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Logitech is bringing back the trackball mouse
Logitech is going back to reinventing the trackball mouse. The MX ERGO apparently marks the company's first new trackball in almost ten years, pairing a more subtler color scheme with an adjustable hinge for better wrist posture and pronation. This means that unlike the MX ERGO's wide-bodied predecessors, you shouldn't get so much hand cramp -- or at least that's the sales pitch. Cursor speed and accuracy can be changed with a button-press, while the wireless mouse should work up to four months on a full charge, with a fast-charge option to ensure you make it through an entire day with as little as a minute of charging.
Here's how Xbox One games will handle mouse and keyboard support
Microsoft has been promising mouse and keyboard support on the Xbox One for ages, but it's finally getting close. As part of a PAX West panel, the company's Mike Ybarra revealed that the first Xbox One games to support these peripherals are coming "soon," and that the company already has an idea as to how it'll handle support. A lot of it will be "up to developer choice," Ybarra says, but Microsoft will "coach" studios to make sure they add the feature responsibly -- it's aware that there are potential balance problems.
Razer's FPS-oriented mouse comes with a thumb 'clutch'
Razer's Basilisk, a high-DPI mouse meant for first-person shooter gaming, has an interesting new gimmick: a clutch. Positioned for your thumb, it lets you press and hold it to do tasks like change the DPI for more speed (the default setting), pick up items or push-to-talk. That should let you multitask a bit better while still firing a weapon or maneuvering.
Logitech's latest no-lag wireless gear includes a mechanical keyboard
Logitech's ultra-low lag wireless peripherals are quickly expanding beyond mice. It's introducing two more peripherals that take advantage of its Lightspeed tech, including its first keyboard. The G613 (above) has the mechanical switches that many gamers prefer in a keyboard while offering the virtually undetectable 1ms latency inherent to Logitech's. If you combine this with a Lightspeed-equipped mouse, you're theoretically eliminating two wires without losing your edge in twitch-happy games. Thankfully, there's a new mouse on offer as well.
SteelSeries says it’s nailed 'true 1-to-1' mouse tracking
Gaming peripheral brand SteelSeries has expanded its mouse lineup with an offering that could prove to be the Holy Grail for serious esports gamers: true "1-to-1" tracking. The company's new TrueMove3 sensor means your mouse movement will match up exactly with movement on-screen, regardless of the CPI setting (counts per inch, or the number of pixels your mouse moves in a single inch). Engineered in partnership with PixArt -- the team behind the Wii Remote -- the sensor is the product of the company's 15-year quest to make the perfect gaming mouse and is available exclusively in the newly-designed Sensei 310 and Rival 310 models.
Microsoft’s minimal Modern mouse and keyboard are now available
Microsoft revealed its Modern Keyboard and Mouse last month. Both are styled like the company's Surface devices and the keyboard has Apple-style "chiclet" keys and a sturdy aluminum frame. It also has a fingerprint sensor tucked in between the Alt and Ctrl keys for Windows Hello biometric security. The keyboard and mouse peripherals are now available for $130 and $50, respectively.
Microsoft's Modern Keyboard hides a fingerprint sensor
Microsoft has quietly unveiled the Modern Mouse and Modern Keyboard, its next generation of Windows 10 input devices that match the latest Surface models in design and finish. Much like Apple's keyboard, the new model has "Chiclet"-style keys and aluminum frame that's heavy and "virtually indestructible," Microsoft says. The most interesting feature is a hidden fingerprint sensor located between the Alt and Ctrl keys so it won't interfere with the typing experience.
Logitech gives gamers a reason to like wireless mice
Ask dedicated gamers why they prefer wired mice over wireless and you'll hear two familiar refrains: Even a little wireless lag can be unacceptably high, and it's no fun to plug in or swap batteries mid-match. Logitech may have found a way to kill both birds with one stone. The company is introducing a pair of technologies, Lightspeed and Powerplay, that theoretically make wireless gaming mice practical even if you depend on pinpoint accuracy. Lightspeed uses "end-to-end signal optimization" to cut latency down to a single millisecond, while the Powerplay system (above) relies on magnetic resonance to continuously charge your mouse. In short, it should perform about as well as a wired mouse without that pesky cord getting in the way.
Logitech's latest MX mice are ready for your multi-PC setup
Most mice are designed with the assumption that you'll pair them with one PC at a time. But that's just not realistic these days -- there's a good chance you have multiple systems. And Logitech thinks it can do something about this with its latest flagship mice. It's introducing the MX Master 2S (shown at left) and MX Anywhere 2S, both of which support new Flow software that lets you control as many as three computers with one mouse. You can even use that lone peripheral to copy files from one PC to the other, so this could be helpful if you want to flick a document to your laptop before you leave for coffee.
Mouse semen experiment suggests humans can reproduce in space
Humans have become relatively experienced at living and working in space aboard the International Space Station. Now, we're looking forward to the next step: reproduction. Mouse sperm, which was freeze-dried and stored aboard the ISS for nine months, was able to produce healthy offspring back on Earth. The research study was published yesterday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Microsoft's lie-flat Surface Arc mouse is a new take on an old formula
Microsoft didn't just limit its latest hardware introductions to the Surface Laptop -- there's a new (if familiar) mouse as well. The Surface Arc Mouse is an evolution of the well-established Arc Touch Mouse that takes advantage of several years of progress. Most notably, it's what you don't see that matters. The new Bluetooth peripheral still has that eye-catching, travel-friendly design that snaps flat for stowing in your bag, but there are no distinct left and right buttons, or even a scroll strip. Instead, a monolithic touch-sensitive button handles all those functions.
Roccat's new wireless gaming mouse promises zero lag
Wireless gaming mice are arguably more convenient and less hassle than wired mice, but they can come with a significant downside: lag. Roccat's latest wireless gaming mouse aims to address this issue with the Owl-Eye optical sensor, which promises to translate motions to the screen with 1:1 accuracy. It's one of three new mice and a swanky new keyboard Roccat revealed this week at CES 2017.
Rodent trials suggest screen-addiction hurts child development
A new study from the Seattle Children's Research Institute may have taken the first step towards confirming something my parents have been telling me for decades: too much TV rots your brain. Well, at least it does for mice. Scientists found that raising groups of mice in an environment designed to simulate extreme screen exposure developed behaviors similar to those found in children with ADHD -- resulting in adult mice with more memory problems and less patience.
Researchers produce healthy mice without using fertilized eggs
A mammal needs fertilized egg cells to have children, right? Not so fast. University of Bath scientists report that they're the first to successfully breed healthy mice without any fertilized eggs, instead relying on inactive embryos. The team first doused eggs in strontium chloride, which prevents them from going into a state of arrest while they're turned into embryos -- previous attempts to fool the eggs saw them die within a few days. Researchers then inserted sperm nuclei that reprogrammed the embryos, readying them for the wombs of their surrogate mothers.
Logitech's new mouse works with three computers at once
If you've ever used more than one computer at once, you know that juggling extra mice can be kind of annoying. Logitech thinks it doesn't have to be: the company has just announced a new mouse designed specifically for folks who use more than one computer at a time. Okay, maybe that's a small segment of the population -- but for the right person, the M720 Triathlon could be a godsend.
HP's new Omen gaming PCs include a cube-shaped desktop
Gamers have many reasons why they steer clear of desktops from big-name brands, but one of the biggest is the poor expansion. You may have fewer upgrade slots (if any) versus a white label or home-built rig, and you'll frequently have to contend with non-standard parts. HP thinks it can make you reconsider, however. It's refreshing its Omen gaming PCs once again, and the highlight is a completely new Omen X Desktop that promises both the perks of a major company's industrial design with the expansion that you crave. That cube-on-its-side look is not only relatively unique in a sea of generic towers, but genuinely functional. Its three-chamber structure separates hot components while giving you room for expansion that includes dual graphics cards, four tool-free hard drive bays and an M.2 SSD. Also, this is an industry-standard chassis -- HP will sell you the barebones case if you prefer to supply your own internals, and Maingear will even build its own beastly gaming PC around the box this year.
ICYMI: Hop on a bike and tour the world
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A British man was the first to bike the length of the UK, all within the world of Google Maps and his virtual reality headset. If you're intrigued, his blog is really the best place to get the details.
The best gaming mouse
By David Murphy This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. After spending eight hours researching 24 top gaming mice, putting in 11 hours testing seven semifinalists and having five people use three finalists to play games for hours apiece, we've concluded that the Razer DeathAdder Chroma is the gaming mouse most people should get. It's a slightly upgraded version of our previous favorite, the Razer DeathAdder Classic, and our panel testers (and other reviewers) preferred this mouse over the competition for its comfort, simplicity and highly customizable software.
Synaptics' under-glass fingerprint reader is almost here
It was just a month ago when LG Innotek unveiled its under-glass fingerprint sensor, but it's clearly not the only company working on this space. At Computex, the folks over at Synaptics were kind enough to let me take a sneak peek at a similar technology that they've been working on for two years. For some reason, photography was forbidden, but the prototype was simply a special glass trackpad -- with extra details which I am not at liberty to disclose -- retrofitted into an existing laptop. It'll essentially be a spiritual successor to Synaptics' SecurePad (pictured above), but rather than having to cut a hole through the trackpad, the next-gen fingerprint sensor will simply sit underneath the glass layer, so that when it's idle, you can still use the entire trackpad area for the usual cursor and gesture controls.
SteelSeries ships its OLED-packing gaming mouse
Did you look at SteelSeries' display-toting Rival 700 mouse in January and think it was just the edge you needed for your gaming exploits? It's time to do something about it. The company's Rival 700 is now available for a pricey (though not outlandish) $100. As before, its centerpiece is a side-mounted OLED screen that both shows data (such as your in-game stats or your team logo) and helps you tweak settings without firing up software on your PC. You can also 'feel' events through customizable vibrations, and swap optical sensors when you're eager for an upgrade. Is this overkill? Probably -- but there's no doubt that you'll have a distinct gaming experience.
