Though the removable keypad is the most noticeable feature of the SideWinder X6, it’s not the only benefit this keyboard provides to gamers. This is good as these magnets will definitely hold the keypad in place while you are pounding on the keyboard through victory and defeat.
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The magnets used are actually rather powerful, bordering on Neodymium or some other Rare-earth magnet in comparable strength. Thankfully they settled on what appears to be the simplest option, which is to use magnets. When Microsoft was deciding what to use to keep the keypad connected to the keyboard, I’m sure they went through a whole litany of options. FPS players might even derive some use out of this, though the first 12 macro keys should be enough for most FPS titles. This places it right next to the main column of macro keys. If you’re a big macro freak (as many MMO and RTS players tend to be), moving the keypad over to the left side makes for easy access to all the macro keys. The keypad even changes backlight colour based on what mode it’s in. The keypad isn’t functional when disconnected, but when it is connected you can choose to either run it in number pad mode, or switch to macro mode and add another 18 macro keys to the existing 16.
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You can choose to connect it to either the left or right side of the keyboard, depending on what kind of configuration and what genre of game you are playing. The feature that differentiates the SideWinder X6 from many other gaming keyboards is the detachable keypad.