Our author Schuhmann explains why he can’t do without a vertical mouse anymore.
I have to admit: In recent years, I have gone a bit overboard with my gaming setup. A mechanical keyboard for €60 was just the beginning, then came a thick 27-inch monitor, it had to be a gaming chair from DX Racer, a new computer with an outrageously expensive graphics card came in autumn 2015, and just last month I treated myself to one of those exaggerated 144Hz monitors with 27 inches and G-Sync and relegated the “old” 27-incher to a secondary monitor – you have to treat yourself, after all.
But if I had to choose one part of all this gear, it would be the €20 vertical mouse I got two years ago. Because it solved a problem that really annoyed me: tension in my forearms, discomfort, a nagging feeling in my shoulder, general tension in my arms.
The vertical mouse has the following idea: When you are standing normally and are relaxed, your hand will be “untwisted” and simply rest on your body. So why do we always have to twist our wrist when working or gaming on the computer? The vertical mouse is designed so that you hold it as you would offer your hand to someone.
If you simply stretch out your hand now, the palm of your hand faces inward, not downward.
That sounds a bit esoteric, but after a short acclimatization period, it feels completely normal to hold the mouse like a claw. The pain and discomfort, the “mouse arm” that I had during intense gaming or working, disappeared.
Vertical Mouse from Anker – the Birkenstock sandal among mice
The vertical mouse from Anker costs just under €20, connects to the computer via USB and wirelessly, fits well in my hand, has three mouse buttons (two small others that I never use), a scroll wheel, and does what it is supposed to do.
It is solidly made and robust.
If you compare the mouse to a shoe: the Anker is not an elegant pair of sneakers with flashing lights and pump function. It is neither a patent leather shoe made of the finest buffalo leather, but a Birkenstock sandal. Maybe not sexy, maybe not aerodynamic, but it feels incredibly comfortable.
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