Game Mouse History

Introduction:
Bannco is proud to be apart of the game industry.  Although the video game history may not be long it has had many innovations to get where it is today. We present the gamer with a bit of history on the console game mouse. 
 
History:
The mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart of Stanford Research Institute in 1963. It was one of several experimental pointing devices developed for Engelbart's online System. The other devices were designed to exploit other body movements including a head-mounted devices attached to the chin or nose.
 
Engelbart received patent US3541541 on November 17, 1970 for an "X-Y Position Indicator For A Display System". At the time, Engelbart intended that users would continuously hold the mouse in one hand, and type on a five-key chord keyset with the other.

Ball Mouse:
A later variation on the mouse, invented in the early 1970s by Bill English at Xerox PARC, replaced the external wheels with a single ball which could rotate in any direction. The ball's motion, in turn, was detected using perpendicular wheels housed on the interior of the mouse's body. This variant of the mouse resembled an inverted trackball, and was the predominant form used with personal computers throughout the 1980s and 1990s. The Xerox PARC group also settled on the modern technique of using both hands to type on a full-size QWERTY keyboard and grabbing the mouse as needed.


Optical Mouse:
In a separate line of evolution, the optical mouse detected movement using an optical sensor on its underside, paired with a light-emitting diode to illuminate the surface. This advance enabled the mouse to detect the relative motion of the mouse on a wide variety of surfaces.
 
Demand for advances in optical mouse technology comes in large part from competitive FPS gamers, who prefer more accurate mice for more accurate aiming.


Laser Mouse:
In 2004, Logitech, along with Agilent Technologies, introduced the laser mouse with its MX 1000 model. This mouse utilizes a small laser instead of the normal LED found in other optical mice. The new technology can increase the detail of the image taken by the mouse. The company’s claim that this leads to a 20x increase in the sensitivity to the surface features used for navigation compared to conventional optical mice. 

Hori:
In November of 2003, Hori released a nifty new PS2 controller called the Separate Controller. It could be used as a normal controller, split into two, or the right side can be used one-handed. 


Console Mice
Nintendo are the masters of game interface and tactile feedback.  Nintendo was innovative with the first known console mouse.

The SNES Mouse is a peripheral released by Nintendo in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). Originally designed for use with the game Mario Paint, the SNES Mouse was sold in a bundle with the game for $59.95 in the United States and included a plastic mouse pad. 

Soon after its introduction, many titles were released that the Super NES Mouse supported and it even worked on the Super Game Boy:

Acme Animation Factory, Alice Paint Adventure, Arkanoid, Bishoujo Senshi, Sailor Moon, Puzzle de Oshioikiyo, Brandish 2, BreakThru, Civilization, Cameltry, Cannon Fodder, Dai3ji Super Robot Taisen, Dai4ji Super Robot Taisen, Doom, Dōkyūsei 2, Dragon Knight 4, Eye of the Beholder, Farland Story 2, Fun and Games, Galaxy Robo, Hiouden: Mamono-tachi tono Chikai, Jurassic Park, King Arthur's World, Koutetsu No Kishi, Koutetsu No Kishi 2, Koutetsu No Kishi 3, Lamborghini American Challenge, Lemmings 2: The Tribes, Lord Monarch, The Lord of the Rings, Mario and Wario, Mario Paint, Mario's Super Picross, Mario's Early Years: Pre-School, Mega Lo Mania, Might and Magic III, Motoko-chan no, Wonder Kitchen, Nobunaga's Ambition, Operation Thunderbolt, Pieces, Populous II, Power Monger, Revolution X, San Goku Shi Seishi: Tenbu Spirits, Shien's Revenge, SimAnt, Snoopy Concert, Sound Fantasy, Spellcraft, Super Caesars Palace, Super Castles, Super Noah's Ark 3D, Super Pachi-slot Mahjong, Super Robot Wars 3, Super Solitaire, Terminator 2: The Arcade Game, Tin Star, Tokimeki Memorial, Troddlers, Utopia, Vegas Stakes, Warrior of Rome III, Wolfenstein 3D, Wonder Project J, Zan 2: Spirits, Zan 3: Spirits

Nintendo’s brilliance in game controllers would not stop there.  On May 9, 2006 at E3 in Los Angeles – Nintendo showed off it’s Wii Controller.  This innovative 2 handed grip controller included the now well known 3D sensor technology.  This innovation is both a controller for gamers and also can do all the features of the SNES mouse.


In 2009, Bannco released it's FRAGnStein for the PS3.  Including laser sensors, digital buttons, dual PC support, and wireless technology. 



Source of most data:  Wikipedia.org, updated on May 7,2007.