The James Donkey team recently kicked off a crowdsourcing project called the James Donkey 007, a wired, professional gaming mouse designed to accommodate any right-handed gamer. The project has already reeled in 160 supporters pledging $2,588, with a goal of $8,052 to be reached over the next 40 days.
The big selling point with the 007 mouse is that it provides 11 different removable pieces, not including the base mouse, which present 54 possible configurations. These attachments include the left wing (the thumb holder), the right wing (ring finger and little finger), and the rear palm rest. The idea here is that hands shouldn't be required to adapt to the mouse; the mouse should adapt to the hand. The attachments stay on the mouse via magnets.
The upcoming peripheral will include OMRON switches that have a lifespan of 20 million clicks and an AVAGO 9800 laser sensor with 8400 DPI and up to 30G of acceleration. There's also an LED bar on the top that visually indicates the current DPI setting and a mode light that shows which of the six modes is currently active.
So how different are each of these add-ons? As an example, the J02RR001 is meant for users with smaller hands, whereas the J01RR001 has a long form factor that's better suited for those with larger hands. The J03RR001 was developed for thinner hands and users who would rather keep their wrist raised.
As with the palm attachments, the right wing pieces also have specific uses in mind. The J03RG001 is meant for precision but also accommodates users who want to stretch out their fingers. The J02RG001 is designed to allow users to grip the mouse and move quickly across the surface. The J01RG001 is for general use and allows the user to "moderately" spread his or her fingers.
Finally, we have the left wing set. The J03LF001 was designed for FPS gamers and designers who need greater precision. The J01LF001 is more for the mainstream user, whereas the J02LF001 is for users who need speed, such as in RTS games, or simply for those with small hands.
The money raised by the Pozible program will go towards the mold manufacturing, trial production and sample approval, and then finally mass production. The molds are expected to be done by May, with mass production beginning by July.
The idea behind the 007 mouse isn't all that new, and it leaves out lefties, which represent a large percentage of gamers. By contrast, Razer's Ouroboros also provides different attachments that are held on by magnets, but it's also ambidextrous by design, accommodating all PC gamers. However, Razer's mouse is a meaty $149.99, whereas the 007's "Early Reward" tier provides a mouse for $41 and more.
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