The Microsoft Pro IntelliMouse is pretty much an emotional roller coaster. Its announcement brought joy, but that it won't officially be available outside of Asia (at least for yet quite some time) brought with it sadness. Then the actual product itself turned out to be fantastic, which made for quite a good overall image, though not as great of one as it could have been.

As for the shape, it's exactly the same as on the original models that inspired so many ergonomic gaming mice you can buy today. It's a right-handed design with side buttons on the left side only. The mouse is rather huge and has a shape that's mainly for palm grippers with hands that are above average in size. Of course, this is entirely intuitive and should be considered no more than a general guideline. What works for me might not work for you and vice versa. A matte UV-style coating on top and slightly grainier, less tacky coating on the sides, the surface coating is great (once again an intuitive factor). There is no rubberization, which usually translates into longer durability at the cost of less grip and varies between skin and sweat types, of course.

When it comes to build quality, the Pro IntelliMouse has literally nothing to be ashamed of. Everything is aligned perfectly, and the mouse doesn't emit any creaking, squeaking, or rattling. The mouse weighs about 105 grams with a bit of cable, which is alright for its dimensions—we're talking about a large mouse with a sturdy shell. Weight is once again a personal preference, but generally, a lighter mouse is better in the long run.

With the PAW3389PRO-MS, the mouse features a completely new sensor. Even though it has a new name, its specifications are the same as those of the PixArt PMW3389. The sensor is raw, snappy, and deadly precise. It offers a maximum resolution of 16,000 CPI and a maximum polling rate of 1000 Hz. Perfect control speed is really high, so you don't need to worry about the sensor spinning out after a fast swipe. However, with a bit of input lag that's caused by smoothing above 1850 CPI, I'd advise staying on or below that value if you're playing online games on a competitive level.

Buttons on the Pro IntelliMouse are great; the main ones are with a medium amount of tension, tactile, spammable, and snappy. Unfortunately, they are only rated for 20 million clicks, which might sound unappealing as many manufacturers use switches with a nominal lifespan of 50 or even 60 million clicks. The scroll wheel and side buttons are huge upgrades compared to those on the original IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0. They are tactile and offer a great click feel, and the same goes for the middle button as well.

Braided, not very flexible but not too stiff, and about 1.8 m long, the cable is only average. The stock mouse feet are far from bad, but could have been done a lot better with rounder edges. Unfortunately, replacement feet are not provided, which is a letdown at this price, but worry not as there are a ton of aftermarket options.

Microsoft Mouse and Keyboard Center is a great driver. It features a Windows 10-themed design, is fast, and works without errors, not to mention that it has pretty much all the features you need. I couldn't find dedicated profile settings, but these might be implemented in the future, and since you can assign settings to different programs, it shouldn't be much of an issue. As for lighting, the Pro IntelliMouse has some limited RGB capabilities. It features a static tail light you can set to any color you like; there are no other effects or brightness configuration options.

If you find this kind of shape suitable and like the other specifications as well, the Microsoft Pro IntelliMouse might be your best choice for a gaming mouse in 2019. However, it's not the easiest thing to get. The mouse itself goes for around $59, but there will be additional shipping costs and import custom fees depending on your location. This makes the mouse rather expensive, and you'll have limited warranty options too. As such, I cannot give this mouse an Editor's Choice badge right now, but I wholeheartedly hope it will be made available in the western market very soon as it's a legendary "kin" with fantastic features.