Atrackball is apointing device consisting of aball held by a socket containing sensors to detect a rotation of the ball about two axes—like an upside-downball mouse with an exposed protruding ball.[1] Users roll the ball to position the on-screenpointer, using theirthumb,fingers, or the palm of thehand, while using the fingertips to press the buttons.[2]
With most trackballs, operators have to lift their finger, thumb or hand and reposition it on the ball to continue rolling, whereas a mouse would have to be lifted itself and re-positioned. Some trackballs have notably low friction, as well as being made of a dense material such asphenolic resin, so they can be spun to make them coast. The trackball's buttons may be in similar positions to those of a mouse, or configured to suit the user.
Large trackballs are common onCAD workstations for easy precision.[citation needed] Before the advent of thetouchpad, small trackballs were common onportable computers andsmartphones (such as aBlackBerry) where there may be no desk space on which to run a mouse. Some small "thumballs" are designed to clip onto the side of thekeyboard and have integral buttons with the same function as mouse buttons.[2]
The trackball was invented as part of a post-World War II-era radar plotting system namedComprehensive Display System (CDS) byRalph Benjamin when working for the BritishRoyal Navy Scientific Service.[3][4] Benjamin's project usedanalog computers to calculate the future position of target aircraft based on several initial input points provided by a user with ajoystick. Benjamin felt that a more elegant input device was needed and invented aball tracker[3][4] system called theroller ball[3] for this purpose in 1946.[3][4] The device was patented in 1947,[3] but only a prototype using a metal ball rolling on two rubber-coated wheels was ever built[4] and the device was kept as a military secret.[4] Production versions of the CDS used joysticks.
The CDS system had also been viewed by a number of engineers fromFerranti Canada, who returned to Canada and began development of theRoyal Canadian Navy'sDATAR system in 1952. Principal designers Tom Cranston, Fred Longstaff andKenyon Taylor chose the trackball as the primary input, using a standardfive-pin bowling ball as the roller. DATAR was similar in concept to Benjamin's display, but used adigital computer to calculate tracks, and sent the resulting data to other ships in a task force usingpulse-code modulation radio signals.[5]
DATAR's trackball used four disks to pick up motion, two each for the X and Y directions. Several additional rollers provided mechanical support. When the ball was rolled, the pickup discs spun and contacts on their outer rim made periodic contact with wires, producing pulses of output with each movement of the ball. By counting the pulses, the physical movement of the ball could be determined.
Since 1966, the American companyOrbit Instrument Corporation produced a device namedX-Y Ball Tracker, a trackball, which was embedded into radar flight control desks.[6][7]
A similar trackball device at the GermanBundesanstalt für Flugsicherung [de] was constructed by a team aroundRainer Mallebrein [de] of TelefunkenKonstanz as part of the development for theTelefunken computer infrastructure around the main frameTR 440 [de], process computerTR 86 and video terminalSIG 100-86,[8] which began in 1965.[6] This trackball was calledRollkugel (German for "rolling ball"). Somewhat later, the idea of "reversing" this device led to the introduction of the first computerball mouse (still namedRollkugel, modelRKS 100-86), which was offered as an alternative input device to light pens and trackballs for Telefunken's computer systems since 1968.[6][9][10]
In later trackball models the electrical contacts were replaced by anoptical chopper wheel, which had small slots cut into it in rather than electrical contacts. With an LED for illumination from one side and an optical sensor on the other, rotation of the wheel periodically blocks and unblocks the light, so the sensor produces electrical pulses to indicate that rotation is occurring.
Mice used the same basic system for determining motion, but had the problem that the ball was in contact with the desk ormousepad. In order to provide smooth motion the balls were often covered with an anti-slip surface treatment, which was, by design, sticky. Rolling the mouse tended to pick up any dirt and drag it into the system where it would clog the chopper wheels, demanding cleanup. In contrast the trackball is in contact only with the user's hand, which tends to be cleaner. In the late 1990s both mice and trackballs began using direct optical tracking which follows dots on the ball, avoiding the need for anti-slip surface treatment.
As with modern mice, most trackballs now have an auxiliary device primarily intended for scrolling. Some have ascroll wheel like most mice, but the most common type is a “scroll ring” which is spun around the ball. Kensington's SlimBlade Trackball similarly tracks the ball itself in three dimensions for scrolling.
As of 1989[update] and into the 2020s, two major companies developed and produce consumer trackballs,Logitech andKensington, although Logitech has narrowed its product line to two models. Other smaller companies occasionally offer a trackball in their product line.Microsoft produced popular models including The Microsoft Trackball Explorer, but has since discontinued all of its products.
In September 2017 Logitech announced release of MX-Ergo Mouse,[11] which was released after 6 years of its last trackball mouse.
Large trackballs are sometimes seen on computerized special-purpose workstations, such as the radar consoles in anair-traffic control room orsonar equipment on a ship or submarine. Modern installations of such equipment may use mice instead, since most people now already know how to use one. However, military mobile anti-aircraft radars, commercial airliners (such asAirbus A380 andAirbus A350) and submarine sonars tend to continue using trackballs, since they can be made more durable and more fit for fast emergency use. Large and well made ones allow easier high precision work, for which reason they may still be used in these applications (where they are often called "tracker balls") and incomputer-aided design.
Trackballs have appeared invideo games, particularly earlyarcade games (see aList of trackball arcade games). In March 1978,Sega releasedWorld Cup, anassociation football game with trackball controls.[12][13] In October 1978, Atari releasedAtari Football,[14] which popularized the use of a trackball, with the game's developers mentioning it was inspired by an earlier Japanese association football game.[15][16] Other notable trackball games include Atari'sCentipede andMissile Command – Atari trademarked it "TRAK-BALL".
Console trackballs, now fairly rare, were common in the early 1980s: theAtari 2600 and5200 consoles, as well as the competingColecoVision console, though using ajoystick as their standard controller, each had one as an optionalperipheral. TheApple Pippin, a console introduced in 1996, had a trackball built into itsgamepad as standard.[17] Trackballs were occasionally used in e-sports prior to the mainstreaming ofoptical mice in the early 2000s because they were more reliable than ball mice, but now they are extremely rare because optical mice offer superior speed and precision.[11] Trackballs remain in use in pub golf machines (such asGolden Tee Golf) to simulate swinging the club.
Trackballs have also been regarded as excellent complements to analogjoysticks, as pioneered by the Assassin 3D, a trackball released in 1996 with joystick pass-through capability.[18] Later in 1996,Mad Catz released thePanther XL, which was based on the Assassin 3D. This combination provides for two-hand aiming and a high accuracy and consistency replacement for the traditional mouse and keyboard combo generally used onfirst-person shooter games. Many such games natively support joysticks and analog player movement, like Valve'sHalf-Life and id Software'sQuake series. As of 2020[update], one professionaleSport player was known for using a trackball.[19]
Trackballs are provided as the pointing device in somepublic internet access terminals. Unlike a mouse, a trackball can easily be built into a console, and cannot be ripped away or easily vandalized. Two examples are the Internet browsing consoles provided in some UKMcDonald's outlets, and theBT Broadband Internet publicphone boxes. This simplicity and ruggedness also makes them ideal for use in industrial computers.
Because trackballs for personal computers are stationary, they may require less space for operation than amouse, simplifying use in confined or cluttered areas such as a small desk or arack-mounted terminal. They are generally preferred in laboratory setting for the same reason.
Trackballs were often included in laptop computers, but since the late 1990s these have been replaced bytouchpads andpointing sticks. Trackballs are still used as separate input devices with standard desktop computers, but this application is also moving to touchpads due to the prevalence ofmulti-touch gesture control in new desktop operating systems.[20]
People with a mobility impairment use trackballs as anassistive technology input device. Access to an alternative pointing device has become even more important for them with the dominance of graphically-oriented operating systems. There are many alternative systems to be considered. The control surface of a trackball is easier to manipulate and the buttons can be activated without affecting the pointer position.[21]
Trackball users also often state that they are not limited to using the device on a flat desk surface. Trackballs can be used whilst browsing a laptop in bed, or wirelessly from an armchair to a PC playing a movie. They are also useful for computing on boats or other unstable platforms where a rolling deck could produce undesirable input.
Trackballs are generally either thumb-operated, with a ball operated by the thumb, or finger-operated, with a ball usually operated by some combination of the index, middle and ring fingers. Depending on the design of the trackball, the fingers not operating the ball may manipulate other input devices built into the trackball, such as buttons and scroll wheels. Users favor one format or another for reasons of comfort, mobility, precision, or because it reduces strain on one part of the hand/wrist.
Some finger-operated trackballs are symmetrical in design, making themusable by both hands. However, installation of software and/or modification of firmware may be required to mirror the button inputs.
Thumb-operated trackballs and other finger-operated trackballs,[22] are asymmetric, and usually available only in right-handed versions.
Some computer users prefer a trackball over the more common mouse for ergonomic reasons. There seems to be no conclusive evidence from studies[which?] performed to determine which type of pointing device works best for most applications. Application users are encouraged to test different devices, and to maintain proper posture and scheduled breaks for comfort. Some disabled users find trackballs easier since they only have to move their thumb relative to their hand, instead of moving the whole hand, while others incur unacceptable fatigue of the thumb. Elderly people sometimes have difficulty holding a mouse still whiledouble-clicking; the trackball allows them to let go of the ball while using the button.
At times when a user is browsing menus or websites rather than typing, it is also possible to hold a trackball in the right hand like a television remote control, operating the ball with the right thumb and pressing the buttons with the left thumb, thus giving the fingers a rest.[23]
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Some mobile devices have trackballs, including those in theBlackBerry range, theT-Mobile Sidekick 3, and many earlyHTCsmartphones. These miniature trackballs are made to fit within the thickness of a mobile device, and are controlled by the tip of a finger or thumb. These have mostly been replaced on smartphones by touch screens, although on the BlackBerry range they were replaced by an "optical trackball" or "optical trackpad" before later being replaced with touch screens.[24]
In lieu of ascroll wheel, some conventional mice include a tiny trackball sometimes called ascroll ball. A popular example is Apple'sMighty Mouse. Mice with a larger trackball on a side may be designed to stay stationary, using the trackball to move the mouse cursor instead of moving the mouse.[25]
I saw a soccer game with one (I remember only that it was Japanese, and a soccer game. Taito is plausible)
Contrary to a popular notion, Football was not the first game to use a trak-ball controller. According to Dave Stubben, who created the hardware for Atari Football, Taito beat Atari to market with a soccer game that used one. According to Steve Bristow, when his engineers saw the game, they brought a copy into their lab and imitated it.
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