I got tired of having my microsoft bluetooth mouse and/or keyboard freeze up on me in the middle of a game and decided to go back to wired peripherals. I ended up buying the Logitech G5 and a Saitek Eclipse (not EclipseII) keyboard. I can highly recommend both of these. They are quite nice and seem to be a big improvement on my Microsoft Bluetooth mouse/keyboard. I liked the bluetooth stuff, it was comfortable and worked well, but every once in awhile it would lose the BT connection. To get it back I would have to remove the device from the BT config and then re-connect to it. Not a big deal unless you are right in the middle of a WoW PVP battle and get to watch someone obliterate you because you can't move..........2 or three of those was about all I could take, the Microsoft BT keyboard and mouse are now in my closet as spares :)

Also, the blue backlight in the Saitek keyboard matches the blue fan led's in my antec 900 case. :)

I have always used and liked Logitech products, especially their keyboards and trackballs are awesome! I tried Kensington and even M$ trackballs at one point but none of them even come close to the reliability and quality of marble trackballs Logitech produces.

I never used a Saitek but a few friends from my former gaming clan highly recommended Saitek's keyboards and Joysticks so I believe they are pretty good as well.

I also have a wireless Logitech trackball, really cool device but like you said I got tired of odd movement, etc. when the battery was getting weak...all vendors claim the single AA battery should last up to 4 months and those using 2 AA batteries should last up to 6 months...yeah right, if you use your PC like 3-5hours week then may be but for bunch of geeks with PC addiction (like us), couple of months is a more realistic estimate. ;)

I've been using my brothers saitek gamepad, the analog thumb sticks are great for driving games and it has a cool blue logo that lights up. Other than that, plenty of buttons, it's similar to a sony dualshock controller...

When I got NFS games for the pc it was easy to configure the buttons on the saitek pad to the same functions I have setup for the PS2 controller buttons for NFSU2 :)

I also have a saitek joystick that is sort of a flight stick with throtle control and HAT switch. I set the hat to weapons selection and the button below the hat is target selection, makes the old commanche helicopter game very fun!

I still prefer the keyboard for fps but the game pad makes some of the 3rd person shooters and arcade classics alot more like playing on a console.

Logitech makes great mice/trackball stuff, I've had the logitech usb optical mouse for a very long time. So long infact that I've worn out the button on it several times. The microswitch pusher is not all that durable. What happens is the microswitch wears into the plastic pusher, then the surrounding plastic bottoms out on the microswitch's frame.. I had to file down the nub and surrounding button plastic so that it is able to push the microswitch button without touching the microswitch frame.

It's been about 4 months since then, the nub and surrounding plastic is one smooth bump and contact's the microswitch's clicker button about the same time it hits the frame, only a matter of time before I will have to add more plastic above the micro :) so basically, I need a new mouse, I won't get a cordless, but I will be getting another logitech optical :)

It's been a while since I've used a track ball, I might get one of those and a digitizing pad if I get photoshop cs?

Logitech makes great mice/trackball stuff, I've had the logitech usb optical mouse for a very long time, i've worn out the button on it several times, the microswitch pusher is not all that durable. I had to file down the nub and surrounding button plastic so that it cand still push the microswitch and have now bottomed the nub and surrounding plastic out on the microswitch so far that it no longer wears the plastic nub on it's own, it kinda self clearances the surrounding plastic at the same rate that the nub wears out that pushes the microswitch so as it wears the surrounding plastic the nub is still able to push the microswitch, it's only a matter of time before the underside of the button bottoms out on the support frame... I need a new mouse, won't get a cordless but I will be getting another logitech optical :) been a while since I've used a track ball, I might get one of those and a digitizing pad if I get photoshop cs?



:wow: .........english please.....ROFL

wtf is english, some strange way to make things roll crooked?

No, you just forgot some good punctuation...it all just runs together....

It always does :P
[now edited] it may not be GOOD punctuation, but there's some more in there now :confused:
Here are some pics of the worn out button :)

the wireless version of the G5 I think its called the G7 is supposed to have those wireless issues resolved. I plan on ordering one. I still have the wireless MX710 I believe it is (model number wore off long ago) and I used to play countless hours of diablo 2 without ANY issues other than the battery going dead on me.

I've been using the MX510 for a long time now on the laptop.

and here's the reason why the button keeps wearing out...

Try this with windows 9x version of classic solitaire :)

[quote=blank;7798]...without ANY issues other than the battery going dead on me.
quote]
And that my friend, is the only reason why I would never use a cordless trackball on my gaming machine...god forbid it would effect my game at a very heated moment because the battery is getting weak, this crazy Turk would probably throw a very narly Judo chop and end its life right then and there! :roll: ...(sadly, that was not a joke) lol