A Pistol Mouse for Your Fragging Pleasure 278
ErgoSeating writes "In my search for an ergonomic mouse I stumbled upon something called the PistolMouse. This mouse is shaped like a pistol and uses a trigger as the left button but tracks with an optical sensor on the bottom, not the sight or barrel. In a twist of irony, the mouse is ergonomically shaped because the pistol grip alleviates stress on your carpal tunnel-ridden wrist. Its Linux compatible and looks like it could be just the thing to brighten up my desk. Here is a review of the item with some good pictures." Not sure how it's ironic -- the modern handgun reflects hundreds of years of user testing -- but it looks fun, and a hoot to travel with by air.
All that testing... (Score:5, Funny)
And it's one button. Apple must be onto something...
Re:All that testing... (Score:3, Informative)
Um, what about the safety?
Re:All that testing... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:All that testing... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:All that testing... (Score:3, Interesting)
Some pistols don't have an additional safety beyond those that are built-in. Some incorporate the safety into the trigger itself -- i.e., when you pull on the trigger you automatically deactivate the safety. Revolvers typically don't have an external safety button but are considered safe with the hammer down. If you are paranoid about accidental discharge, you would keep the hammer down over an empty cylinder -- 100% impossibility of firing without pulling the
Re:All that testing... (Score:3, Informative)
Correct. Glocks have three safeties which means you cannot discharge the firearm by dropping it, but they are all released when you pull the trigger.
This is why Glocks are a favorite of law enforcement whose buffoons tend to drop their weapons (thus injuring their fellow officers) as well as forget to take off external safeties in firefights (thus getting themselves killed.)
However, you DO need to practice trigger finger control with a Glock - keep it OUT of the trigger guard until you need to fire.
Re:All that testing... (Score:2)
Anyway, you press it in with the crease between your thumb and forefinger, meaning that it doesn't go off unless you hold it like you mean it. This is in combination with the trigger safety and a firing pin safety.
It's truly ingenious, and it felt like a good, safe weapon. If I didn't have so many lunatics in my life I'd probably have one at
Re:All that testing... (Score:2)
Since I'm sure you know that grip safeties are, oh, at least a hundred years old, you might want to watch your phrasing a tad more in the future. Ya might give people the wrong impression, ya know.
Re:All that testing... (Score:2)
Re:All that testing... (Score:3, Informative)
No, actually, it has a right click on the trigger guard and a scroll wheel (which I'm assuming also acts like a 3rd button).
Re:All that testing... (Score:3, Funny)
Wait a minute. If you want apple, shouldn't it be a CROSSBOW mouse? ^_^
Re:All that testing... (Score:2)
rj
Re:All that testing... (Score:2)
Grip safetys are a feature of 1911's (and, admittedly, others -- but primarily 1911s). And while John Moses Browning's design is still extremely popular (I own two and am getting, I think, a third) it's not exactly modern. Even the Browning High Power (P35) doesn't have a grip safety.
Many modern guns are 'slick slides', as an earlier poster said. My Sig P229 (relatively modern) has no 'active' safety -- it has a firing pin block and a decocker but if you pull at the trigger with a round in the cha
Imagine one of those things (Score:2, Funny)
[Shudders]
I think the cat would win... (Score:2)
Re:Imagine one of those things (Score:2)
ThinkGeek (Score:5, Informative)
Re:ThinkGeek (Score:2, Funny)
faster than a speeding bullet (Score:5, Funny)
Mirror (Score:5, Informative)
Oops... (Score:5, Funny)
Looks like the XYZ server got shot. That's what you get for playing with guns kids. :P
Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:5, Funny)
Apparently that's all I have to say, but amazingly it's on topic in this story.
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:4, Insightful)
I usually take "point and click interface" to mean "interface that somebody probably smart put a lot of work into so that any unqualified moron can make do more or less what they want to great effect, although the user may not have considered or understand the ramifications of their actions"
That is why I usually consider cartidge firearms to be the original point and click interface. Sometimes I limit it to semiautomatic weapons and dual action revolvers, because you can click over and over with effect and without thought.
I respect your opinion, though, even though I think you're on a little bit of a slippery slope. Of course, the most effective point and click device is always a well-trained underling... but I was limited myself to technology.
Proving once again that I am a nerd.
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2)
Obviously the former is much more point and click than the latter.
Gimme a ballista anyday.
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2)
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2)
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:4, Insightful)
Funny you should phrase it this way, because this is exactly the reason the crossbow was developed. Archers with regular bows required years of training, while even a particularly thickheaded soldier could be taught to use a crossbow in about a week.
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:3, Insightful)
As someone else pointed out, the amount of effort to cock a crossbow isn't necessarily tremendous - but it's definitely there. As I pointed out, using an underling isn't a technological P&C.
And as you point out, it only takes about a week of training for a thickheaded soldier to use a crossbow. To
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2, Informative)
Teaser: The advice given at the bottom of this comment should be read followed by anyone who has a FIREARM, a CAR, A COMPUTER, A CREDIT LINE/CARD, or a CHILD.
And as you point out, it only takes about a week of training for a thickheaded soldier to use a crossbow. To use a firearm at close range only requires watching TV - people successfully kill all the time with only that much training.
Okay, so having watched on TV a firearm being used, I can SAFELY defend my home and cause no risk to myself, my fam
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2)
More importantly, I thought I was very clearly negative about the wisdom of USING point and click interfaces without any knowledge and how it has unintended and negative consequences. Perhaps I was too subtle. I suppose I shouldn't expect people to follow humor on
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2)
You're not doing much to improve my sense of safety, NRA fanboy. You're obviously very passionate on this subject. But it'
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2)
Whoops, my bad. I thought you were responding to someone higher up the chain. Please don't kill me. I didn't mean it.
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2)
Only if you're not entering a dangerous situation - or if you care about accidental discharges.
When I robbed a bank (using a Glock 19), I didn't chamber a round because I didn't want an accidental discharge under the stress of a bank robbery - at the same time, this put me at significant risk, because if I was attacked by an armed individual in the bank, I would have to jack the slide before returning fire - enough to get me
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2)
OK, show of hands. How many people on
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2)
Erm. I learned how to shoot a bow in a day. Sure, took me a while longer to start hitting things more than ten yards away, and I still can't promise a hit at 100 yards on my first arrow.
But put me with 800 mates and give us a 2000 strong army to shoot at, I think I'll do just fine.
Bows are incredibly easy to use. Crossbows were never a major part of British warfare; the bows were better. The French used crossbows a lot, but they didn't know how to make a good longbow.
~cederic
Re:Firearms the original point and click interface (Score:2)
they are ok (Score:5, Informative)
it is also a very sensitive mouse, you'll find yourself turning down mouse sensitivity in some games (max payne, most noticibly)
my game performance hasnt increased at all, but there are a few games i just cannot play with it, games that rely on alot of scroll wheel usage
which brings me to the final point, the scroll wheel, if you use firefox (of course you do) chances are you are constantly middle clicking, well doing it horizontally lets you mess up and scroll/click instead at the same time, it gets annoying, but its not a big turn off
9/10
Article slashdotted - repost (Score:4, Informative)
Monster Gecko PistolMouse FPS
Every so often you get a chance to play with something that just brings out the inner Geek. This is that product. Designed for the hard core FPS player, the PistolMouse replicates the look and feel of a real pistol in a high resolution 800 DPI optical mouse. The PistolMouse FPS uses a high performance optical sensor that tracks surfaces by sampling an image up to 3400 times every second with a high accuracy of 800 dpi (dots per inch). The PistolMouse FPS responds to any movement in 10.9 milliseconds (1/100 of a second) and can sustain the full 800 dpi capture rate at speeds of 12.75 inches per second over a surface. It all sounds good on paper, but let's test this thing in the real world...
The First thing I noticed about the PistolMouse FPS is the high quality packaging. This box jumps out at you. Monster Gecko has really put together an attractive product in a stunning box.
The Pistol itself looks a lot like a replica Air Soft pistol. The design is ergometric with your hand naturally gripping the trigger and resting on the secondary button. The scroll wheel is always in easy reach of your thumb. The design allows the PistolMouse to be used with equal precision both left and right handed.
Pictures don't do this product justice. The PistolMouse is sturdy without feeling heavy or unresponsive at all. The triggers are crafted from color matched aluminum. Even after several days of twitch gaming it still feels as solid as day one.
All that aside, the real thrill is gripping the pistol and dishing out frags with a vengeance. The feel of a real pistol in your hand brings a new level of immersion to your favorite FPS. It's also a great attention getter; I can only begin to describe the constant stream of friends that want to try it out, even my wife had to try it! And who hasn't taken liberties with those crazy arcade pistols?
I put the PistolMouse through its paces using the latest Microsoft Drivers and my favorite twitch games, PainKiller and Battlefield: 1942. For prolonged testing I ran it through a marathon PlanetSide session. My mouse pad of choice was the EverGlide Giganta and the new XTrac Ripper XL. No driver is needed; the USB plug and play was painless.
There is a bit of a learning curve to the PistolMouse FPS. The most immediate change is the trigger function. Your Trigger acts as the primary fire and will both single and double click. This allows you to hold down the fire button for some nice automatic action. The secondary trigger is tucked under the trigger guard and after a few misfires was pretty easy to use. The scroll wheel is easy to find without looking down and very responsive. Once you get the feel down you notice the natural ergometric design makes your left to right motions much faster than with a traditional mouse. Even after nearly 4 hours of play I felt no wrist strain.
The larger size foot print over whelmed my Giganta at 6 ½" by 3" but worked nicely on the Ripper XL. Motion was fluid and responsive even during high speed play. The only drawback over my regular mouse is the PistolMouse only supports the functions of a traditional 3 button Scroll mouse. This 3 button limitation means my trusty old mouse won't be replaced yet. $69.95 may be a bit pricy for a FPS specialty mouse but with the level of quality Monster Gecko has put into the PistolMouse FPS, this might just put that smile on your face.
Right now Monster Gecko is offering a 30 Day money back Guarantee on the Pistol Mouse FPS through www.monstergecko.com. What have you got to loose?
Club Overclocker Rating
Innovation:
10 out of 10
Performance:
9.0 out of 10
Quality:
9.0 out of 10
Stability:
N/A
Compatibility:
7.5 out of 10
Overclocking:
N/A
Software Pack:
N/A
Precision (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Precision (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Precision (Score:2)
I'm still thinking that a mouse along with separate buttons (for the keyboard, to use with the left hand) should be much more ergonomic.
Reason:
a) You can switch fingers whenever your index finger gets tired (repetitive strain)
b) you separate the moving from the clicking, allowing better coordination.
My question is: Why doesn't any friggin' company do it!!
Re:Precision (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Precision (Score:2)
http://www.cluboverclocker.com/reviews/game_gear/
It's a left-handed multibutton appliance, meant to let you not have to use the keyboard. Doesn't help with the mousing but you could switch any clicks needed over there.
Re:Precision (Score:2)
I used a similar mouse for a couple of years, due to tendonitis problems. I don't recall that precision was really a problem; maybe I had to adjust the sensitivity a little. I think it did help with the tendonitis, although my ultimate solution was just to switch from a mouse-based editor to emacs in a terminal window
BTW, I think due
Re:Precision (Score:2)
Irony (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Irony (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Irony (Score:2)
Ahem. *cough* *cough*
Re:Irony (Score:2)
(I will submit that is a spelling mistake and not grammar, though
Re:Irony (Score:2)
I've tried both the 3M Renaissance vertical mouse and the pistol mouse. The 3M wins because you can rest your hand on the base. The pistol mouse loses because you can't do that (and still use the trigger).
I'm using the 3M mouse, and have found it to eliminate my wrist pain. The only drawback is the lack of a good scrolling input. I've seen another vertical mouse that might solve this problem too. It's more of a regular design, just tilted 90 degrees to the right alon
safety warning (Score:5, Funny)
Re:safety warning (Score:2, Funny)
Re:safety warning (Score:2)
Re:safety warning (Score:2)
I think it was Boing-Boing or somebody who pointed out a case where the guy had a digital camera which was built into one of those steel lighter cases.
He took the camera out and demonstrated to the idiots at the airport that it was in fact a camera.
They let him keep the camera, but he couldn't take the EMPTY lighter case on the plane.
There is no level of stupidity these people will not sink to in the pursuit of "security".
About on a par with forcing penguins to walk through a metal detector...
Ancient light pen/mice and true vector displays (Score:2, Interesting)
Hundreds of Years? (Score:5, Funny)
Obviously more than the Federation did when they came up with the "dust buster" phasers.
Used one, didn't like it (Score:5, Informative)
Oh, and remember what I said about them being nice to look at, that is only the first time you see it, after about a minute the novelty wears off and you realize how dumb looking it really is.
I'll wait until the next version... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I'll wait until the next version... (Score:2)
I guess it can look kind of intimidating, but once you realise the logistics of it all, gangsta grip is really, really stupid.
Re:I'll wait until the next version... (Score:2)
And it seems like the real origin of it was that some movie director realized that if the actors held the guns sideways he could get a better shot of their faces and the guns. Then people saw it and started copying it.
If someone is ever going to shoot at me, I hope they use the "gansta grip," because their odds of hitting me are pretty low.
Chances of getting this into Australia? (Score:4, Informative)
Having said that, one does see obviously illegal-import gaming 'guns' for sale at markets and stuff from time to time, and at least one online store in Australia claims to have stock of this PistolMouse, so some folks are sneaking under the radar.
Vertical mice aren't anything new though. I've been using the 3M 'Renaissance Mouse' for years now - I've got four of them in various places at home and work. A couple of random images [utoronto.ca] courtesy google image [ziffdavisinternet.com] search here.
A key point I've found with the 3M mice is that they're pretty hard to control for a few days, and you never really regain the fine control that you have with a regular horizontal mouse. I can't help but wonder if the relative lack of control will be a problem for gamers. Remember, this 'gun' must slide around on the surface of a table, so it's going to operate like a vertical mouse, not a free-moving gun. I often keep two mice plugged into my computers - one of these for long-term comfort, and a regular mouse for when I need fine control, say with photoshop or the Gimp.
Re:Chances of getting this into Australia? (Score:2)
IMTS "they're pretty hard to control accurately for a few days, until you get used to them", or WTTE.
Innovative designs (Score:2, Funny)
comfy but counterintuitive. (Score:2, Informative)
would work great for mame (Score:2, Interesting)
and a hoot to travel with by air. (Score:4, Funny)
1) batteries wrapped together with duct tape
2) biohazard stickers on your carry-on
3) a fuse taped to the heel of your shoe
4) a snazzy tinfoil hat
5) fond rememberances of the time you met Osama
Re:and a hoot to travel with by air. (Score:2)
Don't forget the penguins...
Pistol Joystick on the Bally Arcade (Score:2)
The design was very good ergonometrically. Unfortun
Ha! That's nothing (Score:2)
Left-handers left out once again. (Score:2)
Perific. More buttons and more options. (Score:3, Informative)
Ollllld... (Score:2)
Re:Not new (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Not new (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Not new (Score:5, Funny)
Holding a 1.5 lbs light gun up for 20 minute intervals makes girly arms tired.
Re:Not new (Score:2)
Years ago, playing those Arcade-shooters would tire my arms endlessly. After getting proper marksman training and getting my hands on a NES with a zapper, Round 30 on Duck Hunt Clay Shooting barely tires me.
Re:Not new (Score:2)
Proper marksman training, me arse.
I played Duck Hunt, got to level 30ish, lost. Then I bought To The Earth...
Ouch.
That game was ferocious. The speed of the missiles that get fired at you is incredible, and towards the end you need to be shooting nearly all of them down or you just lose.
I completed it, and then played Duck Hunt again. It was suddenly just trivi
Re:Not new (Score:3, Insightful)
I remember the Time Crisis [namcoarcade.com] series at the arcades used a lightgun and a pedal to take cover / reload the gun. I think that's pretty muc
Re:Not new (Score:2)
Have the primary set be four pedals. Front, back, turn left, turn right. This is the basic movement that you need to be able to do even during other maneuvers, and wouldn't be terribly complicated. Throw in pressure sensitivity, the harder you press the faster you move. That takes care of walking vs running in a very intuitive manner.
The second foot would control another 4 pedals. This is where it would start causing problems. The easy pedals would
Re:Not new (Score:2)
So now you have to aim with a hand or both, and shuffle you feet between pedals. Unless you're walking, it's not comfortable, nor natural. Pointing a gun, as unsettling as it might sound, it's quite natural with a little getting used to; so is using a mouse and WASD. Not to mention much more comfortable. Your aiming reaction
Re:Not new (Score:2)
Re:Not new (Score:2)
Re:Not new (Score:2)
Well, we never expeted him to show up, but he did. We paired him up vs. me (I'm resident champion) for some 1 on 1 action. Bo
Re:Not new (Score:2)
whilst i guess you could make one that locked to svga i imagine it would be a lot tricker than doing it for composite video (much faster sync rates)
A couple of reasons light guns are no more... (Score:2)
2. They don't work at all with LCD screens
3. They need accurate synchronization with the vertical blank signal, and a low-latency interrupt, which are hard to arrange with modern graphics cards and operating systems.
-Mark
Re:Not new (Score:3, Interesting)
Heck, there are even guns that don't look like guns.
Besides, the classical light pen/gun design relies on the scanning of the electron beam in the CRT display to detect where the thing is pointed, so it won't work with LCD displays. And bluetooth has too much latency for the type of sync required to d
Re:Not new (Score:2)
Gun disguised as key ring [manchesteronline.co.uk]
Disguised as mobile phones [about.com]
Re:Not new (Score:3, Insightful)
Quite often, if you're sat wondering "how come no-one has done $foo?", it's becuse someone tried $foo and it just didn'
Re:Not new (Score:2)
The gun only needs to know what orientation and position represents it's center through calibration. It can then measure the offset from this center position, along with acceleration and rotation speed to respond with the proper on-screen motion.
It would not be that difficult to account for the user focusing on a target. The mouse based system does most of this already.
Re:Not new (Score:2)
When badly simulating the real world on a monitor it shouldn't be surprising that you can't adapt real world interactions well.
People have the advantage of being able to move many body parts independantly. Right now, we can't track all of those things for the purposes of a video game. You would need to track head position, body position,
Re:Huh (Score:2)
Her infinite variety; other women cloy
The appetite they feed, but she makes hungry
Where most she satisfies.
Re:Over-sized? (Score:2)
Re:Over-sized? (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Over-sized? (Score:2)
Re:Need sign if getting one of these... (Score:4, Informative)
You're probably thinking of the venerable .44 magnum which is the gold standard "hand cannon" round. It was also Dirty Harry's cartridge of choice (fired from a S&W model 29).
Also, the common ".45" is the .45 ACP cartridge, which while hugely popular in the shooting community, is significantly less powerful than the .44 magnum (roughly 50% the muzzle energy).
Re:Need sign if getting one of these... (Score:2)
http://www.fishandhunttexas.com/454casull.htm [fishandhunttexas.com]
Re:And how is this better for your wrist? (Score:2)
I was surprised myself, but these upright mice are relatively comfortable to use. I couldn't ever game with one, but we have several here in the office and they make a refreshing change, despite the very minor added weight of the device.
Re:/themes/slashcode/templates/errors;comments;def (Score:2)
Not to intrude on your love fest, but that exact message was given to me at one point.
Re:One question: (Score:2)