Skip to main content

The Microsoft Classic Intellimouse could be your next office mouse

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.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
Microsoft’s DirectStorage can now boost your game loading times by 200%
Person using a gaming monitor.

Microsoft's DirectStorage 1.1 update is here, and it's definitely one that gamers won't want to miss.

With the new version of the API, Microsoft promises up to 200% faster game load times -- all thanks to GPU decompression. Here's how you can try it out for yourself.

Read more
This origami-inspired mouse folds flat for your travels
Two Air.0 mice on a desk next to a computer, with one being folded up for use and one folded down flat.

When I travel with my MacBook Pro, I like to bring a mouse with me. As great as Apple’s trackpads are, nothing beats the precision and comfort of one of the best mice for Mac. But I’ll admit this setup has some serious problems: Take a full-size mouse and it’s bulky, but take a travel mouse and it’s uncomfortably tiny.

There might be a solution, if you believe what you read on a new Kickstarter campaign. Aside from having a rather inelegant name, the Air.0 mouse believes it can offer the best of both worlds for travelers while still remaining light and unobtrusive.

Read more
Microsoft just teased its next big Windows 11 update
Windows 11 22H2 Tablet Taskbar YouTube screenshot

Microsoft has given us a glimpse of a feature that "Moment 2" may bring as early as January 2023.

Since Windows 11 version 22H2, the Redmond, WA company has dedicated to releasing smaller feature updates, known internally as "Moment." The first one gave us the much-requested tabs in File Explorer (along with its Context IQ tech). The next Windows 11 version 22H2 "Moment" is currently slated for early 2023, according to sources, after it undergoes testing throughout 2022.

Read more