5 Of The Strangest Computer Mouses Ever Made
Today We Will Introduce Some Examples Of The Strangest Mice Made In History, Which Were Supposed To Be Creative Products, But They Failed In Practice!
A keyboard and mouse is a tried and trusted combination for controlling computers and has been used by users in the same way for decades.
In the past years, many companies tried to optimize or even improve the design of mice. However, all such efforts have failed so far, and the result of these companies’ work has been mice that, instead of providing better usability, have been flashy with their strange appearance but of little use.
Examples can be given among this mice category intended to improve ergonomics or performance by adding extra keys.
In any case, none of these methods could remove the appearance of the computer mouse from its original design so that the appearance and performance of these accessories, unlike many other technological products, are still similar to their original form!
Continuing this text, we will introduce some of the strangest mice made throughout history, each intended to become a practical product. Still, instead, they were nothing more than a disaster!
Although some of the products on this list are from several years ago, if you are persistent, you will probably be able to get one of them from a collector for a staggering price!
The strangest computer mice in history
Kinniku Muscle Mouse
From the past until today, many “creative” mice have been unveiled and launched. Some of them are named after foods, While the face of some resembles the appearance of a dinosaur!
Also, some have a different appearance and irregular geometric shapes are used in their construction; others have other strange features!
Nevertheless, Kinniku Muscle Mouse is a different product from all mice produced in history and tries to give a new meaning to the concept of creativity in mouse design!
This mouse uses four electrical stimulation pads that the user can attach to any part of his body to stimulate the muscles in that area and finally strengthen them without the need to exercise!
Therefore, you can work with the computer and exercise simultaneously using this mouse. It was enough to connect one end of the stimulating pads to the mouse and the other to your stomach or side and try to train them by shaking each one.
This muscle’s electrical stimulation function was also performed at three different levels, which the key on the device could adjust.
This $50 mouse was also compatible with Windows and Mac and used a sensor with a sensitivity of 800 dpi.
Even though the idea behind the design of this mouse was very creative and attractive, in practice, we were on the side of a strange product that could not reach much success.
Novint Falcon
Although the Kinniku mouse had a strange appearance, at least the overall design was similar to a mouse! However, the other product on this list is the Novint Falcon mouse, which looks more like the GLaDOS character in the Portal series.
The Falcon mouse is a haptic feedback device that allows you to feel different phenomena in video games instead of seeing them!
Of course, in practice, you will feel the dry and tired feeling of your hands after long hours of holding the gun lever of this mouse!
The control mechanism in this mouse was done through a small sphere connected to a larger pyramid-shaped object. A motor vibrated the three levers attached to the device’s control sphere 1,000 times per minute.
This gave the user precise control over the game and could feel the objects’ texture, shape, weight, dimensions, and movement!
The Novint Falcon mouse was launched in 2007 at a staggering price of $239. However, after its rifled levers were released the following year for $20, the mouse instantly became a must-have for gamers; Because it conveyed the feeling of shooting with guns to the gamer in the most natural way possible.
Of course, this mouse was not supported by game makers; Because many experts considered it too big and described it as inappropriate for the desk.
In addition, the gun levers used in this device were also banned in some countries and states.
Thermaltake Black Element Cyclone
In 2012, the Thermal Tech company, best known for making computer cooling and air conditioning equipment, decided to use the same technology for mice and cool the user’s hand!
This idea resulted from the Black Element Cyclone gaming mouse, launched as the first gaming mouse with a separate fan. The fan in this mouse could rotate at 6000 rpm, cool the hand, and prevent it from sweating during long-term use.
Along with the fan, the Black Element Cyclone mouse is made of military-grade rubber, making it easier to hold.
This mouse also had a sensitivity of 6500 dpi and provided five different lighting models to the user. The Black Element mouse also had nine keys and 45 customizable macro modes.
In addition, there were five replaceable weights of 4.5 grams in certain parts of the body of this device, which allowed the user to change the weight of the device.
With its price of 80 dollars, this mouse provided users with various features and had a good design. However, the presence of a cooling fan made many people not take it seriously.
The WarMouse Meta
The WarMouseBeta mouse was launched in 2009 under the name OpenOfficeMouse. However, because the manufacturer could not use the Open Office name, it chose OOMouse and WarMouseMeta.
The exciting thing about this mouse was the presence of eighteen separate buttons instead of its three primary keys! This number of controls was installed on this mouse in a situation where many times, amid heavy and breathtaking battles, gamers even confuse the fire and secondary fire keys and sometimes use them interchangeably!
Along with these sixteen additional keys, the WarMouse also features an analog stick on the side controlled by the thumb.
The Meta mouse also had 512 KB of memory and could store 52 customizable programs.
At first, this mouse was designed for use in programs such as Photoshop or Excel. However, in the future, this mouse will try to compete with gaming products such as Razer Naga, which has transferred all the keyboard keys to the mouse.
In 2010, the leading website Engadget called this mouse the most advanced example it had ever seen. However, in the end, this seemingly attractive 80-dollar accessory could not be as successful as it should have been, so it could not achieve anything other than being on the list of the strangest computer mice in history!
Contour RollerMouse 3
Precisely the same as the Falcon mouse, Roller Mouse 3 Contour also sought to present a completely new idea by abandoning the traditional design of the mouse. Still, in practice, one of the strangest mice in history came out of the water!
The design idea of RollerMouse 3 was to use a screen under the keyboard that was supposed to keep the user’s hand on the keyboard in all conditions. Contour Company states that constantly moving the needle between the mouse and the keyboard causes physical damage to the user.
Based on this, RollerMouse 3 was designed so that plates and rollers were placed under the keyboard and controlled with the help of fingers.
You may think this strange mouse is not much different from a laptop’s touchpad. However, the design of the Roller Mouse 3 is a bit more complicated than you might think.
Contour company claims that in the design of this mouse, the need to move the hand between the mouse and the keyboard has been eliminated, and there will be no need for other writing, shoulder, and neck activities.
It is unclear how far the contour product has come close to this company’s claim. However, the latest version, which uses six programmable keys and can set ten different cursor speeds, is now available for $250.