Advantages of a Trackball - A guide to picking the right trackball mouse for your needs.

The goal of this guide is to shed some light on trackballs and some of the advantages they have over regular mice. I will give some tips to look for when choosing the right trackball as well as offer some suggestions for some brands to research further. There are three main reasons why someone would use a trackball:

Personal preference - the look and feel of a trackball is just appealing and comfortable to a user.

Ergonomic need - users with arm or wrist problems or who use a PC for extended periods of time need ergonomic solutions that help reduce excess movements.

Space restrictions - users who don't have the space needed for a standard mouse and who do not like turning up the sensitivity to compensate.

Are trackballs good for gaming?

This is completely a user choice, but for those long nights of play, they are nice to help prevent stiff wrists and arms. Ergonomics are important for prolonged PC use, as well as frequent breaks where you just stand up and walk around for a few minutes to get the blood moving. Trackballs are a nice alternative to standard mice for any kind of game, as long as the user is comfortable using it.

When the time comes that a trackball is a possible solution, I strongly recommend going to a shop where you can actually see the trackball and put your hand on it. Most major computer and electronics stores will have an entire row just dedicated to mice, and usually you will find at least 2 to 4 different types of trackballs to try out. This is very important and I cannot stress it enough. The whole point of a trackball is that it is relaxing for your hand to rest on. The buttons must be placed just right for your liking and the ball itself must be easy and comfortable for you to move.

The trackball mice generally have three main layouts: Large centered ball, thumb ball, or index finger ball. The base of the trackball usually comes in three shapes to accommodate the ball style: Wide flat base, short base with steep curve front to back, and the long centered base with steep curving sides. This is what makes or breaks the trackball experience. If it's not comfortable to rest your hand on, then move to the next model. You can mix and match trackball placement with base style and find just the right one for you. I would suggest clicking the buttons and moving the ball around while checking these out in the store, not just resting your hand on it. Sometimes if the base is too big, after a minute of moving the trackball, your thumb will begin to get sore or the palm of your hand will feel uncomfortable if the the base is too curved. Also you shouldn't have to move your wrist at all to reach all the buttons. If you have to move your wrist, look for a model with buttons closer together. The exception to this is the large centered ball model of trackball more commonly used in electronic drafting and graphic design.

Some brands I recommend looking out for are Logitech, A4Tech, PC-Trac, and Kensington. Logitech has one trackball for each extreme of the base styles that include each ball style so its a good start. A4Tech also has their own unique style and I have seen two different models they carry that are less pronounced variations of the different base styles. PC-Trac has mainly a style they like, but they have many different colors to pick from. Kensington has more innovative and unique designs if the other brands/models don't seem to work for you. If the store doesn't have the model you like check online for these other companies to find a fit.