Computer mouse heading for extinction

by Guy Dixon | Monday 21 July 2008

Are the Wii MotionPlus and iPhone examples of how we'll be using PCs in years to come? Experts say the humble input device is being usurped by touch screens and facial recognition.

The computer mouse is set to die out in the next five years and will be usurped by touch screens and facial recognition, analysts believe.

Gartner said that innovations from electronics firms creating new interactive interfaces for gaming and smartphones are driving the demise of the mouse.

Steven Prentice, vice president and Gartner Fellow, told the BBC that devices such as Nintendo's MotionPlus for the Wii and Apple's iPhone point the way to the future, offering greater accuracy in motion detection.

"With the Wii you point and shake and it vibrates back at you so you have a two-way relationship," said the analyst.

"The new generation of smartphones like the iPhone all now have tilting mechanisms or you can shake the device to do one or more things."

Prentice also highlighted home entertainment efforts from Panasonic which employ hand and facial recognition techniques to display information in place of a conventional remote control.

However, while the mouse's 40 year-old reign is coming to an end, the keyboard is here to stay, according to the analyst.

"For all its faults, the keyboard will remain the primary text input device. Nothing is easily going to replace it," he said. "But the idea of a keyboard with a mouse as a control interface is breaking down."

Also see our review: SpaceNavigator - time to throw away your mouse?
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Also see: Rumor mill goes into overdrive: Microsoft and Sony to unveil Wii copycat?
All eyes are on Microsoft and Sony to release their own killer versions of the Wii motion controller at this year’s E3 gaming expo. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s Wii just keeps getting better.

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Comments: 24

.:Cyb3rGlitch:. 21 July 2008	Hmm. I don't think this will be the case. Many people don't like touchscreens, and motion devices are a pain to use for pointer input. Perhaps more people will change over after Windows 7, but the mouse will probably stay for a while yet. This should be an interesting trend to follow... Comment made about the PC Authority article: Computer mouse heading for extinction? Humble input device being usurped by touch screens and facial recognition. What do you think? Join the discussion.
gbyron 21 July 2008	I think this makes some valid points but it worth also thinking in terms of market segments. The gaming industry is much faster moving then the office workstation. I think for the office workstation there will be a much slower step down, because of the issue of retraining and the mm nature of conservative business systems. But for gaming and the home user the mouse and for that matter the computer as we currently us it is undergoing a period of evolution.
geller 21 July 2008	The Nintendo Power Glove is the most ridiculed game accessory of its time, yet somehow it's the future.
argenbar 21 July 2008	I saw an interesting new take on the mouse at CeBIT earlier this year. Their website is www.futuremouse.com. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of it, or if its just vapourware for now...
Pacman 21 July 2008	Speaking of Child's play.... (insert horror film joke pun here) Edited by pacman: 21/7/2008 11:15:52 AM
Lupetto 21 July 2008	I really cannot see the all helpful and easy to use mouse to be replaced any time soon. I mean honestly it’s had such a long run and with today’s shape/look and feel it just makes it so much easier to use a mouse in comparison to any other device. Then again technology has a funny way to make people adapt. So as much as I hate to admit it, it would not be surprising if in the next 10 years the mouse will be finally extinct. Replaced by the ever so problematic touch screen and motion sensor... or maybe they will invent a way so that just by gliding your finger on a holographic touchpad you could move a mouse cursor around. The field is open to many ideas and there’s virtually unlimited amount of these ideas that could replace our mouse... but no matter what happens, the ever so loved MOUSE will never be replaced in our hearts.
Slatts 21 July 2008	So the mouse is dead. If my input device had the audacity to shake at me I'd hit it with a stick. Are we going to have to go Minority report and become contortionists to navigate our files? Or go the rout of grubby fingerprints a la iphone? I use a 5 button mouse with scroll wheel that I can program to suit my tastes. It can cover the whole screen by moving in a 10cm by 10cm area. It's located next to the keyboard. What I can't do with keyboard shortcuts can be done by moving my hand a few inches to the right to my trusty old rodent. I don't see it becoming extinct in the near future.
.:Cyb3rGlitch:. 21 July 2008	Lupetto wrote: ... or maybe they will invent a way so that just by gliding your finger on a holographic touchpad you could move a mouse cursor around. There is, it's called a touchpad. :P http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchpad
Slatts 21 July 2008	.:Cyb3rGlitch:. wrote: Lupetto wrote: ... or maybe they will invent a way so that just by gliding your finger on a holographic touchpad you could move a mouse cursor around. There is, it's called a touchpad. :P http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Touchpad Hey .:Cyb3r! my old laptop's got one of those! That's why I plugged a mouse into it.:lol:
nostro 21 July 2008	Utter nonsense....Touch screens make your fingers sore after a day of use...what about photoshop? etc. This analyst says Touch screens will only be a fad and the mouse will stay...touchscreens will remain an option.... Nice attention getting headline leading to nothing substantive.
bbjai 21 July 2008	Will the mouse really go away? I think the only way it will go away is when it demonstrates that it will give a higher productivity to everyone doing their tasks. That includes most of all in the work/business space. I travel and work alot and I can't even go without my mouse much. I can't see devices like the Wiimote or touch screens increasing my Excel or Word productivity very much to be honest. It'll need to be more innovative if its going to dominate the world over the mouse. For games these devices are definetly good. For everyday life? completely different story
geller 21 July 2008	nostro, exactly where does it say the mouse will stay? It says the Keyboard will likely stay, which I agree with.
IT4LIFE 22 July 2008	The mouse is an essential gaming device and I don't see it going out for some time. Maybe increased optical resolution and better designs, but it will always be a necessity for (PC GAMING) for quite some time. Console gaming and PC gaming are two different worlds.
shammo02 22 July 2008	I thought the mouse was never created for gaming - it was created to move a little square around the screen to select text. Its evolution into a gaming device happened along the way. I think that we'll most likely keep the mouse until our eye movements allow us to move the cursor and focus. What about using something like a ear piece for our communications that also is bluetooth enabled which also doubles as our moushey. Allows for a integrated device that does sound and mouse movement. And if you move desks, you can then control any computer you are looking at if you authenticate. Or just tie a WIIMOTE TO YOUR HEAD.
j3d11 22 July 2008	The mouse will remain, but not in it's current form. Having worked for companies that deliver touchscreen solutions, they are not a replacement for either the keyboard for typing nor the mouse for gaming. Touchscreens are good input devices for switching or turning on/off applications. In my opinion the mouse will develop into a hand mounted device similar to a Wii controller, wireless and with a button for every finger (and thumb).
Adamvd 22 July 2008	Touchscreen and Wii like controllers replacing the mouse for gaming? That's what everyone wants, to play fps on their computer with a touchscreen or waving their hand around like idiots. Not everyone is a 10 year old or technologically retarded. I actually laughed, what kind of toolbag wrote this article.
Lupetto 22 July 2008	.:Cyb3rGlitch:. wrote: Lupetto wrote: ... or maybe they will invent a way so that just by gliding your finger on a holographic touchpad you could move a mouse cursor around. There is, it's called a touchpad. :P WOOOH .:Cyb3rGlitch:. I never knew that the little rectangle on my laptop was a “Holographic” touch pad :O I didn’t even know Holographic Touch Pads existed on notebooks yet :O
.:Cyb3rGlitch:. 22 July 2008	:P What's the advantage of a holographic one? Wouldn't it give you RSI? ponders
Lupetto 22 July 2008	a small price to pay For a way cool gadget. \:d/
vjay 8 August 2008	5 years? Needs a bit more work to kill the reign of the mouse, if you'd said 10-20 years maybe that'd be a bit more believable but going from my limited experience of touchscreens they not only drive you nuts, they put fingerprints all over your nice shiny screen so you have to continually polish the stupid thing so it looks presentable.
avoidz 8 August 2008	The mouse as input device is here to stay for a long while yet. There are too many applications for it, and PC games practically demand it, so these sorts of articles are such nonsense in reality, really. "Touch" as an input is useful for some things, but not for general everyday use. It looks cool in something like Minority Report, but would you want to wave your arms and hands about all day? :-k
Slatts 8 August 2008	avoidz wrote: It looks cool in something like Minority Report, but would you want to wave your arms and hands about all day? :-k hey! itsa an Italian thing! what can I say!?:lol:
Alistor 10 August 2008	I don't see the mouse going anywhere soon. I love my mouse. :P hugs mouse
kk77 10 August 2008	I love my mouse too..Games would definately require them..i would probably throw my computer out the window from frustration if i had to do everything by touch!.