Trackball or Mouse?

[Zheo]

Which is better/more accurate? Anyone know a good model? At the moment I have a mouse but the wheel button is broken so I need to replace it. I was going to get the wireless Microsoft 5000 laser mouse, but then I though of getting a trackball, also is it better to have a center ball or a side ball (fingers or thumb basically)

Cheers.

[SorkZmok]

Are you seriously considering a trackball for playing nc?

[Glok]

Trackballs are great till you need to drag'n'drop. That gets old fast (at least for me)

[unreal]

I think the accuracy talked about these days is irrelevant. IMO the whole subject has become merely a marketing scam. "You won't be able to notice any difference, but this mouse is microscopically more accurate than that one, you MUST rush out and buy this mouse immediately because then you'll be uber! Give me your cash monkey boy!"

To me it just depends how well you can use either of them, and what you're going to be doing with them. I used to have a trackball for my laptop so I didn't have to use the terrible mousepad and mouse buttons that you get on them, and because it was a trackball, you could use it anywhere because they're static mouses. Much better laying on your leather sofa with a mouse on your leg instead of using the shitty laptop mousepad.

The trackball I had back then was the chunky Microsoft IntelliMouse which is probably at least 7 or 8 years old now. It had the ball on top with the mouse buttons at the side, which is definitely what I prefer. This sounds extremely wrong, but two fingers are better than one. lol With the ball on top you can use two fingers and be more accurate, whereas with the ball on the side in the thumb position I just found I couldn't use it properly at all.

Using a trackball like that reminded me of the first time I ever used a mouse. My friends mum came into school and was doing rubbish christmas cards with us using a template and we would have to come along and drag a picture onto it or something, then type in the usual garble. At the beginning of all that she would ask "Are you left handed or right handed?". So writing with my left hand I would say "left", and I pretty much used the mouse like a twat (I was about 8 or 9 though - should be enough of an excuse ), finding out not long after that, me being mainly right handed with a pair of scissors, I use a mouse with my right hand too.

Err, anyway. I would always use a normal mouse unless you're going to be doing what I did with my laptop, or just need to conserve space on your desk.

[Zheo]

Ah ok, I only ask since my mouse needs replacing (mouse wheel button is going) and I was wondering if i should get a trackball or another mouse! There are some MS mice i like but their wireless which is a bitch! because I don't want batteries dying half why through an op fight and screaming around the house "GET ME SOME BATTERIES" only to find we're out and it's a sunday! ha!

Thanks very much unreal, very helpful! ***** /me hands out cookies to unreal.

[Tratos]

I find trackballs get very uncomfortable after a short usage time, if you want a mouse get this baby: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=480704

[unreal]

Yup, that one's an excellent mouse. I bought the Logitech G7 what seems like quite a long time ago now, and decided to buy that one (the Logitech MX Revolution) just as it came out. Feels sexy and it's scroll wheel feature is great, reminds me of playing with yoyo's. Gotta hate doing rock the cradle or whatever it was badly and tangling up the string. lol There's something arousing though about getting brand new hardware and having it work perfectly.

Edit: The Logitech G7 is still a great mouse, but the battery lifetime becomes annoying and clearly the MX Revolution looks nicer and has an extra button and a better scroll wheel without thinking about the difference in battery lifetimes. G7 only has about 7 hours or so hours of steady use, but at least you get two batteries with it so you can just pop one out, and stick the one in that was already charged up in the charger, and repeat that over and over. Becomes tiresome though, that's the main reason I bought the MX Revolution to use as my primary mouse. Apart from the scroll wheel, battery lifetime, and the aesthetics, there's not much that distinguishes between the two.

That's one of the other things to look out for I guess, having to switch batteries very often is an effortless task but becomes pretty annoying if you're in the middle of something.

[Tratos]

I'm yet to get the MX Revolution but i've been after one since they were released, on the now dead main PC i was using an MX1000 which was a very nice piece of kit but over time the click function of the mouse wheel stopped working, which all firefox users will know is a vital button press

On the bitch computer (what im using at the moment, Athlon 700MHz ) i've got a much older logitech mouse but its still very nice. Going to get an MX R once i've got some cash again after buying the new system, i got a logitech media elite keyboard just before my main machine died which has sat unused as i cant be bothered to untangle behind my desk just yet, that's a job for the next few days. The keyboard however is as every logitech keyboard, almost beautiful to use!

There's something arousing though about getting brand new hardware and having it work perfectly.

I think i agree, once the new rig is built i don't know what i'm going to do, i might explode and follow Hell-Demon's approach by donating all the "produce" .

[Speedball]

Speedball tbh is better than trackball

[Doc Holliday]

Logitech 518. best mouse i have ever used for gaming. it owns for fps games so i figure it should be cool for this one. ive never used it with neocron however.

[Obsidian X]

All I know is don't get a wireless mouse; mice have wires for a reason - they were never meant to be thrown!

[CMaster]

I'd recomend getting a nic enew, reasonably high end Logitech mouse without a doubt. They really are fantastic devices. I have an MX700 and an MX510, both of which are spectarcuarly comftable, relativly stylish and very good performance (although I need to buy some new batteroies for the MX700 - it only gets 8 hours or so these days, used to give a full day if it was asked of it). My housemate has the MX1000 which is nicer still and it looks like the MX Revolution and the G series have just continued the trend. Don't get me wrong, Microsoft make good mice but the Logitech mice are simply in a leauge of their own. If you don't like wireless (although who knows why you wouldn't really) then the G5 and such are good wired mice from Logitech.
Trackball - as said, unless you need the space or have some unusal RSI problems I wouldn't bother with.

[jini]

Indeed. Get a Logitech MX series mouse (the revolution has indeed rave critics). I prefer 1000x a wireless and I do own the older MX laser myself. Fast recharge in less than 10mins, and duration (more than a week for a full recharging cycle)

Trackballs are for very special apps

[blackpheonix]

I find trackballs get very uncomfortable after a short usage time, if you want a mouse get this baby: http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=480704

love it may invest in one when i build my new comp i dont like teh idea of cordless tho found this one

http://www.scan.co.uk/Products/Produ...oductID=259065

[CMaster]

http://www.logitech.com for their full range.
IMO, the disadvatnages of wireless (you have to stick the mouse in a cradle when you leave the PC, the mouse is a little heavier) are far outweighed by the advantages.