Slashdot Mirror
Microsoft Re-Launches Its Classic 'IntelliMouse' (hothardware.com)
An anonymous reader quotes HotHardware:
Every so often, a company will tap into our penchant for nostalgia. That is the case right now with Microsoft bringing back its iconic IntelliMouse, which was first introduced back in 1996... Microsoft continued to update the IntelliMouse for several years, up through 2003 when it released the IntelliMouse 3.0. The new 'Classic IntellMouse' for 2018 is based on that 15-year-old design with the same classic ergonomic look and feel, but with improved performance and features built around modern technology.
So, what exactly is different? "We improved two really important factors, the tracking sensor and the tactility and feel of the buttons. What we know our fans will see and feel is that it's the exact same shape and size of the IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 from 2003. However, underneath the hood it's all brand-new technology, brand new mechanical engineering and brand-new structures so it's a lot more rigid than the original. The build quality is really excellent," Microsft explains.
HardOCP notes that Microsoft has also released "a fantastic Rube Goldberg machine video unveiling the mouse."
So, what exactly is different? "We improved two really important factors, the tracking sensor and the tactility and feel of the buttons. What we know our fans will see and feel is that it's the exact same shape and size of the IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0 from 2003. However, underneath the hood it's all brand-new technology, brand new mechanical engineering and brand-new structures so it's a lot more rigid than the original. The build quality is really excellent," Microsft explains.
HardOCP notes that Microsoft has also released "a fantastic Rube Goldberg machine video unveiling the mouse."
New for 2018: a different spelling for "IntelliMouse".
#DeleteFacebook
There are too many buttons if it left off the extra buttons that its added then it would be more of a classic and would be worth considering.
Left right scroll is enough, most other buttons are accidentally triggered and can slow you down.
Blarney Quality Restaurant, Plants
Wake me up when trackballs are cool again.
Now bring back the trackball. Please. nice big ball, contoured to your hand, buttons in the right spots. Too bad they have moving parts that do wear out.
C'mon...
But MS needs more side buttons. Windows 10 games crave side buttons.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Seriously, *that* was supposed to show off the mouse?
I'd like to know why a lot of money was put together for a video announcing a mouse when it's only shown for 11s of a 120s video?
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
Looking at the Microsoft spec page for this mouse - https://www.microsoft.com/acce...
I can see that it's only compatible with Windows 7 and up (although the way they say it's not customizable with Windows 10S is pretty awkward) so why would I buy it? I suspect that "compatibility" means "customizable" in terms of buttons and dots per inch and, somewhat ironically, it will work like the original Intellimouse on other systems.
Personally, I demand that I go between systems with a minimum of mechanical transition; that means I use the same keyboard and mouse whenever possible for all my systems. OSX is always going to be problematic, but I think it's reasonable to expect to be able to have identical human interfaces on my Windows Linux systems.
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
I have to say that Microsoft makes the best mice on the market, as far as I can tell. I've got I think 4 different ones. Some small, some full sized. Some really wacky, like The Wedge. In an age of cheaper, cheaper, and cheaper, Microsoft seems to be the only maker of quality mice.
I don't respond to AC's.
It still lacks a real middle button. They could have added a real button instead of the weird bump before the scroll wheel.
It is too difficult to not scroll by mistake when trying to press down the wheel. I mean, you can press accurately 95% of the time, but each of those of the 5% mis-clicks are errors that you should never have made.
"We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
If the only car brand I ever owned was AMC which fulfills the requirements of "Some small, some full sized. Some really wacky, like The Pacer", I'd probably feel the same way about Microsoft mice.
Next time you got to Best Buy, Frys, whatever, why don't you take a look at the competition?
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
*SOLD*
the name.
Not really "Classic" unless it's corded. Serial or PS/2 DIN. I might accept a USB 1.0.
The Russians have won. They have made the world a cesspool of distrust, greed, fear and hate.
In an age of cheaper, cheaper, and cheaper, Microsoft seems to be the only maker of quality mice.
You didn't put much effort into looking.
Logitech's mice and trackball offerings have always been more comfortable and maintainable. In both the ball and optical versions, the design and function that the extra few pennies bought me was worth it.
Inheritance is the sincerest form of nepotism.
'An ethical crisis in the digital forensics industry came to a head last week with the release of new details on Microsoft’s undocumented “Activities” API. A previously unknown trove of access and activity logs held by Microsoft allows investigators to track Office 365 mailbox activity in minute detail. Following a long period of mystery and rumors about the existence of such a tool, the details finally emerged, thanks to a video by Anonymous and follow-up research by CrowdStrike.'
You miss having to clean the disgusting ball in the mouse every other day to get it to work acceptably.
I was looking for an exact replacement. Went with the Microsoft Basic Optical Mouse because I couldn't find one. It's sufficient though.
Did you know Microsoft's ball mouse uses 1/5th the power the optical ones do? It might be better for laptop/batteries. (I'm still using a 10+ year old Microsoft ball mouse at work.)
I wish they'd bring back the Trackball Optical 1.0 - the one I'm using right now has an iffy scroll wheel.
This sig left unintentionally blank.
None of this "Optical" shite - a man's mouse has balls.
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
I could never get used to the shape when I used it with my left hand. It just felt... wrong.
Includes Cortana integration, mandatory telemetry of all your clicks and movements, and ads displayed on the surface of the mouse!
huh?
"and when one of the choices we faced was to go with a Sound Blaster 16 or Ad Lib audio card"
By the time SB16 was around, AdLib as a company belong to Voyetra, which then went to Turtle Beach, but the AdLib card itself was way way way dead by then. It was AdLib card or GameBlaster -- even before the SoundBlaster(8). Trump has even infested "hotshitware".
The MS trackball I'm using right now is as precise as any mouse I've used, whether in an IDE, PhotoShop, Premiere or gaming.
This sig left unintentionally blank.
I am tired of these non ergonomically mice that are completely made for style not comfort. Give something that fits in my hand , not just in my palm. I guess these traditional mice went away after the desktop PC started to die out. So everything was focused on mobile and carrying a mouse in a travel bag. The other day I got a new PC and it came with a basic optical wired full size mouse and you know what? It was absolutely the best I have used in a while.
One other "legendary" (in my opinion) mouse would be the MX Revolution. It's defining feature is the "free wheel" scroll wheel.
The sad part is that all of the following models are inferior to the one that came out in 2006. The only other one with an electronically controllable scrollwheel is the MX Master, and unlike the original, it doesn’t tilt. It also has reliability problems that the original didn’t have.
I still have mine, works flawlessly. It came in replacement to... a Microsoft Intellimouse, that still work but whose sensor is showing its age.
Now bring back the Trackball Explorer for a reasonable price.
Last time I went shopping for a mouse many years ago ended up with comfort mouse 6000 (S7J-00010). It's the best mouse I've owned so far. Only problem with it using scroll wheel as middle button is virtually impossible without having click register as a scroll.
Apparently this new IntelliMouse suffers from losing track of where it is when moved rapidly. Reviews so far gamers seem to hate it.
It's like they don't even bother testing hardware before release. These are all things that should have been easily identified and resolved prior to releasing product.
I had a stockpile of old IntelliMouses for years because eventually the left and or right clickers would always break. The rough plastic material also really sucks. It always accumulated gunk that was impossible to remove. Shiny plastic like the comfort mouse is best because gunk slides right off and mouse always looks brand new.
There seems to be a huge gap when it comes to wired mice.
You either end up with some tiny cheap ambidextrous POS made by the lowest bidder, some crazy "ergonomic" BS or ridiculous "gamer" machination that looks like it came out of a transformers movie. Almost got a razer death mouse until I found out driver calls home and requires an Internet connection to work. No chance in hell.
Companies that do nothing but HID like Logitech have all of a single wired USB mouse I would even consider (M500). I don't understand why mice are so screwed up.
Microsoft and Logitech mice and keyboards are some of the creme of the crop when it comes to shit hardware. I have no idea what happened to logitech but they used to be great when it came to reliability. I don't know of Microsoft hardware ever being great. But, one thing is certain; if the sensor to your product is erratic its garbage.
Unfortunately, I've had to resort to buying expensive no-life neckbeard "gamer" hardware just for reliability sake. I cant stand the gaming culture (esports, streaming, etc); but at least the fucking Razer products are reliable.
Because the stuff you rent out now SUCKS!
People like you are the reason I have to travel with either a crappy mouse with not enough buttons, or a bulky gaming mouse with extra buttons. Logitech used to make a small travel mouse with 4 buttons on the side, but they reduced it to 2 buttons because people like you complained. The only wireless mouse I've been able to find with more than two programmable side buttons was a larger gaming mouse.
If you don't like the extra buttons, don't use them. Simply program them to do nothing. Let those of us who like or need the extra buttons continue to use them. Don't do things which get the product changed to make it unusable by those with a different preference than you. What you're doing is like complaining that restaurants should stop selling chicken because you don't like chicken. If you don't like chicken, just don't order the chicken dishes. Don't try to get the restaurants to drop chicken from their menu, depriving people who like chicken of the opportunity to order chicken.
I still have my original intelimouse that I got by sending in the coupons that used to come with OEM bundles of Win9x it was my favorite mouse ever but had two flaws. 1 It has a cord and 2 it would randomly point straight up in FPS games (this is/was a known issue). I clicked on the link to buy the new one but it still appears to have a cord, what a shame.
What's next on the Recycle bin?
I miss my old Trackman Marble FX. GIS for it; I think old ones were going for $100.00 as a collector's item a few years ago. GOFK what one would cost you today.
It put a large ball with lots of intertia in your hand. And by "in your hand", I mean your gripping fingers traversed the center of mass of the ball.
It was awesome--You could easily throw the pointer across the screen(s) or tweak pixel by pixel.
It was a throwback to the PS2 days, but PS2->USB adapters are easy to get.
There were also a few buttons scattered around the device.
If somebody would build a device with modern electronics and that sort of mechanism I'd buy it.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." - Philip K. Dick
If you look at the Amazon reviews, a common complaint is that the tracking sensor is of sub-standard quality, making it much less accurate in fast gaming. Only $21.99 though, compared to $39.99 on the Microsoft store.
This. Why do nearly all trackballs currently on the market have tiny balls you manipulate with your thumb? I want a big ball under my fingertips. I had a Trackman Marble FX; the only reason I stopped using it was that Microsoft came out with the Trackball Explorer, which had a scroll wheel. I still have my Trackball Explorer after 15-ish years, and have no idea what I'm going to replace it with when it eventually dies.
nah.. communists have made it clear they don't give a shit about your body. they'd rather rot your mind.
Buy a Kensington ExpertMouse?
The FA mentions at the end that the mouse is available direct from Microsoft, and the MS page gives the part number as HDQ-00001. But that part number is also available from Amazon, which says, "Date First Available: October 16, 2017".
In fact, I have one of them; Amazon tells me that I "purchased this item on March 11, 2018". I like the mouse a lot: it's corded, the BlueTrack sensor works well, and I like the shape. It's a good mouse, but it's not all that new.
P.S. I also like the Microsoft Sculpt Comfort Bluetooth Mouse for a Bluetooth mouse. It's not a miniature "laptop" mouse, but I use it with my laptop... I had a small laptop mouse for a while, but prefer the feel of the larger mouse. Gotta say, MS still makes good mice (and keyboards).
I still use an Intellimouse from the early 2000's. Back in the day I competed with the best, like Thresh and Fatal1ty (sort of, the guy was a n00b). It was the best mouse then and continues to be because kids don't understand what is possible, only what is fed to them, and that is crappy Chinese shit that flashes in different colors. Meanwhile they accuse ME of cheating just because I have skill and hardware their tiny dumbass minds can't comprehend. Seriously, I have been banned for using a bot when in fact I'm just using muscle memory. Idiot children.
Sorry little buddy, you're not quite as special as your parents told you. In fact, you suck. Maybe you will get there in 20 years.
Completely different. Only one hemisphere is exposed; you can't grab it like the real thing.
Now, if you wanted to play missile command...
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away." - Philip K. Dick
Plural? I'm . . . impressed.
I'm talking about a MAN'S mouse. Not something that's only fit for women and democrats.
The kind of man that takes his best shot and only a Ferguson can handle it - https://sketchfab.com/models/3...
Mimetics Inc. Twitter
Less than a month ago, when my last functional IntelliMouse's buttons started misbehaving and I had to settle for a crappy replacement, I was lamenting the fact that *nobody* makes a simple mouse like that one, and that had I known, I would've stocked up on spares a decade and a half ago.
That's what I'm going to do *right now*.
Trackball Explorers are plentiful on eBay for about $125-$150. You can even find the rare unopened brand new one occasionally, if you don't mind spending $500-$600. A highly recommended upgrade for them is zirconia oxide bearings to replace the steel ones. The steel is so soft that the red ball actually wears a flat spot in them, and the worse it gets the harder it is to turn the ball. Replace the bearings with those ones and it's like new. And they won't wear out as quickly as the steel, if they ever will. Every one I've replaced them in is still feeling new.
but I'm using a Sculpt mouse now, very happy with it, though the switches don't last long and I've been resoldering them while I find replacements.
Yes, swap the right and left button switches, new life!
I may or may not try a new Intell*mouse, dunno. Sculpts are fine for me.
deleting the extra space after periods so i can stay relevant, yeah.
Microsoft human input device group knows how to build solid hardware. It's like the black sheep of Microsoft.