Microsoft has been making quality mice for about as long as there have been personal computers (well, actually it was back in the time when 386s were brand new, and Windows 3.0 had just shipped, but I digress). Back then the simple and humble mouse sported two buttons, a nice big rubber mouse ball, and a 9600 baud serial interface, and were primarially used solely for CAD and business computing with graphic interfaces. At the time any mouse was just as good as any other mouse, and they were all horrible by today’s standards. As the mouse started to catch on, various manufacturers thought of new and innovative ways to make the humble rodent more responsive and ergonomic.
Flash forward to today, and Microsoft still makes some of the most innovative input devices available. Their latest product is an attempt to be so ergonomic that it is the missing link from the underside of your hand. This mouse is one of the curviest mice ever developed, and is so different that people will either like it or hate it. We take this mouse out on the virtual town to see how it stacks up.
MS Natural Mouse 6000 Features & SpecificationsThis mouse is designed to conform to your hand in its most relaxed position. Breakthrough ergonomic design, the tilted, elevated hand position is designed to reduce pressure on the carpal tunnel and wrist.
* The Magnifier is not compatible with Direct3D® API in full screen mode, media players, OpenGL, and Layered Windows. If you are using Mac OS X, the Magnifier enlarges text and images on the entire screen. |
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This mouse is designed to pair well with Microsoft’s Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, which is one of the most comfortable keyboards I’ve ever used. The Natural 6000 mouse has an unusual rounded shape, resembling a softball. There have been other “extremely ergonomic” mice before, but were so strange-looking (no matter how well they performed) that they remain a niche item for ergonomic extremists.
The wireless interface is the same 27MHz technology Microsoft has been using for years on their wireless mice. This technology has been improved over the past several years to reduce lag to the point that it is just as good as a wired mouse (when first introduced it was horribly laggy). The wireless receiver (which also ironically looks like a mouse) plugs directly into your PC’s USB port, and has a range of about six feet. Although the low frequency is more prone to interferance and range issues, it should also, in theory, increase battery life.
The mouse is coated with a rubber-like surface for extra grip, but the silicone thumb scoop is much softer, and almost sticky. The main buttons are slightly sculpted, and most fingers will fall naturally onto them. The scroll wheel is coated with the same material on the thumb rest, so the slightest touch makes contact. The wheel scrolls seamlessly, so there is no clicking when scrolling up or down, which may be great for spreadsheet-jockies, but not for gamers. The scroll wheel is also mounted on a tilt-wheel, so the wheel can be tossed to the left or right side to support horizontal scrolling.
Just below the scroll wheel is a small battery status LED, which turns on when the AA battery power is low. You can still check your battery status with the Intellipoint software.
On the bottom side of the mouse you can see a bunch of markings, the battery compartment, the 1000 DPI laser eye, and a small connect button (used to synchronize with the receiver). There are three Teflon feet to ensure you have a smooth move.
The IR laser is very sensitive, and will track on surfaces that optical mice simply could not, like translucent or transparent surfaces. The laser is also spot on with unconventional surfaces like a pant leg or your forehead.
New-Age Ergonomics
Most mice are relatively flat, with your wrist resting flat on the work surface, but the unusual shape of the 6000 moves your wrist off the table, and how the pinky-side of your hand is the new pivot-point. Because of the extra-round shape, the mouse is not as long as previous models, so those with large hands may find their fingers going over the edge of the mouse buttons. Most hands will fit comfortably, with the index and middle finger resting on the primary and secondary mouse buttons. Since the area for the mouse wheel is so large, I found it more comfortable to rest my middle finger there, using my ring finger for the secondary button. There is a nice little ledge where your thumb rests, which is cushoned with silicon rubber, which helps grip.
Other vertical mice force the hand into a more “natural” handshake position. At first, this method does feel alot more comfortable, like slipping into a custom-make pair of slippers made from newborn kittens. The feeling is a little unfamiliar, but unusually comfortable. After a while though, it starts to become a little uncomfortable. Much like putting arches in your track shoes support your feet in a “more natural” way, they become painful because you’re not used to it. Although your wrist is bent into a more natural position, its ergonomics are questionable because I don’t develop pain when using my previous mouse.
The front side button is now way out of reach, and it takes a conscious effort to stretch your thumb to click it. This button isn’t often used, as it is noramlly mapped as the “browse forward” button, but I’ve never accidentally clicked this button, and this new placement is an ergonomic hinderance rather than an improvement.
Since the pivot point has changed, gamers may have a hard time with this mouse. Many FPS gamers are “twitch flickers”, which uses their wrist as the pivot point. Now that your hand is raised, you move the mouse with your entire arm, rather than your wrist. This translates into frequently over-shooting your movements, which means missed headshots, frequent tauntings and lower team scores.
Software
This new mouse comes with some new software. Microsoft’s Intellipoint software hasn’t changed much over the years, adding small touches every now and then. The two new major features of this Intellipoint version oare the Magnifier Tool and Instant Viewer.
The New Magnifier
By default, the front side button spawns a display window around your cursor and enlarges everything within proximity to the cursor. This can be helpful when editing images or when you need to actually read text on those high-resolution LCD displays, but it isn’t the same as zooming in. You can very much see any pixelization, without any smoothing. As mentioned before, most people are used to this button being used as the “browse forward” button, which I, and many other people, are already used to.
The Instant Viewer
When this new feature is activated (using the middle mouse button by default), your current window minimizes and your screen is populated with thumbnails of all active programs. Hovering over a thumbnail window magnifies it, and clicking on one selects it. This is almost identical to the “Flip 3d” ability of Windows Vista, but without the 3d. What perplexes me about this feature is that there is no support for Flip3d in the Intellipoint software… and it would make so much sense (use middle click to bring up Flip 3d, and then scroll through the windows using the scroll wheel). The Instant viewer is neat, but most people are used to using ALT+TAB to switch between programs that they’re not likely to use this. Flip 3d is way cooler and serves the same functionaly, and is a native function built into the OS, so why was it left out?
You can assign just about any feature you can think of to any button using the IntelliPoint mouse software. One great feature present in IntelliPoint has now been removed: the ability to dynamically assign program buttons depending on the application in focus. One added feature is the “Gaming Toggle”, which lets you program a macro series of keystrokes on the fly (up to 16 keypresses). Just hold down the button assigned to the gaming toggle, press the sequence keys, and release. This feature is almost pointless, because the keys are played back without delay, rendering it useless.
Some mice can change their DPI sensitivity on the fly, and the new IntelliPoint has a similar feature called the “precision booster”. This allows you to trim down the sensitivity between 10% and 90%, which is rather useful in Photoshop or using a sniper rifle in your favorite FPS. Again, it would be great if there were a dedicated button for this feature, as other gaming mice do.
While these new software features can be handy, there should be dedicated buttons for them. Many of us would probably use these nifty mouse features if we didn’t have to our existing buttons to do so. I cann’t live without my “browse forward” and “middle click”. Microsoft may have concentrated so hard on ergonomics, that they may have ignored some rather serious usability issues.
There is alot to like about the new Microsoft Natural Wireless Laser 6000 Mouse, but there are also some things that aren’t so great. The mouse design has been completely redone with ergonomics in mind, but it’s not something that will feel comfortable to everyone in the long run. It is a complete paradigm shift in how the mouse is controlled: from using your wrist as a pivot point to the side of your hand.
While different people can argue the pros and cons of the new design, there are a few facts about the design that cannot be denied. The thumb buttons are now further out of reach, requiring one to stretch their thumb to reach them. The new Intellipoint software adds some nifty features, but no extra buttons are included to use them.
These issues aside, this is a solid high DPI laser mouse that has excellent tracking, the wireless technology has no noticable lag, and the battery life is excellent. Although two AA batteries are used instead of a recharable pack, the batteries last months between changes (a great feat considering the laser technology). Even though the 1000 DPI engine is more than adequate for gaming, this is a general purpose mouse that lacks some features gamers may need.
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2 Comment
i need an new natural wirelees laser mouse 6000 resiever plase help my!
Before using the Natural Wireless Laser Mouse 6000, I used to have shoulder pain. It has been a month since I am using it, and my shoulder pain stoped. Now, my pain are in my shoulder and my fingers!!! This mouse didn't suit me at all!