Remember these weird mice? The Trackball is back!

[JuNex03]

I used one before. Mine had the track ball in the middle, and the buttons flanking both sides so you'd need to use your thumb for the left click and either your little finger or your ring finger for the right click. I thought they were great, I also used them for games, though I only mostly played MMORPG's and RTS games.

[Jito463]

I've used trackballs exclusively (yes, that means for gaming as well) since the 90's.

9 hours ago, Daniel644 said:

I never got why people liked trackballs, they where horrible in everything I tried.

Maybe you tried the wrong ones.  As with mice, a trackball can be a good experience or an awful experience depending on the quality.

8 hours ago, jasonwynn10 said:

I've been using my TrackBall for my entire life and actually prefer it to laser mice.

Out of curiosity, which make/model do you use?

8 hours ago, notawalrus47 said:

I wish trackballs could come back. 

9 hours ago, Bouzoo said:

They were never gone. Logitech was never the only manufacturer. They were and still are for a very niche market. 

True.  My current trackball is a Japanese one by Elecom.  Though I did have to replace the ball with one from a Logitech M570, since the default one just didn't have the sensitivity I needed.

5 hours ago, davo1111 said:

Trackballs on desktops were really only good for people with arm injuries/disabilities. Just cant get the same level of precision or speed with just your thumb.

I beg to differ.  I may need to increase the mouse sensitivity level in most of my games, but the trade off is worth it given how much easier it is to maneuver around with just my thumb.

[Bouzoo]

5 hours ago, davo1111 said:

Trackballs on desktops were really only good for people with arm injuries/disabilities. Just cant get the same level of precision or speed with just your thumb.

You should try it get used to it before commenting. It was never for me personally, but I know few people that are much better in gaming with them than some skilled people with regular mice. 

I am thinking on trying the new one again to see what's what.

[Grifith256]

I've been using an M570 for years, I'm on my third one now, each one lasts about 3 years.  I couldn't imagine going back to a standard style mouse.  I work IT for a large engineering design firm and outside of the office managers and receptionist, we use trackballs exclusively due to much higher precision.  On my personal rig I game in everything from Starcraft to Overwatch, and World of Warcraft to World of Warships with my trackball.  I've never had to adjust the speed of the mouse either, which was something I found odd in the video.  I use two 32 inch monitors at 1080x1920 and can go from one side to the other with just a little spin on the ball with my thumb.  my style is to give it a flick till it gets in the general area and the correct the precision from there. 

 

I don't believe that trackballs are for everyone but many of the oddities they mentioned are advantages to me.  Most people got thrown off by those weird palm style and finger style, and those are horrible, they kill your hand with long use.  The one exception are the larger palm style trackballs found on a lot of scientific research equipment.  All of our scanning electron microscopes came standard with palm style trackballs for the precision they offer at the massive zoom scales those work on.

[Cheemonstonzo]

I used a m570 for several years designing and integrating automation systems.  Had no noticable learning period and I loved it.  Especially working on site, you really don't want mouse sensors getting junked up with whatever coolant residue or dust a clients' shop might be covered in.  The only things I found difficult was some drafting and graphic design. It's nearly impossible to draw a straight line or consistent arc with a trackball. I didn't try it with gaming, but shooters would be nightmarish.  I still find standard mice to be more precise though, as I can use subtle hand movements for fine control.

Edited October 11, 2017 by Cheemonstonzo
Add extra info.

[dfsdfgfkjsefoiqzemnd]

Around 10 years ago I bought two corded Logitech Trackman Wheel Optical, assuming that they wouldn't make any more trackballs.  One is still unused in its original packaging.

Then Logitech released the M570, so I bought two of those, assuming they really would be the last trackballs.  Yup, one is still in its original packaging. 

I did however nick the spare one's universal receiver because the one from the other M570 died.

 

Not too sure if I'll get this new one though, it just doesn't have enough to offer over the M570 and the rubberized finish will indeed heat up your hand and will wear worse than the M570's plastic.

[davo1111]

8 hours ago, Bouzoo said:

It was never for me personally, but I know few people that are much better in gaming with them than some skilled people with regular mice. 

Any pro-gamers who use one?

 

Actually i'll widen the field to any high level professional that requires quick and accurate mouse movements 

[Bouzoo]

1 minute ago, davo1111 said:

Any pro-gamers who use one?

 

Actually i'll widen the field to any high level professional that requires quick and accurate mouse movements 

Sadly no, I do not know any. I'll go on a limb and say it's because no one ever started with a trackball but with a normal mouse. Everyone perfected normal mouse usage over the years. All people that I know have started using it for work and fell in love with it and then proceeded to use it everyday. I don't think anyone ever went to try them and get perfect with them just because. 

[KenjiUmino]

i like trackballs. but not the kind displayed in the video. 

 

i need mah ball in the middle. sadly, the thumb-operated balls seem to be the only affordable ones today. 

 

first trackball i used was on my dads 486pc:

 

 

when i had my own pc i borrowed that trackball a lot to play command & conquer red alert and diablo. my microsoft two button ball mouse was horrible and needed to be cleaned all the time. 

 

i recently got a slightly newer version from the same brand for my retro pc - it is more rounded but the ball & button layout is the same 

 

 

my brother bought one of the thumb operated logitechs back in 2005 or so ... while he could even play fps pretty good with it, i couldn't. got my ass handed to me in every game i tried. 

 

my neighbor had a different logitech trackball wich had a somewhat weird shape but it had the ball in the middle and i could play half life with it no problem. 

 

 

if this thing would get a refresh with a scrollwheel on it for a reasonable price, i'd buy it. but the thumb operated thingies - no thanks. 

 

 

[ISS IT Guy]

18 hours ago, jasonwynn10 said:

I've been using my TrackBall for my entire life and actually prefer it to laser mice. There might not be RGB yet, but it's very handy when working on the road

They should make the ball transparent or frosted and shine an RGB LED from the inside of the mouse to the ball, using it as a bulb. That'd be pretty neat.