Trackballs vs. Mices

For Gaming
Especially Guild Wars, and other RPGs or MMOs...

I tried both:

Trackballs are more comfortable but slightly slower por the pointer to move across the screen to target and change targets in less than a second.

what do u think of mouses and trackballs for gaming

Well, you will see that most mouses advertised as ''Gaming Grade'' have a Laser, and track 1500DPI+ or something nowdays, and are of regular mouse design.

Personally I'd say ditch a trackball for intense gaming, but hey if you are skilled enough with it, and most comfortable with it, then just use what you like I suppose.

However what type of mouse you use for Guild Wars is irrelevant, you don't need a super high end 2000DPI laser mouse for Guild Wars, I noticed that most ''Gaming'' mouses only come in handy in FPS games and such, things that take super quick reactions.

But I've never tried a trackball for gaming, so I have no idea how fast I could move it, if the ball itself is intensely fast.. then theoretically if you were skilled with it, you could have an advantage, who knows lol.

I use a trackball (A microsoft explorer one - thumb rather than finger ball) with no issues in MMOs. More awkward in FPSes because it's less precise than a mouse, but I did finish Portal with it and am not having much issue with HL2.

Eh, not always true on the fps and accuracy side. I'm a long time UT player myself and used a trackball for about a year and a half in ut2003. With a little practice it can be used just as effectively as a normal mouse. I was accurate enough with it that someone once accused me of botting with my old trackball. lol

Okay, I'm not a long term FPS player; I was speaking of my own experiences.

Portal and HL2 are the first FPSes I've played in nearly 10 years. I have no doubt that someone who plays them a lot with a trackball will be as good as someone with a mouse.

Also, my trackball is terribly old now - I haven't replaced it because they don't seem to exist in the form factor that I like anymore. (Well, Logitech have one, but I don't like the pattern on the ball - it looks messy)

Personally I think Mice beat trackballs hands down. Especially if your into gaming seriously.

However anything beats not being able to use a PC anymore because of crippling pain in your wrists and hands.

And THERE is the main reason for people using trackballs.

Arthritis, RSI and other debilitating conditions. Can see me needing one in the not-too-distant future - that, or castor oil :/

Using Trackballs isn't helping against RSI, using Trackballs still requires you to do repetive movements and thus can come with RSI.

RSI = Repetive Strain Injury.

Actually, they're a great help (speaking as a sufferer).

You don't move your hand as much as you do with a mouse and a well built one is much more supportive than a mouse.

I use a trackball too - have done for years and find it very comfortable.

My only worry is that being a Microsoft Explorer its not made any more and the Logitech ball has no 'feel' to it thats probably what puts folk off of using them!

My RSI problems were mainly in wrist and shoulder, trackball solved this because you only move your fingers and not your entire arm.

However, after using a trackball for years when computing at home (have regular mouse at work) I have switched to a good gaming mouse a couple of months ago.
It's easier to move the mouse on a 24" screen with such a mouse as with a trackball.
My opinion on this: A good gaming mouse which fits your hand might be the better choice if you are using a large screen.
If you have the kind of mouse I have at work, use a trackball or buy a good mouse...


Need to say that I've switched to a tablet/pen for a lot of graphical editing/drawing/modelling so I don't use my mouse as intense as I would have without the tablet.

mouse/trac ball/ keyboard makes me feel like a primate with a stick. I use voice recognition and while this technology is fairly new. I only use a mouse and keyboard to game atm. I suspect this is also where the future of gaming is as well. Untill then we will need to keep banging on the rocks.

I know. Thinking about picking up a few explorers on eBay for when mine finally bits the dust.

I was only using trackball for 2 days. After an hour I was ready to throw it out of the window.

I guess I'll use mouse until they start selling some less mechanical and working human-machine interface.

Voice Recognition is by no means the name of the future, Keyboards and Mouses will prevail.

Why is this? I'm glad you asked.

*First and Foremost: At work. Imagine everyone in the office talking to their computer, yeah, do I need to say more? Nope, self explanatory how that will work out.

*Secondly: The voice recognition we have now sucks, you can do anything more accurately and faster with a mouse and keyboard, not to mention in most of my instances (With different microphones) I had to yell to get it to work, not cool.

*Thirdly, imagine gaming with voice recognition: "Turn left, turn right, shoot! SHOOT!'' I mean.. seriously, no thanks. Imagine being at home with a family member doing that, I would hit them with a brick, and probably to anyone else I heard doing that, It's just not going to work.

The whole voice recognition thing itself is cool, but in my eyes - it has absolutely no means for practical use for your every day person, maybe in a few instances with some people (Disabled people), or to say ''Hey I can control my computer with my voice, come look'' but other than that, no real practical uses. Especially not for gaming.

I'm going to assume you've never touched one, or haven't owned one long enough.

You can't just pick up and use a trackball effectively, it's going to take you at least a week to get used to it, and about a month to become good with it.


The only thing i dont like them for is precise movements, especially with programs such as photoshop. They suck for that.

I'm on a thumb trackball. Seems to work fine, not lacking in speed but accuracy is not as good.

But on the plus side you don't have to move your arm!! Yay!

~A Leprechaun~

Brianna my responses.

*First and Foremost: At work. Imagine everyone in the office talking to their computer, yeah, do I need to say more? Nope, self explanatory how that will work out.
This will be done with a office/ better sound proof cubiles, also adjusting the microphone sensitivity.


*Secondly: The voice recognition we have now sucks, you can do anything more accurately and faster with a mouse and keyboard, not to mention in most of my instances (With different microphones) I had to yell to get it to work, not cool.

Once again it has to do with microphone sensitivity,training the voice recognition, regional dialect/accents. I have typed, as well as my GF, a 5 page term paper in 15 min. with minimal editing, also done with the voice recognition. I guarantee I can talk faster than any human can type. I can also browse the web, open/close programs with less effort than leaning into a keyboard and holding a mouse.

*Thirdly, imagine gaming with voice recognition: "Turn left, turn right, shoot! SHOOT!'' I mean.. seriously, no thanks. Imagine being at home with a family member doing that, I would hit them with a brick, and probably to anyone else I heard doing that, It's just not going to work.

The whole voice recognition thing itself is cool, but in my eyes - it has absolutely no means for practical use for your every day person, maybe in a few instances with some people (Disabled people), or to say ''Hey I can control my computer with my voice, come look'' but other than that, no real practical uses.

Well, I hope you don't hit family members, but it is no different than being on the phone. Now imagine w/ me a star trek game that you can talk to your ship and it talks back, Even better as a mmo,where you "communicate" with not only your ship but your crew as well. yes you prob will still need a game pad or a number pad for movement or specific functions but mostly talking to the game. That would be awesome. That is just an example. Yes keyboards will probably NEVER die, take for example programmers, But carpal tunnel sux bad.


The main problem w/ voice recognition is accents and regional dialects, if you tell your computer, " sshheeet daawg open my fyrefox afore i shhanks ya" or "weell ggoollly tuurn tha voluuume doown" you can not really expect it to have a clue what you just said, but it should, with the correct regional accent pack. Playing a great game on a massive monitor with a blue tooth mic/ear peice and a wireless numpad from my lazyboy, priceless. yes this is moving into the future.

But to respond again to the OP I still say a good gaming mouse, I love extra buttons.

Love my Sidewinder mouse, hated my G9 because of its size. I love gaming grade laser mice, and I HATE trackballs.

Trackballs are fine for casual gamers, but for hardcore FPS players, and RTS players that move their mouse quickly when micromanaging, they are terrible, absolutely TERRIBLE.