As a 3d modeler, the middle mouse button is very important to me. This is where many devices fall short putting it under a poor scroll wheel. This is one of the attractions to the original Gameball with its separated scroll/mmb.
I agree as well. A dedicated middle mouse button is better I think cause it's assignable to whatever we want and is more reliable than attached to a wheel. I think the scrolling we have right now is good and should be kept for the pro. I know the ball will be bigger, so why not making the slider for scrolling shorter, like the length of a quarter of the circumference of the ball instead of a half.
I was just thinking about this months ago, I really appreciate the middle mouse combined with trackball mouse utility (currently using Huge Elecom trackball), still interested in GameBall though.
Also, I'm in Service Now Ticket System and spreadsheets and have switched back and forth with MS trackball and the scroll options on GB are a must!!! The scroll wheel on MS is no fun. I hope there will be an option later with the same scroll options and not just a wheel.
Here is my feedback as the GameBall and G903 owner/user. - Infinite-scrolling is a MUST. GameBall solves it very nicely with the touch-sensitive scrolling which I absolutely love. This is a sole reason why I have used Logitech mice over 10 years now. - Horizontal scrolling is also a MUST. Gameball has that one covered nicely as well. It is really important when working on any sort of audio/video editing programs to be able to smoothly move through the tracks - GameBall even has one-up on this over the Logitech as the horizontal scrolling is also infinite. With this in mind - will the PRO version have infinite scrolling options? And will the scrollwheel be tiltable at least in order to provide horizontal scrolling capabilities?
After a few months with Game Ball @ work, I finally figured out how to get similar precision like MS Trackball without 3rd party apps that I can't install at work. I have to turn on precision and then turn the pointer speed all the way up. 👍👍👍
@@GameBallTrackball No, security will not allow those apps. I bought GB for work because of all scrolling I have to do in Service Later... I mean Now and Office apps, MS is at home. I have no interest in 3rd party apps when it should work from the factory like the very old MSTB. IMHO
I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for a gaming trackball. I've been using the Logitech Trackman Marble since 1999 for FPS games/MMOs and I finally had to give it up this last couple years because the DPI was so low it wasn't precise enough. It was great for games like Team Fortress Classic and all the twitch type of shooter games but when it came to counter strike it started to become a problem. I am so happy I found this finally thank you so much!
I just broke out my Logitech Marble Mouse again recently, was impressed by the low rolling resistance compared to both my Elecoms. The “stiction” (sticking friction) issue is real.
Same, i grew up with the same Logitech Mouse and i have been using it until today. Sadly mine is starting to fail (i have bought like 3 different ones during the years but they are discontinued...) so the GameBall Pro will be a good replacement :D
If I have any suggestions at all after my time with my Limited Edition version I got from you guys (and maybe this is just the unit I received, in which case, I'm glad it's not a universal issue), is I really hope you fix the slight rocking issue of the ball itself. My bearings are flawless from what I can tell using it for the last year, but the ball itself seems to be ever so slightly loose inside it's cradle. I find it rocking on me when trying to spin it or going from a stop to movement. It just has a slight rattle to it. Other than that, it's been amazing for me. I just wanted to mention that as a potential issue, as it's messed me up a few times while gaming until I got used to deliberately slowing down my own movements on the ball itself. Thank you for making amazing products and listening to everyone and designing something the market has had quite a vacuum in the market for for quite some time.
The improved tilt looks much more comfortable, but could it be even more tilted towards the vertical? I'm using the Logitech Ergo M575 currently and really wish it had a form factor closer to vertical. Their MX Ergo Advanced Wireless Trackball has this little gadget at the bottom that adds 20 degrees of tilt, which is still too little. Maybe that kind of thing could be added to the GameBall Pro to get it to like 60 degrees at least? The most ergonomic conventional mouses are the vertical ones, after all!
The design looks comfortable. It reminds me the old "Logitech Cordless Optical TrackMan", which is the best trackball I ever used. My feedback is regarding the scroll.... I can't use Thumb Scroll at all. With an option to scroll with the other fingers, this looks pretty much the ideal mouse.
I'm so excited about the Gameball Pro, I love my Deft Pro and Orbit Fusion as my daily drivers, which have similar design to the Gameball Pro, I will definitely get one when it's out.
I am from Australia. I have been super curious to try the GameBall! This makes me even more excited to try. I hope it will be able to be shipped here soon :).
Yeah same. After my bad experiences with Kensington I wanted to try a Sanwa Gravi but their stuff is impossible to get here in Aus. So just holding out hope for the Game Ball shipping here eventually since forwarders are damn expensive
I feel the touch scroll was an amazing idea. I am no longer a fan of scroll wheels after using the touch scroll on the gameball. If possible, I would recommend keeping the touch scroll.
Thanks for the STL. Looking great! The thing I'm going to miss from the original is the continuous touch scroll. I've grown really accustomed to that feature.
The touch scroll is good for browsing/reading for sure; I like the Apple trackpads a lot for this. But gaming I by far prefer clear deliberate clicks on the wheel. Weapon switching is so much more accurate that way.
Thanks for making the STL files available. I'm going to print it out now and give you feedback on how I feel about it once I actually have it in my hands.
The shape looks great thus far. I'll be frank when I say that I really just want an upgraded Microsoft Trackball Explorer, which I think a lot of people want, and that's what vibes this gives me. A vertical scroll between right and left click just like the MTE would be god tier, it's so comfortable and easy to use. I love the additional button between the two on the right, if gives added utility for things like abilities in FPS. While I know no one ever wants to be a "knock off" or anything but like, the MTE has an insane following for a reason and there is nothing wrong with taking an almost perfect design and improving upon it in slight ways to bring it up to 2023.
YES PLEASE! I am currently using an Elcom for lack of better options, but i love their design. If you proceed with this i will be first in line. want feedback? M O D U L A R!!! please allow us the ability to purchase and replace buttons if they break or wear out. adding some form of button customization would be nice as well. you want to make the scroll wheel vertical i like it horizontal allow us to orientate it how we like, perhaps by rotating the entire button configuration on the thumb side.
I'll miss the touch scroll wheel. Although it's not ideal for some game, it is great for browsing. It'd be great if you could implement a scroll-with-ball mode, e.g. let "previous page" button behave like "tap-hold" (of QMK), and while it was held treat movements of the ball as scroll instead of cursor move. IIRC KeyBall (which has opensource firmware so one can peek the code) do such a thing with some more nit tweaking like snapping to axis so that you don't horizontally scroll while you intended to do vertical scroll.
The shape looks similar to the Deft Pro, which is one of my top-tier fingerballs in terms of comfort. People rave about the MTE, Ploopy, and Sanwa Gravi but I struggle to appreciate those designs because the base is so much longer from front to back that it just doesn't give enough of a "hump" for my palm to actually rest on. Consequently, I always find the base of palm resting on the back end of those devices and then the rest of my hand floating over the palm rest to reach the ball, which gets tiring after a while. So I like the idea of a shorter, steeper "hump" on the palm area. As for the scroll wheel: when you say "vertical scroll" do you mean the direction of the scroll wheel will be oriented on the vertical axis so that it literally scrolls up and down, as opposed to forward (for up) and backward (for down)? If so, that's probably a good thing, because I do find the forward/backward scrolling on the Elecoms, Ploopy, Gravi, etc to be a little strenuous on the thumb with the way it requires you to curl your finger backward so much. Would it still have tilt-function for horizontal scrolling? That's important to me because I do a lot of horizontal scrolling on editing timelines for video and audio, and prefer to be able to do that on the mouse versus having to hold a button on the keyboard while scrolling.
You and I think alike :-). Many of those models have elements in this design. This design really offers a nice place to rest you palm and the front angle compliments it. Yes, the vertical scroll wheel moves vertically to scroll. The horizontal scrolling would be a toggle, but we are still working on a good way to resolve this.
We have people at work who are still servicing their old Microsoft trackballs, but most of us have switched to Elecom trackballs. However, the Elecoms suffer from quality issues (both hardware and software) so we're always on the look out. This might be interesting, but servicability is an important aspect for year in year out office use... since we have in-house manufacturing capabilities I'm considering creating a custom Ploppy version for us that we can service ourselves. But it's on the back burner so we'll see if this comes out first or not.
I really started to love the touch scroll feature where you swipe one direction and hold, and it just keeps on scrolling, that's super cool! I hope you can have an equivalent of that on the pro. Personally I think the scroll wheel on the Logitech MX Master 3S Mac is the perfect scroll wheel with the two modes; - not smooth, until you give it a good spin, then it's smooth and infinitely spinning (give or take) - smooth, no resistance to start the infinite spinning (give or take)
10 years plus trackball user here and would love to have a scrolling ring around the ball. I know its a signature design of someone but would love to see your approach!
Looks incredible. My feedbacks based on my experience with many fingerballs: 1. Don't make it unnecessarily too tall, try put the ball as close as possible to desk surface like slimblade and design so that palm/hand not hanging but can rest on table. This is one design issue with ploopy mini it is unnecessarily too tall. 2. There should be a hole at the bottom for dirt to fall. Don't be like game ball without hole, or ploopy classic where the hole is not really at the bottom and causing dirt to accumulate inside the cup wall. The hole should be big enough for a finger, don't be like kensington orbit fusion you need pencil to push the ball. 3. No need to expose the ball surface too much. Even if you expose too much area, no one really gonna swipe the ball uncomfortably from left edge to right edge and going through the steep ball curve. See ploopy mini or deft pro, no need to expose ball too much and no issue with moving cursor across monitor. DPI is the key. 4. To prevent fatigue, the tip of the ball must be lower or same as the highest point of the palm support. This is to prevent your finger muscle to work more to lift your index finger upward when moving the ball. Less muscle is needed for index finger when in horizontal or pointing downward compared to pointing slightly upward. This issue is present in Deft Pro but not in ploopy mini and MTE. Remember that MTE everything was researched and designed carefully for ergonomics. Can copy as much as possible from MTE design and curve. 5. Please use light switch force, switches on gameball require too much force. The issue is usually worse with scrollwheel middle click, too heavy to click like in ploopy classic, mini, elecoms is unusable. Again, can see MTE or Gravi for good standard. Hope this time your game ball pro can be the new gold standard after MTE.
Thank you for the feedback 1 - Gotcha, we also have been trying to do this. 2 - got it 3 - understood 4 - The are about the same height now. Ball may be a tad higher. I will look at this. 5 - Agreed - We will be using optical switches. Thank you again.
Geez, I strongly disagree with 1, 3. (edit: I reread your comment, now I agree with 1, provided that it stays in touch with how you would lay your arm on a comfortable padded armchair in a nice single living room 'couch' chair) The gameball is right in this regard, so I assume Mark will nail the thing right away, here as well :) 3 - yeah, the highest point of the ball shouldn't be too high, but you should have access to the biggest possible part of it for sure. I have the first run of GameBalls (red), it's so good that it sticks out that much. (the base is not stabilised enough, though, but I've gotten used to it. Maybe the three rollers/support points should have had a higher position, but whatever really.) The main point is, that there is an ambidextrous (!) trackball, usable with left hand (!) at this quality! 98% of things were done exactly how I would've wanted it from the first sketch, including, most importantly, shape and ergonomics. Lighter switches are also okay, they are on the verge of being a tad too heavy on my original gameball sometimes (especially right mouse click button), so just a small refinement (which might've been refined in the final, non red production batch already) would be great, but it's a minor complaint really. More soft and bigger (stickier) bottom rubber pads are a bigger complaint, while still being a minor one. I love my gaming trackball, and am so grateful for releasing a product like this for everyone, @GameBall
I can't wait. I used the trackman marble and always used 3 fingers for FPS games. I have the gameball, i have somewhat gotten used to primarily using 2 fingers, switching to 3 for long range shots but I keep feeling like id benefit from a larger ball. A larger ball gives you more ability to move before resetting your finger position back to center and 3 fingers gives far more control compared to two. Very excited and I will absolutely be buying on release day/pre order day.
As long as the scroll button is clickable to have the same feature we get in the first gameball, I think it's fine. Even though I am kind of concerned we won't get the ability to scroll and left click at the same time anymore, which can be handy in some games. As for the right side, I like the flat area to put bigger buttons. I think the right click button placement is not as ideal as this new design on the gameball I am using right now.
I'd honestly sacrifice that for a physical scroll wheel. I play apex and for some reason mapping scroll wheel to move forward along with 'w' for tap strafing doesn't really work. Plus most people don't get to use both at once either because they use a regular mouse format
well i had my gameball for over a year now, its the best mouse i ever had, let alone comparing to other trackballs, its reminded me of the old days before logitech chased me off from trackballs. my aim is 200% better at fps games, even old ARPGs and RTS such as diablo 2 and age of empires 2 was unexpectedly easier with this. so happy trackballs made a comeback in the 2020s.
I must have missed this update! Wish I had a 3D printer to test out this prototype's ergonomics. I prefer the scroll wheel on the thumb and programmable buttons just above it. Having said that, this prototype design is welcomingly similar to the Logitech Optical Trackman (of which I bought at least half a dozen due to its shoddy switches). That design had its scroll wheel up top, just to the left of the ball.
I personally found the form factor of the Kensington Expert (ignoring its weird slant that I offset with a 3d print) to be my favorite, its comfortable and I find putting downward force on the buttons removes the muscle movement that normally requires you to lift your fingers off the ball. Though I have not tried anything like the Elecom Huge so I cant say how well those would work. I only own a Kensington Orbit, Expert and a Gameball.
I'm 56 and still using Microsoft Trackball Explorer 1.0 USB. Currently looking for something to replace it, my index finger loves the Trackball. Going to buy the current mouse. The Pro looks like just like the Microsoft Trackball Explorer. 🤣😂🤣 I was thinking that MS should produce a new one, but you guys are doing it. THANKS
Looking really interesting, especially if the firmware is programmable. _Please_ support Bluetooth and not (just) a wireless dongle. An easily replaceable / swappable Li-ion cell, like a 16650, would be super nice too, especially since it doesn't need to be feather-light. It would also be a really nice touch if it could optionally operate fully wired (like the DEFT Pro).
Very interested in the GameBall Pro, if the ball movement is smooth! If you want to make it really stand out from the competition, you should consider doing something like the X-keys L-Trac did and make the ball glow up. You could even do an RGB option where you could choose the ball color; could be pretty slick and would definitely make it stand out from other options out there... That is, if that wouldn't totally mess up the optical sensor. :P
MTE is my daily driver. - firmware>software - MTE right click location since it's more useful under thumb than navigation shortcuts - I'd pay extra for a retro beige/off-white version. May not be the audience you're targeting, but an updated trackball to pair with other retro tech could be a big sell to that community, and they probably over represent a lot of the current trackball users. - +1 wired, +2 for nice cord
I wanted to like the gameball but the ambidextrous design made right clicking feel awkward for me and i found it was too easy to accidentally rebind mouse buttons since the rebinds are all based off holding down buttons and i had been I would sometimes just grip the track ball to move it on my desk a bit and holding the buttons and oops rebound stuff. Not having the remapping as software was just weird. Felt like there should have been a button you had to hold thats only purpose was for remappping what other buttons did. This new design seems like it might have more been what I would have wanted. About the scroll wheel. Not that I have used it much but i found it really unique that the elecom trackball wheel is actually 3 buttons you can tilt it up and down as well as press it in for 3 different functions outside of the scrolling functionality
I'm very late, but here's my feedback! The shape looks great! It reminds me of the ProtoArc EM03 (my current favorite), the Elecom Huge and the Ploopy. I have big hands and the right-handed shape works way better for me than an ambidextrous design (also due to some RSI issues). Regarding the scroll wheel: the vertical scroll is an interesting idea! I've never really thought about that, but moving my thumb backwards and forwards to scroll is indeed kind of uncomfortable and very limiting. Please do make sure that the mechanism is good. It's the one thing I absolutely dread the Elecom Huge for aside from the low quality bearings: the scroll wheel is soooooo bad and with enough use it will start just randomly triggering scrolls. I had a second one that didn't have this issue as much, but it's still a really bad scroll wheel. It's important to me that the scroll wheel isn't just snappy, tight and provides good feedback, but that it also doesn't break after using it for too much. Really appreciate the amount of buttons on either side. The amount of buttons is what initially brought me to the Elecom Huge, but its reliance on software to make them work was infuriating. I eventually started using HID Remapper with a Raspberry Pi to do all the mapping for me, but it'd be great if the GameBall Pro would expose these buttons normally without needing software. That way I can also use it on my Mac and Linux machines as opposed to just on Windows. I like using a separate button dedicated as a middle mouse button, preferably one that doesn't take my off the left mouse button. I'd probably assign one of the top buttons to a middle mouse click, but that's a personal thing. Typically I use either remapping software or the HID Remapper device to do this.
Yes, finally some word on the Pro, thank you so much! As for feedback, what I'm really hoping for from the Gameball Pro is just a better Elecom Huge. That is to say an actually smoothly moving ball, buttons and switches that don't feel like garbage, less wonky ergonomics and also not have the whole thing completely fail after a few months. Specific requests I suppose would be things like a tilting scroll wheel (can't comment on horizontal vs vertical orientation), the biggest feasible ball (relatively big hands here), and as many buttons as possible. Also thanks for having a wired version, wireless is something I have no need for. Lastly, I'm sure you've thought of it, so what's your take on having the touch scroll "wheel" somewhere to the right of the ball in addition to the conventional scroll wheel?
Thanks for the feedback. The two scrolls were discussed exactly how you mentioned but they added extra challenges and costs. For now, we are moving forward with the one physical scroll wheel.
You definitely want to test for those with bigger hands, MS Trackball feel has never failed me. I want a horizontal scroll just like the current MS!!! 🤓
I don't have a 3D printer to test it, but the general shape and the ball position seem pretty good. I wouldn't like having the scroll wheel on the thumb, though. I'd prefer it between finger buttons like a normal mouse. The thumb is the least dextrous finger - it's fine for occasional button presses, but not primary button or scrolling. That's how I got RSI. The CST is the best trackball I've found, after trying quite a few, and it's very nice in that it has no required thumb usage, but you can use your thumb for a button if you want.
We did some polling on this and most want it on the left side. This way you can scroll while zoom'ed in (FPS game). I know you can toggle this in most games, but people like the option. Thank you for feedback. Not sure of the final scroll wheel placement.
are you able to make the current scroll wheel in the gameball have a touch input vs require to slide. I'd love to be able to remap the scroll wheel to right click. My hands are small and unable to comfortably use the right side buttons; while the touch pad scroll wheel is... easy to touch and responsive. Could always make layers (hold down Alt or shift to swap it back to scroll wheel for productivity/gaming etc)
We don't have a way to do this out of the box. It is a touch input, so I am sure some third party solution may exist. I will ask the UK team if they know of one.
I want one handheld (like the Elecom Relacon), wireless, 1000hz polling. Ideally you could design a desktop docking station that both charges it and converts the form factor to conventional non-handheld flat-surface use.
Thank you for vertical scroll wheel. It's my most desired feature. It's so much more comfortable and intuitive I find it bizarre it's not more common. Will the Pro have silent clicks? (Another very important feature for many.) I see you are now collaborating with Protoarc and they do silent clicks well.
it seems to be looking similar to the neula's? As someone who returned that mouse, please please please make the down press for thumb button really easy and light to hit. The neula's down press is insanely stiff, and requires you to squeeze press even though they have it arch'd for the thumb to press it in the down press position. The original gameball is really well designed for the thumb to press down (though, I do wish that switch was lighter as well) but its leaps and bounds more ergo than neula's. just some feedback from someone who loves the gameball, and wants it to get even better!
Only problems I can see would be with Logitech claiming trademark infringement because that design is amazingly similar to the Logitech Cordless Optical TrackMan. They've kind of abandoned that mouse, but they've been money hungry lately due to poor quarterly incomes. My two bits, a mechanical scroll wheel along with a touch scroll wheel. Easy to change out roller balls inside the cubby. Better software integration with the extra buttons. I would also add an additional USB port that could accept a gaming keyboard or the like.
Will the buttons be programable? Will the scrollwheel be tiltable and clickable? Otherwise, the shape looks good, reminds me of Logitech Cordless Optical Trackman, on which I felt very comfy
I'm super excited about the Pro. Wired is a non-starter for me, and I prefer a pointing device that's ergonomic, as opposed to ambidextrous. Has any thought been given to locating the scroll wheel just to the right of the ball, between it and the right-click buttons? I've never seen it in a fingertip trackball and think it would be the most intuitive spot for it, as it would place it under the middle finger, which I think would feel very very natural to a lot of people. Looking forward to seeing how development progresses!
I'd definitely prefer to have the scroll wheel under my middle finger. When I heard the scroll wheel was going to be physical, I thought it would be a ring around the ball, similar to some Kensington devices. I'm fine with the wheel being either touch or physical, but I wouldn't want it under my thumb. Also, I'd really like for the cable to be detachable, or at least braided. The plastic cable is the weakest part of the original Gameball for me.
The cable will be both detachable and braided. The scroll wheel placement and type is still an open issue. Seems like the community is split on this one.
Please dont skimp on materials. Dont use piano black plastics. Make bearings swappable. QMK Support. Use modern sensor. Build it like a tank, charge 200 if you want :D
On the thumb ball will all of the buttons be accessible as basic mouse buttons without drivers? I had an issue with the elecom ex-g pro because on Linux I couldn’t map all the buttons as they required the windows/Mac drivers to map them.
I'm expecting not to put a mouse wheel on thumb side. Called propotional edit or smooth edit in 3D modeling, there is sometimes required mouse wheeling with keeping left click.
Just got my 2nd Gameball for home. THANK YOU I'm hoping in the future that the Pro will come with similar scroll options instead of a scroll wheel. 🤓🤓🤓
Hmmm. As a right-handed person it's fine. But now I'm wondering what you have planned for left-handed trackballers, since the thumb and pro both seem focused on right-hands. I do like the design though, and am really excited to see the final product.
Just give us a normal scroll wheel (that tilts, with middle click) similar to Elecom HUGE | Microsoft Trackball Explorer. Vertical scrolling wheel, please.
i currently have the gameball and I love the size (having larger hands),which is what originally drew me to the gameball ,but I'm curious will the pro be similar in size to the gameball or will it be smaller?
Can there be an accessory to tilt the GameBall Pro to be used more vertical (i.e. used in a handshake-like orientation)? It would really be beneficial for those looking to reduce wrist stain.
@@GameBallTrackball sounds good! I take it that a tilted wedge will have to be something that is bought through a third-party or 3D printed (unfortunately - I don't have a 3D printer 😬). Either way - I'm looking forward the GameBall Pro as well as the thumb operated model too).
After a few days with the GameBall and using it at work Monday and then going back to the MS Trackball, the MS trackball wins for me and the issue is precision at low speed movements. I don't want to have to reach for a badly placed button for precision. I've played the settings after watching your Getting started video, but right now MS wins. Also, the keys on the left side should be reversed. The bigger button should be on the bottom (like MS) because it's used more. Your Pro version, IMHO should be exactly like MS TrackBall. I'll keep tweaking to get it better, but I'm in Linux way more than Windows
Yes, Pro will be closer to the Microsoft MTE, but better 🙂 Have you tried Raw Accel by chance? You can also swap the buttons on the left. This is built in and you can find more out here: cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1123/7482/files/GameBall_Manual_2022_v1.7.pdf?v=1671152115 Thanks
well this might still be 2 years about but agreed with the price of track balls having bought the current model and only using it for my laptop as i find it a little too lacking for my main pc. Seems like this new version is much more what I would be interested in. As long as this model also adds a button to hold to reprogram other buttons. The number of times i accidentally remapped buttons on the current model because the base slide to close to my keyboard and i was unintentionally holding down another button
If you are colabing with chinese protoarc will you be able to sell from China? That way I would be able to buy the thumb one, wich I want, cause Im from Brazil.
Can’t you just copy elecom’s button layout? 3 buttons on the left side with a 3 click(middle, left, and right tilt) scroll wheel. Near the scroll wheel maybe 2 or 3 buttons for extra functions. On the right side maybe 1 or 2 buttons. Cause the elecoms are good button wise but they are not shaped comfortably which the gameball pro could capitalize on.
It is looking like we will have to push into next year. I will be doing and update video soon for both Pro and Thumb and should have a better answer then.
Three buttons on both sides... I don't think a middle button on the right side is needed and I can't recall having an issue accidentally hitting the scroll wheel, so rails around the scroll wheel also doesn't sound good to me.
I guess technically if you had a 3d printer you could make a left hand shell and buttons and just transfer the guts to it. though considering it will likely be $100 thats an expensive purchase to take apart to make your own casing
Based on the 3D printed review here (in Japanese) ruclips.net/video/yMVaq77Q-vY/видео.html and here ruclips.net/video/q8ynsT7IWpo/видео.html , the ball sits too high compared to the palm rest (see the english comment on the last link). From the video, I also agree the ball should be lower than the palm rest. What do you think? Is it possible to improve this? Thanks
Microsoft Trackball Explorer is perfect, other than the steel bearings. Somebody needs to simply wrestle it away from Microsoft and market it again. Everything else is inferior, and I’m sorry to say your projects included. Microsoft is never going to do anything with it again. I’m sure it could be had for peanuts. Probably still have molds in a warehouse. I am still using one and will forever. I’ll draw and 3D print parts to continue to do so if I have to. The Ploopy project could even save some time on that front.
As a 3d modeler, the middle mouse button is very important to me. This is where many devices fall short putting it under a poor scroll wheel. This is one of the attractions to the original Gameball with its separated scroll/mmb.
Am not a 3d modeler, but I agree with his. With my Elecoms, I assign the "second" RMB (e.g., Button 6 on the EX-G) to be a dedicated MMB.
Good feedback.
I agree as well. A dedicated middle mouse button is better I think cause it's assignable to whatever we want and is more reliable than attached to a wheel. I think the scrolling we have right now is good and should be kept for the pro. I know the ball will be bigger, so why not making the slider for scrolling shorter, like the length of a quarter of the circumference of the ball instead of a half.
I was just thinking about this months ago, I really appreciate the middle mouse combined with trackball mouse utility (currently using Huge Elecom trackball), still interested in GameBall though.
@@nyanko2077 What about the middle mouse button on the right between those two buttons and then the scroll wheel click be the precision button?
Waiting for this gameball pro! Looks great! Excited to see a wireless version.
Also, I'm in Service Now Ticket System and spreadsheets and have switched back and forth with MS trackball and the scroll options on GB are a must!!! The scroll wheel on MS is no fun. I hope there will be an option later with the same scroll options and not just a wheel.
Here is my feedback as the GameBall and G903 owner/user.
- Infinite-scrolling is a MUST. GameBall solves it very nicely with the touch-sensitive scrolling which I absolutely love. This is a sole reason why I have used Logitech mice over 10 years now.
- Horizontal scrolling is also a MUST. Gameball has that one covered nicely as well. It is really important when working on any sort of audio/video editing programs to be able to smoothly move through the tracks - GameBall even has one-up on this over the Logitech as the horizontal scrolling is also infinite.
With this in mind - will the PRO version have infinite scrolling options? And will the scrollwheel be tiltable at least in order to provide horizontal scrolling capabilities?
I agree 💯 with the touch scroll wheel comments on audio/video editing. It's so convenient to use, I love it on my Gameball!
After a few months with Game Ball @ work, I finally figured out how to get similar precision like MS Trackball without 3rd party apps that I can't install at work. I have to turn on precision and then turn the pointer speed all the way up. 👍👍👍
Have you tried Raw Accel at home?
@@GameBallTrackball No, security will not allow those apps. I bought GB for work because of all scrolling I have to do in Service Later... I mean Now and Office apps, MS is at home. I have no interest in 3rd party apps when it should work from the factory like the very old MSTB. IMHO
LOOKS SIMILAR TO THE PROARC DESIGN WHICH IS COMFORTABLE. LOOKING FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT THE GAMEBALL PRO.
I can't tell you how long I've been waiting for a gaming trackball. I've been using the Logitech Trackman Marble since 1999 for FPS games/MMOs and I finally had to give it up this last couple years because the DPI was so low it wasn't precise enough. It was great for games like Team Fortress Classic and all the twitch type of shooter games but when it came to counter strike it started to become a problem. I am so happy I found this finally thank you so much!
I just broke out my Logitech Marble Mouse again recently, was impressed by the low rolling resistance compared to both my Elecoms. The “stiction” (sticking friction) issue is real.
Same, i grew up with the same Logitech Mouse and i have been using it until today. Sadly mine is starting to fail (i have bought like 3 different ones during the years but they are discontinued...) so the GameBall Pro will be a good replacement :D
I'm still using the Trackman Marble lol... It's just the perfect ergonomics for me but the sensor is lacking precision.
If I have any suggestions at all after my time with my Limited Edition version I got from you guys (and maybe this is just the unit I received, in which case, I'm glad it's not a universal issue), is I really hope you fix the slight rocking issue of the ball itself. My bearings are flawless from what I can tell using it for the last year, but the ball itself seems to be ever so slightly loose inside it's cradle. I find it rocking on me when trying to spin it or going from a stop to movement. It just has a slight rattle to it. Other than that, it's been amazing for me. I just wanted to mention that as a potential issue, as it's messed me up a few times while gaming until I got used to deliberately slowing down my own movements on the ball itself. Thank you for making amazing products and listening to everyone and designing something the market has had quite a vacuum in the market for for quite some time.
The improved tilt looks much more comfortable, but could it be even more tilted towards the vertical? I'm using the Logitech Ergo M575 currently and really wish it had a form factor closer to vertical. Their MX Ergo Advanced Wireless Trackball has this little gadget at the bottom that adds 20 degrees of tilt, which is still too little. Maybe that kind of thing could be added to the GameBall Pro to get it to like 60 degrees at least? The most ergonomic conventional mouses are the vertical ones, after all!
+1
The design looks comfortable. It reminds me the old "Logitech Cordless Optical TrackMan", which is the best trackball I ever used.
My feedback is regarding the scroll.... I can't use Thumb Scroll at all.
With an option to scroll with the other fingers, this looks pretty much the ideal mouse.
Just found out about this! As a young trackball gamer (due to my dad having them around it just kinda happened lol) I’m so excited for this thing!
I'm so excited about the Gameball Pro, I love my Deft Pro and Orbit Fusion as my daily drivers, which have similar design to the Gameball Pro, I will definitely get one when it's out.
This is the big one for me. It looks like this will be the ultimate trackball that will make me switch to trackball for everything. Hope you succeed.
Thank you
Finally a ploopy killer. I would be open to a touch scroll. I rarely ever use the middle click button.
I am from Australia. I have been super curious to try the GameBall! This makes me even more excited to try. I hope it will be able to be shipped here soon :).
Yeah same. After my bad experiences with Kensington I wanted to try a Sanwa Gravi but their stuff is impossible to get here in Aus. So just holding out hope for the Game Ball shipping here eventually since forwarders are damn expensive
I feel the touch scroll was an amazing idea. I am no longer a fan of scroll wheels after using the touch scroll on the gameball. If possible, I would recommend keeping the touch scroll.
It seems to be split with the community. We looked at doing both before, but it didn't work out. We are going to take another swing at this.
This is the reason i just bought one because of touch scroll
Thanks for the STL. Looking great! The thing I'm going to miss from the original is the continuous touch scroll. I've grown really accustomed to that feature.
Me too. I prefer it, but we have found the majority prefer the physical scroll wheel. Plus is does offer "out of the box" more precise control.
The touch scroll is good for browsing/reading for sure; I like the Apple trackpads a lot for this. But gaming I by far prefer clear deliberate clicks on the wheel. Weapon switching is so much more accurate that way.
Thanks for making the STL files available. I'm going to print it out now and give you feedback on how I feel about it once I actually have it in my hands.
Thank you
The shape looks great thus far. I'll be frank when I say that I really just want an upgraded Microsoft Trackball Explorer, which I think a lot of people want, and that's what vibes this gives me.
A vertical scroll between right and left click just like the MTE would be god tier, it's so comfortable and easy to use. I love the additional button between the two on the right, if gives added utility for things like abilities in FPS.
While I know no one ever wants to be a "knock off" or anything but like, the MTE has an insane following for a reason and there is nothing wrong with taking an almost perfect design and improving upon it in slight ways to bring it up to 2023.
Nothing wrong with improving on previous successful products 🙂
Agreed Microsoft Trackball explorer is a great one of the best in my opinion
YES PLEASE! I am currently using an Elcom for lack of better options, but i love their design. If you proceed with this i will be first in line.
want feedback? M O D U L A R!!! please allow us the ability to purchase and replace buttons if they break or wear out. adding some form of button customization would be nice as well. you want to make the scroll wheel vertical i like it horizontal allow us to orientate it how we like, perhaps by rotating the entire button configuration on the thumb side.
I'll miss the touch scroll wheel. Although it's not ideal for some game, it is great for browsing.
It'd be great if you could implement a scroll-with-ball mode, e.g. let "previous page" button behave like "tap-hold" (of QMK), and while it was held treat movements of the ball as scroll instead of cursor move. IIRC KeyBall (which has opensource firmware so one can peek the code) do such a thing with some more nit tweaking like snapping to axis so that you don't horizontally scroll while you intended to do vertical scroll.
I do something similar with Hammerspoon on MaxOS. It allows you to capture and remap inputs.
@@VimCommando Or X-Mouse Button for Windows
The shape looks similar to the Deft Pro, which is one of my top-tier fingerballs in terms of comfort. People rave about the MTE, Ploopy, and Sanwa Gravi but I struggle to appreciate those designs because the base is so much longer from front to back that it just doesn't give enough of a "hump" for my palm to actually rest on. Consequently, I always find the base of palm resting on the back end of those devices and then the rest of my hand floating over the palm rest to reach the ball, which gets tiring after a while. So I like the idea of a shorter, steeper "hump" on the palm area.
As for the scroll wheel: when you say "vertical scroll" do you mean the direction of the scroll wheel will be oriented on the vertical axis so that it literally scrolls up and down, as opposed to forward (for up) and backward (for down)? If so, that's probably a good thing, because I do find the forward/backward scrolling on the Elecoms, Ploopy, Gravi, etc to be a little strenuous on the thumb with the way it requires you to curl your finger backward so much. Would it still have tilt-function for horizontal scrolling? That's important to me because I do a lot of horizontal scrolling on editing timelines for video and audio, and prefer to be able to do that on the mouse versus having to hold a button on the keyboard while scrolling.
You and I think alike :-). Many of those models have elements in this design. This design really offers a nice place to rest you palm and the front angle compliments it.
Yes, the vertical scroll wheel moves vertically to scroll. The horizontal scrolling would be a toggle, but we are still working on a good way to resolve this.
We have people at work who are still servicing their old Microsoft trackballs, but most of us have switched to Elecom trackballs. However, the Elecoms suffer from quality issues (both hardware and software) so we're always on the look out. This might be interesting, but servicability is an important aspect for year in year out office use... since we have in-house manufacturing capabilities I'm considering creating a custom Ploppy version for us that we can service ourselves. But it's on the back burner so we'll see if this comes out first or not.
I really started to love the touch scroll feature where you swipe one direction and hold, and it just keeps on scrolling, that's super cool!
I hope you can have an equivalent of that on the pro. Personally I think the scroll wheel on the Logitech MX Master 3S Mac is the perfect scroll wheel with the two modes;
- not smooth, until you give it a good spin, then it's smooth and infinitely spinning (give or take)
- smooth, no resistance to start the infinite spinning (give or take)
10 years plus trackball user here and would love to have a scrolling ring around the ball. I know its a signature design of someone but would love to see your approach!
Looks incredible.
My feedbacks based on my experience with many fingerballs:
1. Don't make it unnecessarily too tall, try put the ball as close as possible to desk surface like slimblade and design so that palm/hand not hanging but can rest on table. This is one design issue with ploopy mini it is unnecessarily too tall.
2. There should be a hole at the bottom for dirt to fall. Don't be like game ball without hole, or ploopy classic where the hole is not really at the bottom and causing dirt to accumulate inside the cup wall. The hole should be big enough for a finger, don't be like kensington orbit fusion you need pencil to push the ball.
3. No need to expose the ball surface too much. Even if you expose too much area, no one really gonna swipe the ball uncomfortably from left edge to right edge and going through the steep ball curve. See ploopy mini or deft pro, no need to expose ball too much and no issue with moving cursor across monitor. DPI is the key.
4. To prevent fatigue, the tip of the ball must be lower or same as the highest point of the palm support. This is to prevent your finger muscle to work more to lift your index finger upward when moving the ball. Less muscle is needed for index finger when in horizontal or pointing downward compared to pointing slightly upward. This issue is present in Deft Pro but not in ploopy mini and MTE. Remember that MTE everything was researched and designed carefully for ergonomics. Can copy as much as possible from MTE design and curve.
5. Please use light switch force, switches on gameball require too much force. The issue is usually worse with scrollwheel middle click, too heavy to click like in ploopy classic, mini, elecoms is unusable. Again, can see MTE or Gravi for good standard.
Hope this time your game ball pro can be the new gold standard after MTE.
Thank you for the feedback
1 - Gotcha, we also have been trying to do this.
2 - got it
3 - understood
4 - The are about the same height now. Ball may be a tad higher. I will look at this.
5 - Agreed - We will be using optical switches.
Thank you again.
Geez, I strongly disagree with 1, 3. (edit: I reread your comment, now I agree with 1, provided that it stays in touch with how you would lay your arm on a comfortable padded armchair in a nice single living room 'couch' chair) The gameball is right in this regard, so I assume Mark will nail the thing right away, here as well :)
3 - yeah, the highest point of the ball shouldn't be too high, but you should have access to the biggest possible part of it for sure. I have the first run of GameBalls (red), it's so good that it sticks out that much. (the base is not stabilised enough, though, but I've gotten used to it. Maybe the three rollers/support points should have had a higher position, but whatever really.) The main point is, that there is an ambidextrous (!) trackball, usable with left hand (!) at this quality! 98% of things were done exactly how I would've wanted it from the first sketch, including, most importantly, shape and ergonomics.
Lighter switches are also okay, they are on the verge of being a tad too heavy on my original gameball sometimes (especially right mouse click button), so just a small refinement (which might've been refined in the final, non red production batch already) would be great, but it's a minor complaint really. More soft and bigger (stickier) bottom rubber pads are a bigger complaint, while still being a minor one. I love my gaming trackball, and am so grateful for releasing a product like this for everyone, @GameBall
Excited to see the pro for the first time. Thank you for your work, Eric!
I can't wait. I used the trackman marble and always used 3 fingers for FPS games. I have the gameball, i have somewhat gotten used to primarily using 2 fingers, switching to 3 for long range shots but I keep feeling like id benefit from a larger ball. A larger ball gives you more ability to move before resetting your finger position back to center and 3 fingers gives far more control compared to two. Very excited and I will absolutely be buying on release day/pre order day.
As long as the scroll button is clickable to have the same feature we get in the first gameball, I think it's fine. Even though I am kind of concerned we won't get the ability to scroll and left click at the same time anymore, which can be handy in some games. As for the right side, I like the flat area to put bigger buttons. I think the right click button placement is not as ideal as this new design on the gameball I am using right now.
I'd honestly sacrifice that for a physical scroll wheel. I play apex and for some reason mapping scroll wheel to move forward along with 'w' for tap strafing doesn't really work. Plus most people don't get to use both at once either because they use a regular mouse format
well i had my gameball for over a year now, its the best mouse i ever had, let alone comparing to other trackballs, its reminded me of the old days before logitech chased me off from trackballs. my aim is 200% better at fps games, even old ARPGs and RTS such as diablo 2 and age of empires 2 was unexpectedly easier with this. so happy trackballs made a comeback in the 2020s.
Happy to hear the update for the thumb version! Cant wait to (pre)order it :)
I must have missed this update! Wish I had a 3D printer to test out this prototype's ergonomics. I prefer the scroll wheel on the thumb and programmable buttons just above it. Having said that, this prototype design is welcomingly similar to the Logitech Optical Trackman (of which I bought at least half a dozen due to its shoddy switches). That design had its scroll wheel up top, just to the left of the ball.
Thanks for the feedback.
A more comfortable Elecom Deft Pro Ball Mouse. This is perfect in my mind. SOLD. 😯
I personally found the form factor of the Kensington Expert (ignoring its weird slant that I offset with a 3d print) to be my favorite, its comfortable and I find putting downward force on the buttons removes the muscle movement that normally requires you to lift your fingers off the ball.
Though I have not tried anything like the Elecom Huge so I cant say how well those would work.
I only own a Kensington Orbit, Expert and a Gameball.
I also agree with this. With my Logitech Marble, I notice that most of the force goes downward towards the desk, not 'in' towards the middle
Just please never stop making the current Gameball mouse. Its a miracle for me & world of warcraft
I'm 56 and still using Microsoft Trackball Explorer 1.0 USB. Currently looking for something to replace it, my index finger loves the Trackball.
Going to buy the current mouse. The Pro looks like just like the Microsoft Trackball Explorer. 🤣😂🤣
I was thinking that MS should produce a new one, but you guys are doing it. THANKS
Thank you for supporting us.
Can't wait for the Pro. MS is missing out on this market.
maybe make the palm area removable so people can customize palm rest
Funny you mention this, we played with it and it's possible but the implementation is tricky. We put it on hold for now.
Looking really interesting, especially if the firmware is programmable. _Please_ support Bluetooth and not (just) a wireless dongle. An easily replaceable / swappable Li-ion cell, like a 16650, would be super nice too, especially since it doesn't need to be feather-light. It would also be a really nice touch if it could optionally operate fully wired (like the DEFT Pro).
Very interested in the GameBall Pro, if the ball movement is smooth! If you want to make it really stand out from the competition, you should consider doing something like the X-keys L-Trac did and make the ball glow up. You could even do an RGB option where you could choose the ball color; could be pretty slick and would definitely make it stand out from other options out there... That is, if that wouldn't totally mess up the optical sensor. :P
MTE is my daily driver.
- firmware>software
- MTE right click location since it's more useful under thumb than navigation shortcuts
- I'd pay extra for a retro beige/off-white version. May not be the audience you're targeting, but an updated trackball to pair with other retro tech could be a big sell to that community, and they probably over represent a lot of the current trackball users.
- +1 wired, +2 for nice cord
I wanted to like the gameball but the ambidextrous design made right clicking feel awkward for me and i found it was too easy to accidentally rebind mouse buttons since the rebinds are all based off holding down buttons and i had been I would sometimes just grip the track ball to move it on my desk a bit and holding the buttons and oops rebound stuff. Not having the remapping as software was just weird. Felt like there should have been a button you had to hold thats only purpose was for remappping what other buttons did.
This new design seems like it might have more been what I would have wanted. About the scroll wheel. Not that I have used it much but i found it really unique that the elecom trackball wheel is actually 3 buttons you can tilt it up and down as well as press it in for 3 different functions outside of the scrolling functionality
I'm very late, but here's my feedback! The shape looks great! It reminds me of the ProtoArc EM03 (my current favorite), the Elecom Huge and the Ploopy. I have big hands and the right-handed shape works way better for me than an ambidextrous design (also due to some RSI issues).
Regarding the scroll wheel: the vertical scroll is an interesting idea! I've never really thought about that, but moving my thumb backwards and forwards to scroll is indeed kind of uncomfortable and very limiting. Please do make sure that the mechanism is good. It's the one thing I absolutely dread the Elecom Huge for aside from the low quality bearings: the scroll wheel is soooooo bad and with enough use it will start just randomly triggering scrolls. I had a second one that didn't have this issue as much, but it's still a really bad scroll wheel. It's important to me that the scroll wheel isn't just snappy, tight and provides good feedback, but that it also doesn't break after using it for too much.
Really appreciate the amount of buttons on either side. The amount of buttons is what initially brought me to the Elecom Huge, but its reliance on software to make them work was infuriating. I eventually started using HID Remapper with a Raspberry Pi to do all the mapping for me, but it'd be great if the GameBall Pro would expose these buttons normally without needing software. That way I can also use it on my Mac and Linux machines as opposed to just on Windows.
I like using a separate button dedicated as a middle mouse button, preferably one that doesn't take my off the left mouse button. I'd probably assign one of the top buttons to a middle mouse click, but that's a personal thing. Typically I use either remapping software or the HID Remapper device to do this.
Looks great! I like the sleek design.
Yes, finally some word on the Pro, thank you so much!
As for feedback, what I'm really hoping for from the Gameball Pro is just a better Elecom Huge. That is to say an actually smoothly moving ball, buttons and switches that don't feel like garbage, less wonky ergonomics and also not have the whole thing completely fail after a few months.
Specific requests I suppose would be things like a tilting scroll wheel (can't comment on horizontal vs vertical orientation), the biggest feasible ball (relatively big hands here), and as many buttons as possible.
Also thanks for having a wired version, wireless is something I have no need for.
Lastly, I'm sure you've thought of it, so what's your take on having the touch scroll "wheel" somewhere to the right of the ball in addition to the conventional scroll wheel?
Thanks for the feedback. The two scrolls were discussed exactly how you mentioned but they added extra challenges and costs. For now, we are moving forward with the one physical scroll wheel.
You definitely want to test for those with bigger hands, MS Trackball feel has never failed me. I want a horizontal scroll just like the current MS!!! 🤓
Yes, key part of our testing (Small and large hands). Thank you
I don't have a 3D printer to test it, but the general shape and the ball position seem pretty good. I wouldn't like having the scroll wheel on the thumb, though. I'd prefer it between finger buttons like a normal mouse. The thumb is the least dextrous finger - it's fine for occasional button presses, but not primary button or scrolling. That's how I got RSI. The CST is the best trackball I've found, after trying quite a few, and it's very nice in that it has no required thumb usage, but you can use your thumb for a button if you want.
We did some polling on this and most want it on the left side. This way you can scroll while zoom'ed in (FPS game). I know you can toggle this in most games, but people like the option.
Thank you for feedback. Not sure of the final scroll wheel placement.
excited to see the thumb ball!
are you able to make the current scroll wheel in the gameball have a touch input vs require to slide.
I'd love to be able to remap the scroll wheel to right click. My hands are small and unable to comfortably use the right side buttons; while the touch pad scroll wheel is... easy to touch and responsive. Could always make layers (hold down Alt or shift to swap it back to scroll wheel for productivity/gaming etc)
We don't have a way to do this out of the box. It is a touch input, so I am sure some third party solution may exist. I will ask the UK team if they know of one.
I want one handheld (like the Elecom Relacon), wireless, 1000hz polling. Ideally you could design a desktop docking station that both charges it and converts the form factor to conventional non-handheld flat-surface use.
Im ready to buy this, just take my money and tell when itll be expecting to ship out 😂
It would be sweet to see a left-handed pro.
Thank you for vertical scroll wheel. It's my most desired feature. It's so much more comfortable and intuitive I find it bizarre it's not more common.
Will the Pro have silent clicks? (Another very important feature for many.) I see you are now collaborating with Protoarc and they do silent clicks well.
I'll definitely buy one if it has wireless connection!
Cant wait have one 🎉
it seems to be looking similar to the neula's?
As someone who returned that mouse, please please please make the down press for thumb button really easy and light to hit. The neula's down press is insanely stiff, and requires you to squeeze press even though they have it arch'd for the thumb to press it in the down press position.
The original gameball is really well designed for the thumb to press down (though, I do wish that switch was lighter as well) but its leaps and bounds more ergo than neula's.
just some feedback from someone who loves the gameball, and wants it to get even better!
Only problems I can see would be with Logitech claiming trademark infringement because that design is amazingly similar to the Logitech Cordless Optical TrackMan. They've kind of abandoned that mouse, but they've been money hungry lately due to poor quarterly incomes. My two bits, a mechanical scroll wheel along with a touch scroll wheel. Easy to change out roller balls inside the cubby. Better software integration with the extra buttons. I would also add an additional USB port that could accept a gaming keyboard or the like.
Will the buttons be programable? Will the scrollwheel be tiltable and clickable? Otherwise, the shape looks good, reminds me of Logitech Cordless Optical Trackman, on which I felt very comfy
the shape looks great, but do you think there's any chance of getting a left-handed design?
It will depend on the overall demand. The upfront molding costs are very expensive.
I'm super excited about the Pro. Wired is a non-starter for me, and I prefer a pointing device that's ergonomic, as opposed to ambidextrous.
Has any thought been given to locating the scroll wheel just to the right of the ball, between it and the right-click buttons? I've never seen it in a fingertip trackball and think it would be the most intuitive spot for it, as it would place it under the middle finger, which I think would feel very very natural to a lot of people.
Looking forward to seeing how development progresses!
Our standard GameBall does this.
I'd definitely prefer to have the scroll wheel under my middle finger. When I heard the scroll wheel was going to be physical, I thought it would be a ring around the ball, similar to some Kensington devices. I'm fine with the wheel being either touch or physical, but I wouldn't want it under my thumb.
Also, I'd really like for the cable to be detachable, or at least braided. The plastic cable is the weakest part of the original Gameball for me.
The cable will be both detachable and braided. The scroll wheel placement and type is still an open issue. Seems like the community is split on this one.
Good to hear that different switches will be in place. Really not a fan of Omron and how often they fail. Look forward to future news on the pro :)
If it had a scroll wheel I would of bought it immediately
Does this remain the appropriate venue for design suggestions for the Pro?
I JUST got the Gameball original. I’m curious about the pro.
I like the GameBall, but I also like thumb trackballs. I'd buy a thumb version, if you release it at a good price, and it works on Linux.
We are working on a thumb version for later this year.
I came here to hear “wireless” and “scroll wheel.” I’m excited to eventually get this damn cable off my desk
Please dont skimp on materials. Dont use piano black plastics. Make bearings swappable. QMK Support. Use modern sensor. Build it like a tank, charge 200 if you want :D
It would be great if a left-handed version was available. I'm using lefty Ploopy Classic, which offers similar shape and is very comfortable.
It will depend on the overall demand. I hope so :-)
On the thumb ball will all of the buttons be accessible as basic mouse buttons without drivers? I had an issue with the elecom ex-g pro because on Linux I couldn’t map all the buttons as they required the windows/Mac drivers to map them.
I'm expecting not to put a mouse wheel on thumb side. Called propotional edit or smooth edit in 3D modeling, there is sometimes required mouse wheeling with keeping left click.
still waiting for pro 🥰 any updates for now ?
Just got my 2nd Gameball for home. THANK YOU
I'm hoping in the future that the Pro will come with similar scroll options instead of a scroll wheel. 🤓🤓🤓
It's interesting, I personally LOVE the touch scroll wheel on my original Gameball!
Will it be possible to Ship to Switzerland? Its not available for the current GameBall either :(
Is it on the horizon? Winter is coming!
Wireless GameBall Pro would be a game changer. Is there an email list or a way to get updates on when it will be available?
You can sign up for our newsletter on our website. www.gamingtrackball.com
Hmmm. As a right-handed person it's fine. But now I'm wondering what you have planned for left-handed trackballers, since the thumb and pro both seem focused on right-hands. I do like the design though, and am really excited to see the final product.
Thank you. Left handed isn't out of the question, but it will depend on the overall demand.
Can we get a forward and back button on the scroll wheel? Full size scroll wheel?
Just give us a normal scroll wheel (that tilts, with middle click) similar to Elecom HUGE | Microsoft Trackball Explorer. Vertical scrolling wheel, please.
i currently have the gameball and I love the size (having larger hands),which is what originally drew me to the gameball ,but I'm curious will the pro be similar in size to the gameball or will it be smaller?
The ball will be larger, the length will be shorter and the width about the same. I hope this helps.
Can there be an accessory to tilt the GameBall Pro to be used more vertical (i.e. used in a handshake-like orientation)? It would really be beneficial for those looking to reduce wrist stain.
We have holes on the bottom that allow for a tilted wedge.
@@GameBallTrackball sounds good! I take it that a tilted wedge will have to be something that is bought through a third-party or 3D printed (unfortunately - I don't have a 3D printer 😬).
Either way - I'm looking forward the GameBall Pro as well as the thumb operated model too).
@@yediydeyah78 At first, yes. We may make them depending on the demand.
After a few days with the GameBall and using it at work Monday and then going back to the MS Trackball, the MS trackball wins for me and the issue is precision at low speed movements. I don't want to have to reach for a badly placed button for precision. I've played the settings after watching your Getting started video, but right now MS wins. Also, the keys on the left side should be reversed. The bigger button should be on the bottom (like MS) because it's used more. Your Pro version, IMHO should be exactly like MS TrackBall. I'll keep tweaking to get it better, but I'm in Linux way more than Windows
Yes, Pro will be closer to the Microsoft MTE, but better 🙂
Have you tried Raw Accel by chance? You can also swap the buttons on the left. This is built in and you can find more out here:
cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1123/7482/files/GameBall_Manual_2022_v1.7.pdf?v=1671152115
Thanks
Ah damn, I just bought the GameBall. :(
well this might still be 2 years about but agreed with the price of track balls having bought the current model and only using it for my laptop as i find it a little too lacking for my main pc. Seems like this new version is much more what I would be interested in. As long as this model also adds a button to hold to reprogram other buttons. The number of times i accidentally remapped buttons on the current model because the base slide to close to my keyboard and i was unintentionally holding down another button
In my opinion the lower thumb recess should be convex not concave.
If you are colabing with chinese protoarc will you be able to sell from China? That way I would be able to buy the thumb one, wich I want, cause Im from Brazil.
Hi, any news on the mice?
When this mouse is launched?
How is this progressing?
Any news on this?
Can’t you just copy elecom’s button layout? 3 buttons on the left side with a 3 click(middle, left, and right tilt) scroll wheel. Near the scroll wheel maybe 2 or 3 buttons for extra functions. On the right side maybe 1 or 2 buttons. Cause the elecoms are good button wise but they are not shaped comfortably which the gameball pro could capitalize on.
is there any update when this will be available?
It is looking like we will have to push into next year. I will be doing and update video soon for both Pro and Thumb and should have a better answer then.
@@GameBallTrackball Looking forward to the update!
Please a wireless version :(
hm, trackball still seems too small. plus i'd need a left hand version.
Three buttons on both sides... I don't think a middle button on the right side is needed and I can't recall having an issue accidentally hitting the scroll wheel, so rails around the scroll wheel also doesn't sound good to me.
need for moba game without toughing keyboard. like naga HEX v1
Any wireless versions?
The new Thumb and Pro models will both have wireless options.
But will it come in lefty?!
Pro will only be right handed, sorry. The original GameBall is ambidextrous.
@@GameBallTrackball BOOO! BOO! I AM BOOING YOU! BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I guess technically if you had a 3d printer you could make a left hand shell and buttons and just transfer the guts to it. though considering it will likely be $100 thats an expensive purchase to take apart to make your own casing
Based on the 3D printed review here (in Japanese) ruclips.net/video/yMVaq77Q-vY/видео.html and here ruclips.net/video/q8ynsT7IWpo/видео.html , the ball sits too high compared to the palm rest (see the english comment on the last link). From the video, I also agree the ball should be lower than the palm rest. What do you think? Is it possible to improve this? Thanks
Yes, we have received that feedback from a few people now. We are looking at changing it. Thank you.
Microsoft Trackball Explorer is perfect, other than the steel bearings. Somebody needs to simply wrestle it away from Microsoft and market it again. Everything else is inferior, and I’m sorry to say your projects included. Microsoft is never going to do anything with it again. I’m sure it could be had for peanuts. Probably still have molds in a warehouse. I am still using one and will forever. I’ll draw and 3D print parts to continue to do so if I have to. The Ploopy project could even save some time on that front.
Hm, curious.
The pro kind of looks like a right handed mouse