Currently, I have the UHK v2 without modules, and I am loving it.
What are your recommendations/opinions regarding the mouse modules?
The main usage, its browser, Visual Studio/Code and read/edit documentation.
Can I actually live without a mouse? Or I should get the Apple Magic Trackpad?
Since with shipping fees, the price won’t be that different.
I prefer the first option, if it’s viable, to avoid one more item in the table.
I’ll also keep my current mouse for some sporadic gaming (shooters).
Given your use case (and the fact that you’ll still use the mouse for gaming), I’d say it might be more beneficial (and definitely cheaper) for you to learn hotkeys for VSCode and install a VIM-like plugin for a browser.
As for the modules - I use both a key cluster and a trackball. I prefer trackballs over regular mouses and trackball+key cluster complement each other perfectly so you don’t have to move your hands out of the keyboard at all.
I love the trackball module. (I am generally a trackball enthusiast, and so probably unfairly biased towards it.) Admittedly, it does require gentle and smart hands, and takes some time to get used to (~1 week in my case).
I definitely do recommend to learn vim bindings, but I don’t agree with the philosophy that mouse should be avoided at all costs in VIM. Sure, you want to be able to use VIM completely without mouse, but at the end of the day, mouse controlled via UHK modules is very handy for big imprecise jumps and moving around (scrolling…), since UHK modules diminish the cost of switching to the mouse control. (I still use vim motions for precise control of cursor position, edit commands, selecting etc…)
So, If you are a touchpad enthusiast, pick between the Apple Magic Trackpad and the UHK touchpad module. (The cons of the module is that it is very narrow. Pros of the module is its integration with UHK, which allows using it with various navigation modes and other advanced configurations.)
Otherwise pick between trackpoint and trackball whichever suits you.
I personally use the mouse keys exclusively with the touchpoint available as a fallback for those rare times I actually need a mouse. I can’t speak much for the gaming use case, but most of what you do with a mouse is pointing and clicking, for which mouse keys is perfectly suited.
I’m using the keycluster and the trackpoint module.
IMO the trackpoint is useful when you have a lot of screens of big screens as you can move the cursor all over the place with just one move of you thumb.
I never use a mouse anymore except for when I’m gaming. Nothing beats a mouse when playing any kind of shooter I think.
Well, it seems that’s not a simple suggestion, let specify the setup.
Currently, I have a KVM that switches from the corporate laptop to my tower pc, where I do my own projects/dev and some gaming. The mouse isn’t plugged in the KVM. The idea is to have the UHK keyboard in the KVM.
The laptop is fully protected and I cannot install anything, not even running portable apps. Because of that, acquiring the Magic Trackpad might not be the best option.
I have 2/3 screens, two FHD and the main one is a 2K. So, the mouse has to travel a little bit between edges.
The UHK touchpad would be my first option, but as @kareltucek mention, is very narrow, and from the example videos I tend to agree. For that reason, sadly, I’m gonna exclude it from the list.
That leaves the Trackpoint and the Trackball, I don’t have any preference, since I don’t even remember the last time I used either of them. Can I get way with one of them without purchasing the key cluster?
Not much. The keycluster gives you just a few more keys. Nothing vital.
As to the mini-trackball of the keycluster, I am not a fan of it. I find that for all practical purposes (e.g., scrolling), using navigation modes with right side module (e.g., mod+trackball yields scrolling) is more practical.
I think the trackpoint is better then, because you just can keep moving the cursor till you reach the screen. All other option force you to swipe or roll multiple times. Trackpoint is king anyways (IMO of course )
Softwaredev here. I completely ditched my mouse for everything besides gaming. I have got all modules (trackball, trackpoint, touchpad) and the one that i use most of the time is the trackball.
Trackpoint is kinda neat but i don’t have the accuracy i have with the trackball. The touchpad is strange. It feels awkward to use the touchpad with the side of my thumb as opposed to the middle of my thumb compared to a steam controller or the steam deck.
Maybe, if the touchpad was somewhere around 30-40° canted, this might be better.
I’m trying my darndest to get used to the trackball, but it’s not easy. I find myself going back to my mouse, and I’m not sure what it will take for me to get used to a trackball. But it’s theoretically nicer to not keep moving your right hand around.
@MightyHase Do you think that with practice you might get the accuracy out of the trackpoint? @davidvkimball, would you still pick the trackball? Or, if you know what you know now, you might have switched to other module?
I haven’t been able to personally try the Trackpoint or the Trackpad, but based on my guesses, Trackball is probably the best option. Honestly, I’d probably rather have another thumb cluster for the right side (if only that existed…)!
@Kxp
With practice, you can get better with the trackpoint, sure. I initially used the trackball but kinda got annoyed that you have to clean it from time to time (anyone remember mice with balls? exactly!). Daily drove the trackpoint for a few months but then again switched back to the trackball.
The trackball just feels more natural to me. The trackpoint always feels like moving your mouse with a joystick (which is exactly what you do) while the trackball feels closer to a mouse or a touchpad.
The touchpad itself doesn’t really work for me. It feels awkward to use it with the side of my thumb.
If you don’t have any issues with the way the mouse feels with a trackpoint, sure, take that one. It’s a bit more comfortable, since you don’t have to drag multiple times to get across your screen (and i do own one of those 32:9 49" super duper ultra wide screens with 5120x1440 pixels)
I thought you would need the key cluster to drag 'n drop to hold the left mouse key, but you can use the case key for that. For some time I removed the key cluster and did not miss it. I now attached it again and have started to use the left key as my mouse key, which is nice IMO. The two right ones I do not use for typing or layers, but just as volume up / down. One reason is that I do not want to rely on those keys, because I want the layout to be possible on a standard laptop keyboard as well. Otherwise I might use it for layers likely. But for sure you do not need the key cluster IMO. But it is very personal and you will get many answers (the same as for which mouse option to choose). I find the mouse keys astonishingly useful as well! Have you tried those? I use the tab key hold as my mouse key (CapsLock key is a layer key for me).
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