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Sure, you'll need two hands to use it, but some games play better with a trackball.
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details
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By:
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Nyko
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Category:
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Controller
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Price:
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$29.99
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Classic Trackball
Nyko's trackball controller has a very classic look and feel.
October 16, 1998
While there's not many games for the PlayStation that support the PlayStation mouse, the few titles that do certainly benefit from the precision control that the mouse offers. Nyko's Classic Trackball is simply a peripheral that works with the handful of mouse-compatible games, but its compact design and solid feel makes it a controller that's worth getting your hands on.
The one thing that jumps out about the Classic Trackball is its structure. It looks very similar to the simplistic design of the old Atari 2600 trackball. The Classic Trackball is very small and very sturdy, and the ball has a nice heft that makes it feel very arcade-like. The ball is an ash-gray color and sits in the middle of the controller. On either side is a set of two buttons, labeled "L" and "R" (corresponding to the left and right buttons on the PlayStation Mouse). In the upper left of the controller is a switch marked "Turbo," when flipped it makes holding down the buttons react as if you were repeatedly tapping them. The controller rests comfortably in your lap, but it also has rubber pads on the bottom to prevent skidding on a table.
We tested the controller with very mouse oriented games, including Atari's Greatest Hits Vol. 1 and the upcoming Lemmings. Atari's Greatest Hits has four games that use the trackball: Missile Command, Centipede, Super Breakout, and Tempest. Missile Command played splendidly – the only difference in gameplay is that you have to press both the L and R buttons to fire the center missile launcher. Centipede didn't fare nearly as well, not having the same sensitivity as the arcade unit – but we mark this down as a software problem, not a trackball problem. Tempest and Super Breakout weren't designed for trackball control (they were "spinner" games in the arcade), but if we had a choice we'd rather use the trackball then the standard PlayStation controller. Lemmings is a game that absolutely needs the analog support of a mouse device, and the Nyko controller performed extremely well with the game.
Like we said, there's not that many games out there that supports this device, but the Classic Trackball from Nyko is a great alternative to the somewhat pricey mouse from Sony. And some will prefer the more intuitive feel of the trackball over the drag-and-click style of a mouse.
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