Despite 2017 ushering in smarter AIs and sleeker smartphones, Logitech has decided to go a little retro and bring back the trackball mouse with its MX Ergo.
Popular in the early noughties, the trackball mouse faded into obscurity after it failed to make a compelling argument that stroking a bulbous ball to move a cursor was faster than actually moving a mouse.
In its wake, sleeker mice with adjustable sensitivity followed, and of course touchscreens helped take more navigation away from the domain of the mouse. But Logitech didn’t give up on the trackball mouse having brought the M570 to the market back in 2010; now in 2017 Logitech’s MX Ergo is attempting to reinvent the trackball in a more sleeker 2017 package.
And at first glance Logitech appears to be onto something with its new mouse. The wireless MX Ego sports an ergonomic and sleek industrial design aimed at making keeping your thumb on the trackball feel natural.
An adjustable hinge allows the mouse to be tilted up between 0 and 20 degrees to find the most comfortable angle for the user, while a dedicated precision button allows for the speed and sensitivity of the trackball to be changed on the fly, similar to such buttons found in Logitech’s G series gaming mice.
A scroll wheel and shortcut buttons are present and correct , meaning the MX Ergo is not gambling on the trackball to do all of the mouse’s work. The MX Ergo can be connected to two PCs or laptops at the same time using Logitech’s FLOW software to allow for copy and pasting of files, text and images between two machines.
Battery life for the wireless mouse is claimed to last four months on a single charge, with a form of rapid charging on offer to provide a day’s worth of mousing from a minute of charging via micro USB.
And finally connectivity is provided through a Bluetooth or a dedicated USB receiver connection with 2.4Ghz wireless communications to bypass any input lag. Logitech’s MX Ergo is set to go on sale this month and will set retro revival tech fans back £99.99/$99.99.
Time will tell is Logitech can inject interest back into the trackball mouse, and we will have to reserve judgement until we get our hands on a review unit, but so far the MX Ergo looks like it’s in with a fighting chance.
Related: Logitech’s latest gaming mice
What retro computing tech would you like to see return? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
