SideWinder Supports the Hottest PC Games at E3 By Showcasing Its Revolutionary Products

LOS ANGELES, May 8, 2000 — Traditionally, fifth anniversaries are celebrated with gifts made of wood. Those with more modernist sensibilities prefer silverware. For gamers, the fifth anniversary of Microsoft® SideWinder® might inspire a far more unconventional choice: a suite of three new products to be demo’d at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E 3 ). Since its release in 1996, the original SideWinder game pad has become the No. 1 brand in PC game devices, and its pre-eminence and versatility are extended with the fall 2000 launch of SideWinder Strategic Commander, SideWinder GameVoice and SideWinder Force Feedback 2.

“Whether it’s on a single- or multiplayer game, real-time strategy or flight simulation, these new devices enhance the gaming experience on the broadest range of Microsoft and other products,”
said Chris Bull, lead product manager for SideWinder at Microsoft.

We are excited about showcasing the new lineup at E 3 and are confident that consumers will verify the place of those devices in the SideWinder dynasty.”



  • Strategic Commander
    ,”
    an innovative left-handed game controller that improves gameplay in real-time strategy games, will be demo’d at the trade show with the forthcoming Microsoft expansion pack
    “Age of Empires® II: The Conquerors Expansion”
    as well as Electronic Arts’
    “Sim City 3000.”
    With programmed game commands and intuitive map control that makes even 3-D games a breeze to navigate, Strategic Commander is perfect for such anticipated 2000 titles as
    “Diablo II”
    (Blizzard Entertainment),
    “Warcraft III”
    (Blizzard) and
    “Baldur’s Gate II”
    (Interplay Entertainment Corp.). Providing more than 30 premade profiles with programmed game commands and map navigation for both novices and experts, Strategic Commander is fully scalable, putting up to 72 commands at gamers’ fingertips, and has solid depth to satisfy even ladder-ranked, competitive gamers.

  • GameVoice , which enables voice-activated game commands and allows communication among players, will be demo’d with the GT Interactive shooter
    “Unreal Tournament.”
    While useful in the Microsoft’s Zone.com during basic multiplayer games such as hearts, spades or cribbage, it is compatible with such upcoming shelf titles as
    “Tribes 2”
    and
    “Team Fortress 2”
    (Sierra On-Line Inc.),
    “Thief 2: The Metal Age”
    (Eidos Interactive) and
    “Duke Nukem Forever” (3D Realms). Utilizing the increasingly popular DirectPlay® Voice technology, GameVoice requires only a 33.6Kbps modem to provide gamers with a powerful new tool: an eight-button control unit with prebuilt voice commands and contact management software that lets them easily find and connect with friends.

  • Force Feedback 2 is a sequel to the popular Force Feedback Pro joystick that delivers stronger and more precise forces for more realistic gameplay and works with more than 200 force-feedback-enabled games as well as any other PC-based title that utilizes a joystick. It will be demo’d at E 3 with Microsoft
    “Combat Flight Simulator,” ”
    MechWarrior TM 4″
    and

    Crimson Skies TM .”
    Sure to accelerate the already skyrocketing popularity of the brand, Force Feedback 2 boasts a new, efficient layout with more prominent controls and a redesigned throttle, along with on-board digital power supply, a full aircraft gimbal mechanism and a 16-bit 25MHz full-speed USB co-processor that reduces the load on the PC’s microprocessor for faster, more direct response.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

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Microsoft, SideWinder,
“Age of Empires,” “MechWarrior”
and
“Crimson Skies”
are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

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