Getting Started with GameBall Thumb

[@kohzuka]

Congratulations on the launch of the GameBall Thumb! From a Japanese trackball enthusiast. We look forward to hearing more about the GameBall Pro😄

[@adamironbender5120]

I've been waiting for so long to try this puppy. I had no idea the pre-order was already over. Eric, you and your company are already solid in my book just from customer service alone. I can't wait to get this Thumball.

[@GameBallTrackball]

Thank you

[@jagglebones]

Just got it a few hours ago. I really love it

[@lauratreasures3816]

As a gamer who has only ever used a thumb trackball mouse, I may have to try this one when I can afford to.

[@the1ucidone]

Absolute work of art!

[@mattymattffs]

Looks great. Mx ergo with more reliable switches. The shipping is pretty high, but I'm definitely ordering one when my current ergo goes

[@jagglebones]

can't wait for mine

[@KP_Uravity]

I understand some people really liking acceleration, but if i want the cursor to move faster ill move the ball faster 😭

[@jpcranendonk]

Received mine :D Thrilled with finally having an enthousiast thumb ball, first impressions are great, of course it takes time to form a good opinion :) I have to ask one question though, whose idea was it to put a slippery sticker on the middle of the rubber base? The trackball moves far too easily on my desk now, and I'm afraid of peeling the sticker since i dont know what glue is used and how much residue it will leave :)

[@GameBallTrackball]

The sticker was a user error at the factory. The sticker was a needed temporary fix for compliance reasons. You can peel it off.

[@jpcranendonk]

@@GameBallTrackball I did now, it's a lot better without the sticker :)

[@RoboJut]

Question, how much does the precision button lower your sensitivity by (I believe OG gameball is 1/3 your sensitivity)? And, if I use a higher dpi with the precision mode activated to get my best sensitivity (I did this on OG gameball with 3000 dpi and kept precision mode on for 1000dpi), is this exactly like changing the DPI itself, or will it take the high DPI data, and then do the math to calculate the new speed, theorietically causing increased movement latency or other pixel precision issues when compared to just running a native dpi without precision mode active? (Hope I worded that question well enough lol) :)

[@EndianYT]

Very excited for mine to arrive! Will it be possible to remap the RGB/DPI/Precision buttons?

[@GameBallTrackball]

That are firmware coded, so you wouldn't be able to.

[@coreykramer]

@@GameBallTrackball any chance this will change with future updates ? would rather remap them to useful things in game.

[@EvanMantri]

What's the estimated timeline for the Gameball Pro release?

[@GameBallTrackball]

I hate to say since these always get pushed back. Let me get a better picture of what is all ahead of us first.

[@EvanMantri]

@@GameBallTrackball Understood. But how about a very general guestimate? Which season of which year? Or a range of time? We promise not to hold you to it. :)

[@jayrony69]

just got my gameball thumb, im a geometry dash player (geometry dash is a game that requires high polling rate devices because geometry dash requires quick reaction time) and this is so much better than my old logitech trackball

[@Kido1986]

I just received mine and it's AWESOME so far. Just doing some Windows-work, no gaming yet but on a 240hz OLED display, the difference from my MX Ergo is IMMEDIATELY noticeable, just in tracking accuracy and viewability. One cool bonus I found is that the base design is close enough that it mostly fits the angle incline-increaser (no ideal what it's actually called) from the MX ergo, enough that I can use it. Maybe see if a tweak can be made in the future to let it fit 100% on there? No idea if that's feasible with the body originating with a different company, patents, etc., but this is a great piece to have in my book. If you don't know what piece I'm talking about, look at listings for the "MX Ergo Plus", its just the same unit but with the rubber/plastic base.

[@rafesor]

I see you also use MX Ergo. Could you please compare the smoothness of the pointer movement and the operation of the manipulator ball itself of these two devices? The time is approaching to replace my device and I am very interested in GameBall Thumb. Thank you in advance.

[@Kido1986]

@@rafesor pointer movement is significantly smoother, night and day over the ergo. The ball rolling inside of the cavity, if that’s what you mean, feels extremely good as well, though that also feels good on the ergo. Everything about the usage and performance is better than the ergo, though the build quality and materials are nicer on the Logitech, though at the price difference that can be expected. That’s not saying the game ball feels particularly bad, it just feels slightly less solid. But I still have no qualms about buying it.

[@rafesor]

​@@Kido1986Thanks for fast response. In that case, I'll definitely be ordering one for myself as soon as they come back in stock. Have a good day.

[@Gebora]

maaan mine should of been here yesterday but the united drooling postal service cant be on time to save their lives

[@jessicayock1377]

This is the thumb trackball I have been searching for with USB C wired or wireless capabilities, tilt angle adjustments for ergonomics and precision. I hope you are able to get logistics worked out so more of these can be shipped. Best of luck and thank you for all your hard work making this a reality!

[@Desode]

What software would you use to swap the precision button to another button? Is that possible? Thanks!

[@kissalude9032]

I just bought one. I wish it had more on board storage. On my home computers, it's mostly inconvenient, mostly. I can slap a custom conf into etc X11 xorg d conf. That is after going through the pain in the butt process of finding the button codes using xev and all that. But once I have the file I can slap it in any non Wayland set up and it works. Unfortunately that's not a choice for my Windows computer at work. Point is, I would have gladly paid a little more for onboard storage using USEVIA or QMK than all the technobabble junk above. Anyhow I am looking forward to it. I haven't used a thumb ball since my old Logitech Trackman. Switched to pointer finger. Took a bit of getting used to it, but now it feels right brian, it feels right. But this looks great and for 60ish dollars, tough to argue with that.

[@Rookie_One]

Grats on the launch! Looking forward to receiving mine!

[@aadams99]

This mouse would be almost perfect if we had software to remap the buttons (for example we don't need the dpi/rgb buttons on mouse, and should be use for something else game related), make any changes to dpi and polling (refresh rate), rgb settings, etc. and load them to a memmory module on the device itself (with 2 or more profiles) -- that's the main thing missing at this point to make this a great gaming mouse. For example, without internal memmory profiles, gaming services like Geforce Now will not pick up any mouse mappings, no matter what mapping software you choose on the computer. I recently ended up purchasing this dispite these flaws due to the precision -- polling rate 1000hz and dpi flexablity (not too many thumb trackball mouse have this feature). For example, if you've ever used a Logitech thumball, you'll know gaming with it is like swimming in mud -- the refresh rate and dpi are way too low to game with them. l haven't received it yet, so it's yet to be seen how great the mouse actually is in use. For a gaming mouse, it's almost manditory for profiles to be located on device -- and this is it's big flaw. If the acceleration is not great without the software (because I'm cannot use software with Geforce Now, then I'll return it).

[@spaceman8988]

Had the gameball since launch, its good. One suggestion is to make the USB C charging port a bit wider to accommodate other USB C cables as the only one that works well is the one that came with it. All the other "standard" USB C cables I have will not insert.

[@fozzyrinker313]

I healed the whole Burning Crusades expansion with a trackball, everyone else in the guild thought I was crazy lol. I also made a footswitch to use with Ventrillo before the official WoW one came out.

[@Niteshade-Runesoul]

Finally just starting using my Gameball Thumb, loved the limited edition model. I come from years of using Logitech Trackballs, and burning thru them due to buttons losing sensitivity, my last one is still running good, my ERGO EX model, but I wanted to break open my Gameball. Is it just normal that the RGB around the ball doesn't stay on while you're actively moving the curser?

[@OddNaud]

The wait was well worth it for this device. I truly appreciate this. I've been following your efforts since the OG Gameball, but as a thumb user I didn't bite. When this product was announced I knew I'd own it. Pre-ordered on day one and have been loving it since I got mine in!

[@BoloGrubb]

Ok I have had my Gameball Thumb for almost a week now and some long gaming sessions. I am really liking this trackball. Will recommend to others and will likely buy a couple of more for the other computers I use

[@BoloGrubb]

I hoep the ball spins as easy as a brand new logitech tracjball, otherwise it is a failure. Most other brand tracballs I have tried have poor spinning balls

[@smashshams1118]

can this work with the new ipad? will it support bluetooth in the future?

[@slayyew1846]

I'm glad to see that it's actually launching as I've already ordered one for myself. I'm also glad to see you use Raw Accel, as do I... but what I didn't see though is the use of Raw Accels Angel Snapping feature. Look it up on how to use it, I use 1200 DPI, set it 65.0 through 85.0 and enjoy smoother lines that the thumb isn't even close to managing. With such a high precision sensor it tracks ALL the impurities of how your thumb moves but with Angle Snapping it clears quite a bit of the impurities out and allows for a smoother transition from space to space.

[@mfrank15]

Nose grease! Ha ha! When I had my first job fresh out of engineering school, one of the senior engineers told me about this. I came here because I was having a problem with the ball feeling like the static friction was getting pretty high -- resulting in me having trouble with precision movements. Anyway, thanks for the video, well done.

[@kissalude9032]

I prefer using candle wax. 1-4 dollars from Big Lots or some other store and my trackball works smoothly. Had this problem with my Elecoms.

[@C4RP3_N0CT3M]

Is there no way to re-map the keys with some sort of software?

[@p7272]

Question: I had to break out the MS Trackball because I'm waiting for my 2nd Gameball to arrive and the 1st one is now at work. I noticed that the MS Trackball doesn't need a precision button and works better with no added software or button. I'm wondering if you have any ideas what MS Trackball has?

[@GameBallTrackball]

I think the original MTE was around 800 DPI.

[@Arr0wzWii]

Can we have a gameball remap software?

[@C4RP3_N0CT3M]

I just purchased one of these. What's going on with the scroll wheel tilt? It seems like it's doing something, but nothing happens.

[@GameBallTrackball]

Did you email me and did we already chat about this? If not, please email us at [e-mail]

[@dgamefather]

Are you able to change the dpi value besides the switch on the mouse? Just curious with these values being different than the normal Gameball that the difference in DPI will throw off my aim (I use the lowest 400 DPI on the normal Gameball)

[@GameBallTrackball]

Those are the unit settings. You could set through software if you needed.

[@RoboJut]

I believe the OG gameball precision mode is 1/3 your sensitivity. So, if the thumb precision mode is also 1/3rd, you could run your mouse in 1200 dpi and keep precision mode on to get your 400 dpi feel (not sure if its exactly like running 400 dpi or not though) :)

[@gizmatron_]

We love track balls.

[@GreyDeathVaccine]

Full Linux support?

[@dougmasters4561]

Got my Gameball thumb and its awesome but the regular gameball is more consistently smoother. Couldn't tell ya why, maybe the difference in the ball's orientation. The smootheness of the Thumb is right on par with the $99 Logitech MC Ergo, only, without the 100% guarantee of the buttons no longer work after 6 months you get when you buy the MXErgo. So to the Thumb os definitely worth it for the price. But as far as gaming goes the little bit better smootheness makes me choose the regular Gameball

[@Foffers]

I am enjoying mine and really like it when set up via wired. One thing I'm missing is, I really would love a rubber base to raise the angle even higher, like what came with the MX Ergo originally. I'd pay for such an accessory! (I use the one that came with my MX Ergo, but it doesn't fit well and needs adjustment every 10-15 minutes)

[@-iIIiiiiiIiiiiIIIiiIi-]

Thank you for bringing this to market!

[@DaisyBlossomPirate]

Loving mine so far! Thanks for catering to this niche! I was on my 4th mx ergo because the garbage switches kept failing. Really started to feel silly constantly buying and throwing away the same product. Happy to give my money to someone making something BETTER!

[@genblob]

Mine just arrived and it's going to take me a little while to get used to after using the original gameball for 2 years now. I'm liking it so far, I just have to train my thumb to be more accurate.

[@oldandslow8994]

I wish there was a thumb track ball that also had ring finger and pinky finger buttons. More buttons is always good :)

[@nyanko2077]

Thumb is not for me but I'm posting something for the bots. Also, would love some news on the pro !

[@tedhodge4830]

Is there a way to change mouse key bindings? This is kind of a big deal to me when it comes to controlling back/forward browser buttons or binding certain functions. Are there any plans for a higher DPI model of the original Gameball? I don't think I would like a thumb trackball, as I used to manipulate my old Logitech, which had a centered trackball, by using my index and middle finger, which I feel like gave me much more control.

[@GameBallTrackball]

Your OS should have options to change buttons assignments, or something like x-mouse. In games, you should be able to reassign in key bindings (most games). We try to avoid our own software since it can cause more problems then it solves. Yes, the plan is to eventually make a GameBall Pro (ight handed) and GameBall 2.0 (Ambidextrous).

[@Chimpur]

Can't wait for mine to arrive sometime in February!

[@VincentW2]

I can't wait to get mine. Thank you

[@GameBallTrackball]

Thank you

[@pix2276]

is the rgb supposed to turn off when moving the ball in wireless mode?

[@GameBallTrackball]

Yes, to save battery life. If plugged in, it will stay on all the time.

[@memfault]

Will there be speed comparison between normal black version and pre-order version with red bottom and ball? I do also wonder if there ever will be whole-red version, (especially in proper Ferrari-like red, not the cherry/Mazda like color now, which is quite disappointing) Best regards and don't forgot to post benchmark results!

[@GameBallTrackball]

The two should be identical except for the color :-)

[@memfault]

@@GameBallTrackball There's no f*** way the somebody that preordered 3 LE units will get the same performance as normal customers. There must be some smoother bearings or lighter ball made from composite, unlike ordinary customers with steel balls ;-)

[@spencerb8149]

Can’t wait to get my hands on this!

[@Kido1986]

I can't wait for mine to ship, so excited! Also, I want that D2CE behind you!! My parents tossed mine out when they divorced and lost the house. I want it baaaaack! I still have the jewel case but I was in college and didnt have room for that huge beast of a box but I miss it.

[@GameBallTrackball]

I am kina of a hoarder with my old PC stuff. I have an old 20MB hard drives

[@Kido1986]

@@GameBallTrackball well if you ever want to unhoard some game boxes… 😅

[@Xenocide1]

Are the buttons programmable or any plans to add that option? I like changing my fwd/back to copy/paste

[@GameBallTrackball]

You would have to use x-mouse or something similar.

[@coreykramer]

@@GameBallTrackball cool. is the rbg and precision buttons able to be remapped with x-mouse ?

[@dreamgaze]

How does battery replacement work?

[@GameBallTrackball]

It i an internal lithium battery. It can be replaced but not easily.

[@pingu9656]

I don’t like battery life. Is it possible to turn on RGB in wireless mode?

[@GameBallTrackball]

Yes

[@paperbeatsrock_]

LOL

[@arx_7804]

Will you ship to other locations?

[@GameBallTrackball]

Where are you? We ship to the US, UK, Canada, Netherlands and most of the EU.

[@arx_7804]

@@GameBallTrackball Australia

[@GameBallTrackball]

Not yet. I have a call tomorrow which may change things.@@arx_7804

[@michaeltylerstewart]

I’m sorry dude, I just can’t stand how oversaturated the market is with thumb trackballs. GameBall Pro news soon!?

[@GameBallTrackball]

Trying to get a video update on Pro. Just been busy. Still in the works.

[@BronzeMantis]

Devil's advocate this mouse probably has much better components under the hood compared to other thumb trackballs.

[@eccramer]

As a thumb ball enthusiast, I’m really excited to finally have a thumb ball with good build quality and high polling rate.

[@coreykramer]

@@eccramer cant wait for mine to arrive. I so prefer thumb trackballs

[@eccramer]

@@coreykramer Same. I'm currently using the ProtoArc EM01, which replaced a Ploopy Thumb. The EM01 is okay, but not as responsive as the Ploopy. The Ploopy Thumb 3D printed buttons just wear out too fast to be practical and the fit and finish is just not there. Excited to have the best of both worlds finally.

[@BronzeMantis]

Congrats on the product release. I know this was a bit of a depature from the initial vision of the thumb variant, but I'm happy to see a tangible product be developed in the end that any thumb ball user will be happy with.