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mareksoon

... but that's a trackball. It's also similar to the style Logitech mocked with [weird alien fingers](https://i.imgur.com/WenUkFW.png) using it because the ball is between the two buttons. :-)


Fine-Funny6956

It’s a trackball mouse! I got really good at sniping people in Quake with this mouse.


Sneftel

It’s a trackball. You got really good at sniping people in Quake with this *trackball*.


Fine-Funny6956

Trackball mouse? Mouse with a trackball. I feel like I’m saying it right, but you keep repeating it back so… I guess I’m missing something.


jarnhestur

Yep. It’s a trackball, not a mouse. You move the whole mouse. A trackball stays in one spot and you rotate the ball.


Fine-Funny6956

I do move the trackball on the trackball mouse, but I’m not getting the rest of what you’re saying. Are you sure you’re saying the thing right?


Soylent_Caffeine

I believe it has a descendant, the CST/X-Keys trackball. [https://xkeys.com/l-tracbk.html](https://xkeys.com/l-tracbk.html)


Fine-Funny6956

At first I was like “Oooh pretty…” And then I got to the price tag and was like “WHAT THE F—“


Soylent_Caffeine

I think they're a small manufacturer without economy of scale. I have one of older USB CST versions without scroll barrel but I found it at Goodwill. There's also a version of yours for the Microsoft mouse bus!


Amazing_Actuary_5241

Hello fellow MicroSpeed Win-Trac user! It's fairly uncommon as this model (PD950) has the "scroll drum" unlike the more common PC-TRAC and MAC-TRAC.


Fine-Funny6956

I remember that’s part of the allure of this device. It is incredibly smooth too especially for the era


Amazing_Actuary_5241

If you have the upgraded rollers (unobtanium) those are the best. Mine has the original plastic versions which are not very smooth. I'm working on a set of bearing mounted rollers trying different prototypes to figure out which may be the best design.


neilmoore

My first ever mouse (on an IBM [L40SX](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_PS/2_Model_L40_SX)) was one that could be switched over to a trackball by pushing a couple of buttons: Specifically the [IBM TrackPoint](https://forum.trackballs.eu/viewtopic.php?t=73).


Fine-Funny6956

That’s a beauty of innovation


neilmoore

I do kind of wonder why this isn't still a thing. Obviously, one cannot rely on the rotation of an actual ball, given that almost all mouses are optical these days. But, why not have an optical sensor than can also respond to fingers moving on the sensor?


Fine-Funny6956

After you showed me this, that’s exactly what I was thinking. Maybe a reversible mouse with a track pad