GameBall Thumb Launch Details with an update on GameBall Pro 

Admittedly one of the elements I liked about my current Gameball was that it was produced in the UK and thus the workers were being better compensated. The price point of $220+ would only have had it slightly more pricey than buying a fully assembled Ploopy, but I do fully understand the desire to make it more affordable in order to reach more customers.

I've been using trackballs forever, but haven't used a fingertip ball since the 90's, so I'm definitely excited for the Thumb. Good timing, too - my MX Ergo is showing its age (as am I with that comment about the 90's) and this will be a nice companion to the Glorious keyboard I added recently. Woot!

LETS GOOOOOOOOOO this is great news!!! Very excited to have a proper 1kHz polling rate trackball that is feature rich like the MX Ergo. Keep up the great work and I think anyone that is involved with product R&D/manufacturing/marketing understand its EXTREMELY difficult to be competitive in small batch quantities without moving production overseas. Without having your own facility/tooling/equipment you wont be able to bring the price down enough to be competitive. Your still reaching the same end goal you set out to do and I for one among many others am grateful for you work. Thank you!!!

As always, deeply appreciate the transparency. ❤

Regarding the Pro, $250 (assuming USD) might seem like a lot but frankly people spend way more than that on keyboard stuff, and I expect most of that stuff isn't made somewhere with better labour practices. I don't remember what I paid for it when I backed their campaign but the latest version of my keyboard sells for $320 USD for something that's made in Europe. And that doesn't include the extra modules or modifications I've done to it (hot-swap upgrade, new switches, custom keycaps). All that's a long way of saying that, FWIW, I'd probably be willing to pay $250 for the Pro (though I might have to reconsider if USB-A or (*shudder*) micro-USB shows up...). Being made in the UK helps justify the cost-for me, anyway. But I'm also happy to take the savings and pay half that, especially if I can be confident that it'll last a long time, and I recognize that the lower price point will broaden the appeal.

So excited for the pro. It looks to be the exact mouse ive been looking for since i started gaming on m&k. Love the original gameball, im a 3 finger trackballer though, so this one is going to feel great in the hand.

I'm greatly looking forward to the Gameball Pro. Never was keen on touch scroll wheels or the ambi design, so the Gameball original didn't appeal to me. I was able to get a preorder of the Thumb Ball and am excited to use it this December.

I'm switching between the MS Trackball and Gameball a few times a week. I can tell you now that I'm sold on the non-scroll wheel option and will not get the Gameball Thumb. I'll be sticking with the current Gameball with no scroll wheel. 🤓🤓🤓

Due to the demand for the GameBall Thumb Special Edition, we have decided to add a second batch of preorders. They are available now. This second batch will start shipping in late January. This is your chance if you missed out on the first batch of preorders. More details can be found here: www.gamingtrackball.com/products/gameball-thumb

I’m planning to get the game ball pro to replace my deft pro, excited for the next update!

I just ordered the Gameball Thumb. I have hyper mobility in my fingers and it’s starting to hurt 15-20 mins into gaming with a regular mouse. I really hope this helps! It could be such a great tool for people with things like EDS and other mobility/pain related conditions.

My wife had a Logitech G mouse a while back (G7 or G9, I think) that had a removable cable and would run in wireless (dongle) mode if the cable was absent or connected to a dumb charger, or switch to wired mode if the cable was connected to the PC. That sort of thing is par for the course these days, but it had a battery solution that I think you should look into for the Pro. Instead of the hard-to-replace Li-ion brick that all the newer mice seem to come with, it came with an Eneloop rechargeable AA battery installed and had appropriate electronics to charge that battery when it was plugged in. It was easy to just buy another rechargeable battery and swap it in when the original one started to get old and the charging cycle got a bit shorter, and if you didn't have the cable with you when it went flat you could just swap in a normal AA battery to get it working again until you were ready to charge it. I don't know what would have happened if we'd plugged it in with a non-rechargeable battery installed, but we just... didn't. I only put the non-rechargeable in it one time to confirm that it worked and then went back to the rechargeable. That mouse used to get close to a week between charges, while the G703 with the Li-ion struggles to get through a second day if we forget to plug it in overnight. I think the main reason they moved from the AA batteries to Li-ion bricks would be weight-reduction, but a trackball is supposed to stand proudly where it is instead of being flicked around the desk like a mouse. I think it's OK to add a few grams if it results in week-long charge cycles and user-replaceable batteries.

Hello, I ordered from Korea and I'm really looking forward to how the gamball will look in my hands. I saw news of the pro model before I ordered it, but I wanted to try the original. I'm also looking forward to the pro model!

For the Gameball Thumb, will charge and play be a feature (I have usb slots that are just power delivery via a USB hub and is easier to use than where I'd plug in the wireless receiver)

I've ordered a GameBall, but am interested in the GameBall Pro. My favorite trackball has always been the Kensington Expert, which has a 55 mm ball, but a polling rate of only 125 Hz, which doesn't work well with high refresh gaming. A bigger ball and a physical scroll ring/wheel would sell me on the GameBall Pro, as long as the quality matches that of the Kensington. I have two of those, each over ten years old. They still work like new.

The gameball pro sounds great

also badass games shelve, fun to see all these oldschool games (and yes, I was there as well when they just came out......we are getting old)

One thing I would love to see and something I'd like to request/ask, is if your team is planning on offering different color schemes in the future. Both gameballs look lovely from a design and technical standpoint. But I have a light/white setup on my desk for example, and I would love the mouse I use to be color matched. A white version of the gameball would be really nice and would probably sell like hotcakes seeing as how people are getting tired of generic black and rgb peripherals now a days.

Right now not a fan of the thumb ball design, but will definitely will pre-order it. 🤓

Is the tilting base of the GameBall Thumb the same size & shape as the Logitech MX Ergo? I ask because I have a 3D-printed tilt riser that I found on Etsy that has a 40 degree tilt (which enables up to a 60 degree total tilt 😁😁) and I would like to be able to use that same riser on the GameBall Thumb. Also - is the base removable as it is on the MX Ergo? I'm looking forward to receiving my GameBall Thumb (I'm glad that I was able to pre-order the limited edition before it sold out!) Thanks!

Is there a performance difference between the Thumb and the original? I heard the action on the regular Gameball was buttery Smoothe. Is the price difference just because of moving manufacturing or is the regular a better mouse overall than the Thumb?

Super stoked for the pro!!!

Will you be posting a video showing the working conditions in the factory in China? I think at least visiting them would be the responsible thing to do. I will not buy a 100€+ product when I'm not *certain* that there's no child labor or other exploitation involved.

One final thing to note. Now that I’m looking at the thumb mouse I previously bought from Amazon. The mouse feels too light and the build quality is a bit creaky. I’m sure that yours will feel a lot better

The GameBall thumb is clearly using the MX Ergo mould. What distinguishes your product from the MX Ergo?

It's funny since when you said that the Pro would be around $250 my first thought was "I've spent more than that hunting Track Ball Explorers that still work, sounds like a deal to me." haha Honestly though, if you're able to get cost down with a manufacture you trust then I trust you. I'll pay a higher price but I'm also not going to complain about a lower price. I'm just looking forward to being able to play games again since my (I think it's now my 5th?) Trackball Explorer is on it's last legs thanks to years of heavy usage.

so will the gameball pro be more like the Microsoft Explorer or Logitech Trackman FX or something entirely different?

Very excited for this! Thumb balls are just more comfortable for myself, and I really look forward to this release. Hoping that I can get that pre-order in!

I know that it will take a long time before you are able to ship to Southeast Asia but if you do sell products to countries like the Philippines will you sell this on local online shopping websites like Shopee or Lazada? Since that is more accessible to us than Amazon

Will the all-black gameball also be available for pre-sale? I'd love to purchase the gameball thumb on the 20th but I'm not sure red is my thing. Also, as someone with Essential Tremors, which has made FPS gaming an uphill battle, THANK YOU SO MUCH for making accessible gaming peripherals. I can't explain how grateful I am for this.

It is nice with not having to require software for the Thumb version, but does that also mean software like OpenRGB will not be able to control it? If so, will there be any way to customize the RGB on it, rather than using a built in default?

What will be size of the ball for gameball pro?

ive bought that thumb mouse before on amazon and i coudnt use it cause the ball required too much force to move it. it wasnt smooth. i ended up using the mx ergo instead. hopefully yours solves that issue?

the gameball thumb, any chance it might be for left handed?

Looks almost indistinguishable from the MX Ergo, which is a mouse I love to use but is plagued with problems. I have 3 whose click switches make them fully unusable, and the click switches on the fourth one are starting to fail too. For the record, I only bought two of them, and the other two were warranty replacements. Still, my house is becoming a MX Ergo graveyard. If this mouse could have all of the features of the Ergo minus the quality issues, It'll be fantastic. And it looks like there are even further improvements to look forward to too. I was kind-of hoping a Gameball thumb ball would have more buttons than existing thumb balls, and maybe a third mouse click like Elecom thumb balls (for a sniper switch), but this still looks like it's going to be awesome!

Waited for black one last time and ended up regretting a little. Should probably rush for red this time.

I know its too late for this now, and it does look like a solid product, but the one thing that is keeping me from getting one is the lack of a 3rd finger button, im using the Elecom EX-G atm and I use the third button often for stuff like melee in games, infact I just remap it to the mouse wheel button to prevent compatibility issues, but yeah its really nice to have. but it has extra buttons on top so who knows, maybe ill get one anyway. QQ though, is it because you can make use of some premade components that the price is half that of the original gameball?

AS a thumb trackball user this makes me VERY HAPPY!!!!

I've finally put my MS Trackball in the drawer. I love scrolling with no wheel and there is no going back.🤓🤓🤓

Is there anything planned to ship to Switzerland in the future?

Can i get a Green Ball to match the light on the mouse. I'm a fan of openSUSE?

weirdly excited for a thumb trackball with premium specs. looking forward to seeing how it performs.

It would have been nice to get the multi profile option with extra dongles for moving between PCs. Still going to be a good trackball though.

looks great! I likey

Can you tell me if it's smaller or larger than the MX Ergo that it's similar to? It appears it may be smaller? Which if so is perfect for me. Also please tell me it doesn't have the tiny hole on the bottom that the MX Ergo has where you can't pop the ball out with your finger. That's one of my biggest gripes on the MX Ergo other than the ball also felt kind of stiffer than the M570/M575. Other than that, I'm impressed. Also the $69 price caught me pleasantly by surprise, that's a great price!

Please tell me that unlike the ProtoArc this is based on, the RBG ring will be CUSTOMIZABLE!!!???

For the gameball thumb, can the battery be removed?

Wow literally the perfect mouse. Thumb operation is huge for me while gaming. Can't wait to purchase.

Will there be a USB C wireless receiver?

legend! This looks great and checks all the boxes

At this current time I have been using a (finger operated) ELECOM huge trackball and I like it with all the functions it has. I think I would purchase this product if it had function keys alongside scroll wheel (and also finger operated as my preference). Glad to see a gaming tracbkall mouse in 2023, commendable efforts.

Which of the buttons is the precision button and does it work similar to the "sniper" buttons on gaming mice?

i'm looking forward for that GameBall Thumb, it loosk really well made, i need to replace my Logi

While I am very satisfied with my Logitech MX570, I will buy your Gameball Thumb. It sounds good, and I want to support a dedicated trackball maker. What kind of battery life can we expect from the Thumb's rechargeable battery?

Contrary to the rest of the comments, I'm hoping that the move to China opens the door to increased volume and expanded international shipping (Australia please!)

goddamn it, I missed my chance to order the LE version of the Gameball Thumb :(

I'll be getting one but I think the pro would be a better fit for me since it's a finger ball but still, I will have to see how it is to game on a thumb ball

100% going to buy a Thumb, but probably going to wait for the normal black version

See a lot of people griping about the move in manufacturing. I wanted to chime in to the contrary to say that I love my gameball, and I'll continue to buy all of your products until a release proves otherwise that your judgement on quality is not up to snuff.

definitely picking up the thumb as soon as presales start

Very dissapointed the Pro production is moving to China and will no longer be purchasing as a result. Would have been more than happy to pay a premium to not support an authoritarian, genocidal state. Absolutely love my GameBall and it being built in the UK was a a plus. Was really looking forward to the Pro model, what a shame.

Always wanted a more precise TB for Photoshop..may grab this, but you need more buttons on that thing. And why did you design the 1st one to be operated with fingers? LOL, YUGE mistage.

I'm really looking forward to the Gameball Pro. I loved the quality of the Gameball, but didn't care for the ball size or the scroll ring (kept accidentally tapping it).

Should add 'Pro' to the title

I'm very disappointed about the GameBall thumb. It's very obvious that since moving manufacturing to China, it's now suffering the current trend of poor quality and cloning all made at the same facility... The GameBall Thumb is already an obvious clone to the currently-available *ProtoArc EM01* (with the _exact_ same layout and palm groove), which itself was a clone of the older *Perixx PERIMICE* thumb series. At this point, I half expect the GameBall Pro to be clone of the *SANWA Gravi* , *Nulea M505* , or *ProtoArc EM03* , all Chinese clones of the MTE made in the same factory, literally the same mice with different branding. You also have the GameBall Thumb marketed at the $70 USD price point; while the ProtoArc EM01 it copies to-a-T retails for $50 USD. Personally, I love the original GameBall for what it is; an entirely unique design that innovated in this space. Personally, I'm fine with paying the price for something both original and quality-built (hell, I purchased x3 GameBalls; x2 LEs, and x1 Release). Eric, I really want to continue supporting GameBall, but this has really turned me off the future of the product. I sincerely wish you luck with GameBall Thumb; and I hold my breath and expectations for the upcoming GameBall Pro.

I have to say that I'm not thrilled about China being the supplier. I try to limit money that I spend that contributes to the CCP. I may still get the Gameball Thumb, but I'll have to think about it. Personally, I'd rather pay the $250 for a UK made Gameball Pro than $125 for a Chinese made one. Obviously, I can't speak for anyone else.

Thank you for the update. I will patiently wait for the pro next year owning the first iteration already, which is still working perfectly since release. I hope the chinese manufacturer will be up to the task.

Yes!

I'd also like to chime in and say that people are getting very up in arms about China, but It's not like you're literally supporting everything China does just by doing business with Chinese companies. Don't be afraid to do what you need to in order to reach more people. Remember that naysayers are always the loudest.

Shame. Would buy if production wasn't moved.

Would love to buy one of these down here in Australia

Make a left handed one!!!