Convince me....

[5traus]

So i have an old trackball laying around and im wondering whats the big deal. some friends of mine have been using them for there FPS games and say they rock when going for more accurate shots. So what do you think? Should i hook that old thing up and try it out or should i just keep my lovely and very ergonomic m705.

[alaricljs]

Depends on the trackball and how comfortable you are using it, really.  I've never played an FPS with anything other than a logitech thumb-ball of one sort or another.  I am currently getting used to a new M570 on the desktop before giving it a go in a game.  On the desktop it's giving me a little issue with accuracy so I might end up switching back to the TrackMan Wheel.

Aim is the one thing I excel at, everything else not so much

[Mazora]

Do not use it for FPS gaming.

[czarek]

I'm not the best FPS player but I must say I'm more accurate since I started using trackballs. You can ask those with whom I regularly play.

[xmrxkrazy]

I thought people used trackballs so that they would be less likely to get carpal tunnel. To game with a trackball seems viable, however, not very optimal.

[noodles256]

its preference, done

[alaricljs]

He wants convincing... hmmm... What do you play, 5traus?

[zareliman]

I don't see how a trackball can be more accurate than a fingertip grip mouse, since you are using the same muscles, but with the fingertip grip you have more fingers controlling the movement. In fact, with a fingertip grip you mostly use the thumb to move the mouse and the other fingers just act as support and in my opinion the thumb is the most accurate finger... Most trackballs I see nowdays look sub-par in terms of productivity since their scroll wheels or buttons are not so easily reachable and you have to actually stop touching the ball to reach some functions (kensigton, CST). I need at least 5 buttons (fwd, rev, scrollclick, left and right) in instant reach locations to work with.

I once tried a thumb trackball and I found it really good (shame I didn't buy it) it felt far more natural to move the ball with the thumb and use the other fingers as in a normal mouse, however I would use it just to avoid carpal tunnel.
(sorry I didn't try to actually convince you).

[Arc'xer]

I don't see how a trackball can be more accurate than a fingertip grip mouse, since you are using the same muscles, but with the fingertip grip you have more fingers controlling the movement. In fact, with a fingertip grip you mostly use the thumb to move the mouse and the other fingers just act as support and in my opinion the thumb is the most accurate finger... Most trackballs I see nowdays look sub-par

At one point pre-2000s trackball were superior to most mice(not all of course but the common low-quality mechanical mice(rollerball) everyone had) and quite a number of gamers used them in various forms whether they'd be the thumb, fingertip, or the mixed unit versions like the panther XL. And even some successfully in higher ranges of competition and tournaments but it changed a lot especially with the later more advanced rollerball and 1st/2nd generation optical mice. In reality there is nothing wrong with using a trackball, I mean hell you can play with a digital artist tablet. The biggest problem with the trackball is just how downright outdated they are their sensors are ancient compared to what is around. There's no "gamer" trackball and I know there's a lot of stigma over the "gamer" tag but some products are definitely worth it, sure there's a lot of ****ty "gamer" products around but every once in a while you run into something good. And what I said before is completely ignoring other factors, just the trackball itself is the outdated sensor plus the various settings found in many mice lacking in trackball peripherals.

But then we get into the real problem with trackball peripherals and that's the player themselves. The biggest hurdle you will have are the people who see the trackball is some strange contraption(I've seen dumb ****s regard it as some console peripheral not realizing it's pretty much a mouse just operated in a different way) and having to relearn how to play using it. Things like sensitivity, it does seem like trackball caters more to high-sensitivity rather than to low, with a low sensitivity you move your mouse with your arm but the trackball has to be flicked hard enough to roll enough times and then stopped at the correct position you'd want if it's low. A lot of people like low-sensitivity for the control and might not be wanting to go utilize high again. As for high-sensitivity users I'm sure many will like the trackball since the trackball has always been a device for quick and accurate movement I mean hell with the right software and settings you might even be able to build a acceleration system in place to utilize accel better. But aside from relearning to utilize it over the mouse you miss out on some things like the surface, the trackball, surface is always consistent and unlimited based on the ball but some want different surfaces as found on different mouse pads some like rough, smooth, cloth, plastic, metal, glass etc.etc. A trackball only offers a single unified surface and not everyone might not like that. Another issue that might be encountered is are trackballs more specific or more playable on certain games considering slower paced games tend to lean towards low-sens it's quite possible the trackball might be suited to faster more unrealistic games rather than outright slower more realistic games.

It's hard especially in this time to test trackballs out for gaming because many don't even reach the levels of current mice. So if people take trackball gaming seriously it's going to require various testing and experimentation to put things to a perspective buyer. And as for the OP and his question to be convinced, it's completely possible to play with one. It's just not at the level of what mice are capable of even if you play with a high-sensitivity current mice offer better sensors, polling rate etc.etc. even your wireless M705 is many, many generations ahead in sensor performance of most trackball.

[almasy]

I don't see how a trackball can be more accurate than a fingertip grip mouse, since you are using the same muscles

Quite simple really, with a trackball the sensor only has one pattern it needs to be able to read, hence it can be optimised for that pattern and will NEVER find a bump or torn area of a mousepad or change in grain of wood.
a mouse needs to be able to track on EVERY surface and as such can't be made specicially for one.
and also the trackball is easier to move with less force meaning more control over fine movements allowing for super precise and super fast aiming whereas with a mouse you'd have to reseat the mouse all the time.

and finally the main advantafe for trackballs overall, more ergonomic,  not wrecking your wrist means you can play for longer without fatigueing,  not being faigued means your body is more accurate.

[1839cc]

What trackball do you have?

This.

Just try it and convince yourself.

[enoy21]

the only game I can imagine using a track ball with is PONG.... Or maybe CURVE ball http://www.addictinggames.com/sports-games/curveball.jsp

[Arc'xer]

I thought people used trackballs so that they would be less likely to get carpal tunnel. To game with a trackball seems viable, however, not very optimal.

I don't see how a trackball can be more accurate than a fingertip grip mouse, since you are using the same muscles, but with the fingertip grip you have more fingers controlling the movement. In fact, with a fingertip grip you mostly use the thumb to move the mouse and the other fingers just act as support and in my opinion the thumb is the most accurate finger... Most trackballs I see nowdays look sub-par in terms of productivity since their scroll wheels or buttons are not so easily reachable and you have to actually stop touching the ball to reach some functions (kensigton, CST). I need at least 5 buttons (fwd, rev, scrollclick, left and right) in instant reach locations to work with.

I once tried a thumb trackball and I found it really good (shame I didn't buy it) it felt far more natural to move the ball with the thumb and use the other fingers as in a normal mouse, however I would use it just to avoid carpal tunnel.
(sorry I didn't try to actually convince you).

At one point pre-2000s trackball were superior to most mice(not all of course but the common low-quality mechanical mice(rollerball) everyone had) and quite a number of gamers used them in various forms whether they'd be the thumb, fingertip, or the mixed unit versions(Joystick/Ball combo) like the panther XL[Video]. And even some successfully in higher ranges of competition and tournaments but it changed a lot especially with the later more advanced rollerball and 1st/2nd generation optical mice. In reality there is nothing wrong with using a trackball, I mean hell you can play with a digital artist tablet. The biggest problem with the trackball is just how downright outdated the sensors are, very ancient compared to what is around. And what I said before is completely ignoring other factors, just the trackball itself is the outdated sensor plus the various settings found in many mice lacking in trackball peripherals. There really isn't any gaming specific trackball, ignoring all the "gamer" stigma many products get because of it.

But then we get into the real problem with trackball peripherals and that's the player themselves. The biggest hurdle you will have are the people who see the trackball is some strange contraption(I've seen dumb ****s regard it as some console peripheral not realizing it's pretty much a mouse just operated in a different way) and having to relearn how to play using it. Things like sensitivity, it does seem like trackball caters more to high-sensitivity rather than to low, with a low sensitivity you move your mouse with your arm but the trackball has to be flicked hard enough to roll enough times and then stopped at the correct position you'd want if it's low. A lot of people like low-sensitivity for the control and might not be wanting to go utilize high again. As for high-sensitivity users I'm sure many will like the trackball since the trackball has always been a device for quick and accurate movement I mean hell with the right software and settings you might even be able to build a acceleration system in place to utilize accel better. But aside from relearning to utilize it over the mouse you miss out on some things like the surface of a good mousepad. The trackball surface is always consistent and unlimited based on the ball but some want different surfaces as found on different mouse pads some like rough, smooth, cloth, plastic, metal, glass etc.etc. A trackball only offers a single unified surface and not everyone might not like that. Another issue that might be encountered is are trackballs more specific or more playable on certain games considering slower paced games tend to lean towards low-sens it's quite possible the trackball might be suited to faster more unrealistic games rather than outright slower more realistic games.

It's hard especially in this time to test trackballs out for gaming because many don't even reach the levels of current mice. So if people take trackball gaming seriously it's going to require various testing and experimentation to put things to a perspective buyer. And as for the OP and his question to be convinced, it's completely possible to play with one. It's just not at the level of what mice are capable of even if you play with a high-sensitivity current mice offer better sensors, polling rate etc.etc. even your wireless M705 is many, many generations ahead in sensor performance of most trackball.

Another thing you can do is build a franken-trackball, similar to what some do(frankenmouse) with the guts of the mouse and move it to a more fitting body ex: Deathadder 3G/3.5G into the Kinzu to make the Kinzuadder. Take a sensor from a good but low-cost mouse and fit into the trackball. [Lachesis TB][Sidewinder TB].

[zareliman]

Quite simple really, with a trackball the sensor only has one pattern it needs to be able to read, hence it can be optimised for that pattern and will NEVER find a bump or torn area of a mousepad or change in grain of wood.
a mouse needs to be able to track on EVERY surface and as such can't be made specicially for one.
and also the trackball is easier to move with less force meaning more control over fine movements allowing for super precise and super fast aiming whereas with a mouse you'd have to reseat the mouse all the time.

and finally the main advantafe for trackballs overall, more ergonomic,  not wrecking your wrist means you can play for longer without fatigueing,  not being faigued means your body is more accurate.

I disagree greatly. First of all nowdays mice have very advanced sensors that track on most surfaces and are not sensitive to colours or even texture changes, and, even if that's the case, most gamers, enthusiasts, programmers and geeks have a mousepad that practically eliminate this issue. Trackball sensors are generations behind an Avago ADNS-3090 (for example) which has higher max accel, higher max speed, higher dpi, etc.
Further, just look at the designs of Kensington or CST, totally not ergonomic since they don't fit a hand. There are plenty of mice that have been designed much more ergonomically like the CM Storm Spawn or the Logitech G9x. Now, ergonomic and comfortable are totally different attributes, most trackball tend to be much more comfortable even if they're not ergonomic at all.

As a peripheral enthusiast I got interested in trackballs after noticing some wrist ache after prolonged mouse use so I tried to reinstall an old A4tech WWT-13 trackball I found but it didn't work on newer windows versions so I bought a Logitech Trackman Marble after reading opinions and watching some videos.

After using my logitech trackman marble for a while I can say
Advantages:
- Uses little space
- Requires no surface
- Reduces hand/wrist/arm pain/tiredness after prolonged use when compared to mice
- Increased precision when using 2 fingers on the ball
- Easier to use in awkward positions or in reduced mobility situations

Disadvantages
- Poor software features compared to gaming products (no macros, no memory, no DPI switch)
- Low DPI sensor doesn't provide smooth tracking (problematic if you use more than 1:1 sensitivity)
- Low refresh rates (125Hz) are bad for smoothness
- Bad for long-distance movements if you don't use acceleration
- Low number of buttons (reduced productivity)

Conclusion:
Trackballs are inferior devices than mice for gaming.
Trackballs are superior in terms of comfortability and will help you if you suffer from fatigue due to prolonged computer use.
Trackballs can also be very useful for designers and professionals that require great precision.
Trackballs are better for reduced space environments and for people with impaired movement.