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Microsoft Laser Mouse 6000
Testing
Software (Microsoft IntelliPoint 5.4) As with most mice, native Windows drivers will detect the device easily. Unlocking the special features will require you to install the included IntelliPoint 5.4 software. This software is more like a suite program in that it works with multiple Microsoft input devices and you can choose which one you are installing from a lengthy list. As I had already installed IntelliPoint 5.4 for use with the wireless 6000, I was in good shape. First time installers will be able to click "Yes" or "Next" a few times to set up the software with no difficulty. After plugging in the Laser Mouse 6000 and choosing the wired version from the pull down menu, a few extra options popped up in the button assignments and menu tabs. The magnify option still exists for this mouse as do most of the other custom button options. However, now that I have the gaming version of this mouse in front of me, a few new menu tabs are available.      For this mouse Microsoft followed the lead of Logitech and Razer and has included on-the-fly sensitivity adjustments, which they call a "Precision Booster," amongst the gamut of button assignment choices. However, unlike its competitors, the 6000 has only two precision boosted settings. The normal mouse sensitivity can be adjusted to a lower rate with the push of the assigned button. Users can adjust the percentage of normal mouse speed with a slider bar to correspond to the more precise setting that might be required for various applications. The button may be set as a toggle or press-and-hold type of actuation. As I understand it, the Precision Booster is not actually adjusting the DPI as seen with Logitech and Razer's laser mice.  Another gaming specific mouse option included with the wired 6000 is the "Gaming Toggle" customization. This feature is essentially a macro assigning utility with which the user can assign a sequence of keystrokes to one of the 5 mouse buttons. For example, I was able to program a sequence to register a crouch jump, although personally I prefer my normal key arrangement to the macro!but it is a nice feature. A nice feature until you shut down or log off your computer. Any key combinations are lost after a shut down or log off, so what's the point in having them? Of course, none of this is relevant if you are a Mac user. Neither the Precision Boost nor Gaming Toggle features are compatible with a Mac-based OS. Not that there are any good games available on Macs anyway (sorry, I couldn't resist.)  Normal Usage The Laser Mouse 6000 is a bare essentials-type of input device. I'm not saying that is a bad thing. Some manufacturers try to cover up the lack of quality or usability with loads of useless features that no end-user will ever utilize, but look good on the fact sheet. The wired 6000 has just enough features to justify the expense, but not so many that it feels like Microsoft is trying to pull the wool over your eyes. For normal use this mouse is quite satisfactory. The non-stick pads on the bottom of the mouse allow for smooth gliding and easy pointing. The two silver side buttons can be programmed to act as handy browsing buttons or cut and paste utilities for word processing and graphics work. The resolution made possible by the laser technology adds a touch of precision to those tasks requiring a little extra care. However, unlike the wireless 6000 variant, the middle scroll wheel does not tilt for horizontal scrolling. While I don't use this feature very often, it can be quite useful and both the Logitech G5 and G7 incorporate this option. However, a horizontal tilt is not a terribly worthwhile feature when gaming. Perhaps Microsoft saw it fit to trim this fat in order to create a leaner, meaner killing machine. Let's see how well they did.   In-game Usage Now for the fun part. I spent over a week playing first person shooter games, mostly Call of Duty 2, with the Laser Mouse 6000. Right away I noticed that this mouse was very light on its feet. The thin wire did actually appear to be useful as it never created any resistance due to binding like I have experienced with other wired mice. Additionally, the mouse itself doesn't weigh very much and takes little effort to scoot across a mouse pad. The ambidextrous shaping of the mouse should appease those ticked off leftie fraggers out there. However, I found the shape slightly too thin for my large hand. Often I would feel myself grasping the mouse with both my thumb and pinky finger. Typically my pinky finger lies dormant during my gaming sessions. I also found myself lifting this mouse up more than normal while in the middle of a firefight. Whether this is due to the thumb/pinky grasp or the device's light weight, I can't say. But I will say that it isn't a problem I have had with other laser gaming mice. Tracking enemies was smooth and natural and I found myself adapting easily to this mouse. The primary buttons click nicely and the middle mouse button is easily actuated and never creates unwanted weapon switches caused by accidental scroll actions. In fact, I liked the middle button clicking action better than the G5, G7, and the Copperhead. And they put a clicking scroll wheel in the wired version! If you recall in my Wireless Laser Mouse 6000 review, the scroll wheel did not click (it scrolled smoothly) causing a most stressful first person shooter situation. For the gaming specific version Microsoft must have realized that a clicking scroll wheel is the only way to go - smart move. Sadly, I wasn't as impressed with the two side buttons. They were easy enough to actuate, but their positioning was less than ideal. Usually I have found that thumb buttons are the easiest ones to get at with the ring/pinky finger buttons being the more difficult. For me the Laser Mouse 6000 reversed this theory. During gaming sessions I found it easier to press the outer side button with my ring finger while the thumb button was difficult to reach. Smaller-handed users may not experience these issues, however. I found the positioning of the thumb button to be slightly too far towards the front of the mouse. The culprit is the ambidextrous design, in my opinion. In an effort to design a useful rightie or leftie mouse, Microsoft had to compromise just a touch. As such, both side buttons had to be placed in exactly the same spot on each side. Moving one button down to create a more useful thumb button would negate the ambidextrous design. Quite a quandary. The answer: build both a left AND right hand version! Why companies are afraid to do this, I will never understand. Sure the incurred costs are more, but most lefties I know would gladly pay $10 or $15 more if it meant they didn't have to alter their natural hand position to accommodate a poorly designed mouse. One day they will listen to me. (I can see it now! All the lefties unite and march to Redmond to protest the leftie-hating beast that is Microsoft. - Ed.)  I was fairly impressed with the Laser Mouse 6000's performance in most game scenarios. But, in the world of gaming devices, this mouse falls a bit short when it comes to features. The Performance Booster setting is useful, but is a weak attempt to compete with the DPI switching features of Logitech and Razer. I will agree that I don't use more than one or two settings of on-the-fly DPI switching, but only having an all or none choice is sad in comparison. Microsoft doesn't list the laser's DPI resolution on the product packaging. But assuming they used the same laser as the wireless version, it is only working at 1000 DPI, half that of the Logitech models. The lightweight 6000 does glide easily, but could be more precise if a customizable weight pack was added. All these features would add to the cost of this mouse. For a slim and trim gaming mouse, the 6000 performs well. However, it is overshadowed by the richer feature sets of the Logitech and Razer offerings.
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Add Comment
5 User Comments 1 - Posted by
Pyxelle
on February 23, 2006 - 2:41 pm I just wanted to add a comment about the size of this mouse...the writer is correct regarding the fact that it is slimmer than other gaming mice. But that can also be advantage...I'm a gal gamer, and very small (Five feet exactly) Thus, I have little hands. A lot of gaming mice and other peripherals often are uncomfortable for me to use. That said, the side buttons are actually both very easy for me to reach, while the logitech laser mouse was more difficult - I felt that I was "stretching" to reach the buttons. True, it would be nice to be able to set the precision booster to whatever I wanted, but hopefully that will be corrected with a software update, and I honestly haven't had any problems with it. So, if you're a gal gamer or just have smaller hands, you might want to give this one a try. It's the first gamer-specific mouse I've bought simply because it's the first one that actually fit my little hand. Pyxelle 2 - Posted by
handrail
on February 23, 2006 - 3:10 pm thanks for your comment! my hands are obviously too large for this mouse, but smaller-handed fraggers will definitely find it to be a better fit. but as i stated, serious fraggers usually test fit mice before they purchase them. in my opinion, regardless of the mouse size, i found the fit and finish of this mouse of lesser quality in comparison to the logitech models. thanks for checking out the review! brad. 3 - Posted by
syllabus
on December 27, 2008 - 8:12 pm . I can't seem to turn off the magnifier once it's on without shutting my computer down, what the f*ck gives here?
4 - Posted by
Kurtis
on December 28, 2008 - 1:51 am Try re-installing the mouse drivers/software?
5 - Posted by
mack1764
on December 30, 2008 - 6:19 pm The answer is maddeningly simple -- the trick is to click the button very quickly; this prevents the popup that shows how to enlarge the magnifier screen and/or font.
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