If you've been eyeing a new mouse or keyboard in Microsoft's SideWinder lineup, you may want to pull the trigger sooner rather than later. According to VR-Zone, Redmond plans to pull the plug on its SideWinder range, which currently consists of four mice (the SideWinder, X3, X5 and X8) as well as two keyboards (the SideWinder X4 and X6).
After discontinuing its SideWinder line back in 2003, Microsoft relaunched the brand in 2007 hoping to establish a name for itself among gamers. Unfortunately, none of the SideWinder peripherals truly "took off" and apparently, the market has grown too crowded with heavy competition from companies such as Razer, SteelSeries and Logitech.
Although Microsoft might be stepping out of the gaming segment, its hardware division will continue developing peripherals for general purpose use, having unveiled the Comfort Mouse 6000 just days ago. It's worth noting that the company hasn't issued an official statement yet and all of the SideWinder products are still available online.