mikebola on 21/2/2006 at 07:30
I picked up an ITAC mouse-trak industrial trackball off ebay a month ago for $10. it sports stainless steel rollers (it's opto-mechanical, but still high-resolution) with sealed ball bearings. the case and ball are also made out of a space-age plastic that's resistant to most chemicals (inside and out) and it has a fancy little "ballistic mode" button that drops sensitivity (faster movement) when you spin the ball faster.
The down side to it is there isn't a scroll wheel on it, but I get around that with a nostromo n-52 gamepad.
Printer's Devil on 22/2/2006 at 00:19
Find one of these and give it a whirl:
Inline Image:
http://www.pcpartsxpress.com/product-images/KB_MOU/Logitech-marble2.jpgThey're an inexpensive (about $15) introduction to trackball controllers. Like most things in life, there is a learning curve (1-2 months to become FPS proficient), but your brain should be able to handle it. The button layout could be a bit more balanced, but they rarely become a problem.