'The Z' may be the most advanced gaming mouse ever made

[Shawn Knight]

A new multi-purpose mouse seeking funding on Kickstarter offers an unprecedented level of control by going beyond the basic X and Y axes.

Known simply as The Z, the mouse is the brainchild of Grant Odgers from Swiftpoint. What’s unique about The Z is its ability to pivot, tilt and roll. For example, in a FPS game, you can tilt the mouse slightly to look around a corner, crouch or reload your weapon while the same movement in a driving game could steer your vehicle.

Its feet are swappable so you can replace them with ones that are easier or harder to tilt, ones that offer larger or smaller tilt angles or you can lock out the feature entirely.

The mouse is also aware when it is pivoting left or right. In the example listed on the Kickstarter page, you could run straight ahead in a game while looking left or right with analog control, just as you could with a virtual reality headset. And while in the air, the mouse can sense pitch, roll and yaw movements to offer a full flight or space simulator experience.

Swiftpoint advertises that The Z offers 50 clickable action buttons. To get to this number, they’re of course factoring in button presses in normal, tilted and pivoted modes. If you can somehow remember 50 presets, this could be an incredibly powerful mouse not just for gamers, but designers and even power desktop users that love macros and shortcuts.

A pledge of $149 guarantees you’ll be among the first to bring The Z home in time for the holidays. Having already blown past its $140,000 goal with nearly $250,000 pledged and 31 days remaining, this campaign seems like a lock for production.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/65534-z-may-most-advanced-gaming-mouse-ever-made.html

 

[bmw95]

Even if this project fails miserably, the ideas it puts down on the table bring all other mice companies to shame. Some seriously cool stuff there.

 

[Evernessince]

Umm, yeah moving your hand side to side like that is exactly what damages your wrist. It was painful just to watch.

$140 is their lowest package (which is already gone) and they state "save $90 off MSRP". So they are saying this mouse is going to cost $230 retail. That's almost 4 logitech G502 at full retail price guys.

Regular mice companies gouge us enough for an $8 hunk of plastic. I don't care how good this mouse is, at it's suggested retail price very few people can afford to buy it. I'll just wait until another chinese company makes a knock-off for $20.

 

[Axiarus]

Yeah, id still rather have a G900.

 

[VitalyT]

Yeah, yeah, it is so advanced, you no longer need a computer...

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Even if this project fails miserably, the ideas it puts down on the table bring all other mice companies to shame. Some seriously cool stuff there.

no kidding... it's rare to see such a radical huge jump forward with a new product. I hope they filed their patents.

 

[Greg S]

I'm kind of surprised nobody has a better 3D mouse available yet for CAD use. I've tried a couple 3D mice, and they all have really steep learning curves, so much so that I wouldn't buy one yet. The tilt seems like it would be really useful.

 

[Ranger1st]

Umm, yeah moving your hand side to side like that is exactly what damages your wrist. It was painful just to watch.

$140 is their lowest package (which is already gone) and they state "save $90 off MSRP". So they are saying this mouse is going to cost $230 retail. That's almost 4 logitech G502 at full retail price guys.

Regular mice companies gouge us enough for an $8 hunk of plastic. I don't care how good this mouse is, at it's suggested retail price very few people can afford to buy it. I'll just wait until another chinese company makes a knock-off for $20.

I'm a kinesiologist and I'm trying to figure out where you get your data from that moving the wrist like that 'damages' it? if you mean carpal tunnel then your wrong, that's caused by the pressure ON the tendon sheathe when the wrist is resting under pressure, on a surface, usually at a poor angle. Your hand is static because your moving your FINGERS and resting on your forearm for long period of time daily, for months or years. That's what causes computer related carpal tunnel. This mouse allows you to roll off your wrist and lift your forearm completely off the surface, reducing wear, the straight finger movement reduces tendon articulation by reducing the distance traveled by the finger.

 

[Uncle Al]

It certainly looks cool, but I'm not sure how it's going to feel on the hand after an hour or two ......

 

[Evernessince]

I'm a kinesiologist and I'm trying to figure out where you get your data from that moving the wrist like that 'damages' it? if you mean carpal tunnel then your wrong, that's caused by the pressure ON the tendon sheathe when the wrist is resting under pressure, on a surface, usually at a poor angle. Your hand is static because your moving your FINGERS and resting on your forearm for long period of time daily, for months or years. That's what causes computer related carpal tunnel. This mouse allows you to roll off your wrist and lift your forearm completely off the surface, reducing wear, the straight finger movement reduces tendon articulation by reducing the distance traveled by the finger.

I was referring to the hand waving motion and not the rotation. You are supposed to move from your shoulder, not your wrist. If I had a dollar for everyone to claim to be an expert in something I'd own facebook by now.

 

[amghwk]

Umm, yeah moving your hand side to side like that is exactly what damages your wrist. It was painful just to watch.

$140 is their lowest package (which is already gone) and they state "save $90 off MSRP". So they are saying this mouse is going to cost $230 retail. That's almost 4 logitech G502 at full retail price guys.

Regular mice companies gouge us enough for an $8 hunk of plastic. I don't care how good this mouse is, at it's suggested retail price very few people can afford to buy it. I'll just wait until another chinese company makes a knock-off for $20.

I'm a kinesiologist and I'm trying to figure out where you get your data from that moving the wrist like that 'damages' it? if you mean carpal tunnel then your wrong, that's caused by the pressure ON the tendon sheathe when the wrist is resting under pressure, on a surface, usually at a poor angle. Your hand is static because your moving your FINGERS and resting on your forearm for long period of time daily, for months or years. That's what causes computer related carpal tunnel. This mouse allows you to roll off your wrist and lift your forearm completely off the surface, reducing wear, the straight finger movement reduces tendon articulation by reducing the distance traveled by the finger.

Kinesiologist, eh? It's a high claim. Care to let us know for what company do you work for, so that we can verify you and your authenticity of your claims?

 

[Jamesbrah]

Umm, yeah moving your hand side to side like that is exactly what damages your wrist. It was painful just to watch.

$140 is their lowest package (which is already gone) and they state "save $90 off MSRP". So they are saying this mouse is going to cost $230 retail. That's almost 4 logitech G502 at full retail price guys.

Regular mice companies gouge us enough for an $8 hunk of plastic. I don't care how good this mouse is, at it's suggested retail price very few people can afford to buy it. I'll just wait until another chinese company makes a knock-off for $20.

I'm a kinesiologist and I'm trying to figure out where you get your data from that moving the wrist like that 'damages' it? if you mean carpal tunnel then your wrong, that's caused by the pressure ON the tendon sheathe when the wrist is resting under pressure, on a surface, usually at a poor angle. Your hand is static because your moving your FINGERS and resting on your forearm for long period of time daily, for months or years. That's what causes computer related carpal tunnel. This mouse allows you to roll off your wrist and lift your forearm completely off the surface, reducing wear, the straight finger movement reduces tendon articulation by reducing the distance traveled by the finger.

Kinesiologist, eh? It's a high claim. Care to let us know for what company do you work for, so that we can verify you and your authenticity of your claims?

Are you an *****? As if someone is going to confirm their identity just to prove a point on a tech news article. How can you actually expect anyone to do this. I would never ever put my identity online in a public manner like this.

 

[Axle Grease]

The left mouse button has a small width and side button 2 is right next to it. How am I supposed to use it? It my index finger supposed to press both at once?

 

[amghwk]

Umm, yeah moving your hand side to side like that is exactly what damages your wrist. It was painful just to watch.

$140 is their lowest package (which is already gone) and they state "save $90 off MSRP". So they are saying this mouse is going to cost $230 retail. That's almost 4 logitech G502 at full retail price guys.

Regular mice companies gouge us enough for an $8 hunk of plastic. I don't care how good this mouse is, at it's suggested retail price very few people can afford to buy it. I'll just wait until another chinese company makes a knock-off for $20.

I'm a kinesiologist and I'm trying to figure out where you get your data from that moving the wrist like that 'damages' it? if you mean carpal tunnel then your wrong, that's caused by the pressure ON the tendon sheathe when the wrist is resting under pressure, on a surface, usually at a poor angle. Your hand is static because your moving your FINGERS and resting on your forearm for long period of time daily, for months or years. That's what causes computer related carpal tunnel. This mouse allows you to roll off your wrist and lift your forearm completely off the surface, reducing wear, the straight finger movement reduces tendon articulation by reducing the distance traveled by the finger.

Kinesiologist, eh? It's a high claim. Care to let us know for what company do you work for, so that we can verify you and your authenticity of your claims?

Are you an *****? As if someone is going to confirm their identity just to prove a point on a tech news article. How can you actually expect anyone to do this. I would never ever put my identity online in a public manner like this.

OBVIOUSLY, you didn't get it.

 

[FPSChris]

MX518 FTW

 

[Arris]

I like the analog buttons, tilting (which will use pronation/supination via the forearm so no additional wrist strain) and some of the other features but not so sure about the rotating/pivoting or holding a mouse above the mat to control flight. Both of those features don't appeal to me and I see a risk of them causing discomfort. Also in pro Esports you want fast controls, having a control that can possibly become a different control depending on how hard you click could cause screwups, and also depending on how easy it is to adapt to lower player APM.

Trying to bring this to market just as the latest wave of VR is hitting seems rather shortsighted. Especially when it is going to cost almost as much as a VR headset. Will be a crowdfunding hit but not sure it will go further than that, although I applaud the effort to try and evolve the mouse.