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In a lot of PC publications, it’s the CPUs, video cards and other internal hardware that gets all the attention, with input devices relegated to a few pages here or there in the reviews section. But why should that be the case? Input devices are, after all, your point of connection to your machine. As keyboards, mice and game controllers have evolved over the years, so has the way we control and interact with our computers. That’s why we’ve chosen to give them the respect they deserve—by compiling a list of 50 of the most important, memorable, or just downright wacky input devices from the past, present and future of computing.
We’ve arranged our retrospective into logical sections: mice, keyboards, game controllers, and miscellaneous peripherals. Within each section, we’ve arranged the input devices chronologically, so read through from the beginning to get a sense for each devices history, where it’s at today, and where it’s going in the future. Are there any that we missed? Post your favorite PC peripherals in the comments section!
The sexier side of input devices: The Logitech CyberMan 2 was featured on the cover of the December 1997 cover of Boot, which would later become Maximum PC.
In 1952, scientists in the Royal Canadian Navy built a device that could detect the rotation of a 5-pin bowling ball. This device, later known as the trackball, would go on to be a major early competitor to the mouse . Sadly, the trackball has largely been made obsolete by the mouse and the trackpad, appearing in few commercial products other than BlackBerry smartphones and the Apple Mouse.
Any discussion of significant input devices would be incomplete without mentioning the very first mouse, designed by Doug Engelbart in 1963. The mouse, which was actually built by Bill English, had two perpendicular wheels on it bottom side, allowing it to detect movement on the X and Y axis. Its innards were encased in a hand-carved wooden shell, with room for a single button. A humble beginning for a fundamental component of the computer revolution.
One of the few alternatives to the traditional mouse to gain any real traction in the market, gyroscopic mice (or “air mice”) use an internal gyroscope or accelerometer to detect the motion of a mouse-like device held in the air and translate it to cursor movement. We’d never want to game on one, of course, but for navigating a home theater PC from the couch, they’re pretty darn handy.
Sure, it may not be the flashiest line in the world, but you’ve got to hand it to the Microsoft Intellimouse series—it’s proven to be adept at popularizing features that would go on to become ubiquitous.
Case in point—the original Intellimouse, introduced in July 1996, was the mouse that made the scroll wheel mainstream. Designed to make reading web pages easier, it was a forward-thinking technology that’s now featured in nearly every mouse sold today.
In the late 90’s, Logitech came up with an interesting concept: why not bring force feedback to the mouse? They partnered with Immersion Corp, a haptics-focused company to license technology to incorporate force feedback into their mice. The first product to be released to market was the Wingman Force, a good example of when innovation is stifled by poor execution. The Wingman delivered on its promise of novel force feedback, but delivered the experience by binding the mouse physically to the mousepad, giving it a very limited range of motion.
Not being able to life the mouse off of its pad was a deal-breaker, so Logitech returned to the idea with its iFeel line of mice two years later. This time around, the iFeel looked and felt more like a traditional mouse, and was actually pretty fun to use. With the proper software installed, users could feel bumps when hovering over icons on their desktop, or when they moved files and folders around in Windows. Unfortunately, the concept never took off for gaming. Immersion later filed several lawsuits against game console manufactures for using patented rumble technology in their gamepads – which is likely the reason the first generation SIXAXIS didn’t incorporate Dual Shock rumble effects.
The Boomslang was the mouse that introduced the gaming public to the idea of a “gaming mouse,” with the flashy appearance and high pricepoints that persist to this day. Although the Boomslang’s 1000 dpi sensor may seem downright paltry compared to today’s 5600 dpi Mamba, it was a big step up from the 200-400 dpi mice of its time.
The Boomslang was such a gaming icon that Razer released an upgraded 10th anniversary edition in 2007, complete with modern internals in the classic Razer chassis.
Comments are closed on this article
stoneyface
November 30, 2009 at 6:12pm
i am an ergodex user and have loved this board since i unwrapped it several years ago now. i am a disabled gamer and without the ergodex i could not play any computer games that require some sort of keyboard input. my fingers are messed up and odd bent from the effects of arthritis and being able to put the keys wherever my fingers actually hit was a godsend. when i first started reading this article i thought to myself, "they better have my ergodex in there..." sure enough, it's there! what a blessing this board has become as i frag to the limit in the call of duty series or just romp around in age of conan or champions.
THANK YOU ERGODEX!!!
stoneyface
November 30, 2009 at 6:09pm
i am an ergodex user and have loved this board since i unwrapped it several years ago now. i am a disabled gamer and without the ergodex i could not play any computer games that require some sort of keyboard input. my fingers are messed up and odd bent from the effects of arthritis and being able to put the keys wherever my fingers actually hit was a godsend. when i first started reading this article i thought to myself, "they better have my ergodex in there..." sure enough, it's there! what a blessing this board has become as i frag to the limit in the call of duty series or just romp around in age of conan or champions.
THANK YOU ERGODEX!!!
K0BALT
November 26, 2009 at 8:07pm
I used Logitech's Marble Trackball when I first started getting into gaming..... it was great for Half-Life 2... Sadly, i've upgraded to the Logitech G9 mouse... when this thing finally dies, I may go back to my trackball.... once you get used to it, it's awesome. Very precise.
CyyberSpaceCowboy
November 25, 2009 at 9:38pm
www.warmouse.com Eighteen programmable buttons, a scroll wheel, and a thumb stick. It's said the OpenOffice.COM guys had their name remove once they saw the pictures (now just the OO_Mouse).
zerokool
November 30, 2009 at 10:59am
Us windows guys wouldn't be caught dead with a thing that looked that whack on our desks. Apparently you haven't seen the Razer Naga bro. That thing is teh weaksauce compared to the Razer =P
MµDiyéh
November 24, 2009 at 8:21pm
Nintendo Powerglove: a testament to the ingenuity and adaptability of pc hackers.
querzus
November 24, 2009 at 7:55pm
who's that girl in the cover? I know its a 1997 cover but she's pretty!
JohnP
November 24, 2009 at 4:44pm
Let me count the ways. My college son still uses the original MS split keyboard at a blistering pace. I have one more as a spare.
HeartBurnKid
November 24, 2009 at 4:16pm
It's not so much a piece of hardware as a set of schematics and drivers for rolling your own, but I would have put Direct Pad Pro on the list. It was the first time there was an easy way to use console pads on a PC, and thus it opened up a whole market for PS2-to-PC adapters, console controller clones, and eventually using the 360 controller on Windows.
Bustout
November 24, 2009 at 2:30pm
"typing on a keyboard with no tactile feedback whatsoever is pure torture." You could be describing my iPhone....
robbie8317
November 24, 2009 at 1:52pm
I've got a Microsoft Trackball Explorer and wish that, at the very least, Microsoft would license someone else to make it. It is VERY long in the tooth and I'd like to know of a replacement before it gives up the ghost.
TrackBall
November 24, 2009 at 12:32pm
I have been using trackballs for gameing since BF1942
There are just some things you can do with a trackball you cant do with a mouse. in 1942 loop de loops are easy with a tb conventional mouse deadly and another kill to my stats.
BF Vietnam: Same thing but switch planes with helicopters.
Now days I use what I consider to be by & far the best Trackball ever. Made by kensington.
I will pwn you ! Bringzit
TimberWolf
November 24, 2009 at 12:07pm
I still use a logitech marble mouse track ball. Greatest mouse ever!
zodi
November 24, 2009 at 10:43am
Thrustmaster HOTAS and rudder pedals. I know CH had a mention but Thrustmaster did have a much superior product with the flight simulation crowd, and it was ground breaking at the time.
Chuckles
November 26, 2009 at 5:46am
How can you mention the CH stuff without mentioning the Thrustmaster.
I had the original thrustmaster joystick and wcs (the one with the dip switches), to the wcs II (programable), to the FLCS, TQS, and F22. I actually bought a cheapo soundcard 2-3 years ago after various upgrades left me without a joystick port to still be able to use the f22 and tqs (with the Bob Church's modded digital chips...yes someone designed new chips for it). RIP, Buzz Hoffman, you brought me years of enjoyment!
gendoikari1
November 24, 2009 at 6:54pm
Hehe... double entendre; Thrustmaster is bad on its own, but combined with HOTAS(S)? Giggle-worthy.
PokeyJones
November 24, 2009 at 8:16am
One device type i didn't see make the list is the Space Explorer type "mouse" produced by 3Dconnexion. found here (http://www.3dconnexion.com/3dmouse/overview.php) this mouse allows movement on x, y, and z axis and come in models with varying numbers of buttons and functions. The device is used mostly in CAD, CAM and Solid Modeling applications, but i've occasionaly wondered if somewhere there is a gamer that loves the Space Cadets.
Guess i shoud have read all the way to the end. LAST item in the article...
tweeve
November 24, 2009 at 3:03am
I still have a Logitech MX1000, I bought it soon after it hit the market, Still works fine today. Battery life isnt what it use to be, but the mouse works great.
I also still have the original Microsoft sidewinder joystick, too bad you cant find any computers that can use it due to it using a midi/game port. As far as I know it still works, I havent found a system that it will run on in over a year. Though I know Win XP will detect it and install the correct drivers for it.
I also have a OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator, that thing is fun. More of a gimick than anything, but my brother got fairly good at using it. I was starting to get the hang of it before I stoped using it. I might have to break it out again and see if I can make it work for me again.
Muerte
November 24, 2009 at 2:18pm
I believe ther is an adapter for this that converts the pins to USB. It actually came with mine but that was almost 10 years? ago.
I dunno. I've had it forever.
Richard Smith
November 24, 2009 at 2:00am
I have six or seven IBM model "M" keyboards. They are the best of the best. I'm writing this on one now. Every time I go into a thrift-store/flea-market I look for model "M" keyboards.
Hutif
November 23, 2009 at 11:27pm
I remember having those pointing sticks on my old laptops. They always made to feel a little uncomfortable rotating that coarse, rubber nipple...
Zyryn
November 23, 2009 at 9:10pm
Back in '99, I purchased a Logitech iFeel Mouseman, and it worked great with the game "Black & White." Force feedback through the mouse was pretty darned cool! I still have this mouse, and use it regularly on my laptop....as a person with long fingers, it fits perfectly in my palm and is very comfortable to use, even though it is much larger than even standard PC mouses (mice?). Sadly, I lost the original driver CD long ago, and Logitech no longer offers the original drivers for it.....so it only works as a basic 3-button +1 scroll mouse. It still works great, but on the downside (as has always been the case with this mouse), it tends to get a little warm, resulting in unwanted hand-sweat during long usage. Ewww! Oh well...
ZYRYN
"...and the sea shall grant each man new hope, as sleep brings dreams...of home."
--Christopher Columbus
gendoikari1
November 23, 2009 at 8:45pm
I wish my keyboard had a nipple mouse on it... also, boot's covers were awesome.
praetor_alpha
November 24, 2009 at 4:55pm
Why don't more people call it a nipple?
My school gave everyone Thinkpads, and everyone said nipple.
HeartBurnKid
November 24, 2009 at 4:27pm
http://www.geek.com/articles/chips/review-lenovo-thinkpad-ultranav-keyboard-20090325/
