Commercial Trackball Purchase

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.mame (More info?)

Hey everyone,

A couple months ago I asked for advice on buying a commercial arcade
trackball. Having almost zero shop skills (or equipment), I didn't
really want to buy the parts and assemble a box myself.

I tried to add this post to the old thread, but for some reason I can't
reply to any of the posts in that thread.

Anyway, I ended up buying the trackball-only unit from NextArcade:
https://www.nextarcade.com/proddetail.php?prod=NC_roller

List price $189, just under $200 after ground shipping.

Overall, I'm pleased with the purchase and would recommend the product,
especially since I couldn't find (m)any other comparable products at
that price. And I would highly recommend this solution over
non-true-arcade trackballs (mice, etc.). This unit features a true
Happ trackball and comes USB-ready.

Detailed pros and cons below. Ask if questions.

Good
- Plays nice.
- Solid unit.
- Rubber feet are very nice.
- USB ready.

Bad
- USB cable simply hangs out of (too large) hole in box.
- Buttons are a little too close to the ball, so I hit them
accidentally sometimes.
- Cable could be a little longer.
- Buttons are not programmable.
- Trackball sometimes "wobbles"; that is, it sounds like
it is wobbling inside its mount. I think this is probably
normal, or is a problem with the trackball, not the mount.
- Only two unique buttons (2 sets of 2 repeated).
- Mounting bolts on panel surface are a minor annoyance.
- Speed of delivery was slower than expected and quoted,
and communication from customer service was spotty: Sometimes
great, sometimes bad.
- Couldn't order online, as shipping charges were not
quoting properly.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.mame (More info?)

On Tue, 24 May 2005 06:12:11 -0700, RodneyG wrote:

> - Only two unique buttons (2 sets of 2 repeated).

What the hell is the point of having a trackball that can't play
Missile Command?

--
Neil

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.mame (More info?)

Dire Radiant <visionism@geemale.com> wrote in a cheese induced coma
newsan.2005.05.25.00.23.11.516000@geemale.com:

> On Tue, 24 May 2005 06:12:11 -0700, RodneyG wrote:
>
>> - Only two unique buttons (2 sets of 2 repeated).
>
> What the hell is the point of having a trackball that can't play
> Missile Command?
>

Let us not forget Marble Madness!

--
Bustin' Naughty Folks since 1983

http://home.columbus.rr.com/supermappy/

MAME: Forever Young!

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.mame (More info?)

Dire Radiant wrote:
> On Tue, 24 May 2005 06:12:11 -0700, RodneyG wrote:
>
> > - Only two unique buttons (2 sets of 2 repeated).
>
> What the hell is the point of having a trackball that can't play
> Missile Command?

I know this is perhaps only a semi-serious (or not even) query, but one
answer is that you *can* play Missle Command, just use keys on the
keyboard for your buttons.

Or, if you have an X-arcade panel like I do, you could use 3 buttons on
that while using the trackball on the NextArcade.

But the buttons on an old-school Missle Command weren't really arcade
buttons as we know them today (were they?), so using the keyboard is
atually a little closer to real, in my opinion.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.games.mame (More info?)

"RodneyG" <rodneyg@carolina.rr.com> wrote in news:1117024158.009092.203240
@g49g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:

> But the buttons on an old-school Missle Command weren't really arcade
> buttons as we know them today (were they?), so using the keyboard is
> atually a little closer to real, in my opinion.

A visible keyboard as a main fixture on an arcade cabinet? Bah - HUMBUG! :+)