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Microsoft’s new Surface Precision Mouse adds the extra buttons you’ve always wanted

Microsoft’s new Surface Precision Mouse adds the extra buttons you’ve always wanted

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Microsoft’s existing Surface Mouse is by all accounts excellent, but if you’re someone who prefers more functionality from your mouse than just a left click, right click, and a scroll wheel, you’ve been out of luck with the company’s Surface-branded gear.

The company’s newly announced Surface Precision Mouse should help fill that gap with a device that looks to marry the simple comfort of the original Surface Mouse with the more advanced customization of something like Logitech’s MX Master S2.

Along with the new design, the Surface Precision Mouse adds three customizable buttons that can be programmed to do things like launch programs, execute macros, or even save documents. You can also pair the Surface Precision Mouse to up to three computers, making it simple to switch between them. And you can connect the Surface Precision Mouse over either a Micro USB cable or Bluetooth — at least for Windows computers.

That’s where the one downside of the mouse comes in. While it’s technically compatible with Windows 10 PCs, Windows 10 S PCs, Macs, and Android devices, there are a few caveats. Macs (and Windows 7 computers) can only use it over USB, while Android phones can only connect over Bluetooth.

More absurdly, the customizable buttons and multi-device support only work on Windows 10 proper — not Windows 10 S, due to the fact that Microsoft’s Mouse and Keyboard Center software isn’t available on that OS.

Still, if you’re a Windows 10 user and are looking to expand your mouse’s functionality, the Surface Precision Mouse looks like it’ll fit that role nicely.

The Surface Precision Mouse is set to cost $99 when it releases on November 16th in the US and Canada.