Thank you Mr Ploopy salesman! I'm one of those people that should have switched to a trackball two decades ago. I finally decided to jump ship, did a bit of Reddit-Fu, came to the conclusion that Ploopy might be the way to go and your video has convinced me to order a kit. Many thanks!!
I have a few trackballs, mostly Kensignton Expert wireless, Elecom huge, wired & wireless, Elecom Deft pro & brita, I love the scroll wheel on the thumb, however, is not the best scrolling wheel, that goes for the Logitech's Master MX3, free spinning scrolling adds real Inertia scrolling to any computer. However the scrolling with the most control you will ever have is with Thinkpad's trackpoint, that little red dot in the middle of the Thinkpad keyboards. The trackpoint is just a stick that detects pressure, detects the smallest amount of pressure so when you use it as a mouse you don't really need to move it a lot, it takes practice but is really powerful once you have dominated it because is a tracking device you can use without moving your hands from the home row. So scrolling is achieved with pressing the middle button
I did a bearing swap on my Elecom Huge Trackball I've been extremely happy with the amount of effort vs price that has been. Use it daily for work and can't complain about it.
I did that with my Huge as well, swapped to Zirc bearings but could never quite get the smoothness I wanted... Then the Gameball came and ruined the Huge for me completely!
I honestly can't contain my excitement! I'm currently on my second MTE in 23 years and I have 1 brand new boxed one left. This looks like a dream come true to us Microsoft Trackball Explorer fans!!
Oh my God I'm so jealous of those MTEs... I was heartbroken when the buttons on mine crumbled... One day I hope I can model and produce some replacement buttons for the MTE... Cheers from a fellow Baller!
Oh man. This second one is hanging on really well. I've just replaced the embedded steel balls and the ball is running smooth again. One has just gone on eBay for £30GBP! I'm definitely having one of these Ploopy Classics though. It looks great. Cheers for the very appreciated heads up! 🏀
Microsoft's optical trackballs had a fatal flaw, the steel bearing points for the ball. Oil from one's thumb or fingers would coat the ball, pick up dust and lint, and that would grind away at the steel until it'd wear down and the ball would drag on the inside of the transparent red socket. There were some people making bank replacing the steel bearing points with silicon carbide balls or synthetic ruby, like most every other trackball. I still have a Microsoft Trackball Optical One in excellent condition. I always made sure to wash my hands before using it and regularly popped the ball out to wipe the bearing points to remove any buildup. I retired it for a Logitech M570. When its wheel jammed up (I will take it apart to clean it, someday) I replaced it with an Elecom EX-G. It's better than the M570. It's also the one and only model of left handed thumb trackball available AND unlike other left handed input devices it's a perfect mirror image of the right handed EX-G. I'm left handed but use a right handed wireless EX-G. The Ploopy Classic is currently the only finger trackball available in left and right handed versions that are perfect mirror images. Only Elecom and Ploopy "get it" that a left handed device should be a mirror image of the right handed version.
for the majority of my mousing, i've mostly been using the mouse capabilities of qmk with my split keyboard. buttons on the left half, movement and scroll on the right half with vim keybindings so i can move the mouse pointer without my fingers leaving the home row. however, for more serious mousework i use a logitech mx master. last time i used a trackball, the mte was still a new product, maybe i should give it another shot. it might make a decent replacement for the logi.
@@RetroBreezeYT, i mostly use a crkbd corne or a chimera ergo42. both take up very little space on the desktop and i love having the space between the sides available for references, notes, coffee, etc. i imagine they take about as much space as your planck would if it were cut in half =-)
Nice to see they have a left handed option, but I really want an ambidextrous trackball so I can easily switch hands throughout the day. I’m currently using a discontinued Logitech ambidextrous trackball that I really like, except for the lack of a scroll wheel.
I've never used a trackball, but it boggles my mind that they require an additional wheel for scrolling, also if you want to scroll sides a wheel is not designed for that. Wouldn't be more easy is there was a button that make your trackball scroll in any direction?
You can easily achieve scrolling with the ball with any trackball by using external software. In the case of ploopy you can probably configure it in the firmware too (can't be bothered to check the documentation). So the scroll wheel is just another configurable input among the other buttons.
Thanks for the review. I've been eyeing a Ploopy for a while now. Your review just about settled it, and I'm about to order one. How does it compare to the Gameball you reviewed a while back?
I want the Ploopy but I really don't want cheapo 3D printed parts. If I could source a high-quality printer to print the parts in better materials, maybe I'd consider it. But the quality I see in this video looks pretty jank, especially for the cost.
Hi retrobreeze! Can you make a video of Pandora’s box?please. I want to know which model to get. But almost all of the videos I watched in TH-cam are confusing. I really want to own one. Preferably from Amazon. That’s the only place where I know where to get one. Thank you 🙏
I can get the Elecoms on Amazon prime here in the UK, but I really, REALLY didn't like the Huge. I even went through the time of modding the bearings and using a new ball, but it just never worked for me. I do really want to try out the Sanwa Gravi from Japan though, but it's way too expensive to import what is basically a budget office trackball
@@matthewdavies2057it doesn't move on the desk, doesn't need Bluetooth, especially since Bluetooth is terrible. I'd prefer 2.4Ghz receiver if it had to go wireless. This is coming from me, I have everything I can wireless
@billy5688 What if I'm using an Apple computer? All of the ports I have are Type-C. I'm using an HHKB Bluetooth keyboard and have no problems with it. I'm also using a Chinese trackball with Bluetooth, and it works perfectly. Bluetooth input devices now have no compatibility issues. I have three Bluetooth devices connected, including AirPods, and I have no problems at all.
@@zhvn89 bluetooth/wireless can be an issue for indie developers as it would require expensive certification for them to sell in pretty much every country.
Thank you Mr Ploopy salesman! I'm one of those people that should have switched to a trackball two decades ago. I finally decided to jump ship, did a bit of Reddit-Fu, came to the conclusion that Ploopy might be the way to go and your video has convinced me to order a kit. Many thanks!!
I see a million of these at my goodwill. I should pick one up for sure.
Oh man please send one my way
@@RetroBreezeYT I will chuck the dirtiest, scuffed one I can find right across the ocean, just for you bud.
I have a few trackballs, mostly Kensignton Expert wireless, Elecom huge, wired & wireless, Elecom Deft pro & brita, I love the scroll wheel on the thumb, however, is not the best scrolling wheel, that goes for the Logitech's Master MX3, free spinning scrolling adds real Inertia scrolling to any computer. However the scrolling with the most control you will ever have is with Thinkpad's trackpoint, that little red dot in the middle of the Thinkpad keyboards.
The trackpoint is just a stick that detects pressure, detects the smallest amount of pressure so when you use it as a mouse you don't really need to move it a lot, it takes practice but is really powerful once you have dominated it because is a tracking device you can use without moving your hands from the home row. So scrolling is achieved with pressing the middle button
Interesting! The only problem here is now you’re stuck with a whole computer no?
I did a bearing swap on my Elecom Huge Trackball I've been extremely happy with the amount of effort vs price that has been. Use it daily for work and can't complain about it.
I did that with my Huge as well, swapped to Zirc bearings but could never quite get the smoothness I wanted... Then the Gameball came and ruined the Huge for me completely!
@@RetroBreezeYTI also swapped the bearings, and although it did become smoother, it doesn't compare to the buttery smoothness of Kensington's.
I honestly can't contain my excitement! I'm currently on my second MTE in 23 years and I have 1 brand new boxed one left. This looks like a dream come true to us Microsoft Trackball Explorer fans!!
Oh my God I'm so jealous of those MTEs... I was heartbroken when the buttons on mine crumbled... One day I hope I can model and produce some replacement buttons for the MTE... Cheers from a fellow Baller!
Oh man. This second one is hanging on really well. I've just replaced the embedded steel balls and the ball is running smooth again.
One has just gone on eBay for £30GBP!
I'm definitely having one of these Ploopy Classics though. It looks great. Cheers for the very appreciated heads up! 🏀
Microsoft's optical trackballs had a fatal flaw, the steel bearing points for the ball. Oil from one's thumb or fingers would coat the ball, pick up dust and lint, and that would grind away at the steel until it'd wear down and the ball would drag on the inside of the transparent red socket. There were some people making bank replacing the steel bearing points with silicon carbide balls or synthetic ruby, like most every other trackball.
I still have a Microsoft Trackball Optical One in excellent condition. I always made sure to wash my hands before using it and regularly popped the ball out to wipe the bearing points to remove any buildup. I retired it for a Logitech M570. When its wheel jammed up (I will take it apart to clean it, someday) I replaced it with an Elecom EX-G. It's better than the M570. It's also the one and only model of left handed thumb trackball available AND unlike other left handed input devices it's a perfect mirror image of the right handed EX-G. I'm left handed but use a right handed wireless EX-G.
The Ploopy Classic is currently the only finger trackball available in left and right handed versions that are perfect mirror images. Only Elecom and Ploopy "get it" that a left handed device should be a mirror image of the right handed version.
for the majority of my mousing, i've mostly been using the mouse capabilities of qmk with my split keyboard. buttons on the left half, movement and scroll on the right half with vim keybindings so i can move the mouse pointer without my fingers leaving the home row. however, for more serious mousework i use a logitech mx master. last time i used a trackball, the mte was still a new product, maybe i should give it another shot. it might make a decent replacement for the logi.
Oh awesome, which split keyboard do you have? I had an ErgoDox EZ for a while and whilst I loved using it, I felt my desk was too cluttered with it! 😁
@@RetroBreezeYT, i mostly use a crkbd corne or a chimera ergo42. both take up very little space on the desktop and i love having the space between the sides available for references, notes, coffee, etc. i imagine they take about as much space as your planck would if it were cut in half =-)
Nice to see they have a left handed option, but I really want an ambidextrous trackball so I can easily switch hands throughout the day. I’m currently using a discontinued Logitech ambidextrous trackball that I really like, except for the lack of a scroll wheel.
Retro also reviewed the gameball mouse by BSI. It looks expensive but it's ambidextrous and has good sensitivity.
I've never used a trackball, but it boggles my mind that they require an additional wheel for scrolling, also if you want to scroll sides a wheel is not designed for that. Wouldn't be more easy is there was a button that make your trackball scroll in any direction?
You can easily achieve scrolling with the ball with any trackball by using external software. In the case of ploopy you can probably configure it in the firmware too (can't be bothered to check the documentation). So the scroll wheel is just another configurable input among the other buttons.
Some of them do, my Marble FX has it
Looks like a nice product. Maybe a simple 3D printed jig for setting the dowel length would help with assembly?
Good idea, but I think the force required might break a 3D-printed assembly!
What is the default way to change the dpi. I couldn't seem to find out how from searching? Great review
Thanks for the review. I've been eyeing a Ploopy for a while now. Your review just about settled it, and I'm about to order one. How does it compare to the Gameball you reviewed a while back?
They should add extra buttons like on the Elecoms.
This video makes me want a ploopy but then there are things about it that makes me think I probably should avoid it. Fair.
I want the Ploopy but I really don't want cheapo 3D printed parts. If I could source a high-quality printer to print the parts in better materials, maybe I'd consider it. But the quality I see in this video looks pretty jank, especially for the cost.
Which do you prefer compared to the Gameball?
Hi retrobreeze! Can you make a video of Pandora’s box?please. I want to know which model to get. But almost all of the videos I watched in TH-cam are confusing. I really want to own one. Preferably from Amazon. That’s the only place where I know where to get one. Thank you 🙏
Ohhh wow do you mean that big crazy arcade thing?!
Do you like this or the GameBall more?
The fact that the trackball and the keyboard are roughly the same size is so funny to me for somre reason.
Elecom HUGE is great if you can import it from Japan. Ploopy is interesting but I’d like to mill one from wood, I think…
I can get the Elecoms on Amazon prime here in the UK, but I really, REALLY didn't like the Huge. I even went through the time of modding the bearings and using a new ball, but it just never worked for me. I do really want to try out the Sanwa Gravi from Japan though, but it's way too expensive to import what is basically a budget office trackball
What's the name of that FPS game your playing?
3...2...1... Grenades! store.steampowered.com/app/504090/321Grenades/
its not wireless?
I'd resin cast the shell. 😕
You definitely could! Make it your own! OPEN SOURCE!
ok, have fun
There are very specific keywords in this video that triggers a peculiar sense of humour.
Did that tickle your fancy?
@@RetroBreezeYT I was rather fondled of it.
Manny Heffley wants to know your location
unfortunately, the wheel being clunky is a big deal
I still use this as my daily driver and the scroll wheel has broken in perfectly! I'd say it took two weeks or so. Now it's very smooth.
Bluetooth.
Its just not that type of mouse!
This is the 21st Century. They're ALL that type of mouse.
@@matthewdavies2057it doesn't move on the desk, doesn't need Bluetooth, especially since Bluetooth is terrible. I'd prefer 2.4Ghz receiver if it had to go wireless. This is coming from me, I have everything I can wireless
@billy5688 What if I'm using an Apple computer? All of the ports I have are Type-C. I'm using an HHKB Bluetooth keyboard and have no problems with it. I'm also using a Chinese trackball with Bluetooth, and it works perfectly. Bluetooth input devices now have no compatibility issues. I have three Bluetooth devices connected, including AirPods, and I have no problems at all.
@@zhvn89 bluetooth/wireless can be an issue for indie developers as it would require expensive certification for them to sell in pretty much every country.