It’s no secret I love PC gaming. Recent favourites have been StarCraft 2, Hero Academy, League of Legends, MineCraft, and DayZ. They’re a wide variety of titles from different genres, but the one thing that’s constant in my gaming practices is my trackball. I’ve been a fan of the trackball for close to 20 years now, making the switch from your typical mouse/keyboard combo at around the age of 11.
The trackball is actually a Canadian invention (for more info on its origin, you may watch the following video hosted by yours truly, which originally aired on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos).
What I love about this device is that it’s more logical and intuitive than a mouse. Using just your thumb, you have total control over your cursor on screen. Unlike a mouse, you’re not putting any strain on your wrist or arm, and you never need to lift it up and put it back to the centre when you reach the side of the mousepad.
I actually love trackballs so much that years ago I ordered extras from Logitech because I was worried they would stop making them one day and I might not be able to replace my current one when it inevitably wore out. But here I am using the same trackball at work for nearly seven years and it’s still alive and kicking.
It’s also a great way to prevent people from messing around on your computer when you’re not around. Peers are so baffled that they’ll give up on using my computer when I’m not there. Maybe it's slightly evil but I get a kick out of watching people confounded by my “weird mouse” as they use their pointer finger over the ball and pinky to left click, or when they instinctively move the trackball around on the desk.
If you’ve never given one a shot, I highly recommend it. Heck, I even converted my parents to trackballs years ago.
Ajay
