from Razer).
The Intellimouse, in my opinion, out performs the other 2 for FPS. It has the speed of a 2000DPI laser mouse in a twitch of the wrist and the precision of a lower end dpi mouse when you track the mouse slowly without having to make minute movements when compared to the laser mice for the same effect.
I've been using the G5 and Copperhead for months now. I found out which was better for myself but that mouse still didn't feel 'right'. The Intellimouse does. It has the right fit in your palm, a good all round weight and runs/tracks smoothly on all surfaces with the optical engine and new feet pads.
Those of you wanting the performance of a high end laser mouse without paying the price should seriously consider this produect.
Casual/hardcore gamer or photoshopper, this is the perfect mouse (for all those worried about the thumb buttons, don't, other reviewers must be REALLY picky as I found the buttons on this better than any other)
You may also want to note the software should be installed BEFORE plugging in the mouse and also this software WILL NOT run parallel to Logitech's Setpoint.
Customer Review: Great Mouse
Summary: 5 Stars
I've gone through several mice over the years, all more expensive than this one, and now I came back to this one.
Pros
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- Wired, doesn't intermittently drop the connection
- It's cheap-ish (compared with wireless mice)
- It's responsive
- It's got five buttons, you can bind them to whatever you want using the Microsoft drivers. (Intellipoint)
- Scroll wheel is easy to use as a button or a wheel. If you use an application that uses the 3rd mouse button a lot, then this is a good mouse for it.
- The five buttons are really mouse buttons 1 through 5 in Windows and not virtual buttons. So if you have an application that uses mouse button 4 and 5 this one will work with it. Not all mice do.
- It works on a Mac. You can install Microsoft drivers on a Mac and get the same options as on the PC.
- The Microsoft drivers on a Mac can override the default Mac OS X mouse acceleration curve, making it easier to use in my opinion.
- It's black, so it matches the color of most new PCs
- Good for work and gaming
Cons
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- Not for left handed people
- Doesn't have a 4-way scroll wheel (personally I find this as a pro since it makes the scroll wheel easier to use when it's only 2-way)