2 mice/cursors 1 computer

February 8, 2006 9:45 AM

Has anyone ever added two mice/cursors to one computer? Can I get that on my computer today?

Ever sense I was first introduced to a computer, I've alwayse thought it was just a matter of time before someone added a second mouse to the computer. I mean I have two hands after all. I'm still surprised that no one has done this yet. Or have they? I thought this would be a good question for MetaFilter. Has anyone ever added a second mouse to a computer and try sell it to the public? Is there any way I could add a second mouse to my computer right now? (It's Windows)

I think a second mouse would be extremely useful. I could keep one cursor on the tools and the other actually doing the work, that way I could switch tools without having to take time to drag to the tool bar and back. Or I could use both mice to stretch things apart. Or use one to open new applications while the other closes one. Any thoughts on that?

posted by ejhdigdug to computers & internet (20 comments total)

Pretty much every program I've ever used has keyboard hotkeys to switch tools while keeping the mouse pointed at your work.
posted by Espy Gillespie at 9:52 AM on February 8, 2006

If you're a member of the ACM Digital Library, you can go download "Rapidly prototyping Single Display Groupware through the SDGToolkit"

The abstract:
Researchers in Single Display Groupware (SDG) explore how multiple users share a single display such as a computer monitor, a large wall display, or an electronic tabletop display. Yet today's personal computers are designed with the assumption that one person interacts with the display at a time. Thus researchers and programmers face considerable hurdles if they wish to develop SDG. Our solution is the SDGToolkit, a toolkit for rapidly prototyping SDG. SDGToolkit automatically captures and manages multiple mice and keyboards, and presents them to the programmer as uniquely identified input events relative to either the whole screen or a particular window. It transparently provides multiple cursors, one for each mouse...

The IEEE Library has an article "Exploring collaboration with group pointer interaction" which covers very similar stuff.
posted by GuyZero at 9:57 AM on February 8, 2006

Unlike GuyZero's answer, this isn't what you asked because it only works one cursor, but I run a mouse and a trackball both at the same time happily together -- it helps avoid RSI. I place one each side of the keyboard. The mouse is plugged into the PS2 (round) plug and the trackball (a Kensington Expert Mouse) is USB.
posted by anadem at 10:07 AM on February 8, 2006

To elaborate on my somewhat curt answer above, I'm not sure the advantages you list justify a second mouse.

As I said, keyboard shortcuts can be used to switch between tools in most programs. I think this is actually a significantly better option than a second mouse cursor, since most people can perform keyboard shortcuts without taking their eyes off of their work (and the cursor) at all. Using a second mouse would require moving your eyes over to the toolbar, and a pretty high level of coordination. I'm left handed, and I still find it pretty difficult to mouse with my left hand with much accuracy.

As far as being able to "stretch things apart," I can imagine some slight advantage in speed and precision from moving two objects independently rather than one at a time. This seems like sort of an overly specific task to justify extra hardware and software, though.

Opening and closing applications, again, can be done with the keyboard, and would require a great deal of extra coordination if done with two mice.

By all means, though, try out GuyZero's suggested software and see if two mice vastly improves your computing experience.
posted by Espy Gillespie at 10:15 AM on February 8, 2006

Here's another research system that has multiple pointers. Actually fingers not mice, but you get the idea. There's a video of the system in action and one can readily see the value in quick, natural gestures for supporting "zoom" / "rotate" / "select" functions.

It's very Minority Report.
posted by zpousman at 10:17 AM on February 8, 2006

Windows 2000/xp supports two pointers [1](USB+PS/2 or 2-USB) natively. What your application does with that second pointer varies. Several applications I support use a second mouse input to control Z-Axis input for Stereo Photogrammetry.

[1] Actually I support a couple users who use two mice plus a digitizing tablet for a total of three spatial input devices, 2 relative and one absolute.
posted by Mitheral at 10:28 AM on February 8, 2006

I'm an animator and an illustrator. I often need to stretch thing out and move them around. As a 3D animator it would be great to be able to grab two body parts, like a torso and arm for example and stretch them apart (in one step) instead of first grabbing the torso moving it, then grabbing the arm and moving it (2-4 steps).

The idea of two mice really appeals to me. I like hotkeys and would still keep them, but two mice would be nice.

(I'd prefer a text box to a hotkey, but that's probably just me.)
posted by ejhdigdug at 10:57 AM on February 8, 2006

Hay Mitheral, how does Windows 2000/xp support two pointers? If I plug in a second mouse will a second cursor show up on screen, or does it work only if the application supports it (ie would photoshop recognise the second mouse as a second pointer or just ignore it.?)
posted by ejhdigdug at 11:02 AM on February 8, 2006

A combination of a wacom tablet and a regular mouse works well for me for many tasks. The tablet is good for detail work or drawing, or for rapidly jumping the cursor from one area of the screen to another; the mouse is better for menus and buttons and such things. (e.g. tap the top left corner with the tablet to get the cursor in the right general area, then use the mouse to find the exact widget I'm after.)

But it does leave me wishing I had two more arms, so I could use the keyboard without having to balance the tablet in my lap.
posted by ook at 11:05 AM on February 8, 2006

On a Mac, you can hook up as many mice as you want, but there's only one cursor, I suspect the same is true on Windows. Even is you could get the OS to support it none of your apps would. Getting any (relatively complex) program to actually support it would be a major undertaking.
posted by doctor_negative at 11:20 AM on February 8, 2006

ejhdigdug, I can partly answer your question, as I have 2 mice plugged into both my home and work computers: you only get one pointer by default, even in photoshop. There must be some system setting. If you move both at once they fight over the one pointer, with the faster one winning.
posted by Four Flavors at 11:36 AM on February 8, 2006

"There must be some system setting."

No, there isn't. I'm not aware of any common display systems that have support for a second pointer. Multiple pointing devices, yes, that's quite common, but you're not going to get a second pointer out of any of the common interface systems just by playing with "some system setting."
posted by majick at 12:03 PM on February 8, 2006

TactaPad is one such system -- though just a concept, not a product yet -- that we've discussed previously.

I think that, with the exception of certain applications, simply tacking a second pointer onto an existing GUI would not be as helpful as you imagine. The TactaPad demos hint at the fundamental interaction changes that would be required to make this work well.
posted by jjg at 12:11 PM on February 8, 2006

Also, as has been pointed out, for many tasks you already have a second input device: the keyboard.
posted by jjg at 12:15 PM on February 8, 2006

Looks like Apple's a-workin' on multi-finger gestures too. Which seems much more natural than multi-mouse gestures.

I agree that for now, it's all about programmable tablets and keyboards.
posted by trevyn at 5:10 PM on February 8, 2006

MID is a Java package that enables multiple mouse pointers on Windows 98/ME only.

The creators of the project indicate that it doesn't work in Win2K and later because Microsoft made a design decision to disable multiple mouse pointers in Windows.
posted by i love cheese at 5:45 PM on February 8, 2006

Have you thought about trying to just make your mouse really fast? It could be that if you just adjust the thing (in Control Panel) such that small mouse movements = big pointer moves, that may reduce the annoyance of your current problem.

I would not use a regular "ball" mouse if I had mine set that sensitive though. Be sure to use an optical.
posted by popechunk at 7:01 PM on February 8, 2006

and what about two sensors in one mouse? You'd be able to rotate objects by rotating the mouse.
posted by marvin at 9:50 PM on February 8, 2006

Using two pens on a wacom tablet or tablet PC screen gives you an effect a bit like two cursors - the cursor flips between the two pens, since both are absolute positioning, both keep their position independantly of the other, however you can't click on two places simulataniously, because there is still just the one cursor serving double time. Not sure if it would work with a tablet puck, since those aren't lifted off the surface as you work, so probably wouldn't relinquish their hold of the cursor to the other device.
posted by -harlequin- at 9:08 AM on February 10, 2006