Any other Trackball users???

S

Speedo68

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 1, 2004
Messages
142
Heya,

Just wanting to get some feedback from fellow OCPers. I have used a Logitech Trackman Wheel for the last 8 years. YES, a trackball. I have about 10 of them in the house now. Love the fact I don't have to move the arms/hands compared to a trackball.

Give me your feedback. I'm not shy, just don't like to use a mouse for my gaming needs.

Cheers;)
 
I used a Logitech Trackman Marble + for 11 years. Saw a customer back when I still worked retail that brought in his Logitech G5 v2 mouse, fell in love and have not been on a trackball since.
 
I got some balls you can use.

In all seriousness last time I used a trackball was playing Deer Hunter on a friend's computer ten years ago.
 
I use a Logitech Trackman at work because my wrists started to hurt at one point. I'm fine now but I kept using it; at least it should help reduce the chances of me getting RSI. I won't play games on one though; it's strictly for office work.

At home I still use my trusty MX518 mouse and I use the trackpoint on my laptop. The only pointing device that I won't use is a touchpad; I loath those things.
 
Used to use one until it died a while back. Then Logitech came out with th M570 and I am happily back to using one. Great mouse.
 
CST LaserTrak.

But it's pretty hardcore.
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Review here.
 
I use a trackball at work and a mouse at home. I was getting carpel tunnel in my hand from using a mouse 12+ hours a day. By switching to a trackball at work I was able to completely reverse its progression and everything went back to normal.
 
I used a Microsoft Trackball Optical for a long time. When I ventured into PC gaming I tried to continue using it but wasnt long before I went back to a conventional. If I did no gaming on my rig, Id still probably be using it.
 
Does the scroll ring on a track ball support horizontal scrolling? I can't program without that. :D
 
brom42 said:
I use a trackball at work and a mouse at home. I was getting carpel tunnel in my hand from using a mouse 12+ hours a day. By switching to a trackball at work I was able to completely reverse its progression and everything went back to normal.
Click to expand...

Hum, interesting - I have tried trackball and that didn't help me at all. Interesting.
 
About 10+ years ago, I showed up to a LAN party minus mouse; a bit of a hinderance to dishing out effective pwnge. The only extra pointing device lying around was an old thumb-controlled trackball in some old box in the corner of a messy room. This pretty much sucked for the first hour or two, but eventually, I got used to the thing and didn't look back. If I'd not been forced into using it for gaming, I'd think all trackball users were nuts, but it's really an acquired taste.

Shortly after, I switched to the fore/middle-finger controlled trackball, and I've been fragging newbs ever since. I know that many folks don't prefer trackballs for gaming, but it almost feels like cheating for me. I started with the Microsoft Trackball Explorer, went through two of them, switched to the Microsoft Intellimouse Trackball (would be my primo choice even today if it'd had more buttons), and presently, I use the Logitech Cordless TrackMan Optical which is the best device I've ever used by far; I own two of them just in case.
 
I used to use a marble trackball and was quite good at CS 1.6 with it. On my server people used to flip out on voice when I told them I used a trackball.

Alas, times changed, and I wanted to get in on the newer mouse technology and mouse buttons for other games like MMO's.

I found that trackballs were very good at running and gunning with mp5 in CS 1.6. Precision shots were a bit tougher to line up right away but I was able to practice spinning the ball just-so.
 
I use to use an old school Microsoft trackball about 10 years ago. I got fairly good at gaming with it and loved it.
 
Trackballs are great for a change of pace for work; at least in my mind it helps to stave off rsi.
 
I've grown to hate trackball as the old spare mouse I use for computer builds/repairs annoyingly has difficulty moving the cursor... I just need to spend the $10 on a new opty and be done w/ it lol
 
What's everyone's preference: thumb or finger?

I tried out an old Logitech Marble FX and I find myself using it more accurately than my current Trackman with the thumb ball; can't use it well though since I really need that scroll wheel.
 
I used a thumb trackball exclusively (for games and desktop usage). Tried a finger trackball once and wasn't for me.
 
Index/middle finger balls all the way. I've used both types extensively, but I guess it just comes down to the physical construction of your hands and personal preference. Most of the folks I've converted to trackballs prefer non-thumb devices.
 
I use thumb; but haven't tried finger. The cheapest finger trackball with scrolling and middle click i found was 89usd; i wasn't quiet willing to buy it on a whim...
 
I had a trackball in college. It was great for Windows, but bad for Tie Fighter. :D
 
I use the MS Trackball Explorer. Unfortunately they discontinued the product and now the only way to buy another one is via ebay for 4 times the original price.

The MS Trackball Explorer has 4 buttons and a scroll wheel. It is also a finger based trackball.
 
Trackman user here as well. Though I do also use mice, I have been using the Trackman since they came out. I have used several different track ball mice. I prefer thumb balls over finger tip balls myself. There are no really high dpi thumb ball mice that I can think of.
 
<3 my MS Trackball Explorer. I may upgrade to a CST soon, waiting for some reviews of their new product.
 
Is anyone aware of a wireless trackball with the larger style ball? I'm been looking for a wireless version of something like the Kensington Expert Trackball but I haven't been able to find anything anywhere. Kensington made one at some point but it's been EOL for quite a long time.
 
I find it incredibly frustrating that nobody has done an updated thumb trackball using the high sampling rate/accuracy optical technology now used in mice... Which seems at the very least influenced by trackballs!

I miss my original Trackman Marble from the mid-90s, it was more comfortable than the newer smaller model.

The Microsoft I found slightly nicer for desktop work, but the larger, heavier ball I found clumsier for gaming.

Ought to petition Saitek or something, since Logitech doesn't seem interested in updating theirs.
 
Despair said:
I find it incredibly frustrating that nobody has done an updated thumb trackball using the high sampling rate/accuracy optical technology now used in mice... Which seems at the very least influenced by trackballs!
Click to expand...

The Logitech M570 is essentially a cordless Trackman updated with two extra buttons and laser tracking. It just came out a few months ago.
 
I'm really curious now. I want to try it, but I feel like I'd only like the middle finger track balls.
 
i'm a trackball user, but not for games, lol. I really like it for web browsing and photoshop/etc, but not for starcraft or fps games, haha.
 
I've actually read that the best gaming track ball is the L-Trac laser mouse. I'm stuck between deciding between that the Logitech Trackman M570. Both are still quite an investment with a steep learning curve...
 
SockMan! said:
The Logitech M570 is essentially a cordless Trackman updated with two extra buttons and laser tracking. It just came out a few months ago.
Click to expand...
Interesting, but cordless means higher latency, plus random dropouts. (I have a cordless keyboard & mouse on the HTPC, I'm certainly not saying it's useless in general... but I'll wait for a corded version to come out).

I don't get cordless devices like that. The vulnerability to interference, battery death at inopportune time, higher latency, risk of it wandering off... Don't seem like appealing tradeoffs for desktop use. Laptop or tablet, sure. But then I'd want bluetooth so I don't need a silly dongle.
 
bbenz33 said:
I use the MS Trackball Explorer. Unfortunately they discontinued the product and now the only way to buy another one is via ebay for 4 times the original price.
Click to expand...

Same here. You should see he refurb services offered on those trackball explorers as well, tungsten bearings etc.

I am on my second one as the first developed problems in the cord. At the time I tossed it, never thinking they would be discontinued. I learned Quake on that trackball, and became damned good at it. Trackballs ruled for Quake deathmatch/Quake III, or any FPS, once you learned the tricks.

I have been looking for another model of trackball to use, and still have not found one I can stand.

Useless trivia: On Farscape, one of the controls for Moya was a gold painted Trackball Explorer.
 
Trackball user ever since they were mechanical. Right now I use the Logitech Marble. Other than having no scroll wheel, does everything I want, and I'm always amused by people who try to move it like a mouse and get confused.
 
I am liking the the M570 a lot. I don't think it feels any faster than my wired Trackman Wheel, but it does feel a bit more precise or smooth. My only gripe is that it is not rechargeable. If the mfg claimed battery life is for real that should not prove to be much of an issue. But when have mfg battery life claims ever been truly accurate?
 
dan_panner said:
Hum, interesting - I have tried trackball and that didn't help me at all. Interesting.
Click to expand...

I was thinking the same thing... a trackball could be considered worse than a mouse for wrist and hand stress. The only real way to reduce that is to moce your hand into a more vertical orientation.
 
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