Due to recently mentioned increasing difficulties using a standard mouse, after a brief flirtation with vertical types, I decided to try a trackball. I bought a decent Kensington Orbit Fusion, and it does seem like a great bit of kit and fits my large hand very nicely, as well as having sufficient programmable buttons to satisfy my gaming needs.
I got on quite well with it on the desktop and in various programs like word processors, but haven’t tried it with graphics or painting progs as yet.
I decided to start using it for 7 Days To Die, as I’ve been playing that a lot (over 3,500 hours) for many years, so well used to how everything works and how I want my control to be (progammed buttons etc).
So I thought it would be ideal for seeing how I’d get on and getting used to it.
However, after two days I gave up and though I didn’t return the trackball, I’ve put it away to leave for when I just can’t use a mouse any more - so then I will have no choice but to use it or switch to VR for everything I do on PC.
I gave up because even after much tweaking of cursor sensitivity etc, it made me feel sick after a bit. That has a lot to do with my brain expecting my view to move one way, but my actual view moving somewhere else. I did try switching the vertical axis but this had little effect.
Does anyone else use one and if so, do you have any tips to help make the transition less of a challenge?
Have you considered using TrackIR as a mouse? I gave mine away, but maybe other TIR users can verify that this is still an option in the software.
TrackIR actually started out as a head tracking mouse controller.
I think the Tobii eyetracker has a mouse emulation option too.
I gave away my Tobii Eye Tracker when I sold my Warthog HOTAS, but still have TrackIR 4. I think that would be well weird for games (like FPS), but I’ll have a think about it.
I’ve used a trackball for general PC/internet use for years, probably more than 20. I much prefer a trackball to a traditional mouse for general use.
The only time I used a traditional mouse was during gaming, especially FPS.
That being said I love using them for Flight Sims. I think trackballs are perfect for flight sims mostly because they take up need/much less real estate, and if you are a dedicated sim person, desk and “cockpit” real estate can become less and less the more you play.
Although it takes a little getting used to, besides it taking up less desk real estate I’ve also found it to be more accurate in flight sims like DCS where every switch isn’t mapped.
Nothing aggravates me worse than having to stop, pick up your mouse, and move/reset it because you can’t slide any further because you hit the monitor stand, keyboard, end of the desk, etc. With a trackball it’s a nonissue.
The only bit of advice I can give you is don’t give up on it prematurely. It’s just like switching any other input device. We have so much muscle memory involved in something like a mouse that it’s going to take time to make the change, it’s not going to happen overnight. You have to be patient, and you have to be committed to it.
To be honest I’m surprised its not used or mentioned more.
Although I don’t use them for all types of gaming I may try expanding after this thread.
Keep us updated on how its going, you have my interest.
I thank @PaulRix for recommending a trackball for left hand cockpit manipulation, allowing you to keep hands on the primary controller (flight stick or yoke). After a couple of months it became quite natural. Now indispensable.
It would take a while to get used to using the trackball and I decided to put it in the cupboard until I really need it. In recent weeks my ability to use the normal mouse has improved, so might not need the trackball for a while yet. I’m almost certain that at some stage I won’t be able to use the standard mouse, based on what has been happening this year with my messed-up nervous system, but hopefully it will be a while yet.
You never know, by that time I might be completely doolally in any case!
This Kensington due to the agnostic design. It’s relatively inexpensive compared to wireless solutions, it fits nicely Velcroed to the top of a MonsterTech throttle stand.
It’s certainly a different feeling then a traditional mouse. It’s has helped as the symptoms I was experiencing are gone. I debated doing a side mount trackball rather than the vertical mouse, may still pick one up to see how I like it.
