hi gurus! i'm using a MS intellyp-explorer 3.0 for many years - now i thought about getting something new. trackballs look good to me ... no movement of your arm and they are supposed to work quite accurate. what are your experiences with trackballs? (pls name brand and model) i dont want to play any games with the trackball. just working and surfing the net .... ~chibby
I mostly play FPS games, and use a trackball exclusively: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2150,CONTENTID=5002 I'm ok with it, probably just because I'm used to it though. If I had to guess, I'd say that it's a little better for spraying and praying (TMP in CS:S), and a little worse for aiming than a "sliding mouse."
I equally at home with either mouse, however i find optical mice to be ALOT beter for FPS's, and most other game types.
Had a Logitech Cordless Optical TrackMan for a while (same reasons you're thinking of getting one) and while trackballs are great...the learning curve is steep to say the least. Once you get the hang of the trackball though it's easy to use and becomes second nature (should be able to use any trackball once you master it). Also, while they're really good in productivity applications, they seriously lack in games (but that shouldn't bother ya since you don't need it for games). In the long run I ended up picking up a Logitech MX510 (MX518 now) because I ran into something I wasn't expecting while using the trackball: hand fatigue. After a while it just kills your hand moving that damn ball around all the time. Might just be that I'm used to moving my wrist to move a mouse though...not my fingers themselves. The trackball I had is now on the laptop downstairs, seems everybody likes using it now (for brief spirts and nothing overly hardcore).
hm ... thanks for your input guys! (even more would be great ...) hopefully i can try out a kensington trackball at work ... there is one arround. is there a big difference between thumb-driven and index-finger-driven trackballs? which is more comfortable? (i think the index-finger one ..) and again ... i don't want to use it for playing games!!!
If you want to use a trackball, thumb-driven is probably much better than index-finger-driven. The only real disadvantage is that sniping is hard. The fact that static friction is greater than kinetic friction makes the ball (and therefore the cursor) move fluidly if it's already moving, but good luck having your crosshair still, then aiming one or two millimeters in any direction.
Most trackballs are known to cause RSI sooner than a normal mouse............. take that into consideration. edit: Hmm, some people actually have less RSI troubles with a trackball. My advice: try it out for yourself and see if you like it (I personally hate trackballs, they hate me too )
ok - i think i'll order the logitech marble mouse: it costs only about 22€ so it won't be a big loss if i don't like it..
LOL! my marble mouse just arrived! funny device. very funny i need some time to get used to it - but it already can control it more or less i'll try it ingame in a few minutes. benchmarks to follow - or not ...
Hello. I know some of you don't like trackballs all that much. But I will say this they are great for every day use and precision work in photoshop, 3DS Max and other programs. It really depends on what you do. My recommendation is that you get a thumb trackball because it's easier to use. You have the same layout as a regular mouse for the finger buttons. Only difference is you move our thumb not your arm. It does not tire you arm as much that is true. Now for the downside. Unfortunately they are harder to game with. I will admit it. I have been gaming for years and trackballs are harder. I have been using trackballs for years and can use them quiet well for gaming. But it takes awhile to learn. A mouse is much easier. My recommendation if your using it for non gaming purposes it's better. For gaming get a laser or optical wireless mouse.
gaming: not possible ... (at least FPS) try to move your index finger (trackball) in a round circle, and simultaneously make your thumb clicking (firing) fast ... lol ... can't manage to do that! so firing at somebody while moving is not possible otherwise (office) the TB is great!!
I used to use one and it just annoyed me even after i got used to it. It would sometimes jerk my mouse when i didnt want it to because i barley moved my finger, like the other guy said love em or hate em. Personally i hate them. If you do end up using one.. you wont like it in fps games at all ( u will notice when you start getting merked ),but for everything else it works fine.
I found that FPS games were the only games that I could play properly with it (barely). Everything else was just near impossible to play with a trackball. Anyway, nice trackball you're getting. I was considering getting that one at first since It's pretty affordable and classy still.
