Are you in doubt whether to buy a mouse with a trackball? These are your advantages
The vast majority of PC users use a conventional mouse, but on the market -and for a very long time- there has been a variant of the PC mouse called “trackball “. These mice are a minority, but they provide a series of advantages (and disadvantages, of course) over normal ones that make those who use them, no longer want to go back to normal ones anymore. We tell you what those advantages and disadvantages are below.
You have probably heard of trackball mice, and that the users who use them are extremely happy with them, so let’s see what are the reasons why they have this perception of this type of mouse.
Comfort
In recent years, user concerns about ergonomics in mice have grown, especially for users who spend many hours a day using them. And, although companies have made great efforts to improve the ergonomics of conventional mice, the position of the hand and especially of the wrist when using them is still unnatural (we have it rotated 90º concerning its natural position), which sometimes causes tiredness and even carpal tunnel syndrome.
In trackball mice (or at least in most of them) this situation changes, since we can place the hand in a more natural position and, in addition, we do not have to be moving the mouse on the surface. The result is better ergonomics and an almost total reduction in fatigue when using them.
Durability
The mouse is one of the few PC components that require movement to perform its function, and this logically causes wear. A “bad” and cheap mouse will fail quite quickly, while even if a good quality mouse lasts a long time, it will continue to wear out and will end up failing sooner or later, especially if we use it for gaming and make a lot of aggressive movements with it.
For its part, since a mouse with a trackball does not move from its place, this wear is greatly reduced and, although they also end up failing, the reality is that their life expectancy is much greater than that of conventional mice.
Efficiency
If you’ve never used a trackball mouse before, you’ll need quite a bit of time to get used to using it properly. But once you get used to it and get the hang of it, your mouse cursor aiming efficiency will grow quite a bit, especially if you need to make small, precise movements. Trackballs are also better for moving the cursor from one side of the screen to the other quickly, requiring only a flick of the fingers.
The disadvantage of these mice is also reflected here since in games and especially in FPS games these types of mice are almost invalid (you can play, but it would be horrifying especially because of the camera rotation).
Space on the table and to transport them
Since we do not have to move this type of mouse around, the space we need on the table is much less, which is an advantage, especially if we choose a wireless trackball mouse.
The downside comes if we have to take the mouse from one place to another – for example along with a laptop – since, as a general rule, this type of mouse is much larger than a normal one.
conclusion
In short, trackball mice are usually an excellent option for users who use the PC for work and especially for applications that require precision, such as Photoshop or other graphic design programs. They have better ergonomics and we will tire less when using them, but the bad part about them is that they will usually be very tedious to use in games, and if we need to carry them from one place to another, they are too big and heavy.
