In the computing world the mouse shape has changed slightly over the years, but it wasn’t until now that someone has created a radically different mouse, tipping the world on its side in more ways than one.
We used to think we knew what mice looked like: small white hairy critters with little pink tails and twitchy noses. Then some genius went and grew a human ear on the back of one little rodent, forever shaking the certainty that a mouse was a mouse. In the computing world the mouse shape has changed slightly over the years, but it wasn’t until now that someone has created a radically different mouse, tipping the world on its side in more ways than one.
The Evoluent Vertical mouse is the beast we are talking about. Essentially following the standard mouse layout, the Vertical mouse differentiates itself by sitting upright, placing the buttons on the right hand vertical face of the contraption. This allows you to control the mouse with your hand in a more natural position than the horizontal one encouraged by normal mouse designs.
For anyone who spends a large amount of time at their PC, this provides noticeably less strain on your hand and wrist, much like a good trackball. While the mouse feels odd at first it quickly becomes comfortable for all but those possessed with big hands. In this case your hand becomes cramped and squished against the desk, and unlike other mice, the design means there is little you can do about it.
Perfect for sedate day-to-day tasks, the Vertical mouse is not the best for high adrenaline twitch gaming. It simply becomes too hard to grip thanks to the tapered downwards design, which makes for some tense moments as you try and regain a grip on the top of the mouse before the searing white hot pain of a rocket enema ends your flag run.
Leave the games alone or just attach a second mouse for fragging and the Vertical mouse is very useful. If you spend hours a day at your PC, then your wrists will thank you for trying the Vertical mouse.
Issue: 133 | February, 2012