Hard Light Productions Forums

Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Martinus on April 28, 2003, 07:28:12 pm

Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Martinus on April 28, 2003, 07:28:12 pm
[color=66ff00]I was wondering if any of you guys and ladies prefer to use a trackball over a mouse?
I've been considering getting a trackball for a while now, I like the space saving aspect as I don't have much real estate on my computer desk.

Thoughts? Pros/cons?
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Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Razor on April 28, 2003, 07:31:22 pm
Wireless optics are a1. :D
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Carl on April 28, 2003, 07:32:43 pm
i can't stand trackballs. if you do any art work on the computer, don't use one.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Turnsky on April 28, 2003, 07:49:07 pm
amen, dual optical for me:nod:
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: phreak on April 28, 2003, 09:26:18 pm
i'm using a $5 microshaft mouse.  it gets the job done
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Carl on April 28, 2003, 09:27:47 pm
i always thought you had a microshaft.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Stryke 9 on April 28, 2003, 10:18:40 pm
Trackballs are excellent. Marginally less precise, but you get good at 'em they're about as good, you never run the ****er off the table, and since they don't have size limitations you can get fancy ones that have, like, twenty functions. And they're so much more efficient that when faced with a mouse I generally flip it over and roll the ball with my thumb. Catches like anything, but it's almost as good as a trackball.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: pyro-manic on April 28, 2003, 10:26:51 pm
I can't stand trackballs. Ever tried playing Half Life with one of those? You won't last very long, I can tell you that!

They're OK for websurfing, but absolutely crap for anything else. The only thing I do like about them is that they have lots of buttons, so you can set them to control the forward/back thingy on your web browser, and stuff like that. Wouldnt use one for any games, though, or any graphics/modelling apps.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: ZylonBane on April 28, 2003, 11:23:43 pm
Everyone I've ever known who used a trackball has been a flake. But granted, not as much of a flake as people who use touchpads.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Stryke 9 on April 28, 2003, 11:33:32 pm
Though I'm thinking of tossing my trackball and installing a stickshift instead. Admit it, that would be cool as anything.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Sandwich on April 29, 2003, 01:28:55 am
I'd think that a trackball would help improve FS/FS2 performance for the joystickless (:ick), but other than that? Neural Interfaces all the way, dude! ;)
Title: Re: Trackball; why not?
Post by: 01010 on April 29, 2003, 01:36:00 am
Quote
Originally posted by Maeglamor
[color=66ff00]I was wondering if any of you guys and ladies prefer to use a trackball over a mouse?
I've been considering getting a trackball for a while now, I like the space saving aspect as I don't have much real estate on my computer desk.

Thoughts? Pros/cons?
[/color]


Been using a trackball for over a year now and I could never go back. NEVER
Title: Re: Re: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Nico on April 29, 2003, 02:00:35 am
Quote
Originally posted by 01010


Been using a trackball for over a year now and I could never go back. NEVER


work on photoshop or 3dsmax, and you'll think about that again :p
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Stryke 9 on April 29, 2003, 02:10:04 am
Use both. Trackball's fine.:p

If it's a stability issue (can't really do a straight line with a trackball so much), you just get one of the ones with the huge ball. Things are trippy as hell, and hard to get the hang of, but they're accurate.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: kasperl on April 29, 2003, 03:29:33 am
i use a trackball constantly, i started because of some RSI problems 2 years back (i was 13, and i didn't like the tought of RSI so young), and i'll never go back if i have a choise. i can still use a mouse, i jusat don'tlike it. i also don't like thumb trackballs, i use one that you have to operate with two fingers on top of the ball, and your thumb and a third finger on the buttons, works fine for me, it's actually more precise then most mouses in my hands, i also use it for AA, (FPS) and it's great. (i'm not, but that's another case)
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: an0n on April 29, 2003, 03:48:28 am
Touch-pads are ****ing ghey.

I'm forced to use one on my dads laptop.

They're imprecise, unpredictable and generally annoy the hell out of me.


Track-balls are okay but lack the tactile sensations that a mouse gives.


A good mouse can't be beat.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: karajorma on April 29, 2003, 04:16:14 am
I switched to a trackerball a year ago and I doubt I'll ever swap back.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: kasperl on April 29, 2003, 04:18:27 am
Quote
Originally posted by an0n
A good mouse can't be beat.


oh yes, by RSI.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Turnsky on April 29, 2003, 04:27:54 am
heh, my little logitech dual optical hasn't given me probs yet....
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Tiara on April 29, 2003, 04:49:46 am
Touch screen!
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: kasperl on April 29, 2003, 04:51:53 am
Quote
Originally posted by Tiara
Touch screen!


argh, plz no, that isn't as accurate as anything accept for a glidepd, and i won't even try to play a none RTS game with that.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Tiara on April 29, 2003, 04:56:13 am
Quote
Originally posted by kasperl


argh, plz no, that isn't as accurate as anything accept for a glidepd, and i won't even try to play a none RTS game with that.


Heh, I was j/k :p
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: FreeTerran on April 29, 2003, 06:13:00 am
Quote
Originally posted by Turnsky
amen, dual optical for me:nod:
:nod:
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Odyssey on April 29, 2003, 10:50:14 am
Cheap A4 Nisis graphics tablet = fun... Using it in a driving game is just.... yeah ^_^ You hover the pen over the surface and use the game in mouse-move mode, for nice accurate driving. It's also good for, well, traditional graphics tablet uses (well duh). I still prefer a mouse for GUI usage though, after using them for a while you can just chuck them in a direction on the pad and they end up on the right place on the screen.
I really want to get an optical trackball though - mice just annoy me for some reason.
As far as touchpads go... meh. You have to keep scrolling to get from even one side of the screen to the other. Not to mention the fact that by default two touches in the same quarter or so of the touchpad gives a click... Makes for some pretty nasty unwanted actions.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Martinus on April 29, 2003, 11:08:42 am
Quote
Originally posted by pyro-manic
I can't stand trackballs. Ever tried playing Half Life with one of those? You won't last very long, I can tell you that!

[color=66ff00]Strange you should say that, a good deal of 'pro' Quakers swear by trackballs, say you can aim and move faster and more accurately.
I guess it requires practice to make the transition from mouse to trackball.
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Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Petrarch of the VBB on April 29, 2003, 03:18:50 pm
I have this to say:

Trackballs are Zhite. If the sensitiivty is too low your are hitting your hands over the ball about twenty times for the cursor to move one inch, and if it's anything else then it flies across te screen at the slightest touch.

I am using a crappy £1.50 3 button mouse, and I'm content with it, I used to be happy with an MS wheelmouse, but now I am only content.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Stryke 9 on April 29, 2003, 03:34:01 pm
Gotta love uninformed generalizations.

I never once have had my trackball fall off a mousepad and screw up everything I was doing with a big, smearly dodge line across a picture or a shot that went at 45* to where I was aiming. Beat that.
Title: Re: Re: Trackball; why not?
Post by: ZylonBane on April 29, 2003, 05:20:55 pm
Quote
Originally posted by 01010
Been using a trackball for over a year now and I could never go back.
See folks? Trackball use causes permanent and irreversible nerve damage.
Title: Re: Re: Re: Trackball; why not?
Post by: 01010 on April 29, 2003, 06:20:46 pm
Quote
Originally posted by ZylonBane
See folks? Trackball use causes permanent and irreversible BRAIN damage.


Now we're talking.
Title: Re: Re: Re: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Sandwich on April 30, 2003, 12:57:54 am
Quote
Originally posted by ZylonBane
See folks? Trackball use causes permanent and irreversible nerve damage.


Ahh, ZB's terrible secret finally comes out! ;)
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: CP5670 on April 30, 2003, 01:17:54 am
I have never really used a trackball but I suppose it could be okay if one gets used to it. The touchpads are the things I really hate; I don't know why they bother installing those at all in laptops, as the little rubber dot thing (although far inferior to a mouse) works far better in every way.

How about using the arrow keys on the keyboard instead? :D I remember some old DOS programs that did this, and the first time I played Dune 2 I could not get it to recognize my mouse driver, so I played through all three sides with the arrow keys. :D
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: karajorma on April 30, 2003, 02:28:45 am
Trackerball are good once you get past the first few hours of strangeness where it takes you three times as long to do amnything :)
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Turnsky on April 30, 2003, 02:35:08 am
well it's all up to personal preferance and general usage... i  like my logitech dual optical and it hasn't let me down yet (not so much as a hand cramp)that and it matches my keyboard :D.  desk space isn't really an issue since my keyboard and mouse are on the little keyboard drawer..
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: kasperl on April 30, 2003, 05:46:26 am
i got used to mytrackball very fast, only scrolling took a couple of days, since i used to have a scrollwheel onmy mouse, and offcourse my trackball doesn't have a wheel. otherwise, it feels lot's more natural then a mouse.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: J.F.K. on April 30, 2003, 08:21:34 am
Quote
Originally posted by Razor
Wireless optics are a1. :D


Amen to that. ;)
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Sandwich on May 01, 2003, 01:01:05 am
Quote
Originally posted by J.F.K.


Amen to that. ;)


Except for the noticable drag/delay in mouse and pointer movement, which causes it to be horrid for gaming.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Stryke 9 on May 01, 2003, 01:15:33 am
Well, if you want real accuracy though, you're gonna have to spring for the stationary-bicycle control. Kinda big and expensive, but there you go.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Falcon X on May 01, 2003, 01:41:13 am
Quote
Originally posted by Odyssey
Cheap A4 Nisis graphics tablet = fun... Using it in a driving game is just.... yeah ^_^ You hover the pen over the surface and use the game in mouse-move mode, for nice accurate driving. It's also good for, well, traditional graphics tablet uses (well duh). I still prefer a mouse for GUI usage though, after using them for a while you can just chuck them in a direction on the pad and they end up on the right place on the screen.
I really want to get an optical trackball though - mice just annoy me for some reason.
As far as touchpads go... meh. You have to keep scrolling to get from even one side of the screen to the other. Not to mention the fact that by default two touches in the same quarter or so of the touchpad gives a click... Makes for some pretty nasty unwanted actions.


I grew up with my dad's laptop and can kickass with 'em.  Still prefer a mouse... and I hate pads that you can't double touch them.
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: J.F.K. on May 02, 2003, 06:39:14 am
Quote
Originally posted by Sandwich
Except for the noticable drag/delay in mouse and pointer movement, which causes it to be horrid for gaming.


:confused:

I guess I must have slow reflexes or something, I never noticed it at all. :nervous:
Title: Trackball; why not?
Post by: Odyssey on May 02, 2003, 03:07:25 pm
Old wireless input devices sucked, yes. The newer ones are exactly the same as having a wire, though. I just ordered one of those new Logitech trackman optical wireless thingummies... Basically what the name says, a trackball, that is optical, that is wireless. I don't see the point in wireless mice, you still need a hard surface to put it on. No problems with that and trackballs :) Scrolling shouldn't be an issue, it's got a scroll-wheel. And 7 buttons I'll never find a use for :shaking:
If this topic is still around when it arrives, I'll do a little review.