A guild member named @D.licious has a discussion going about a mouse with three thumb buttons. Ive left my 2 cents over there, but the conversation did cause a question to pop to mind.
How does glorious determine the placement of the two thumb buttons?
Ive never been able to reliably reach the front thumb button on any mouse Ive own. Its always felt just a little too far forward, and you can just forget about any mouse that has a “sniper button” like the Razer Basilisk.
Has anyone ever toyed with the idea of putting the thumb buttons on a track, with a tension screw? Something that would let people slide the thumb buttons forward or back, and then lock them into place when they found that “sweet spot”. That feature could also allow people to space them out further or put them directly side by side.
If nothing else, I would be curious to see if anyone else has the same issue as me. Being a part of the Glorious Guild has made me feel much less crazy, hearing so many people sharing similar thoughts and opinions.
I believe the RAT7 mouse had adjustable thumb button placement. The mouse had thumbscrews all over it that allowed you to change almost every dimension of the mouse. Was a pretty unique design.
I claw grip so I actually like my mouse buttons far more towards the front than it seems most people do. I use the “aim” button on my G502 all the time as my main mouse button and a ton of people in the reviews claim that its “too out of the way.”
I also, personally, find vertical side button arrangements far, far more convenient than horizontal ones, but horizontal ones have become the norm.
I always switch mouse 4 and 5 (or Back and Forward, depending on your OS and mouse), because the 5th/Forward button is a little far forward for comfortable use. I set my PTT key (because I’m not an animal) on “Forward”, so that I’m not constantly triggering it in my web browser, but I actually swap it, so it’s really the mouse 4 (back) button I’m hitting. I have to adjust my grip / lift my palm slightly to reach mouse 5 to use the back button in browsers.
I use the Model O-, because I like the smaller mouse with a sort of hybrid tip grip / palm grip. My palm rests on the table and the mouse at the same time, but most the weight is on the table. I hadn’t noticed until I analyzed it right now, but I actually lift my palm off the mouse and use my fingertips to bring the mouse back/down, so that I can reach Mouse 5. I’m sure this was much worse with a larger mouse.
The more I think about it, the more I think I’d like smaller buttons and maybe three of them, occupying the same space the existing thumb buttons occupy.
Good question! So generally for placement of any buttons like this we look at a variety of data, including user preference, market data, ergonomics, and general hand size.
I really like the idea of making the button placement adjustable so you could find your personal sweet spot. Probably would actually use my side buttons if I could do that lol.
I have a small circle of 7 friends that I basically use as a control group. So when I start to wonder about things like this, I ask all of them questions to see what I can piece together.
Not a single one of us is capable of using the front mouse button without repositioning our hands. So thats what lead me to wonder, how is the placement decided during development of a product.
Finger tip / Palm hybrid grip for myself. I used to be a flat palm grip FPS player, but had to retrain myself when I started making an effort to improve my gameplay.
I believe my palm dimensions are L: 18.8cm W: 11cm which is a smaller hand size from what Ive gathered.
The way I hold the mouse during gameplay, the tip of my thumb just barely touches the back of the front thumb button.
I currently use a Logitech G Pro wireless as my main, but swap out to my O- for most non FPS games.
The “aim” front button is where my thumb rests, the “forward” above it is within super easy access and then rear button is hard to hit without moving my hands.
I then use the two side buttons to the left of the left click for copy/paste.
It’s actually just, generally, too small for me, as my thumb is hitting the mat full time and i can’t feel the mouse top with my hand. My wife likes it though.
Oh wow, so you actually have the same problem that I do, but on the opposite end of the spectrum. You can reach the front thumb button with no problem, but the rear one is mounted too far back.
When I rotate my thumb upwards to the side buttons, you can see that Im hardly able to reach the front button. If I want to press the front button, I have to either roll my thumb forward (which causes the mouse to be pulled left) or take my thumb off the mouse entirely.
I understand that this isnt a problem that affects the majority of people, but it is frustrating. Especially when its something that persists on every mouse I purchase.
Really appreciate you weighing in and sharing the pictures. Although, I dont know how you get anything done with Bulbasaur judging your every move.
