MICROSOFT Wheel Mouse 3.0 (PS2)

Circa Late 1990's to Early 2000's

Use Case:

Used in standard desktop computing in office and home environments during the late 1990s and early 2000s. It was designed as a reliable, wired peripheral, compatible with PS/2 ports (indicated by the green connector), to perform everyday tasks. It was one of the first mass-market mice to incorporate a scroll wheel, which allowed users to navigate documents and web pages more efficiently without relying on on-screen scroll bars.

Historical Significance:

Historically significant for its key role in the mass adoption of the scroll wheel. While not the first mouse to have this feature, it was the first to sell in large quantities due to broad Windows support. It solidified the three-button, scroll-wheel design as the universal standard for PC input, effectively making older two-button mice and non-scrolling interfaces less common. It was also an important precursor to MICROSOFT's later, highly influential optical mice (like the Wheel Mouse Optical 1.1A and IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0) which built upon its ergonomic shape and feature set.

(H-3.5cm x W-6cm x D-11cm)