As someone who uses a few remapped buttons and “drag scroll” (i.e., using the trackball as a huge, 2D mouse wheel), being able to do those mappings on the device firmware level is amazing.
Applications like Karabiner-Elements and Steermouse on macOS, or interception-tools on Linux (or even X keyboard layouts), or Autohotkey and X-Input Mouse Tool or whatnot all exist, and they’re also great. But they all need separate configuration that you’ll have to maintain, and they all have their own quirks and caveats such as not working the same inside Remote Desktop windows. Not to mention latency/priority issues, or anti-cheat.
Life is a little easier when the firmware of your input device emits the events that you want in the first place…
Knowing that I have my hardware "doing what it says" removes a meaningful amount of mental overhead from the equation. I recently switched to homerow modifiers[0] and it was nice to have that done seamlessly across all of my devices by only having to connect my keyboard.
I love that Poopy exists, and I love that they went with this design. A Kensington Expert -inspired design hasn't been attempted by them up until now.
I just wish they weren't using QMK firmware. This puts me in the minority, as QMK was a much requested feature. I recognize the benefits too, but there is one drawback:
Equipment that requires a mouse, like some expensive KVMs, or programs that expect certain input devices, will sometimes not function correctly because Ploopy trackballs present themselves the the computer as keyboards instead of mice.
I recently started looking into trackballs; switching to a vertical mouse helped a ton with wrist pain, and I'm curious if a trackball would help even more. Additionally I've got an enormous drawing tablet hooked up to a flex arm and I frequently jump between sitting and using it as a standing desk, so I'm really curious about finding a mouse that I can use across multiple monitors that I can place on the screen while I'm using it as a standing desk.
I've heard really good things about the Ploopy Classic and the Ploopy Adept is going to be on my radar whenever it starts shipping (funnily enough this is article title is a welcome surprise because I misread the CAD pricing and thought the Adept was selling for $80 USD) -- but can anyone attest that these things actually work well for normal computer usage and are precise enough to use a full mouse replacement?
Is this something where I'm going to buy it and be immediately thrown off and will need to spend weeks learning how to reuse it? I love the idea of a stationary mouse that doesn't give me RSI that I can just plonk down on a desk or on top of a tilted display, and I love Ploopy's implementation of that idea, but I don't know if the reality is going to match the vision I have in my head.
Having developed upper back pain due to too much desk time, I switched to Logitech's MX Vertical mouse for a few years, along with moving from a typical tenkeyless to an ErgoDox (a F/OSS mechanical keyboard design). This offered relief for the pain in my upper back but a few years later I ended up developing pain in my wrist and forearm. I then move from the MX Vertical to the MX Ergo (thumb trackball) using the included spacers to make it as "vertical" as possible.
These changes, along with a proper desk chair and more awareness of my posture has given many years free of desk related pain.
I would say that fully transitioning to these peripherals did not take any longer than 1-2 weeks. I estimate I was obtained close to 70% of my baseline within a day or two and was close to 100% by the end of week 2. My suggestion is to transition one thing at a time. In my case I transitioned to the split keyboard which I found as harder to transition to compared to either the MX Vertical or MX Ergo.
I am told by various ergo-nerds that the best trackball experience is one use with your index finger, like the Ploopy Classic. I haven't been compelled to switch yet though.
I wonder what degree of the improvements from switching keyboards and mice are due to the switch itself and not the specific device. Is there an ideal, or do we just need to sufficiently change it up once in a while?
Just go and order the cheap Logitech thumb trackball. If you don’t like it at least you have a cheapie travel device.
It’s completely resolved my wrist pain and I have quite a few top tier gaming nice, vertical mice, and other trackballs that I prefer it over. Trackballs are intuitive so don’t worry about onboarding time.
I was hoping a trackball would help me, but unfortunately I have De Quervain's Thumb, which means that a trackball is probably a no-go, but a vertical mouse was a lifechanger. I'm still curious about this, because in my younger days a trackball was what I preferred for gaming. If you do happen to try this and find out it helps with your wrist pain, I'd be interested to know, it's maybe worth me trying as well.
I use a Charybdis keyboard with a built in trackball and it's good for anything non-gaming in my experience, and it's really nice not taking my hands off of the keyboard while working.
My personal experience is that it helped a lot, but yes, it takes time to get used to :P Well worth it though, IMO. I can't speak to the Ploopy though, as I have a Kensington
Shame that they don't also do left handed versions of their other trackballs (the Adept is ambidextrous). The only company that I've seen making left-handed trackballs is Elecom.
(I'm not even left-handed, but taught myself to use a mouse/trackball left-handed to avoid upper back pain from the constant twist of using a keyboard with a number pad and then a mouse on the right of that)
I've dreamt of something like this, but with a smaller ball and a case made to fit in the middle of my 90's-era Microsoft Natural Keyboard. It would be less annoying than a ThinkPad's Trackpoint nub while offering the ability to do occasional mouse movement without my hands needing to leave the keyboard.
Applications like Karabiner-Elements and Steermouse on macOS, or interception-tools on Linux (or even X keyboard layouts), or Autohotkey and X-Input Mouse Tool or whatnot all exist, and they’re also great. But they all need separate configuration that you’ll have to maintain, and they all have their own quirks and caveats such as not working the same inside Remote Desktop windows. Not to mention latency/priority issues, or anti-cheat.
Life is a little easier when the firmware of your input device emits the events that you want in the first place…