I was thinking “Golden Tee or larger.”
I love them- used them at work and home. Saw an ad for one that had a thumb wheel, buttons, and a scroll wheel. Wanted it desparately but it has so many things to manipulate I was afraid I would forget to breathe.
I have disliked trackball control since the original Missile Command and Centipede arcade games. They were faster for large movements, but I never got as much precision with them, and that holds for PC trackball/mouse comparisons for me. My fine motor control is just better tuned for moving a mouse slightly than for spinning a ball and stopping it at the right point.
As to the claimed downsides of mouse control related to required space for mouse movement–I can reach the entirety of my two screens without moving the heel of my hand, and do so very quickly. If you’re running out of room to move your mouse and picking it up frequently to reposition, maybe consider turning up your mouse sensitivity. Whether you’re using a mouse or trackball, a few little adjustments to sensitivity and speed can often make them much more comfortable to use.
I’ve been using a track ball for as long as I can remember. At least 20 years. I’ve worn out several over the years. I actively dislike using a regular mouse. I use a Logitech wireless version. Everything accomplished by moving 3 fingers.
The problem is there’s a tradeoff: make the mouse more sensitive means you can reach farther, but fine control is impaired because small movements make the cursor move more.
I’m on my second Kensington Expert Mouse trackball. Bought my first one nearly 20 years ago (it still works, btw). Stuck with the corded version since it never moves and I don’t have to feed it batteries. I don’t think I even own a regular mouse anymore, might be one here somewhere.
You took the words right outta my mouth. Same here. Track balls are great.
But now I use the touch pad on my laptop. Similar concept. The device stays still while your fingers move on it.
Acceleration settings are supposed to address that issue, by magnifying large (high-velocity) movements but leaving small precision movements unmodified, but I understand that this doesn’t work well for some users.
I’ve found that getting to know the software controls of an input device can make just about all of them pretty comfortable and I still use mice, pads and trackballs interchangeably without fuss. When I was teaching math remotely during covid lockdown I bought a Wacom Cintiq - that took some getting used to but eventually it too became second nature and really indispensible for real time communication with math symbols.
I bought the original 128k Macintosh and immediately started experimenting with replacement input devices. Certainly some have been better than others but my current fave is:
I prefer a regular mouse for most things. But I think a track ball is superior when it comes to graphics and CAD work. With a track ball, I am able to place the pointer much more precisely. In addition, when I left-click, the pointer will not move. (It’s hard to left-click with a regular mouse without accidently moving the pointer a little.)
When I need to click while maintaining a very precise position, I press the mouse down firmly against the mouse pad to keep it from moving.
Also, if you have a nice big mousing area, then you don’t need the mouse movement sensitivity cranked up quite so high.
Not sure about the beef of a mouse needing huge area - I can move all over my 19" screen at work in a space about 3"x3" (roughly). Trackballs are only slightly less annoying than touchpads. I run CAD for a living, have for 30+ years, have no problem with accuracy of an optical mouse (mechanicals were a bit less forgiving).
I used that one for years, but gave it up when I went to a wireless keyboard which came with a wireless mouse, that both worked on one dongle in a single USB port.
The best thing about it was that when I used my laptop on a plane it was much easier to use in cramped space.
I can’t stand touch pads. If Logitech sold a keyboard/trackball combo I might go back to it. Never seen one in stores, and when I buy one it is because my old keyboard died.
Interesting seeing the different preferences. I started with mice (didn’t we all?), moved on to a track ball, and then happened to use a track pad on a friend’s computer. Went out and bought a Magic Trackpad and have been using it happily for years now.
Originally a draftsman. Ink on mylar. VERY fine control is needed. Cartography. Now I’m a GIS Applications Engineer. Mostly code now. But have made a lot of maps in my life. I’ve tried a track-ball a few times. Ummm… No. Full stop.
And as has been said if you need more than ~ 9 square inches for your mouse, it needs adjusted. I only use about 4 square inches for the full screen and still have very good fine control. If you need to pick up your hand, it needs adjusted.
But as I said earlier, whatever floats your boat.
Well, my new Kensington Expert Wireless Trackball arrived yesterday, as promised.
TL;DR: Fail on my iMac, success on my Windows laptop.
I tried it out on my iMac and decided right away that it is a no-go because I am so used to the Apple Magic Mouse with the back that acts like a track pad. When I am editing video in Final Cut Pro, it is a snap to sweep left and right through the timeline by sweeping my finger left and right on the back of the mouse. I immediately realized the scroll wheel on the trackball works great for up and down, but I don’t have a left-to-right scroll ability.
I then tried it out with my work computer, a ThinkPad running Windows, and was pleasantly surprised.
As long as you don’t have software that really wants a horizontal scroll wheel like Final Cut Pro, it’s the bee’s knees.
The huge track ball moves effortlessly, as does the surrounding scroll ring. The massive device fits perfectly in one of the pouches on the front of my computer bag.
My only gripe is that I’ll have to submit a help desk ticket to get them to install the Kensington driver software so I can customize it.
Holding the shift key while scrolling makes it go horizontal.
I agree with this. That’s about how much space i use and i have two large screens.
But for most things my favorite is a track pad.
I’ve tried a track ball once or twice, and never got the hang of it. I tried a track pad once and fell in love.
Speed matters too, at least in Windows. If I move my mouse slowly, I have to move the mouse just over four inches to cross the entire width of my 43" (diagonal) monitor. If I move it quickly, I can cross the screen with less than two inches of mouse movement.
Good news; you can’t suffocate yourself by not breathing! As soon as you pass out, you will resume regular breakthing. So, get the trackball, you’ll be okay! LOL