Trackball gang represent
real mice have balls
Have ball
All hail trackballs ٩( ᐛ )و
Any recommendations? I had to swap out my Microsoft Trackball Explorer as it didn’t keep up any more.
Recently picked up the Kingsenton Slimblade Pro. Love it.
Ploopy Classic, it’s a modern version of that. Open source software (QMK) and hardware
I’ve been using Kensington Orbit (with scroll) and it’s been great.
Elecom
I clean mine every 3-7 days. Some times it gathers cat hair (I assume) faster than others.
CST L-Trac enjoyer reporting in! Come to our party, we have custom 3D printed tents and custom additional programmable buttons!
What is a tent in this context?
A stand that helps keep your hand and arm in a neutral position while you’re using the device 😊 It might not be the perfect term in this context, but it’s widely used with split mechanical keyboards (which I also use a tent for)
Thank you very much.
Thumball with 3D printed vertical stand yes I got asked about it a lot
I’m getting proud parent vibes from your creation.
I have that same mouse for work stuff. Care to share the model for printing?
Yeah np
https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2684322
You’ll need some kind of grippy stuff on bottom. I used an adhesive rubber mat like this https://a.co/d/g8UqtfV and cut it out or those little stick on rubber feet might work.
They are great, but I have two issues with my left handed one:
- Right handed people just cannot use it, I can’t just give someone else my mouse for a minute.
- For some stupid reason, the left and right mouse button are switched, so now I have to switch it back in software, so now the buttons on my laptop touchpad are switched.
The IT manager at my previous job used this as a security feature.
People thought that because he was the IT manager he could just get another mouse, so they’d just take his when they left their mouse at home and never return it.
So he got a left handed vertical mouse even though he is right handed.
Nobody steals his mouse now because it is vertical and cannot be used in the right hand.
We had a guy learn Dvorak specifically so no one could take his keyboard. Madman or brilliant?
Can’t you just go into system settings and have it function as qwerty? You wouldn’t be able to hunt for a key, but if you touch type it shouldn’t matter.
I think if the keyboard had dvorak in it’s firmware (rather than set on the pc) you would need a dvorak-to-qwerty conversion setting which I’ve never seen on a pc.
Most custom layouts (mine included) just assume the keyboard is sending qwerty.
As a left handed mouse user i wouls steal it fir shits and giggles
I’ve got a left handed mouse with switched buttons. I’m so used to it now that it takes a good 5 seconds for me to figure out how a normal mouse works.
I’ve used the standard button layout of a right handed mouse all my life, I’m not suddenly switching now.
As an IT support person, the problem I have with these mice is that the left mouse button is also on the vertical. So when heavy-handed users click on a file in explorer, they also slightly drag down, so the file “disappears” into a folder, and now it’s a support ticket to get the file restored.
Sigh.
I was remembering just now I used to have one but I gave up on it almost immediately after using irl Thanks for reminding me why I quickly moved on from vertical mouse.
I feel sick to my stomach thinking back to my IT help desk days.
I need me a Logitech G502 hero equivalent but vertical, no way I’m giving up all these extra quick buttons
Really love the feel of my Logitech G pro tbh. Super clicky, light, and smooth. The texture of the material is great too.
It’s not at all ergonomic bc it is an ambidextrous design but it hasn’t bothered me yet and I use my PC way more than I should.
I’m with you, that or a g903 equivalent. But it has to have Lightning and Powerplay support.
I’m not sure I want completely vertical on a 502 variant, but angled maybe 30 degrees from where it is and the thumb buttons moved back a hair would be my ideal mouse.
Trackball gang.
I have a couple friends that play PC games on old-school Trackman trackballs. The amount of griping when we play a game with something bound by default to the mousewheel is INCREDIBLE.
That’s like using a Dvorak keyboard and complaining that games default to WASD bindings. This is the exact reason why key remapping is a standard feature on PC games but not on consoles
The old Trackmans have very limited inputs relative to modern gaming mice. There are some trackballs with scroll wheels, but they have different ergonomics (you rotate the ball with your thumb rather than your index, middle, and ring fingers) that my buddies aren’t fond of.
Given that theirs is a very niche use case, I don’t think anybody’s gonna make a trackball to suit them that also has a scroll wheel, but I guess if somebody was motivated enough, there’s an opportunity for some sort of ESP-based open source hardware.
Right, but ultimately their complaint is that a game has actions bound to a scroll wheel and they could simply rebind those actions to something else.
Though the complaint does become legitimate if they are playing one of the handful of poor PC ports out there that lacks key remapping (cough*transformerswarforcybertron*cough)
Mx Ergo, best of both worlds
Came here to say that
When a mouse and a joystick love each other very much, this is the end result.
A cautionary tale if you’re considering.
Years ago someone left my employer abruptly, and on their desk was left a fancy vertical mouse. It sat there for a few days, and I kept glancing over, at first ambivalent, but as time passed the temptation increased. I debated the dilemma of becoming a vertical mouse person, was that really for me? Eventually I succumbed and thought hey it’s worth a try, see what it’s like to be one of them… pure learning opportunity…
Then something happened… I got used to it in about a half hour and in the first day my precision improved. A sudden urge came over me to tell all my coworkers, was I really becoming one of those people so fast? Trying to resist was futile and within a couple days I became a vertical mouse person, always wanting to tell everyone how great they are, constantly resisting the urge. I forgot what life was like with a horizontal mouse, and I never looked back.
That wasn’t cautionary at all it’s just a fucking advert.
hail vertical mouse corporate
It’s just a general ad paid for by Big Vertical Mouse.
;) You’ll understand when you use a vertical mouse.
The Linux of mice
i find these WAY more painful to use than a normal mouse, it puts all my weight on that hemispherical bit in the wrist and the angle is just slightly off being the neutral position for my hand so it’s instead constantly putting stress on the arm…
i want one that’s just slightly more tilted than a normal mouse.
My Logitech MX Master 2 has a decent amount of angle without being vertical, maybe something like that is what you’re looking for?
MX Master is my favorite mouse line by far. Amazing scroll wheel, side scroll wheel, good angle and buttons, and can swap between 3 computers.
I have my Master 3 set up for my work pc, my Surface, and my editing computer.
They’re also SOOOO HEAVY, though maybe I’ve been spoiled by my G Pro Superlight.
I use this at work because I have a standing desk and was getting wrist pains. Forcing my hand to tilt also forces
It’s a shit mouse on purpose.
You uh, want to finish that middle sentence?
big vertical mouse got them before they could finish
Those are called rats.
You could also use one of those silicone mouse pads.
Any suggestions for a good quality vertical? The one the office purchased for me feels cheap and the time-to-sleep is too short(mouse doesn’t wake on motion).
The two I’ve used are the one in the image (it’s from Anker, I forget the model) and Logitech’s MX Vertical (they have a second, smaller version if the original is too big). I’ve been maining the Vertical the past 4 years for work and personal use.
Both have pros and cons:
Anker is cheaper. ~$35 vs ~$80. Also has a built in slot to put the receiver in when not in use.
It curves with your hand more than the Vertical.
Anker uses easily replaceable AAA batteries. Usually lasted me about 3 months before I needed to swap them. I only used it for work though.The Vertical can connect to 3 different devices (1 dongle, 2 Bluetooth) whereas Anker is limited to whatever the dongle is connected to.
The Vertical is made of better feeling materials; like a rubber for extra grip vs hard plastic with the Anker.
There’s a USB C port to charge its (not easily replaceable) battery.
Edit: Vertical won’t go to “sleep” like the Anker will. If the Anker isn’t touched for X minutes, it will go to sleep and you’ll have to click one of the switches to wake it. Otherwise moving it won’t move the cursor. Not that huge of an issue, but definitely annoying if you don’t know what’s going on.There is a design flaw with the Vertical. Logitech, like with other mice, use the wrong switches in it. The mouse operates at very low voltage and current; lower than what the switches are rated for. This leads to corrosion building up on the metal switches, leading to incomplete/missed clicks, phantom double clicks, or impossible to hold a click.
I actually had to go into my Vertical, desolder the old switches and replace them with new ones (I think I went with Kale’s light blue switches). I did that in summer '22 and haven’t had any issues since.
The rubber material is also showing wear and tear where my fingers sit, but that’s just cosmetic.I got the Anker one for my mom holiday '22 and she’s been happy with it. It helped the discomfort in her hand.
Both mice improved the stiffness in my right hand, so either one will get the job done. I will also say that there is a bit of an adjustment period. Surprisingly, changing the angle of your hand kind of throws you off and takes some getting used to. Before my office went remote, my coworkers would avoid using it because it wasn’t easy for them to switch to for just a short period of time.Hopefully this info is helpful. I can try answering any questions you have on them, but those are the only two I have experience in.
Is it possible to use any of the two wired? Or are there better wired alternatives?
Actually the Anker comes in wired predominantly; I usually find them while looking for the other.
The Anker doesn’t have a port to use wired. But you can with the Logitech. You can also use it while it’s charging.
There is a design flaw with the Vertical. Logitech, like with other mice, use the wrong switches in it. The mouse operates at very low voltage and current; lower than what the switches are rated for. This leads to corrosion building up on the metal switches, leading to incomplete/missed clicks, phantom double clicks, or impossible to hold a click.
Wow that is a major screw up. Probably part of the planned obsolescence though.
It’s very possible. It happened to a previous Logitech mouse of mine, which led to me using a Razer for the next 6 years. And with how much work it was to take this apart, I could see them wanting me to just buy a new $80-100 mouse every two years.
I went down a rabbit hole to find this info out. People dug deep trying to find what was going on with the switches.
I use the Logitech MX Vertical. https://a.co/d/9eDjEZ8
Took a little getting used to, but the wrist pain is gone and the mouse is reliable.
I have a couple of these and like them: https://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digital-V628-Adjustable-Sensitivity/dp/B0759V6FZC
I’ve tried so many vertical mice, but for some reason this one worked out the best for me. It kind of feels cheap compared to others, but I’ve had it for a number of years and I haven’t found anything that can top it. It’s worth trying out if anyone is on the fence since it is priced under $20.
I thought you reached into my brain and posted this for me. 😂 I have exactly the same problem.
https://sandberg.world/en-us/product/wireless-vertical-mouse-pro
I use this one, mostly because it was pretty cheap, is wireless and has a rechargeable battery.
I would splurge a little more now that I like using a vertical one, but I was afraid of spending a lot just to shelve it for eternity like I did with some other devices…
Okay, now what?
Vertical keyboard
I hate how mechanical keyboards set ergonomics back 30 years.
Instead of starting with the great ergonomic layouts of MS Natural etc and adding superior switches, mechanical keyboard manufacturers went back to the 1970’s with super flat designs.
so i love my mx master and i use the freewheeling scroll wheel all the time. the mx vertical mouse has a standard scroll wheel :p
I personally dislike the freewheel scroll overall.
Then again, the only time I’m really thinking about what features a mouse has, it’s for gaming so I like a little more precision and tactile feedback.
For everything else I do, a mouse is a mouse.
Unless it’s one of those BS apple ones with no right click. Those make me unreasonably upset.
The MX Master is a great mouse, but it’s definitely not a gaming mouse. It’s way too heavy. I don’t game on my PC much, but I’d definitely get a second mouse if I did. As for non-gaming stuff, the freewheel scroll is great for quickly moving through large documents. It’s hard to go without it now that I’m used to it, though I had to fine-tune the speed threshold before I could appreciate it
Logi lift hás freewheeling too
I had constant wrist pain and switched to evoluent vertical mouse in like 2015 and haven’t had pain since. And it’s an added layer of security
I had the exact same scenario! Just a few years before your issue, I fell and landed on my right hand, straining my wrist. It wasn’t broken, but it was really sore and months later it still hurt just as badly, so I went to a doctor. He said the tendons and the sheath they go through were likely inflamed, and all my mousing (both work and home) was probably keeping it inflamed. I switched to the evoluent at work and a Logitech thumb ball at home, and two weeks later I was fine.
How far have you sent your vertical mouse flying off the desk?
I know you’ve done it. Right after you typed that thing and went to click that button.
Life is hard for vertical mice.
I have never done that, actually. My wife, on the other hand…
Even better, join the trackball gang
2 weeks trackball. never looking back.
looking for a work trackball now.
This is the way.
Tried so hard, couldn’t do it, used them exclusively for weeks and it just always felt awkward.
Trackballs are the most cultured choice, although I wish I could buy one that’s huge like the one on that golf game that used to be in arcades.
That looks like a regular trackball in a large base. I looked it up and the Elecom huge is a smaller ball than a regular Kensington. (54 vs 55mm).