A new type of mouse

[Poskie]

Hi 

I work in a company which has created a 3D mouse designed for graphic designers and 3D designers. I find the format suitable for video games and I would like to know your opinion on the subject.
Our mouse is called "Lexip 3D", it has a joystick and a tilt allowing movements in 3 dimensions on 6 axes. Companies like Dassault Systems have had the opportunity to work with.

Today, we don‘t sell this product anymore but we are working on a new basis for our professional target. On my side, I would like to present some mouse’s configurations on video games to my superiors to propose the development of a Lexip gaming mouse. I had the opportunity to do some tests on your game:

 

 

You can set the tilt, the joystick, the buttons as well as the classic keys of the mouse.

As regular players, what do you think of our mouse? Would it be interesting for KSP? Do you have any configuration ideas?

Thanks !

[TheEpicSquared]

Looks nice! Would take a bit of getting use to, but I think it could work. IMO the biggest problem that I can see from the gif is trying not to press down too hard when clicking, or the view will rotate, which could be problematic. It looks a lot smoother than a classic mouse, though, which is nice.  

Edited August 16, 2017 by TheEpicSquared

[kerbinorbiter]

eye candy

[Scientia1423]

5 hours ago, Poskie said:

As regular players, what do you think of our mouse? Would it be interesting for KSP? Do you have any configuration ideas?

How much was the mouse at the time?

[MiffedStarfish]

It looks like an interesting concept, but I think the standard keyboard works fine, and I doubt I would consider changing as I'm just to used to the normal camera controls. I don't really see the point in the slide button, what's wrong with the mouse wheel? The whole mouse on a joystick seems like it might be slightly awkward, having a stable camera is neccesary in editor when placing a part to get it where you want, and it looks like you might move it accidentally. (Or in flight when right-clicking a part)

This is all judging from the gif though, it could be completely different to use.

[qzgy]

50 minutes ago, Scientia1423 said:

How much was the mouse at the time?

Well according to this one website I found, the Lexi pro costs 260 dollars.

As a note. I think its a really cool Idea. But wayy too horrifically expensive for most average KSP players. 260 dollars is enough money for a pretty good graphics card.

[XLjedi]

Generally I like gaming gadgets, and have tried most if not all of them...  this one, honestly, doesn't really intrigue me too much as it seems to be addressing something that I don't currently have an issue with.  Also skeptical that I could effectively manage 2 forms of movement with the same hand, I think I could do it with two hands. But with a joystick on a mouse, I see myself using one or the other but not both at the same time.  So kinda comes across as a novelty I could live without.

Could you make a programmable keypad that has an 8-way hat switch built into the base in such a way that I can keep my fingers on the programmable keys and use the palm of my hand to move the whole thing.  I've been looking for something like this and it doesn't seem to exist.

[MiffedStarfish]

260 dollars? I don't know what the average age of ksp players or the target age for the mouse, but speaking for the early teens age group, the idea of buying something like that for that price is laughable. I've bought a second hand current gen game console for half that, and my current mouse setup (Logitech g510 or something like that) was less than a third of that price.

[qzgy]

Just now, MiffedStarfish said:

260 dollars? I don't know what the average age of ksp players or the target age for the mouse, but speaking for the early teens age group, the idea of buying something like that for that price is laughable. I've bought a second hand current gen game console for half that, and my current mouse setup (Logitech g510 or something like that) was less than a third of that price.

Same. My mouse infact, I'm not sure the price of cause its so old. And the keyboard we've had for maybe 10 years or more.

[Rocket In My Pocket]

I like it!

Also, it's a little early to complain about the price tag on a prospective gaming variant of this mouse.

I'd assume they'd try to hit a cheaper cost for the gaming model as compared to the professional model.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Rocket In My Pocket

[HebaruSan]

That's a really tiny stage for a Mainsail!

I thought 6dof mice were already a thing, and I haven't bought one yet. I would think they'd be more appealing for games where you need to combine movements that would be awkward with a conventional control scheme. KSP places more emphasis on planning and design, where it's easy enough to hold a mouse button to switch modes.

[artwhaley]

If I could get it configured correctly, I'd use the HECK out of it in Blender and Unity when modding the game.  THOSE are two applications where the ability to manipulate my view while manipulating objects separately would be fantastic.   I find myself frustrated with getting the view I want in those applications very commonly.  

What you're doing looks great, though as others have said, in KSP the view doesn't actually NEED all that much manipulating, and almost never does it need to be manipulated quickly, so I'm not sure KSP gamers are the right target for your product.  But a 3D mouse aimed at the graphics and 3D content creation markets would be something I think you could sell a lot of!

[Red Iron Crown]

6DOF controls have been supported in KSP for a long time, both for camera control and for attitude/translation. It takes some getting used to but is great once you do. 

Would be hard to justify $260 when a SpaceNavigator is about $100. I suppose bit of a premium for combining it with a conventional mouse is OK, but personally I prefer the devices to be separate. 

[mattinoz]

I just don't get why people mug their mouse?

I think there is a reason most 6DOF devices are more puck like. In that, it's just easier to use them if your fingers are free to push and pull in the required direction.

[Alshain]

This is stuck in the place of being neat, but not worth it for just this game.  It's like a flight stick, they are great for KSP if you have several games that can use it but not worth the purchase for just KSP.

Unfortunately I can't think of another game I own where I could use this.... maybe... just maybe Farming Simulator, but even still with those two I'm not sure it would be worth it, especially at $260.  Even $100 isn't really worth it for one game.

Edited August 14, 2017 by Alshain

[SchwinnTropius]

The whole mouse on a tilt would throw me off very easily as my movements with a mouse can be very jittery. I love the idea of a joystick on the side though, I could find a use for it in games as well as Blender. $260 for a game mouse is very difficult to justify when my Razer Naga Chroma was a pain to buy at $70. Overall good idea, maybe could just trim some extra features for a larger gamer market.

Edited August 15, 2017 by SchwinnTropius
Clarity

[sjwt]

That is a really cool find, thanks man.

[Moach]

I'm a big fan of the Logitech G700 series, can't live without it ever since I got one

I've had THREE of them so far, and every time I abused them into the grave, I was all but unable to find any other model for a replacement that even came close to it - so I just got another G700

besides the fully programmable 13 buttons it has, I gotta say, the one feature that no other mouse has managed to satisfy, is the unlockable scroll wheel.

the G700 has a little button right under the scroll wheel which toggles the ratchet mechanism. so when it's unlocked, the metal wheel is heavy enough that you can flick and it'll continue to spin smoothly until you stop it with your finger or re-engage the lock, making it behave like a normal wheel again.

no other mouse has this, and though it may sound like a gimmick, I assure you: it is such a handy feature that it rapidly becomes muscle memory, and I always find myself fiddling for that button whenever I use another kind of mouse.

 

so, if the OP is in any position to forward this opinion to whomever is in charge of such design decisions - that would be my main suggestion, which to me is a must-have for any new mouse I may consider in the future

also, if it were up to me, I'd add moar buttunz (the G700 is an ergonomics masterpiece, I heartily endorse that button layout)

 

another important factor for me:  wireless sucks -- conveniently, the G700 doubles both as wired or otherwise, so I always have mine plugged. AA batteries are very unreliable, a good cord never lets you down

 

but I gotta say - this does look pretty cool, it looks like it'd be quite handy for 3d modelling as well -- also, I reckon the ArmA crowd might be extremely interested in something like this

 

on another note:  this thread seems a bit out of place in this forum... I think it'd be more at home in the hardware talk section.  I haven't been a moderator here in a while though, so it's not up for me to move it - anyways, carry on

 

Edited August 15, 2017 by Moach

[EnderKid2]

3 hours ago, Moach said:

the G700 has a little button right under thtter than a button.e scroll wheel which toggles the ratchet mechanism. so when it's unlocked, the metal wheel is heavy enough that you can flick and it'll continue to spin smoothly until you stop it with your finger or re-engage the lock, making it behave like a normal wheel again.

no other mouse has this

I'm pretty sure some logitech mice meant for programming have it so if you scroll fast, the ratchet unlocks. It's really nice and probably even better than a button.