5 ms·

The one I really don't understand is wireless keyboards and mice for desktops. Sure, let's add a battery, some unreliability, and clutter up the radio spectrum

by blt 3y ago

The one I really don't understand is wireless keyboards and mice for desktops. Sure, let's add a battery, some unreliability, and clutter up the radio spectrum for two objects that never move relative to one another.

xboxnolifes 3y ago
I could never go back to a wired mouse at this point. The difference in drag/weight is so noticable when I forget to charge the mouse and have to use it plugged in mid-day.
dale_glass 3y ago
Wireless mice are fine. The ones that aren't stupidly designed like Apple's have the connector on the front, so when plugged in it's just like a wired mouse. I find it's nice not to have that wire on my desktop, it would keep bumping on other stuff I like to have close.
- adrian_b 3y ago
  It is possible to avoid wires for the graphic pointer, without requiring batteries or wireless connections, by replacing the mouse with a stylus and a graphic tablet (configured in the "relative" mode). This substitution has the additional benefits that a stylus is much more comfortable, faster and more precise than a mouse.
  - babypuncher 3y ago
    not very good for games though, and i think comfort might be debatable/user preference
  - Novosell 3y ago
    Playing PC games with a stylus would be an interesting experience.
omginternets 3y ago
I'm the other way around: these things actually move around on my desk, so if there's anything I want to cable-cut, it's those. Wifi on the other hand...
Night_Thastus 3y ago
I felt the same way about wireless mice for a LONG time, but technology has improved significantly. With 2.4Ghz instead of blutooth, the reliability and latency problems are gone. Wireless mice, at the high end, have no more latency than a wired mouse. No issues with reliability in my years of owning them. The battery also lasts a week or two, with some clever software tuning so it runs at a lower polling rate when not playing games. It charges in an hour or two. Once you've experienced a proper wireless mouse, going back is impossible. They're so freeing. You can move in any direction and amount with NO resistance. Never fight the cable again. It's the way mice were meant to be. Wireless keyboards are a bit more dubious. In theory they can have way better battery life due to the size, but in practice most still use crappy bluetooth so they have shit polling rates. I wish I could have it though, because it's more clutter on my desk and constantly gets in the way. I move my board around a lot to put down notepads, eat, etc. EDIT: To be clear, my battery life is a result of using an ultralight mouse with a small internal battery, for game reasons. If you want one with AAA/AA, you'll likely get months out of it no problem.
- JohnFen 3y ago
  > The battery also lasts a week or two That's not remotely long enough for it not to be a pain to manage. Being battery-powered is my primary objection to wireless mice and keyboards. That said, I do have a use case where the presence of cords are a larger problem than the hassle of being battery-powered and use a wireless mouse and keyboard there. But for everything else, nothing beats a cord.
  - Night_Thastus 3y ago
    In practice, I find that it's really a non issue. With a traditional wired mouse, you keep it plugged in all the time. In this case, you only keep it plugged in an hour or two every week or two. It can still be used while charging. So when charging it's not any different than a wired mouse.
    - deleted 3y ago
      [deleted]
stronglikedan 3y ago
Using a wireless mouse is a much more pleasant experience than a wired one, which is always giving a little resistance in one direction due to the wire. As for keyboards, a lot of people move their keyboard. For example, I move mine from my standing desk when standing, to a keyboard tray when sitting, since no one can seem to manufacture a standing desk converter with proper ergonomics when sitting. The keyboard always ends up at desk level, instead of just below. Unfortunately, they don't make a wireless version of my favorite keyboard, and the wire is always getting in the way when converting.
- jwells89 3y ago
  Yeah, my work setup is centered around wired peripherals but there are times I'd really appreciate having the flexibility afforded by wireless.
JohnFen 3y ago
I agree entirely. Especially about the need for a battery.
GuB-42 3y ago
The mouse obviously moves relative to the desktop. And the wire can be an annoyance. Not a big deal with proper cable management, but you are not always in an ideal situation, and a wireless mouse eliminates that problem. The wire is less of a problem for keyboards and I don't use a wireless keyboard for my desktop, but there are still some use cases.
dinosaurdynasty 3y ago
I use a wireless keyboard/mouse (trackpad really) with my TV. In theory I could run a wire, but it'd either be absurdly long or a tripping hazard.
babypuncher 3y ago
I agree with you on wireless keyboards, but i can never go back to using a wired mouse.
PhasmaFelis 3y ago
You're overstating the battery, reliability, and probably radio-clutter issues. These days, $20 gets you a wireless keyboard/mouse combo that runs flawlessly for years off a single set of batteries. All you have to do is plug in one dongle.
vel0city 3y ago
A mouse is constantly moving relative to the computer its being used with. I also prefer wireless mice on a lot of things because my main work machine is a laptop. Its way more convenient to just have it connected pretty much all the time. Its bluetooth as well, so I don't even have a dongle or nub constantly plugged into the laptop its just always there. I'd really like to get a wireless mouse for my gaming desktop, but all the wireless gaming mice are pretty pricey, have relatively short battery lives, and sometimes have other oddities. Having a lower polling interval and normal DPI is fine for basic work stuff, but when I'm playing a twitch shooter like Counterstrike its just not going to cut it. I have a wireless keyboard because it helps reduce desk clutter, and it pairs to multiple computers. Press F1, its on my personal machine. Press F2, its on my work machine. Press F3, its on my phone. This could kind of be done with a KVM switch, but why buy additional equipment when the keyboard can do it natively? In the end the battery lasts months on a single charge, even with the backlight on. It charges with the same cable I have already on my desk for charging any USB-C device. Charging it for a few hours every few months isn't really a hassle at all. Meanwhile its normally cord free and can easily swap between devices very quickly.

by blt 3y ago

xboxnolifes 3y ago

I could never go back to a wired mouse at this point. The difference in drag/weight is so noticable when I forget to charge the mouse and have to use it plugged in mid-day.

dale_glass 3y ago

Wireless mice are fine. The ones that aren't stupidly designed like Apple's have the connector on the front, so when plugged in it's just like a wired mouse. I find it's nice not to have that wire on my desktop, it would keep bumping on other stuff I like to have close.

adrian_b 3y ago
It is possible to avoid wires for the graphic pointer, without requiring batteries or wireless connections, by replacing the mouse with a stylus and a graphic tablet (configured in the "relative" mode). This substitution has the additional benefits that a stylus is much more comfortable, faster and more precise than a mouse.
- babypuncher 3y ago
  not very good for games though, and i think comfort might be debatable/user preference
- Novosell 3y ago
  Playing PC games with a stylus would be an interesting experience.

omginternets 3y ago

I'm the other way around: these things actually move around on my desk, so if there's anything I want to cable-cut, it's those. Wifi on the other hand...

Night_Thastus 3y ago

I felt the same way about wireless mice for a LONG time, but technology has improved significantly. With 2.4Ghz instead of blutooth, the reliability and latency problems are gone. Wireless mice, at the high end, have no more latency than a wired mouse. No issues with reliability in my years of owning them. The battery also lasts a week or two, with some clever software tuning so it runs at a lower polling rate when not playing games. It charges in an hour or two. Once you've experienced a proper wireless mouse, going back is impossible. They're so freeing. You can move in any direction and amount with NO resistance. Never fight the cable again. It's the way mice were meant to be. Wireless keyboards are a bit more dubious. In theory they can have way better battery life due to the size, but in practice most still use crappy bluetooth so they have shit polling rates. I wish I could have it though, because it's more clutter on my desk and constantly gets in the way. I move my board around a lot to put down notepads, eat, etc. EDIT: To be clear, my battery life is a result of using an ultralight mouse with a small internal battery, for game reasons. If you want one with AAA/AA, you'll likely get months out of it no problem.

JohnFen 3y ago
> The battery also lasts a week or two That's not remotely long enough for it not to be a pain to manage. Being battery-powered is my primary objection to wireless mice and keyboards. That said, I do have a use case where the presence of cords are a larger problem than the hassle of being battery-powered and use a wireless mouse and keyboard there. But for everything else, nothing beats a cord.
- Night_Thastus 3y ago
  In practice, I find that it's really a non issue. With a traditional wired mouse, you keep it plugged in all the time. In this case, you only keep it plugged in an hour or two every week or two. It can still be used while charging. So when charging it's not any different than a wired mouse.
  - deleted 3y ago
    [deleted]

stronglikedan 3y ago

Using a wireless mouse is a much more pleasant experience than a wired one, which is always giving a little resistance in one direction due to the wire. As for keyboards, a lot of people move their keyboard. For example, I move mine from my standing desk when standing, to a keyboard tray when sitting, since no one can seem to manufacture a standing desk converter with proper ergonomics when sitting. The keyboard always ends up at desk level, instead of just below. Unfortunately, they don't make a wireless version of my favorite keyboard, and the wire is always getting in the way when converting.

jwells89 3y ago
Yeah, my work setup is centered around wired peripherals but there are times I'd really appreciate having the flexibility afforded by wireless.

JohnFen 3y ago

I agree entirely. Especially about the need for a battery.

GuB-42 3y ago

The mouse obviously moves relative to the desktop. And the wire can be an annoyance. Not a big deal with proper cable management, but you are not always in an ideal situation, and a wireless mouse eliminates that problem. The wire is less of a problem for keyboards and I don't use a wireless keyboard for my desktop, but there are still some use cases.

dinosaurdynasty 3y ago

I use a wireless keyboard/mouse (trackpad really) with my TV. In theory I could run a wire, but it'd either be absurdly long or a tripping hazard.

babypuncher 3y ago

I agree with you on wireless keyboards, but i can never go back to using a wired mouse.

PhasmaFelis 3y ago

You're overstating the battery, reliability, and probably radio-clutter issues. These days, $20 gets you a wireless keyboard/mouse combo that runs flawlessly for years off a single set of batteries. All you have to do is plug in one dongle.

vel0city 3y ago

A mouse is constantly moving relative to the computer its being used with. I also prefer wireless mice on a lot of things because my main work machine is a laptop. Its way more convenient to just have it connected pretty much all the time. Its bluetooth as well, so I don't even have a dongle or nub constantly plugged into the laptop its just always there. I'd really like to get a wireless mouse for my gaming desktop, but all the wireless gaming mice are pretty pricey, have relatively short battery lives, and sometimes have other oddities. Having a lower polling interval and normal DPI is fine for basic work stuff, but when I'm playing a twitch shooter like Counterstrike its just not going to cut it. I have a wireless keyboard because it helps reduce desk clutter, and it pairs to multiple computers. Press F1, its on my personal machine. Press F2, its on my work machine. Press F3, its on my phone. This could kind of be done with a KVM switch, but why buy additional equipment when the keyboard can do it natively? In the end the battery lasts months on a single charge, even with the backlight on. It charges with the same cable I have already on my desk for charging any USB-C device. Charging it for a few hours every few months isn't really a hassle at all. Meanwhile its normally cord free and can easily swap between devices very quickly.