14 DAY TRIAL // It's always sad to see a beloved brand of products start its long and often hard way towards oblivion but, unfortunately, it seems that this is exactly what's going to happen in the near future with Microsoft's SideWinder peripherals.
So, as VR-Zone reports, it seems that the famous software behemoth, who'd also established a hardware-oriented branch quite a few years ago, has decided to give up on possibly its most famous line of products, the SideWinder gaming – oriented accessories.
While there's no exact information coming from the Redmond-based company as to the reasons that prompted this move, it's safe to say that we're most likely talking about a combo of factors that “worked together”, leading to the demise of this once famous line.
Without a doubt, the main factor that affected the life of the SideWinder brand was the increased competition on this particular market segment, the number of high-end, good-quality mice and keyboards that literally invaded the market over the past couple of years literally suffocating Microsoft's products.
However, Microsoft's Hardware division is also partly to blame for the brand's extinction, since they've not really been able to keep up with their competitors, releasing a very small number of new and exciting products over the past few years (just four mice and two keyboards over a three-year span).
Of course, some of the innovations first implemented in these gaming products have found their way into additional, more commercial-grade accessories, but this thought of little comfort, nevertheless.
Unfortunately, for the time being, the SideWinder brand's fans are just left with the memories, and we're quite sure that all of the mice and keyboards released under this brand and still available in stores will instantly gain collectors' item statuses, especially since there's absolutely no info coming from Microsoft's side as to a possible revival of the lineup.