Why I still use the '90s most ridiculed desktop accessory in 2026
Yes, I daily-drive a trackball mouse. I have used trackballs on and off throughout my life, but I've never actually owned one. It was usually at school or using my dad's friend's PC. An architect, he swore by this big A4Tech trackball mouse and when I had to do anything on one of these computers (usually fix them), the big red ball mouse was the only option.
Now, as someone who spends hours wrangling a mouse every day, both me and my video editor spouse spend our days thumbing a ball. And I would not have it any other way.
I converted overnight
The cult of the trackball
About a year ago before writing this, Logitech sent me its new MX Ergo S for a review . This is nothing unusual in my line of work, we're sent review samples all the time and generally don't have to send them back, which works for me because I like to update my reviews if things go wrong long-term.
At that point, my wife had already been using a trackball for work for quite some time. Clearly it worked for her, but I swore by my MX Master Mouse, and I still use it, but not for work. After finishing my review, which usually involves using the product daily for a week or two before writing up my verdict, something strange happened.
Instead of switching back to my MX Master 3S, I just kept using the trackball . I have a work computer setup, and a gaming computer setup, and so I chose to move my MX Master to my PC gaming setup. Leaving the trackball connected to my macOS system. Yes, I know the MX Master is not a gaming mouse, but in practice most of the games I play don't benefit from gaming mice, and I have my trusty Logitech Lightspeed gaming mouse for when it's really needed. Though I don't think I've even gone through the pack-in battery on that one yet.
It solved a problem regular mice never could
Not a pain in the neck, for a change
I have quite a busy desk, and one thing I appreciate about using a trackball is that it stays in one place. So, although it's bigger than the average mouse (which is good for comfort), it needs less open space.
Sydney Louw Butler / How-To Geek
From a convenience point of view, it's a much better solution than a regular mouse if you're always in a state of chaos in your work space. It's also great if you need to put a mouse on your knee or hook your computer up to a TV and operate it from the couch.
For me though, the biggest problem it solved was ergonomics. The MX Master series had already made a big difference to my wrist pain, but switching to this trackball mouse completely got rid of it, and my elbow and shoulder also benefited.
It needs a different approach
Telling a different tail
One significant adjustment I had to make was maintenance. I haven't used a mouse with a ball since Microsoft released its Optical Intellimouse decades ago. Luckily, this mouse doesn't use physical rollers to measure the movement of the ball. Instead, a set of optical sensors measure the movements of the ball, but you can still feel it gunk up over time.
Sydney Louw Butler / How-To Geek
That means popping out the ball, wiping it down, and then also wiping the ball chamber out too. I only have to do it about once a month, but it's a small annoyance I've learned to live with.
As for actually using the device, it takes a while for your thumb to stop being stupid and accurately placing the pointer where you want it to go. The Ergo S in particular, has a little side-button that toggles the sensitivity for when you want to select text or do other precise work, but once I got used to it, I never needed to use that feature at all.
In fact, while I don't often play video games using my trackball, I have no issue playing boomer shooters like Quake or more sedate titles like Cyberpunk 2077 with it. You don't even have to think about it once you're used to the thumb movements. The trackball becomes no less natural than a regular mouse.
It's one of those gadgets that spoils you, so there's no going back
While I will never get rid of my regular mice, I don't think I could go back to a mouse as the tool I use for a daily eight-hour work grind. The improvements to my health, better use of space, and versatility have won me over.
It even makes me think that maybe, with modern trackball technology, it could even be worth bringing trackballs back for laptops. I'm certainly not getting very far in Quake using a touchpad!
