Microsoft Sidewinder X6 Gaming Keyboard

A transforming keyboard with a mess of gaming features? Colour us mighty curious...

Microsoft has always seemed an odd choice as a gaming peripheral maker, seeming only interested in the area as, more or less, an afterthought. Recently, though, the Redmond Beast has been delivering some pretty unique – if not quite solid – efforts in the area. This new keyboard is yet another step in the right direction – but it’s not quite there yet.

Probably the biggest feature of the X6 is its optional and swappable number pad. You can switch this from the standard right to the left-hand side of the keyboard, and in doing so the number pad then becomes an extension of the keyboard’s inbuilt macro function. The pad attaches via a couple of pretty strong magnets, and we found the whole set-up to be very sturdy. The keyboard also works perfectly well without the number pad, becoming instead a short form-factor ‘board without losing the vital cursor and other function keys.

It looks the part, too, with all the keys being beautifully backlit in red, which also lights up each character. We’ve not yet met a hardcore gamer who can’t find WASD even under the harshest of circumstances, but it’s still an attractive touch. The lighting level can also be adjusted using a control wheel mounted on the keyboard itself, while a second control handles volume adjustment.

Apart from the wheels, the top edge houses a mess of cool features. Probably the most important – and useful – is the Macro key. Programming on the fly macros is a godsend in games like MMOs, and the X6 makes the process super easy. Hit the key, perform your tasks, assign it to one of six dual-numbered macro keys. You can toggle these keys, so that’s 12 macro functions there, not counting the fact you can move the number pad over to serve as well. Another button along the top edge also switches you between one of three set-ups. It’s one of those things that just works, and works well.

Unfortunately, without any onboard memory, those functions only work while attached to your home machine. It’s a minor niggle, but when you combine that with a less than smooth key action (at least to our fingers) and a lack of extendable feet to alter the angle at which you type, and the X6 becomes less than perfect. It’s still an ideal choice, however, for those looking for an alternative to the huge – though less expensive – gaming models from Logitech and co.