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Design
Something that I have always blessed in my IntelliMouse Explorer is its ease of cleaning. Just wipe a cloth across the bottom a few times and you're finished, especially when using a fairly dust-free mousing surface. Cleaning ball mice has never been easy. Getting cloths or cotton swabs into the original IntelliMouse and removing hair and dust which had wrapped themselves around the axles was not an easy task by any measure. This is why I love what has been done to remedy the problem with the Rotokiller. You know when it's dirty because the bottom is clear and you can see the innards easily. The moving parts (axles and ball) are all bright yellow, making dust, dirt, hair, and so on stand out. You utilize the included Allen wrench to remove the three screws from the base, giving you easy access to these components. It may take a lot longer than with normal ball mice, but it only became the slightest bit dirty during the week and a half that I have been testing it, indicating that you shouldn't have to remove the bottom very often. And should you happen to lose any of the screws, two extras are provided in the package. Nice touch.
If buttons are what you are seeking, look no further than the Rotokiller. There are four membrane buttons on top, easily accessible to your index and middle fingers. Another two reside under the grip. Simply press on the general area of the rubber, and they'll be activated. Sadly, these areas are often hard to find with your ring and pinky fingers when your attention is focused on a game. Membrane switches mean that there are no moving parts to worry about and that controls can be triggered with just the slightest touch. Getting used to such sensitive buttons takes a while, but I never got past the point where once in a while I would inadvertently fire off my secondary weapon because while triggering my primary weapon. As expected, each button can be configured using the driver software.
Mouse cords do slightly hinder our games whether we like it our not, and thus some gamers are resorting to wireless solutions. Although the Rotokiller doesn't go quite that far, its cord protrudes from the top of the case, eventually touching your desk a few inches away. This, combined with the fact that you won't be moving the Rotokiller very far at all, eliminates the drag of the cord completely. You will have to find a new way to route the cord around your desk setup. If you have the cord come towards you after exiting the Rotokiller, you can either have it drop down off the desk or go back across your arm first. Having the cord go towards the monitor after exiting the mouse means that you won't have the worry about tangoing with it during the heat of a deathmatch.
>> Usage
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