What would you like to see in a truly adjustable mouse?

[Vogelbung]

I've just picked up another R.A.T. 7, this time in the form of the surprisingly-as-cool-looking-in-the-flesh-as-it-does-in-the-photos Contagion edition. While I loved the styling of the black edition, this is truly a thing to behold for those into this aesthetic.

I bought it because I really liked the look of it and I want to admire it. I don't - because I had issues with it the last time and I did explore the adjustment options - expect to be using this on a full-time basis, but the comments going on in the R.A.T. 9 thread leads me to this question.

The RAT has the following adjustments for those not familiar with the mouse.
- Adjustable length.
- Adjustable palm height by replaceable palmrests
- Adjustable pinkie placement - either a tray or a rubberised side rest.
- Adjustable thumb placement, in the form of a sideways pivoting thumb tray that can also be adjusted fore and aft.
- and it has adjustable weights. The mouse isn't exactly featherweight to begin with, but you can add more weights.

I said in the R.A.T. thread that the level and kind of adjustment on offer isn't ergonomically (or functionally) relevant.

e.g. the palmrest is adjustable aft/back, but moving the palmrest back adversely affects the balance of the mouse because there's no support under the extended palmrest, as well as the fact that lack of support aside, most of the palmrest's adjustment range is only relevant for those with humongous meatplates of hands, given the effective mouse length the adjustment would result in. Or that e.g. while there's pinkie tray / rest adjustment, there's actually nowhere truly logical for your fourth finger to go - it kinda-sorta rests alongside the pinkie.

There are (quite a lot of) other foibles, but these two are good examples in my opinion. It's adjustability for the sake of 'it's adjustable' (and once again, it looks hella cool).

But my primary issue is with the way adjustability impacts the *key* aspect of mousing apart from moving it: The left-click button and how your index finger is placed relative to it. It doesn't - Because there's no adjustment. If you adjust the length of the mouse, or you adjust the height of the mouse, you affect the way that your index finger approaches the mouse buttons.

In a truly adjustable mouse, I'd like to see the angle (and if possible the actuation force) of the mouse buttons be adjustable for starters, as well as possibly the length of the buttons if a mouse can be switched between claw and palm grip, as the RAT for example (unsuccessfully IMO) basically tries to do with the adjustable palmrest concept.

What do you think in terms of adjustability?

The new TT/BMW mouse seems interesting, but it's unclear (to me at least) what is actually adjustable. However if the adjustment of the height of the mouse is asymmetric between fore and aft, it would actually mean the you could (very slightly) alter the angle of the mouse buttons.

[jrwingate6]

I would have liked Cyborg to give us the ability to swap out to a better sensor.

Seriously though. How about the ability to truly change the ergonomics.

[Vogelbung]

Originally Posted by jrwingate6

Seriously though. How about the ability to truly change the ergonomics.

So the question is, as I posed, how?

[kurtcocaine]

Adjustable thumb buttons.. Some people like them one in front of the other, other people(like me) like one above and one below the thumb

Not sure if this is possible but adjustable pressure required for click registration would be really cool to see...

[jrwingate6]

Originally Posted by Vogelbung

So the question is, as I posed, how?

I suppose what I mean by changing the actual ergonomics would be truly adjusting the arc of the mouse in a streamline fission. Not just swapping out palm plates but adjusting the angle of the slope to both the front and rear of the mouse. Also, maybe one side slightly raised a tad more than the other.