Microsoft Reveals ''Mouse 2.0'' Prototypes

sound interesting

Hey look at what the Trashman dragged in!

Interesting, but likely expensive. If that's the case I'm fine with my lazer mouse

Sweet - break the mold, experiment with things that go beyond mice or even touchpads! Gotta admit, even though they look like things Jawas would mess with, the ideas are interesting!

i am really looking forward to see these being further developed. they are really innovating here.

I hear by 2010 it's going to have...TWO BUTTONS

lol. I'd still stick to my G5, while those that have G9,etc stick to those.

You mean the shitty mouse i dislike, i like the onmi direction ball but i like my two buttons clear cut buttons and side buttons. still better then the power puck design

Sorry... I think their all gimicks. Maybe useful for a couple things here and there, but unlikely what the general mass would use/want to use for that matter.

The mouse is simply one of those things... They got right the first time around and has only need tweaking here and there.

The clear looking one looks rather interesting...

Funny coincidence. Documents are released showing Apple's pushing the mold on their concept of what a mouse is and surprise surprise, Microsoft releases "prototypes" of their next mouse soon afterward. Honestly as a PC user, the Microsoft "prototypes" look like design lab rejects. It's almost as if someone at Microsoft wanted to steal Apple's thunder (and attention) about their new mouse by digging out some half-baked and rejected concepts they had sitting in a box somewhere. I'm not saying Microsoft isn't testing new concepts with mice--of course they are, just like any company does with their products. What I'm saying is bringing out poor and/or failed examples of that innovation on the heels of a competitors 'information leak' reeks of schoolyard "me too" oneupmanship.

they still do the same thing as any other mouse, so whats it matter?

the one that turns your desk into a mouse surface might be intreasting if they can combine it with the ability to recognize other objects and make some kind of interactive space.

i thought this was going to be talking about 6 degrees of freedom mice. i've been bloody waiting ages for devices like that to become mainstream.

"the one that turns your desk into a mouse surface might be intreasting if they can combine it with the ability to recognize other objects and make some kind of interactive space"

Multitouch trackpad in the shape of a mouse pad for your desk perhaps? Give it Bluetooth capabilities like MS Surface. Sure it'll be pricey but how cool would that be? The age of handheld controllers will be over soon... Hell, incorporate Project Natal into the PC and allow users to use hand gestures and the like to control desktop objects. Think "Minority Report."

As a gamer, I would like to have a mouse with force feedback.

And this is why they are prototypes. how do I pay games with these things?

I like the mac mouse, but terrible non mac drivers and a 50 dollar price tag(70 for wireless) Just makes it unrealistic for normal use. No matter how many great things a mac product can do, it always has a few issues that piss everyone off.

i wish they could just focus on producing cheaper touch screen and making it more reliable.. dont anyone else feel like touchscreen is the way to the future?... i was kinda thinking that with all those smart phones now utilizing touchscreen input, that mouse would soon come to extinction...but i guess this article kinda proves otherwise...

Could they just re-release the Trackball Explorer? Pretty Please?

So by 2020 they should have a two button mouse with a scrolling middle mouse button?

Then again with 2012 fast approaching they might never make it......

In my opinion, M$ has been making the best general-use mice around since the early 90's when mice started to become common place. M$ Explorer with a ball and wheel is the sturdiest (I have many that are 10+ years old at this point, still going strong) mouse I've ever seen, the weight and tracking speed are great. It's a quality product.

That said, I tried a more recent M$ optical mouse w/RF wireless. Very comfortable and well build, but would at least once a day cause my cursor to fly to the corner of the screen or cause me to 'spin' in any 3D game. Very annoying. I'm using a $5 wung-fung-chu brand from a wholesaler instead.

I'll try the M$ and Logitech laser mice in the future. Here's to hoping that M$ can produce another mouse as good as the Explorer.

Trackballs Rule
"Mouse pad? Mouse pad, we don't need to stinking mouse pad!"

The only viable option out of the bunch would be the one that turns your desk into a trackpad. However, I'd one up on that and say multi-touch screens are the way to go. Be that as it may, I doubt that we will ever see an end to the mouse/joystick. For pure functional design they are second to none.

it is quite hard to right click on ye ole mac

OMG Please!!! I have pretty bad carpal tunnel and can only use a trackball. I've found that I prefer them over a regular mouse anyway, even for gaming and especially for graphic design.

I have to use a Logitech Marble Mouse (ball on top) trackball now, since the discontinued MS Explorer Trackballs cost so much. I really want a scroll wheel, but all trackballs I've tried with scroll wheels have been pretty bad, including the Logitech Wireless Trackball. I've also not liked a single Kensington trackball I've tried, and for the most part they are just too expensive. Though, I might have to bite the bullet and try out one of these:
L-Trac

At least they are optical/laser tracking, instead of opto-mechanical like a lot of the other performance trackballs out there are (ie: iTac trackballs).

Please MS or someone, bring a nice affordable and durable trackball with a scroll wheel to the market (again). I love my $20 Logitech Marble Mouse, but lament that it doesn't have a scroll wheel.

This is the mouse you want:

http://www.canadacomputers.com/ind [...] id=KBM.602

I bought a spare one in case they stop making them and my current one gets stolen or something.

Grammar police here... will people PLEASE learn how to use correct tense and how to use the correct form of there/their/they're!?

Is toms's a place where a lot of non-English native speakers come to post?

On topic though, I'm excited for the new mice. I doubt they will fully replace the regular mouse or the 5 button. If they provide superior functionality for gamers, I'm on board.

There's something to be said about simplicity. Having a traditional mouse with buttons is great. The travel and response of the buttons on a normal mouse are the perfect mix of tactile response. You know when you clicked and it responds right away.

These new designs are more like a touch pad, where sometimes you're not really intending to click but it does anyway, or vice versa.

Still, even if I'm not a fan, I'm interested in how those will pan out.

No. Mouse 2.0 will be scan and utilize brain wave. If it is not this, then it is not Mouse 2.0

It's funny that they call it Mouse 2.0. I still have a fully-functional Microsoft Mouse 2.0 with its original box and driver disk from 1992. It's just a plain, white, non-ergonomic PS/2 ball mouse, but it's well-made and accurate. I only use it as a spare, though. The mouse on my PC is a Logitech G5, which is far better