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Demise of the trackball? What's the alternative?

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mouser:
i actually agree with deozaan about the "clicks" on a scroll wheel - i prefer feeling them too.

Deozaan:
Oh, and trackballs have to be controlled by the thumb for me. The ones under different fingers are also just awkward to me.

nudone:
this multi track ball talk has reminded me of what i made when i first started playing first-person shooters on the pc.

at that time i really couldn't understand how anyone could use a mouse to play a game like 'quake' so i looked for an alternative controller.

i had a joystick (nothing fancy) and a 'mini' trackball - a thumb ball that you hold in your hand. so, i glued the thumb ball to the side of the joystick handle. this allowed me to make quick large movements using the joystick and very fine movements using the ball that rested under my thumb.

i played quake the whole way through a couple of times using this hybrid device and thought it was great - i thought i was so damn smart for doing it.

i then bought half-life (1) and made the effort to use the mouse to play it - which then made me realise that i was a complete idiot and that the mouse was about a million times better than the stupid joystick/thumbball monster i had constructed.

i've seen experimental controller devices where there are two separate trackballs - one for each hand - that were then rigged up to a user interface that exploited this dual hand method of moving objects around on screen. obviously, it hasn't caught on.

i still find the mouse to be the best option at the moment. a dual track ball (under one hand) would be tempting to use but i can't help but think we haven't yet reached the 'best' controller device. maybe a pen makes more sense.

tomos:
Dude, I think this one's got you covered. That scroll ring looks nifty: http://www.cardcam.com/html/2200.html
--- End quote ---
Demise of the trackball? What's the alternative?
looks like it could be used by a left hander as well, (looks symmertical I mean) but doesnt say.

Any left hander tips ?
anyone tried this: "Vertical Mouse" for left handers
(@ $30 more than the right hand version :huh: )

mouser:
Nice long review of Expert Mouse:
http://www.atpm.com/11.05/expert-mouse.shtml

Let’s get one thing out of the way: the Expert Mouse is the epitome of all things trackball. It’s the latest offspring of the original trackball mouse. If you’re a trackball-hater, approach this review with an open mind. Don’t hate the player. Hate the game—and Kensington’s game is not to be hated lightly.
--- End quote ---



And it gets good amazon.com customer reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Kensington-Expert-Mouse-Optical-Trackball/dp/B00009KH63

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