Mouse (computing)

In computing, a mouse is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of an object held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ battery). It sometimes features other elements, such as "wheels", which allow the user to perform various system-dependent operations, or extra buttons or features that can add more control or dimensional input(Sony VGP-BPS8 battery). The mouse's motion typically translates into the motion of a cursor on a display, which allows for fine control of a graphical user interface(Sony VGP-BPL9 battery).

Naming

The first known publication of the term "mouse" as a pointing device is in Bill English's 1965 publication "Computer-Aided Display Control"(Sony VGP-BPS9 battery).

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary (third edition) and the fourth edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language endorse both computer mice and computer mouses as correct plural forms for computer mouse(Sony VGP-BPL11 battery). Some authors of technical documents may prefer either mouse devices or the more generic pointing devices. The plural mouses treats mouse as a "headless noun"(Sony VGP-BPL15 battery).

Early mice

The trackball was invented by Tom Cranston, Fred Longstaff and Kenyon Taylor working on the Royal Canadian Navy's DATAR project in 1952. It used a standard Canadian five-pin bowling ball. It was not patented, as it was a secret military project(Sony VGN-FZ460E battery).

Independently, Douglas Engelbart at the Stanford Research Institute invented the first mouse prototype in 1963, with the assistance of his colleague Bill English. They christened the device mouse as early models had a cord attached to the rear part of the device suggesting a tail and generally resembling the common mouse(Sony VGP-BPS11 battery). Engelbart never received any royalties for it, as his patent ran out before it became widely used in personal computers.

The invention of the mouse was just a small part of Engelbart's much larger project, aimed at augmenting human intellect(SONY VAIO VGN-FZ4000 Battery).

The first computer mouse, held by inventor Douglas Engelbart, showing the wheels that make contact with the working surface

Several other experimental pointing-devices developed for Engelbart's oN-Line System (NLS) exploited different body movements – for example(Sony VGP-BPS10 battery), head-mounted devices attached to the chin or nose – but ultimately the mouse won out because of its simplicity and convenience. The first mouse, a bulky device (pictured) used two gear-wheels perpendicular to each other(Sony VGP-BPS13 battery): the rotation of each wheel translated into motion along one axis. Engelbart received patent US3,541,541 on November 17, 1970 for an "X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System". At the time, Engelbart envisaged that users would hold the mouse continuously in one hand and type on a five-key chord keyset with the other( Sony VGP-BPS3 battery). The concept was preceded in the 19th century by the telautograph, which also anticipated the fax machine.

A Smaky mouse, as invented at the EPFL by Jean-Daniel Nicoud and André Guignard(Sony VGP-BPS2 battery).

Just a few weeks before Engelbart released his demo in 1968, a mouse has already been developed and published by the German company Telefunken. Unlike Engelbarts mouse, the Telefunken model had a ball, as it can be seen in most later models until today(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ21M battery ). Since 1970 it was shipped as a part and sold together with Telefunken Computers. Some models from the year 1972 are still well preserved(Sony VGN-FZ150E battery).

The second marketed integrated mouse – shipped as a part of a computer and intended for personal computer navigation – came with the Xerox 8010 Star Information System in 1981(Sony VGN-FZ15 battery). However, the mouse remained relatively obscure until the appearance of the Apple MacIntosh, including an updated version of the original Lisa Mouse. In 1984 PC columnist John C. Dvorak dismissively commented on the newly-released computer with a mouse(Sony VGN-FZ15L battery): "There is no evidence that people want to use these things".

Variants

Mechanical mice

Operating an opto-mechanical mouse.

moving the mouse turns the ball(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ18M battery).

X and Y rollers grip the ball and transfer movement

Optical encoding disks include light holes.

Infrared LEDs shine through the disks.

Sensors gather light pulses to convert to X and Y vectors(Sony VGN-FZ15T battery).

Bill English, builder of Engelbart's original mouse, invented the ball mouse in 1972 while working for Xerox PARC.

The ball-mouse replaced the external wheels with a single ball that could rotate in any direction. It came as part of the hardware package of the Xerox Alto computer(Sony VGN-FZ480E battery). Perpendicular chopper wheels housed inside the mouse's body chopped beams of light on the way to light sensors, thus detecting in their turn the motion of the ball. This variant of the mouse resembled an inverted trackball and became the predominant form used with personal computers throughout the 1980s and 1990s(Sony VGN-FZ61B battery). The Xerox PARC group also settled on the modern technique of using both hands to type on a full-size keyboard and grabbing the mouse when required.

Mechanical mouse, shown with the top cover removed

The ball mouse has two freely rotating rollers. They are located 90 degrees apart(Sony VGN-FZ31E battery). One roller detects the forward–backward motion of the mouse and other the left–right motion. Opposite the two rollers is a third one (white, in the photo, at 45 degrees) that is spring-loaded to push the ball against the other two rollers(Sony VGN-FZ340E battery). Each roller is on the same shaft as an encoder wheel that has slotted edges; the slots interrupt infrared light beams to generate electrical pulses that represent wheel movement(Sony VGN-FZ180E battery).

Each wheel's disc, however, has a pair of light beams, located so that a given beam becomes interrupted, or again starts to pass light freely, when the other beam of the pair is about halfway between changes(Sony VGN-FZ18E battery). Simple logic circuits interpret the relative timing to indicate which direction the wheel is rotating. (This scheme is sometimes called "quadrature encoding") (Sony VGP-BPL4 battery)The mouse sends these signals to the computer system via a data-formatting IC and the mouse cable. The driver software in the system converts the signals into motion of the mouse cursor along X and Y axes on the screen(Sony VGN-FZ160E battery).

The ball is mostly steel, with a precision spherical rubber surface. The weight of the ball, given an appropriate working surface under the mouse, provides a reliable grip so the mouse's movement is transmitted accurately(Sony VGN-FZ15M battery).

Ball mice and wheel mice were manufactured for Xerox by Jack Hawley, doing business as The Mouse House in Berkeley, California, starting in 1975(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ18G battery).

Based on another invention by Jack Hawley, proprietor of the Mouse House, Honeywell produced another type of mechanical mouse. Instead of a ball, it had two wheels rotating at off axes. Keytronic later produced a similar product(Sony VGN-FZ345E battery).

Modern computer mice took form at the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) under the inspiration of Professor Jean-Daniel Nicoud and at the hands of engineer and watchmaker André Guignard(Sony VGP-BPS14 battery). This new design incorporated a single hard rubber mouseball and three buttons, and remained a common design until the mainstream adoption of the scroll-wheel mouse during the 1990s. In 1985, René Sommer added a microprocessor to Nicoud's and Guignard's design(Sony PCGA-BP2E battery). Through this innovation, Sommer is credited with inventing a significant component of the mouse, which made it more "intelligent;" though optical mice from Mouse Systems had incorporated microprocessors by 1984(Sony VGN-FZ11S battery).

Another type of mechanical mouse, the "analog mouse" (now generally regarded as obsolete), uses potentiometers rather than encoder wheels, and is typically designed to be plug-compatible with an analog joystick(Sony VGN-FZ17L battery). The "Color Mouse", originally marketed by Radio Shack for their Color Computer (but also usable on MS-DOS machines equipped with analog joystick ports, provided the software accepted joystick input) was the best-known example(Sony VGN-FZ17G battery).

Optical mice

A wireless optical mouse on a mouse pad

Main article: Optical mouse

An optical mouse uses a light-emitting diode and photodiodes to detect movement relative to the underlying surface, rather than internal moving parts as does a mechanical mouse(Sony VGN-FZ17 battery)

Inertial and gyroscopic mice

Often called "air mice" since they do not require a surface to operate, inertial mice use a tuning fork or other accelerometer (US Patent 4787051) to detect rotary movement for every axis supported(Sony VGP-BPS18 battery). The most common models (manufactured by Logitech and Gyration) work using 2 degrees of rotational freedom and are insensitive to spatial translation. The user requires only small wrist rotations to move the cursor, reducing user fatigue or "gorilla arm"(Sony VGP-BPS15 battery). Usually cordless, they often have a switch to deactivate the movement circuitry between use, allowing the user freedom of movement without affecting the cursor position. A patent for an inertial mouse claims that such mice consume less power than optically based mice, and offer increased sensitivity, reduced weight and increased ease-of-use(Sony VGP-BPS12 battery). In combination with a wireless keyboard an inertial mouse can offer alternative ergonomic arrangements which do not require a flat work surface, potentially alleviating some types of repetitive motion injuries related to workstation posture(Sony VGP-BPL12 battery).

3D mice

Also known as bats, flying mice, or wands, these devices generally function through ultrasound and provide at least three degrees of freedom. Probably the best known example would be 3DConnexion/Logitech's SpaceMouse from the early 1990s(Sony VGP-BPL7 battery).

In the late 1990s Kantek introduced the 3D RingMouse. This wireless mouse was worn on a ring around a finger, which enabled the thumb to access three buttons. The mouse was tracked in three dimensions by a base station. Despite a certain appeal, it was finally discontinued because it did not provide sufficient resolution(Sony VGN-FZ290 battery).

A recent consumer 3D pointing device is the Wii Remote. While primarily a motion-sensing device (that is, it can determine its orientation and direction of movement) (Sony VGN-FZ29VN battery), Wii Remote can also detect its spatial position by comparing the distance and position of the lights from the IR emitter using its integrated IR camera (since the nunchuk accessory lacks a camera(Sony VGN-SZ56 battery), it can only tell its current heading and orientation). The obvious drawback to this approach is that it can only produce spatial coordinates while its camera can see the sensor bar(Sony VGN-SZ55 battery).

A mouse-related controller called the SpaceBall has a ball placed above the work surface that can easily be gripped. With spring-loaded centering, it sends both translational as well as angular displacements on all six axes, in both directions for each(Sony VGN-FZ220E battery).

November 2010 a German Company called Axsotic introduced a new concept of 3D mouse called 3D Spheric Mouse. This new concepts of a true 6 DOF input-device uses a ball to rotate in 3 Achses without any limitations(Sony VGN-FZ11Z battery).

Tactile mice

In 2000, Logitech introduced the "tactile mouse", which contained a small actuator that made the mouse vibrate. Such a mouse can augment user-interfaces with haptic feedback, such as giving feedback when crossing a window boundary(Sony VGN-FZ11M battery). To surf by touch requires the user to be able to feel depth or hardness; this ability was realized with the first electrorheological tactile mice but never marketed(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ31M battery).

Connectivity and communication protocols

An MS wireless Arc mouse

To transmit their input, typical cabled mice use a thin electrical cord terminating in a standard connector, such as RS-232C, PS/2, ADB or USB(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ31Z battery). Cordless mice instead transmit data via infrared radiation (see IrDA) or radio (including Bluetooth), although many such cordless interfaces are themselves connected through the aforementioned wired serial buses(Sony VGN-FZ19VN battery).

While the electrical interface and the format of the data transmitted by commonly available mice is currently standardized on USB, in the past it varied between different manufacturers. A bus mouse used a dedicated interface card for connection to an IBM PC or compatible computer(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ38M battery).

Mouse use in DOS applications became more common after the introduction of the Microsoft mouse, largely because Microsoft provided an open standard for communication between applications and mouse driver software(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ31S battery). Thus, any application written to use the Microsoft standard could use a mouse with a Microsoft compatible driver (even if the mouse hardware itself was incompatible with Microsoft's). An interesting footnote is that the Microsoft driver standard communicates mouse movements in standard units called "mickeys"(Sony VGN-FZ11L battery).

Serial interface and protocol

Standard PC mice once used the RS-232C serial port via a D-subminiature connector, which provided power to run the mouse's circuits as well as data on mouse movements. The Mouse Systems Corporation version used a five-byte protocol and supported three buttons(Sony VGN-FZ15G battery). The Microsoft version used an incompatible three-byte protocol and only allowed for two buttons. Due to the incompatibility, some manufacturers sold serial mice with a mode switch: "PC" for MSC mode, "MS" for Microsoft mode(Sony VGP-BPS9/B battery).

PS/2 interface and protocol

For more details on this topic, see PS/2 connector.

With the arrival of the IBM PS/2 personal-computer series in 1987, IBM introduced the eponymous PS/2 interface for mice and keyboards, which other manufacturers rapidly adopted(Sony VGN-FZ190 battery). The most visible change was the use of a round 6-pin mini-DIN, in lieu of the former 5-pin connector. In default mode (called stream mode) a PS/2 mouse communicates motion, and the state of each button, by means of 3-byte packets(Sony VGN-FZ190E battery). For any motion, button press or button release event, a PS/2 mouse sends, over a bi-directional serial port, a sequence of three bytes, with the following format:

Bit 7 Bit 6 Bit 5 Bit 4 Bit 3 Bit 2 Bit 1 Bit 0

Byte 1 YV XV YS XS 1 MB RB LB

Byte 2 X movement

Byte 3 Y movement

Here, XS and YS represent the sign bits of the movement vectors, XV and YV indicate an overflow in the respective vector component(Sony VGN-FZ18 battery), and LB, MB and RB indicate the status of the left, middle and right mouse buttons (1 = pressed). PS/2 mice also understand several commands for reset and self-test, switching between different operating modes, and changing the resolution of the reported motion vectors(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ21E battery ).

In Linux, a PS/2 mouse is detected as a /dev/psaux device.

A Microsoft IntelliMouse relies on an extension of the PS/2 protocol: the ImPS/2 or IMPS/2 protocol (the abbreviation combines the concepts of "IntelliMouse" and "PS/2"). It initially operates in standard PS/2 format, for backwards compatibility(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ21S battery). After the host sends a special command sequence, it switches to an extended format in which a fourth byte carries information about wheel movements. The IntelliMouse Explorer works analogously, with the difference that its 4-byte packets also allow for two additional buttons (for a total of five) (Sony VGN-FZ230E battery).

The Typhoon mouse uses 6-byte packets which can appear as a sequence of two standard 3-byte packets, such that an ordinary PS/2 driver can handle them(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ210CE battery).

Mouse vendors also use other extended formats, often without providing public documentation(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ18S battery).

For 3-D (or 6-degree-of-freedom) input, vendors have made many extensions both to the hardware and to software. In the late 90's Logitech created ultrasound based tracking which gave 3D input to a few millimeters accuracy(Sony VGN-FW11 battery), which worked well as an input device but failed as a profitable product. In 2008, Motion4U introduced its "OptiBurst" system using IR tracking for use as a Maya (graphics software) plugin(Sony VGN-FW11M battery).

Apple Desktop Bus

Apple Macintosh Plus mice (Left) Beige mouse (right) Platinum mouse 1986

In 1986 Apple first implemented the Apple Desktop Bus allowing the daisy-chaining together of up to 16 devices, including arbitrarily many mice and other devices on the same bus with no configuration whatsoever(Sony VGN-FZ18L battery). Featuring only a single data pin, the bus used a purely polled approach to computer/mouse communications and survived as the standard on mainstream models (including a number of non-Apple workstations) until 1998 when iMac began the industry-wide switch to using USB(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ31B battery). Beginning with the "Bronze Keyboard" PowerBook G3 in May 1999, Apple dropped the external ADB port in favor of USB, but retained an internal ADB connection in the PowerBook G4 for communication with its built-in keyboard and trackpad until early 2005(Sony VGN-FZ145E battery).

USB

The industry-standard USB protocol and its connector have become widely used for mice; it's currently among the most popular types.

Cordless or wireless

A wireless mouse made for notebook computers

Cordless or wireless mice transmit data via infrared radiation (see IrDA) or radio (including Bluetooth) (Sony Vaio VGN-FZ31J battery ). The receiver is connected to the computer through a serial or USB port. The newer nano receivers were designed to be small enough to remain connected in a laptop or notebook computer during transport, while still being large enough to easily remove(Sony VGN-FZ72B battery).

Operation

A mouse typically controls the motion of a cursor in two dimensions in a graphical user interface (GUI). Clicking or hovering (stopping movement while the cursor is within the bounds of an area) can select files, programs or actions from a list of names(Sony VGN-FZ71B battery), or (in graphical interfaces) through small images called "icons" and other elements. For example, a text file might be represented by a picture of a paper notebook, and clicking while the cursor hovers this icon might cause a text editing program to open the file in a window(Sony VGN-FZ70B battery). (See also point-and-click)

Users can also employ mice gesturally; meaning that a stylized motion of the mouse cursor itself, called a "gesture", can issue a command or map to a specific action. For example, in a drawing program, moving the mouse in a rapid "x" motion over a shape might delete the shape(Sony VGN-FZ62B battery).

Gestural interfaces occur more rarely than plain pointing-and-clicking; and people often find them more difficult to use, because they require finer motor-control from the user. However, a few gestural conventions have become widespread, including the drag-and-drop gesture, in which(Sony VGN-FZ140E battery):

The user presses the mouse button while the mouse cursor hovers over an interface object

The user moves the cursor to a different location while holding the button down

The user releases the mouse button(Sony VGN-FZ90HS battery)

For example, a user might drag-and-drop a picture representing a file onto a picture of a trash can, thus instructing the system to delete the file.

Other uses of the mouse's input occur commonly in special application-domains. In interactive three-dimensional graphics(Sony Vaio VGN-FZ21J battery) , the mouse's motion often translates directly into changes in the virtual camera's orientation. For example, in the first-person shooter genre of games (see below), players usually employ the mouse to control the direction in which the virtual player's "head" faces(Sony VGN-FZ32B battery): moving the mouse up will cause the player to look up, revealing the view above the player's head. A related function makes an image of an object rotate, so that all sides can be examined(Sony VGN-FZ35 battery).

When mice have more than one button, software may assign different functions to each button. Often, the primary (leftmost in a right-handed configuration) button on the mouse will select items, and the secondary (rightmost in a right-handed) button will bring up a menu of alternative actions applicable to that item(Sony VGN-FZ37 battery). For example, on platforms with more than one button, the Mozilla web browser will follow a link in response to a primary button click, will bring up a contextual menu of alternative actions for that link in response to a secondary-button click(Sony VGN-FZ38 battery), and will often open the link in a new tab or window in response to a click with the tertiary (middle) mouse button.

Different ways of operating the mouse cause specific things to happen in the GUI:

Click: pressing and releasing a button(Sony VGN-FZ340E/B battery).

(left) Single-click: clicking the main button.

(left) Double-click: clicking the button two times in quick succession counts as a different gesture than two separate single clicks.

(left) Triple-click: clicking the button three times in quick succession(Sony VGN-FZ50B battery).

Right-click: clicking the secondary button.

Middle-click: clicking the ternary button.

Drag: pressing and holding a button, then moving the mouse without releasing. (Use the command "drag with the right mouse button" instead of just "drag" when you instruct a user to drag an object while holding the right mouse button down instead of the more commonly used left mouse button.) (Sony VGN-FZ51B battery)

Button chording (a.k.a. Rocker navigation).

Combination of right-click then left-click.

Combination of left-click then right-click or keyboard letter.

Combination of left or right-click and the mouse wheel.

Clicking while holding down a modifier key(Sony VGN-FZ52B battery).

Standard semantic gestures include:

Rollover

Selection

Menu traversal

Drag and drop

Pointing

Goal crossing

Multiple-mouse systems

Some systems allow two or more mice to be used at once as input devices. 16-bit era home computers such as the Amiga used this to allow computer games with two players interacting on the same computer(Sony VGN-FZ52B2 battery). The same idea is sometimes used in collaborative software, e.g. to simulate a whiteboard that multiple users can draw on without passing a single mouse around(Sony VGN-FZ440N battery).

Microsoft Windows, since Windows 98, has supported multiple simultaneous pointing devices. Because Windows only provides a single screen cursor, using more than one device at the same time generally results in seemingly random movements of the cursor(Sony VGN-FZ32 battery). However, the advantage of this support lies not in simultaneous use, but in simultaneous availability for alternate use: for example, a laptop user editing a complex document might use a handheld mouse for drawing and manipulation of graphics, but when editing a section of text, use a built-in trackpad to allow movement of the cursor while keeping his hands on the keyboard. Windows' multiple-device support means that the second device is available for use without having to disconnect or disable the first(Sony VGN-FZ430E battery).

DirectInput originally allowed access to multiple mice as separate devices, but Windows NT based systems could not make use of this. When Windows XP was introduced, it provided a feature called "Raw Input" that offers the ability to track multiple mice independently, allowing for programs that make use of separate mice(Sony VGN-FZ11E battery). Though a program could, for example, draw multiple cursors if it was a fullscreen application, Windows still supports just one cursor and keyboard(Sony VGP-BPS13B/B battery).

As of 2009, Linux distributions and other operating systems that use X.Org, such as OpenSolaris and FreeBSD, support unlimited numbers of cursors and keyboards through Multi-Pointer X(Sony VGP-BPS13A/B battery).

There have also been propositions of having a single operator use two mice simultaneously as a more sophisticated means of controlling various graphics and multimedia applications(Sony VGP-BPS13/S battery).

Buttons

Main article: Mouse button

Mouse buttons are microswitches which can be pressed ("clicked") in order to select or interact with an element of a graphical user interface(Sony VGP-BPS13/B battery).

The three-button scrollmouse has become the most commonly available design. As of 2007 (and roughly since the late 1990s), users most commonly employ the second button to invoke a contextual menu in the computer's software user interface(Sony PCGA-BP2EA battery), which contains options specifically tailored to the interface element over which the mouse cursor currently sits. By default, the primary mouse button sits located on the left-hand side of the mouse, for the benefit of right-handed users; left-handed users can usually reverse this configuration via software(Sony VGP-BPS13AS battery).

Mouse speed

The computer industry often measures mouse sensitivity in terms of counts per inch (CPI), commonly expressed incorrectly as dots per inch (DPI) – the number of steps the mouse will report when it moves one inch. In early mice(Sony VGP-BPS13S battery), this specification was called pulses per inch (ppi). If the default mouse-tracking condition involves moving the cursor by one screen-pixel or dot on-screen per reported step, then the CPI does equate to DPI: dots of cursor motion per inch of mouse motion(Sony VGP-BPS13B/S battery). The CPI or DPI as reported by manufacturers depends on how they make the mouse; the higher the CPI, the faster the cursor moves with mouse movement. However, software can adjust the mouse sensitivity, making the cursor move faster or slower than its CPI(Sony VGP-BPS13A/S battery). Current software can change the speed of the cursor dynamically, taking into account the mouse's absolute speed and the movement from the last stop-point. In most software this setting is named "speed", referring to "cursor precision". However, some software names this setting "acceleration"(Sony VGP-BPS21 battery), but this term is in fact incorrect. The mouse acceleration, in the majority of mouse software, refers to the setting allowing the user to modify the cursor acceleration: the change in speed of the cursor over time while the mouse movement is constant(Sony VGP-BPS21B battery).

For simple software, when the mouse starts to move, the software will count the number of "counts" received from the mouse and will move the cursor across the screen by that number of pixels (or multiplied by a rate factor, typically less than 1) (Sony VGP-BPS21/S battery). The cursor will move slowly on the screen, having a good precision. When the movement of the mouse passes the value set for "threshold", the software will start to move the cursor more quickly, with a greater rate factor. Usually, the user can set the value of the second rate factor by changing the "acceleration" setting(Sony VGP-BPS21A/B battery).

Operating systems sometimes apply acceleration, referred to as "ballistics", to the motion reported by the mouse. For example, versions of Windows prior to Windows XP doubled reported values above a configurable threshold(Sony VAIO PCG-5G2L battery), and then optionally doubled them again above a second configurable threshold. These doublings applied separately in the X and Y directions, resulting in very nonlinear response(Sony VAIO PCG-5G3L battery).

Mousepads

Main article: Mousepad

Engelbart's original mouse did not require a mousepad; the mouse had two large wheels which could roll on virtually any surface. However, most subsequent mechanical mice starting with the steel roller ball mouse have required a mousepad for optimal performance(Sony VAIO PCG-5J1L battery).

The mousepad, the most common mouse accessory, appears most commonly in conjunction with mechanical mice, because in order to roll smoothly, the ball requires more friction than common desk surfaces usually provide. So-called "hard mousepads" for gamers or optical/laser mice also exist(Sony VAIO PCG-5J2L battery).

Most optical and laser mice do not require a pad. Whether to use a hard or soft mousepad with an optical mouse is largely a matter of personal preference. One exception occurs when the desk surface creates problems for the optical or laser tracking, for example, a transparent or reflective surface(Sony VAIO PCG-5K2L battery).

In the marketplace

Around 1981 Xerox included mice with its Xerox Star, based on the mouse used in the 1970s on the Alto computer at Xerox PARC. Sun Microsystems, Symbolics, Lisp Machines Inc., and Tektronix also shipped workstations with mice, starting in about 1981(Sony VAIO PCG-5L1L battery). Later, inspired by the Star, Apple Computer released the Apple Lisa, which also used a mouse. However, none of these products achieved large-scale success. Only with the release of the Apple Macintosh in 1984 did the mouse see widespread use(Sony VAIO PCG-6S2L battery).

The Macintosh design, commercially successful and technically influential, led many other vendors to begin producing mice or including them with their other computer products (by 1986, Atari ST, Commodore Amiga(Sony VAIO PCG-6S3L battery), Windows 1.0, GEOS for the Commodore 64, and the Apple IIGS). The widespread adoption of graphical user interfaces in the software of the 1980s and 1990s made mice all but indispensable for controlling computers(Sony VAIO PCG-6V1L battery).

In November 2008, Logitech built their billionth mouse.

Use in gaming

Logitech G5 laser mouse designed for gaming

Mice often function as an interface for PC-based computer games and sometimes for video game consoles(Sony VAIO PCG-6W1L battery).

First-person shooters

Due to the cursor-like nature of the crosshairs in first-person shooters (FPS), a combination of mouse and keyboard provides a popular way to play FPS games. Players use the X-axis of the mouse for looking (or turning) left and right(Sony VAIO PCG-7111L battery), leaving the Y-axis for looking up and down. Many gamers prefer this primarily in FPS games over a gamepad or joypad because it provides a higher resolution for input. This means they are able to make small, precise motions in the game more easily(Sony VAIO PCG-6W3L battery). The left button usually controls primary fire. If the game supports multiple fire-modes, the right button often provides secondary fire from the selected weapon. The right button may also provide bonus options for a particular weapon, such as allowing access to the scope of a sniper rifle or allowing the mounting of a bayonet or silencer(Sony VAIO PCG-7113L battery).

Gamers can use a scroll wheel for changing weapons, or for controlling scope-zoom magnification. On most FPS games, programming may also assign more functions to additional buttons on mice with more than three controls(Sony VAIO PCG-7133L battery). A keyboard usually controls movement (for example, WASD, for moving forward, left, backward and right, respectively) and other functions such as changing posture. Since the mouse serves for aiming(Sony VAIO PCG-7Z1L battery), a mouse that tracks movement accurately and with less lag (latency) will give a player an advantage over players with less accurate or slower mice.

An early technique of players, circle strafing, saw a player continuously strafing while aiming and shooting at an opponent by walking in circle around the opponent with the opponent at the center of the circle. Players could achieve this by holding down a key for strafing while continuously aiming the mouse towards the opponent(Sony VAIO PCG-7Z2L battery).

Games using mice for input have such a degree of popularity that many manufacturers, such as Logitech, Cyber Snipa, Razer USA Ltd and SteelSeries, make peripherals such as mice and keyboards specifically for gaming. Such mice may feature adjustable weights, high-resolution optical or laser components, additional buttons, ergonomic shape, and other features such as adjustable DPI(Sony VAIO PCG-8Y1L battery).

Many games, such as first- or third-person shooters, have a setting named "invert mouse" or similar (not to be confused with "button inversion", sometimes performed by left-handed users) which allows the user to look downward by moving the mouse forward and upward by moving the mouse backward (the opposite of non-inverted movement) (Sony VAIO PCG-8Y2L battery). This control system resembles that of aircraft control sticks, where pulling back causes pitch up and pushing forward causes pitch down; computer joysticks also typically emulate this control-configuration(Sony VAIO PCG-8Z2L battery).

After id Software's Doom, the game that popularized FPS games but which did not support vertical aiming with a mouse (the y-axis served for forward/backward movement), competitor 3D Realms' Duke Nukem 3D became one of the first games that supported using the mouse to aim up and down(Sony VAIO PCG-8Z1L battery). This and other games using the Build engine had an option to invert the Y-axis. The "invert" feature actually made the mouse behave in a manner that users now regard as non-inverted (by default, moving mouse forward resulted in looking down) (Sony VAIO PCG-7112L battery). Soon after, id Software released Quake, which introduced the invert feature as users now know it. Other games using the Quake engine have come on the market following this standard, likely due to the overall popularity of Quake(Sony VAIO PCG-6W2L battery).

Home consoles

In 1988 the educational video game system, the VTech Socrates, featured a wireless mouse with an attached mouse pad as an optional controller used for some games. In the early 1990s the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game system featured a mouse in addition to its controllers(Sony VAIO PCG-5K1L battery). The Mario Paint game in particular used the mouse's capabilities, as did its successor on the Nintendo 64. Sega released official mice for their Genesis/Mega Drive, Saturn and Dreamcast consoles. NEC sold official mice for its PC Engine and PC-FX consoles(SONY VGP-BPS8 battery). Sony Computer Entertainment released an official mouse product for the PlayStation console, and included one along with the Linux for PlayStation 2 kit. However, users can attach virtually any USB mouse to the PlayStation 2 console(SONY VAIO VGN-FZ Battery). In addition the PlayStation 3 also fully supports USB mice. Recently the Wii also has this latest development added on in a recent software update.