Microsoft Sidewinder Strategic Commander

Microsoft Sidewinder Strategic Commander**

Sidewinder Strategic Commander

**Manufactured By: Microsoft Corp.

Retail Price: $59.99 (US) **

Review Date: 2-28-01

I am not a big RTS (real time strategy) fan. The time needed to learn the commands, establish a good base and plan the attack is usually forgotten as the enemy pounds away at my hard work. One of these problems is solved with the Microsoft Strategic Commander. The MSSC was built for RTS and role playing enthusiasts. It allows you to program the actions usually requiring keyboard control to the MSSC. It also has the ability to control viewing, which in many RTS's is controlled by moving the mouse to the extremes of the map.

The MSSC fits snugly with your left hand resting atop it. All of the buttons are arranged so they fall under one of your fingers. If you're left handed and mouse with your left you're out of luck- the MSSC is designed to be used with your left hand. The profiler is quite a powerful little utility that allows you to create setups before getting into a battle. The hottest feature of the MSSC is on-the-fly programming allowing you to change and create setups while playing.

The MSSC is touted as a RTS controller but I found it also works well with first person shooters (FPS) such as the Quake and Unreal series games.

Features -

• 6 programmable buttons (illuminated)
• 3 shift buttons
• Record button for on-the-fly programming
• 2 position zoom button
• Navigation movement from base/controller movement
• USB connection
• Programmable

Included Profiles -

• Age of Empires® II
• Age of Empires II: Turbo Start
• Age of Empires II: Military Age of Kings
• Alpha Centauri
• Asheron's Call® - Fighter
• Asheron's Call - Fighter Plus Magic
• Asheron's Call - War Magic
• Baldur's Gate
• Command and Conquer - Tiberian Sun Close
• Combat 3 Close
• Combat 3 - Expert
• Dungeon Keeper 2 - Keeper Mode
• Dungeon Keeper 2 - Possessed Mode
• Earth 2150
• Homeworld
• Invictus
• MechCommander™
• Metal Fatigue
• Myth 2
• Pharoah
• Populous
• SimCity 3000
• Star Trek Armada
• Star Trek Fleet Command
• Star Wars Force Commander
• Starcraft - Protoss Expert
• Starcraft - Terran Expert
• Starcraft - Zerg Expert
• Warzone 2100

Plus the ability to create your own!

System Requirements-

• P166 or higher processor
• USB port
• Windows 98/ME
• 16 MB of RAM
• 25 MB of available hard-disk space
• Microsoft IE 4.0 or later browser to view User Guide
• Printer for profile printouts (optional)

Warrantee-

Limited 3 year hardware warrantee.

Performance -

The performance of the Microsoft Sidewinder Strategic Commander is surprisingly good. The unit really enhances control and leaves you to take care of other tasks. I used the MSSC with Diablo 2, Myth, Pharaoh, Sim City 2000, Quake III and Unreal Tournament. I used a few provided profiles, created some and used the on-the-fly programming feature to fine tune things.

The controller offered great control in Sim City 2000. I used the action of the controller/base slide action to navigate the map. The zoom button of course allowed me to zoom in and out of the city action. The buttons were assigned to the different actions I'd usually have to click to in different menus. Having a printout of the setup I created made it easy to learn the setup I created after a bit of play.

Similarly, Pharaoh, Myth and Diablo 2 played well using the MSSC. These games have a bit more time dependent actions to them than Sim City 2000. I was able to call up just the right spells in Diablo 2 and regenerate my manna without having to click my fingers to soreness. Scrolling with the MSSC became quite natural. Assigning a button to quick save also made my gameplay last a bit longer.

It was a pain to set up FPS's with the MSSC but worth the effort. With a bit of trial and error I was able to use the controller/base slide action to move, the mouse controller look/aim, shoot and jump while the buttons on the MSSC controlled weapon changes, order giving and a few other game actions. I am not quite sure why MS did not include the MSSC's ability to function as a FPS controller in the marketing because it works quite well.

Setup -

The first step in setting up the MSSC is installing the software. The manual warns you to do this first- before connecting the device. Setup is straightforward and should not be an issue. The program walks you through the necessary steps and tells you when to connect the controller. You may need your Windows CD for HID component drivers so have it handy. You will most likely need to perform a system restart so be sure you do not have any important work running in the background. Once the software is installed and the MSSC is connected to your USB port you can jump right into a game to use the on-the-fly setup.

Click for larger image

To record on-the-fly:

• While in your game press the Record (REC) button one time. The REC button will begin blinking.
• Press the button (1-6 and a Shift button if desired) you want to program. That button will blink also.
• Perform the required task in the game using the keyboard shortcut.
• Press the REC button once more to save the new command. Each button that has an action programmed to it will remain lit. as a reminder of which buttons have already been programmed.

To create a new profile from scratch:

• In the SideWinder Strategic Commander software, select New from the File menu. This creates an empty profile and asks you to name it. Once you name the profile, you can begin programming commands to the controller's buttons.
• On the Programmable Buttons tab, enter commands for buttons 1-6, including Shift combinations. (Notice that the Programmable Buttons tab has four command fields for each button: one for the button pressed alone, plus commands for the button pressed in combination with each of the three Shift buttons.)
• On the Map Control tab, configure the navigation settings to meet your requirements. This includes choosing a navigation mode, setting the dead zone, and configuring the Zoom button and rotation control.
• Click the Profile Notes tab and type information related to your new profile commands, configuration, and strategy. The profile notes will be very useful later when the commands that you programmed are not so fresh in your mind, or if you decide to send your profile to a friend.
• From the File menu, click Save, and enter a name for your new profile.
• The profile settings can then be printed out for reference if you desire.

Software -

The software includes the drivers, profile utility and the profiles listed above. Hang onto your CD and put it in a safe place since the software is not available for download. Within the setup software and profile options there are many options available to you. Not only can you create and use profiles but you can adjust the sensitivities of the controller actions. You can also assign descriptions to each action which is quite handy when trying to determine what each action actually does.

Click for larger image

Click for larger image

Documentation -

The manual for the MSSC is pretty good- much better than older Sidewinder products. It will guide you through setup and general use. For the real comprehensive information you will need to use the on-line help files. The on-line help files cover all aspects of the controller, software, programming and more.

The Microsoft website offers much propaganda on the controller but little additional help. The knowledge base refers you to generic question/answer topics that mainly apply to previously released controllers. No new profiles are available at the time of this review but since they are easy to create there is no reason to worry.

Overall Rating -

The Microsoft Sidewinder Strategic Commander is the best product to come out of Microsoft's latest releases into the Sidewinder line-up. It offers great RTS control- a gaming genre that has been largely ignored by the manufacturers. To boot it also provides good FPS control when used in conjunction with a mouse. If your left handed you should pass but for every one else the Strategic Commander is Highly recommended.

Pros-

• Great control for RTS and FPS games
• On-the-fly programming
• Comfortable layout

Cons-

• Not appropriate for left handed users