Ladies and gentlemen, one of the great ones is back. The original Microsoft Intellimouse was released way back in 1996 and was one of the first mice to feature additions like a scroll wheel. Subsequent versions helped popularize features like optical sensors and side buttons.
Drawing inspiration from its predecessors, the Microsoft Classic Intellimouse is a new generation of ergonomic mouse that has a refined, understated look and reasonable specifications. It’s evolved from the previous versions and features modern additions like a little bit of lighting and upgraded sensitivity.
The Microsoft Classic Intellimouse features a grey shell with some black accenting and has a large main body panel that tapers into two separate buttons for left and right clicks. It has five buttons in total, three of which are customizable — though that feature is said to not be available to those running Windows 10 S. Its ergonomic shell should cater more to palm and finger grippers than claw-style grips.
The sensor is an optical one, though it’s been bumped up to 3,200 dots per inch (DPI). That’s not adjustable, however, so don’t expect to drop into “sniper mode” in your next game with this rodent at your fingertips. (Have you considered a real gaming mouse?) It does support a polling rate of 1,000Hz though, so this should be quite a responsive mouse. It also features Microsoft’s BlueTrack technology, meaning it can work flawlessly on glass mousemats and surfaces.
The overall design of the mouse is quite understated, with no dash of color or flair beyond the smooth layout of the black and grey paint job. Microsoft has included a little lighting at the rear, however. Called a “tail light,” it’s not customizable and is merely a little white accent for the overall design.
This is a wired mouse, so there are no batteries or docks to worry about; it connects to your system over a USB 2.0 cable.
The Microsoft Intellimouse Classic is now available on the Microsoft store with a list price of $40 plus shipping. If you’re an active student or member of staff at a university or faculty though, you can secure a small discount to get one of these new Intellimouse mice for $36 instead.
