Has the long-lived SideWinder line of gaming-centric computer peripherals finally bitten the dust? Microsoft says it isn't so.
Microsoft's been releasing computer gaming peripherals under the SideWinder brand for the better part of two decades, pushing out everything from flight sticks to elaborate force feedback steering wheels. The line was put on hiatus in 2003 due to low sales, but was revived in 2007 with a new focus on mice and keyboards for the PC gaming crowd.
On Tuesday reports surfaced of Microsoft putting the SideWinder line to sleep for good, citing too much competition from the likes of Razer, Mad Catz, and SteelSeries in the PC gaming peripheral market.
We reached out to Microsoft's hardware division today regarding the future of the SideWinder line, vis-a-vis does it indeed have one? What's the official word?
"Microsoft Hardware has not made any announcement about the SideWinder line of products; it is not discontinued."
So the line lives on. Just because it hasn't been discontinued currently doesn't mean its days aren't numbered, but for now the SideWinder sleeps soundly.