Best Gaming Trackball Mouse

#1 Ploopy Adept ploopy.co/adep...
#2 Gameball www.gamingtrac.... Keep eye out for Pro / 2.0
The rest are based on compromise you're willing to make:
X-Keys L-Trac, if you're ok with just 2 buttons, or an extension Frankenstein.
Ploopy Classic, if scroll-wheel isn't super important.
Elecom Huge, if you're down to DIY replace the bearings.

[@Peteriscool97]

Amazing video quality, love it!

[@ocdevel]

@@Peteriscool97 sorry about the gaming loudness 😅

[@Peteriscool97]

@@ocdevel No worries! First part of the video and the reviews was mostly what I was looking for personally. :)

[@purplelord8531]

I wish there _was_ some sort of rotary encoder on the adept - even if scrolling is better on the main ball, it would be nice to have the function for other things. and, of course, in games you don't want to stop tracking when using the scroll also game audio is too loud. love your stuff!

[@ocdevel]

@@purplelord8531 yeah I gotta redo the video for that reason. I'll do so in coming weeks. Ive been thinking of getting a keyboard with a rotary encoder for that added degree of freedom

[@ryanwwest]

You make the best videos, really appreciate how much detail you go through. My dream setup is ZMK wireless Ploopy Adept, but ZMK has to finish adding support for pointing devices (hopefully soon) and then Ploopy needs a lower power sensor design (longer). Maybe one day.. I have Ploopy classic and only use the scroll wheel for max 2 scroll motions. For any more, I mapped a combo of clicking buttons 1 and 5 to change the ball itself to scroll (until clicking 1+5 again) and love the combination. A bit like your setup for the Adept - mostly mitigates the poor scroll wheel. Btw, next time perhaps lower/mute the game audio so we can easily hear you during that testing part.

[@ocdevel]

Yeah I really messed up on the game audio thing. I actually thought the game was muted; I think it's bad enough to warrant a replacement video when I get the chance. I did try the mapped ball-scroll for Classic, but it feels too aggressive and I couldn't figure out how to control the speed/acceleration. I find myself having to be very precise with my ball motion for scrolling, where with the Adept it feels natural

[@ryanwwest]

@@ocdevel I agree on the too fast Classic ball-scroll - I just got used to it but definitely there's some setting we're missing there.

[@HiLoMusic]

I appreciate all of your vids

[@supersnail5000]

I believe the L-Trac actually has three buttons, there is a smaller circular middle click between the trackball and scroll wheel. Personally I think if you want many buttons easily accessible, the MTE/gameball style is vastly superior to the ambidextrous style in almost all cases.

[@numinous123]

I just bought the Ploopy Adapt. This reminds me of my old Kensington Trackball from WAAAAAY back in the day when they were still made in America. Except better. Higher dpi (12,000) and 1000 Hz polling rate. That old Kensington had 400 dpi and a 250 Hz polling rate. I'll let you guys know how it is when I get it.

[@numinous123]

Well, I got it. It's smaller and less functional than I expected. The buttons are very difficult to program, and the trackball is small with poor ergonomics. Not a great match for someone with long fingers like me. But, it's really sturdy, The current settings are in a pretty dumb arrangement, and you can't cord buttons like a Kensington mouse. I kinda regret buying it.

[@zack3851]

​@@numinous123Thanks for actually following through in giving a review

[@protogionlastname6003]

You meant 1000 Hz, not MHz

[@亞-j5l]

Jist got my gameball today and you wete right about the moving the cursor while clicking. I guess the adept is a better choice.

[@jammies701]

Can confirm around 10:30 regarding the Gameball scroll pad. It somehow manages to be so hyper-sensitive that just using the mouse constantly interrupts what you're doing with scrolls, yet when you actually want to scroll, it's inaccurate and laggy, on top of taking a significant amount of scroll input to actually start outputting to the computer (or it's lag. Which would obviously manifest the same way if you go fast) BUT… it sure felt good to use that ball. Too small for me, and it's worrisome to always have to keep in mind using tiny strokes because if you don't you'll trigger the scroll pad ALSO, fantastic customer service. Really hope they (and Ploopy) stay in business for that reason on top of using real parts and not whatever junk the big companies keep trying to get away with, like my Logitech Vertical that doesn't even have a good sensor, let alone something acceptable like a 3360. The "top of the line" in its segment, and it's sensor may not even be as good as the wired dell my IT guy gave me 10 years ago for free because he didn't want to check it back in

[@ocdevel]

Glad to know I wasn't tripping then! Same sentiment, I hope Ploopy & GameBall stick around, since they "get it" and it's a craft for them, they do so much right. Really looking forward to GameBall Pro / 2.0. Yeah, you're right about the polling rate discrepancy in the trackballs vs the solved industry of traditional mice. I'll see these off-brand $10-$20 gaming mice with like 8k hz like it's nothing.

[@JessicaFEREM]

I like what the gameball pro looks like.

[@ocdevel]

Me too, looks like a real upgrade from lessons learned

[@GameBallTrackball]

@@ocdevel That's the plan ;-)

[@xIxHaZexIx]

I am STOKED for the pro. It's getting a larger ball too.

[@khav99]

As a Star Craft 2 player the HUGE beats them all hands down, productivity the same the wrist padding is unbeatable whether I'm sitting upright at my desktop or laying back in bed nothing beats it.

[@Robosan4000]

Do any pro Star Craft players use trackballs? I don't know much about the Star Craft scene.

[@laughingvampire7555]

slim pro ball is 55mm diameter the Elecom huge is 52mm diameter

[@u2bst1nks]

I hate the L-Trac, I would rather use an Elecom Huge or Slimblade any day. I find the dynamic bearings on the L-trac to be worse than the static bearings in any Elecom trackball. I also theorize that the 'stiction' with static bearings may be due to oils interacting with the plastic ball. My niece got into speed cubing, and they use silicone based lube on the cubes. I noticed that using a petroleum based lube will make a speed cube experience stiction. I washed off an old logitech ball (and static bearings) that was experiencing stiction using detergent and alcohol. Then I used a speed cube lubricant on the ball. No stiction. I find lubricating trackballs using the "forehead/nose" method will help stiction for a few days and then it comes back. Using a silicone lubricant seemed to fix it for a long time.

[@thisusedtobemyrealname7876]

Thanks for the tip! I bought an entry level trackball mouse recently because I have RSI (bicep tendonitis) on my mouse hand. That mouse is surprisingly good considering the 20e price but does suffer from stiction when I have to make really precise movements. Thanks to your comment, I ordered some silicone based speedcube lube to maybe mitigate that issue a bit.

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

you should look into other forms of lubrication. specifically dry and powder forms like say graphite and other things.

[@Lis001-]

Thanks for the video. I have used Logitch Marble Mouse for like 20 years.. I am used to scrolling by holding on to the scrollbar and spin the ball or on web apps use middle mouse click to activate scroll pan. I tried a logitech trackball that had a scroll wheel but it felt so unnatural to not use the ball to scroll when you have it there all available. :) Probably is going to try the addept after your review video and if necessary find a way to 3d-print a palm rest.

[@Lis001-]

Obviously.. not the same Logitech Marble Trackball mouse as the durability of that one isn't great... And it is now discontinued and it will only be so long while it is still available at Ebay etc.

[@kissalude9032]

I agree I have huge sticktion issues on my ELecoms. I counter it with candle wax. I love the ergonomics like you said, but the durability is lacking. Also I miss having on board programming. Sure I can copy my conf files between Linux installs, but I prefer being able to plug and play. Thanks for the reviews

[@zeebadeeba]

Would love a comparison of the ploopy and protoarc em03. Just got an em03 and for the price it’s incredible

[@ocdevel]

I need to buy that. I've had a few Protoarc devices: vertical mouse, standard mouse, keyboard, and recently EM05 (thumball). I'm always anti-thumb, but it was a freebie on Amazon Vine so I couldn't help myself. Unfortunately it was pretty low-quality compared to MX Ergo. I've found the same for their other devices. They're value buys (not budget, but bang-for-buck); which IMO makes them a tough sell for gaming, where quality shines. Of course, I haven't tried the EM03 personally, so it's unfair of me. But my bones tell me I'd only suggest it on a tight budget. Adept is $75, EM03 is $35, and I feel like mice are pretty darn fundamental for gaming, so I'd recommend the extra $40. Again, I think of Protoarc as *value*, not *budget*. That's to say, damn good for their price - and leaps better than contenders in the same price range. But for mice, I think the price differential is worth it. Keyboards, on the other hand, you can go from $50 to $400 quickly, and I think the lower prices are just fine.

[@zeebadeeba]

The fact it’s Bluetooth for me really makes it quite the bang for your buck. I’m going to get an adapt kit pretty soon. Really looking forward to the dynamic bearings

[@shrek22]

Says not available on Amazon, em03 I mean.

[@protogionlastname6003]

@@ocdevel There is also an issue of Adept not being available worldwide (or being expensive to ship overseas). Protoarc as far as I know sells their devices everywhere. Where I live you can easily get Logitech, Kensington and Protoarc, but more obscure stuff like Ploopy or Elecom is non existent. And Adept + shipping costs is somewhere near 100 USD, which is more expensive than the Slimblade Pro, which is usually considered a lot more solid device for general tasks.

[@jammies701]

Using the Elecom Huge was terrible for me. I was really excited for it based on what I read, but I had no intentions of modding it. After opening and trying it, the shape didn't make any sense, like a warped version of the Ploopy Classic/Microsoft Trackball Explorer form factor, but the ball was the worst

[@alveox]

Nice review man! IMO All about preference. For the diy part on elecom is true. I got huge for pc, and deft pro for my laptop, all using zro2 bearing, their ruby bearing is trash. lol 😂. Other than that i kinda amaze on how people play with ambidex trackball, on my experience it only work for original kensington orbit (only fps). tried gaming wih expert and slimblade, but nothing came right.

[@ocdevel]

@@alveox thanks for naming the bearing, I hadn't done the research on which and I'm sure others here will want to know

[@laughingvampire7555]

the largest ball is kensington's elecom is smaller and a lot light, I got elecom huge and kensington expert, the large size of the ball does not help a lot with the sticktion the new bearings help something but is barely noticeble and from my 2 elecom huge I got issues with both scroll wheels. I have just tried the ceramic bearings, I still have to try the steal ones but I'm looking for a fix to the scroll wheel encoder. Maybe I'm just going to buy another of the newer model. for gaming, it depends on what are you gaming, because FPS doesn't have the same requirements as colony simulator that allows you to pause or change the speed of the simulation.

[@richardelmstreet96]

I noticed that you enjoy the ploopy's due to their roller bearings, but expect the gameball pro to be the best in gaming once it comes out. The creator stated in a prior reddit thread that the gameball pro will have the same ceramic bearings so will that affect your decision?

[@ocdevel]

Interesting. I guess I incorrectly assumed Gameball bearings were dynamic; I thought those were little beads that roll in a chassis.I saw that described somewhere, and I found Gameball to have so little stiction from personal use that I assumed it's true. I don't know what they do differently then to achieve low stiction while using static bearings, that Slimblade and others can't pull off. Maybe it's simply the quality of the bearings themselves?

[@ocdevel]

Hey I saw your comment elsewhere and can't click to reply, so I'll reply here. Protoarc EM06 I'll probably buy to review, but I haven't been a fan of their mice. I have the EM05 and some others, and I just find them lower quality and high stiction. I do like their keyboards however. As for cleaning an Adept, I'm going to post a video in coming days - I did figure it out. You clean the surface of the ring with a scraping tool, I use a pimple popper (new and not used for actual purpose, that would be gross). So you scrape off the gunk with metal on metal.

[@richardelmstreet96]

@@ocdevel I believe it may be due to the ceramic bearings that they use (as opposed to the synthetic ruby bearings the elecoms use). I've used the gameball from a friend for a little while and it seems to still suffer from stiction even after cleaning the bearings. I was looking into the ploopy classic and adept to get for my own and to get away from that problem. I play fps games and do work that involves highlighting individual characters sometimes which means I sometimes need precise and smooth small movements instead of the jumpiness I get with using the gameball. It seems that a roller bearing like in the ploopy would be the way to go.

[@亞-j5l]

I think the gameball is better for movement based fps games or any fps. The scroll whell function of the adept is not practical in apex where you air strafe alot. Having a dedicated scoll is a must in my opinion in fps gaming. As of now if you are a dedicated gamer aiming for the higher ranks , gameball is much better.

[@ocdevel]

Gameball 2.0 / pro is going to be the cats meow

[@ACYYZ]

Would you be able to do a video on how easy or difficult it is to clean the bearings of the the Adept? I have the slimblade pro which is super easy to clean, I haven't seen any info on cleaning the Adept. Thanks.

[@ocdevel]

I'll add this to my list, but may be some time. I'm 6mo in, very long working hours, took about 4 months before I had to clean it (the ball starts skipping, like there's a rock in there or something). I don't know how to, or if it's needed, to clean inside the bearings. Instead I just scrape off (with my fingernail) the gunk that accumulates on the outer surface of the bearings. The flat part that you see.

[@ACYYZ]

@ Got it. I don’t think it’s necessary to clean inside the bearings. Scraping the gunk off is probably all thats needed. I just wasn’t sure if the bearings needed to be removed first or if it was enough to just scrape them.

[@GRiMS2K]

yo! so for fps games, basically just get the ploopy adept? ty for a solid video.

[@LoafingMushroom]

Man why can't ploopy get a hold of the Logitech g series scroll wheel. Infinite scroll to notch scroll is so fun to use for everything.

[@ocdevel]

The Classic would be the total winner if they fixed the scroll wheel

[@jammies701]

Drag scroll on the adept is great… I just can't figure out where to map it to without getting in the way of mouse buttons 1-5

[@ocdevel]

Mine is ring finger; top-left for left-handed, top-right for right-handed. I've tried a few configs, and that feels the best for me.

[@jammies701]

@@ocdevel are you keeping L/R-click on the bottom two buttons then? Or the top key just inside the one your using as drag scroll? Thanks for the input

[@mnsvcar9900]

I'm thinking about trying the Ploopy Mini, the smaller version of the Classic. Bought a ProtoArc Trackpad but my wrist still hurts, so the Adapt might not work for me.

[@ocdevel]

My intuition and experience says that wedge trackballs (eg Adept) are more ergonomic than trackpads. But I don't have enough data for that, even just from comments in the forums I follow - so take that with a grain of salt (and you don't want to make a big purchase on an intuition). So the Mini or Classic would be great for you. I have a sneaking suspicion they're working on a refreshed Classic. There's also GameBall 2.0 theorized for December, and judging by that company's wisdom and the designs I've seen, I think that will be the winner

[@mnsvcar9900]

@@ocdevel Thanks for your info Tyler. I just ordered the Mini. Might even try the GameBall 2.0 whenever it comes out. I've tried 8 ergo mice from different brands, but none of them has relieved me from RSI. At this point, I'm willing to try anything. Miss my Logitech Marble FX.

[@GreyDeathVaccine]

Great review. Lots of details. Thx. BTW: The game's music is too loud. It makes it hard to understand what you're saying, especially for someone with English as a second language.

[@ocdevel]

Yeah, I plan to remake the video and unlist this when I do - just haven't found the time. I didn't realize the videogame audio would come through, when I watched it after it was so jarring

[@austind7806]

I want to try a trackball for gaming but i need a wireless mouse.. do you have any recommendations?

[@ocdevel]

Now that's a conundrum. All the dynamic bearing mice are wired (don't know why). If you're willing to do DIY, you can roll Elecom Huge and replace the bearings

[@austind7806]

@lefnire Thanks for the reply... I don't know anything about replacing bearings..Have you tried the logitech MX Ergo PLUS?.. bigger ball and bigger mouse. Or ProtoArc EM03 Wireless Trackball? Hope you make more trackball videos. I would like to hear your input

[@swissbliss1547]

Thank you for this review, but is it good for fps games?

[@xIxHaZexIx]

Yes, I'd recommend the gameball or something like it though. Pushing down on your finger tips with your thumb and pinky like the square one there just to aim down sights and shoot would really limit mobility of your fingers moving the ball compared to something like the gameball, ploopy, or some of the elecom options.

[@donkhydraulics6479]

I'm curious about the Adept. Have you used it for first person games much? In a shooter you would need to be holding down a right click, scrolling the ball and left clicking repeatedly all at the same time very often. I'm just a bit curious what that looks like for you on the Adept. Also a little concerned about not being able to aim while scrolling. Probably not a dealbreaker for me either way since I mostly play strategy and third person action games.

[@ocdevel]

I've been playing BG3 and Cyberpunk. To your scenario, left + right + ball is easy-peasy with the Adept. But I will caveat: I'm not a good gamer. I play both games on the easiest setting, so I can't speak to high reaction comfort on Adept vs the others; I can only speak to overall long-term comfort, and simplicity of accessing most buttons most of the time - to wit I think Adept is the best. For left + right + ball, I think the only contender would be Gameball, which in its current form (pre Pro / 2.0) isn't ergonomic enough for long-term use. Next-up contender is Ploopy Classic, whose scroll-wheel sucks. So even with my caveats, I feel very confident telling you: Adept is the way.

[@donkhydraulics6479]

@@ocdevel Sounds good to me. I don't usually play competitive stuff anyway. I was mostly worried I'd be having to hold my hand in an awkward position to aim and shoot. Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.

[@shareclipsave]

Do any of you have an alternative for the Slimblade trackball? I read a lighter one will be more ergonomic and I'm not optimizing for performance but ergonomics. It's main use is productivity.

[@ocdevel]

@@shareclipsave ploopy Adept, baby!

[@shareclipsave]

@@ocdevel Hi Tyler, thanks for the very informative videos. I got out and grabbed a Slimblade Pro since it was $28 off at Bestbuy based on your reviews. I really meant to ask about replacement 55mm balls that are lighter. Apparently a lighter ball makes it more ergo which is what I'm optimizing for. I'm also considering an Adept since you make it very convincing that I should just try both and decide after.

[@seannolan3927]

how do you make the adept sound and feel less griddy? I want it to feel as smooth as the game ball lol

[@ocdevel]

@@seannolan3927 that's the primary complaint about it, you'd have to mod it with ball bearings (which is a diy task). I love the mechanical nature of it personally

[@Decenium]

audio balance when gaming could use some work

[@ocdevel]

For sure. Sorry about that

[@friedmule5403]

I do really like your video. I am so sorry that you have never learned how to use a mouse the correct way. I have used mouse all from the first Macintosh mouse, pc ball mouse and up until today and I have luckily never gotten even tried in my hand, even after 12-14 hours. The trick is to configure the mouse so you almost use it as a large trackball. Your wrist and arm is relaxing on the table and only your two fingers are moving the mouse. If you need more space than half a playing card, are you using it wrong. :-)

[@TimJohnson-x1o]

Personally I cant comprehend how anyone still says $100 a lot of money. Like, what do you own that costs less than a $100 these days? I mean a basic decent quality T shirt will cost like $30 these days unless you have Costco. AirPods Pro cost $200. an Iphone costs over a thousand dollars. A decent pair of running shoes that isn't an older model costs at least $150 if not more, and of course you need more than one pair. A decent set of bath towels costs close to $100. A month worth of paper towels cost like $20 with costco and double that or more without. A tank of gas in these giant cars most Americans drive costs nearly $100. A dinner for 2 at some over rated American restaurant serving trash food costs about $100. I just bought one package of insecticide for my home and it cost $45, and it's nothing special. Calling an exterminator out for one trip would cost a multiple of that. God forbid your air conditioner breaks and you need to call an AC company, I've seen them charge people $350 to change a $10 capacitor that takes 5 minutes. My point is. $100 is just normal for anything in the world today. in 1994 money this thing would cost about $45, call it $50. Thats the evolving value of money in terms of purchasing power. Maybe I'm just stressed and going off.

[@ocdevel]

Totally fair, that's the going rate of a peripheral these days

[@Vegetable-Jesus]

normal people don't buy $30 shirts and $200 headphones. why can't people who are well off realize that. to most people $100 is a lot of money, you are in the top 5% at least

[@robflores5172]

I took a ploopy today

[@ocdevel]

Just today? Fiber my friend!