MS Trackball Optical SUCKS!! ..or does it?

I have tried a couple of the new MS optical stationary trackball mice and I find that I can not get the control of the pointer like with my old fashioned Logitech Stationary Trackball which uses the old style rubber rollers contacting the ball as opposed to the optical light type mice.

Windows Games 5469 This topic was started by ,


data/avatar/default/avatar20.webp

105 Posts
Location -
Joined 2000-04-17
I have tried a couple of the new MS optical stationary trackball mice and I find that I can not get the control of the pointer like with my old fashioned Logitech Stationary Trackball which uses the old style rubber rollers contacting the ball as opposed to the optical light type mice. I have tried the Logitech opticals as well and always get motion sickness in Quake2 because the optical mice move the weapon jerky. It is like a slight constant jitter or jerk like someone has turned my Quake2 down to 20fps or something.Does anybody no what I mean?Even in win2k I can't do any pixel art because the pointer is hard to aligh with boxes because it is so jerky, or even to try to draw curvy lines,etc.This is a subtle thing, but makes the optical mice very difficult to work with because there is no precision.I have tried these mice on both ps2 and usb and have experienced the same troubles.
Does anybody have some suggestions as to how to smooth my mouse movement in win2k and my games.I have checked my mouse rate and it show 120hz w/usb and i have tried checking mouse smoothing in games like halflife.Has someone else experienced this same effect?
I have been playing FPS's since Wolfenstein so I know how the mouse is supposed to feel.I may have to start buying up all the old Logitech Stationary Trackball mice I can find if I want to maintain smooth accuracy.These optical mice have not been working for me.
 
Any suggestions?This is a plea from someone who wants to get rid of the mouse whos rubber rollers need to be cleaned frequently, but can nor deal with a poor performing optical mouse. Thanks
 
Win2k
P2-350
128M
Voodoo 3-2000

Participate on our website and join the conversation

You have already an account on our website? Use the link below to login.
Login
Create a new user account. Registration is free and takes only a few seconds.
Register
This topic is archived. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast.

Responses to this topic


data/avatar/default/avatar20.webp

105 Posts
Location -
Joined 2000-04-17
OP
update...I reinstalled windows without my mouse hooked up and then when it started I plugged my usb MS Trackball Optical mouse in and let windows load a driver..it picked "HID-compliant mouse" and I was able use the mouse icon in control panel to adjust some features and it runs slick as a whistle.
 
The problem was the Intellipoint 3.2 software that came with the mouse, it SUcks!!! It loads its own intellieye or whatever driver that runs like crap. I can't believe Microsoft is incapable of making software for their own so-called "state of the art" devices,i.e. MS Trackball Optical mouse.
Thank GOD I was able to run it with their own generic driver, this would have been the second MS mouse I have returned; the first one was the MS Trackball Explorer which I had the same problems.

data/avatar/default/avatar16.webp

299 Posts
Location -
Joined 2000-05-20
Hmm...I'm running the same mouse, MS IntelliPoint software, version 3.20.0.484, and not experiencing any of the things you are.
 
Am I wrong in assuming that your mouse is USB, and using a directly powered USB port?
 
I've discovered two things about my mouse: 1. That it is 'finicky' about its settings, just like my old USB Logitech Trackball Marble+.
2. Also just like my old Logitech, it works much better plugged into the USB port on my computer than it does hooked to the USB port on my MS keyboard.
 
Anyway, good luck with yours. I am delighted with mine. It seems to fit my smallish hand better than the Trackman Marble+ (and I very much liked my Marble, in fact, all my past Logitech Trackball mice).
 
------------------
"Being married to a programmer is like owning a cat. You talk to it but you're never really sure it hears you, much less comprehends what you say." -DeadCats, 1999
"Talking to DeadCats is like talking to a dead cat." -MrsDeadCats, 2001
 
[This message has been edited by DeadCats (edited 27 January 2001).]

data/avatar/default/avatar20.webp

105 Posts
Location -
Joined 2000-04-17
OP
I am hooked into my motherboards usb port. I believe that my Logitech which had a ball which sat on rubber rollers was extremely accurate so i am just finnicky i guess. I am happy now, though, since i've uninstalled the intellipoint software. It may be that the new drivers just don't work well with my motherboards usb port.Who knows, i am not an expert. Thanks for replying