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1. Embed this notice
   iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Saturday, 18-May-2024 07:06:22 JST iced depresso
   this trackball is silky af :blobcatcontroller:
   • Embed this notice
     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Saturday, 18-May-2024 07:06:12 JST iced depresso

     in reply to

     • tyil
     • McSinyx
     @cnx @tyil :neocat_magnify: doesn't really say what the sensor is. it doesn't seem very good.
     
     ProtoArc Advanced Optical Tracking
     Nominal value: 400 dpi
     Minimal and maximal value: 100/200/400/800/1600 dpi
     
     you'd have to load up an FPS and just spin the ball to find out. the ploopy uses a pixart which is basically the best (and what the gameball uses) and it will not skip. the ploopy mini uses a cheapo sensor and i can play on it (because i'm not that good anyway :cirno_shrug:) but if you really spin the ball hard it will skip.
     
     for office work it probably doesn't matter. i do like supporting open hardware though. colin puts good stuff in there.
   • Embed this notice
     McSinyx (cnx@larkspur.one)'s status on Saturday, 18-May-2024 07:06:13 JST McSinyx

     in reply to

     • tyil

     @icedquinn and @tyil, there are a few new clones of the MS Trackball Explorer in town now. I recently got a ProtoArc EM03 for 1/10 the price of the Ploopy to use at home. No idea about the quality of its sensor since I’m no serious gaymer, but here are a few differences compare to the Classic:

     • There’s no leftie version, yet somehow my ball craddling skill mirrors quite well
     • The pinky button is moved to the thumb
     • It works wirelessly and only wirelessly, despite using USB for charging :blobraccoon-facepalm:
     • No QMK, tho libinput ended up working perfectly to remap the buttons and enable drag scrolling

     That being said, I actually consider swapping it with my leftie Classic in the office, mainly because I want to replace the Model M with something more silent so I don’t feel bad typing there. That keyboard is full-sized tho so using a pointing device on the right hand doesn’t feel so good.

   • Embed this notice
     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Saturday, 18-May-2024 07:06:15 JST iced depresso

     in reply to

     • tyil
     @tyil well. someone did do a review of the classic i think. the classic is just the old microsoft explorer ball with state of the art parts. the mini is about 30% less shell and a smaller snooker ball.
     
     i like it so far. although i did build it from a kit so i am inclined to be biased.
   • Embed this notice
     tyil (tyil@fedi.tyil.nl)'s status on Saturday, 18-May-2024 07:06:17 JST tyil

     in reply to

     @icedquinn@blob.cat I'd watch a video about new and potentially comfier trackballs, but only if you made it.

   • Embed this notice
     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Saturday, 18-May-2024 07:06:19 JST iced depresso

     in reply to

     • tyil
     @tyil :blobcatwaitwhat2: who watches my videos lmao
   • Embed this notice
     tyil (tyil@fedi.tyil.nl)'s status on Saturday, 18-May-2024 07:06:21 JST tyil

     in reply to

     @icedquinn@blob.cat Post a 20 min review vid. Trackballs are vastly underrepresented in modern use, even though they are top comf.

   • Embed this notice
     iced depresso (icedquinn@blob.cat)'s status on Saturday, 18-May-2024 07:22:18 JST iced depresso

     in reply to

     • tyil
     • McSinyx
     @cnx @tyil skipping looks like the ball is spinning but the screen isn't moving along with it.
   • Embed this notice
     McSinyx (cnx@larkspur.one)'s status on Saturday, 18-May-2024 07:22:19 JST McSinyx

     in reply to

     • tyil

     @icedquinn, I’m not sure what skipping should look like, but I’ve just tested with Xonotic and don’t notice anything unusual even when spinning really hard.

     Forgot to mention, but the ProtoArc uses tiny (plastic? ceramic?) instead of ball bearings and I’m not sure how durable/replaceable they are. The Ploopy Classic is indeed an amazing device for a multitude of reasons but its price (including shipping to the other side of the globe) with the risk having to deal with customs (under a certain price there’s no fee and I don’t have to communicate with them) in a language I don’t understand is just not worth it for me.

     Cc: @tyil