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I've been using a notebook for so long that I am completely used to using the standard touchpad on a notebook, whether it's one that has buttons or allows for depressing the bottom left or right on a buttonless pad. Of course, the last time I used a desktop system, I used a mouse with a rubber ball that would be moved along the top of a mousepad. But it seems that there is now a (laser? optical?) moving mouse that does not have a rubber ball but that is moved like the one with a rubber ball (does that require a mousepad?), and even a stationary mouse that has a trackball on top the is moved around with a thumb, or perhaps with any finger.
Looking around Amazon, I didn't see too many touchpads that resembled one that would be on a notebook (although maybe I don't know what I am looking for). As for the non-ball moving mouse, it seems that they draw a lot of power, and thus automatically turn off after some time of non-use, necessitating that the mouse get turned over and switched back on - this would be a big turn-off (pun not intended) for me. Everyone seems to say that once the hang of it is garnered, the trackball is the best; I guess that in the way that I have mastered the notebook touchpad, I will be able to master the trackball (Evolution has done a wonderful job in crafting the human eye-hand coordinating system).
So, I guess I would like some opinions from folks that regularly use all these different systems, especially anyone that uses a touchpad for a desktop.
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As someone that's used everything you've mentioned:
Trackball mouse: They're good if you don't need snap movement. So unless you play games that require quick pointer movement (e.g. fps, moba) there's really no downside in my opinion. Can be uncomfortable or awkward to use initially since it differs the most from every other peripheral. Also sometimes the ball and bearings on the inside of the hole the ball sits in get dry and it gets awkward/sticky to move if you have dry hands.
Optical mouse: They're ok. I've had bad experiences with certain surfaces and mousepads where they don't pick up that the mouse is actually moving for an uncomfortably noticeable amount of distance.
Laser mouse: My preference overall. More arm movement than a trackball mouse obviously but you can also make snap movements for games. Never had an issue on a mousepad but some really smooth surfaces can cause issues. In my experience even pretty reliable if you're using your pants/leg as a mousepad for something like a laptop.
Touchpad: (Just to give the other opinions some context.) Good for precise and quick movements over a short distance. Has issues with long dragging motions and resets. A complete PITA if you want to click and drag farther than the pad space + sensitivity allows. On the other hand, probably the easiest and most comfortable to scroll with and usually supports both vertical and horizontal scrolling.
Personal preference, but I always prefer wired over wireless to avoid the battery optimization stuff like the mouse turning off and to avoid dealing with charging and batteries in general. As far as the options above, if you can I'd try to test them out and see what's most comfortable for you if you're able.
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Quote: So unless you play games that require quick pointer movement (e.g. fps, moba)
I'd disagree - they allow a more precise movement in FPS games as well.
I started with Doom on the keyboard (Arrgh!) moved to mouse, then trackball and it was much better. When I moved back to a mouse for Quake it was terrible: faster left-right but too wild for any accuracy. Then UT, and now GTA V - if you want to kill from a distance with a quick weapon, it's easy to get accurate hits (and I use a controller for the driving bits)
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This is why it's always good to try stuff out  Back when I played CS 1.6 I felt like I had to choose between same-screen accuracy and the ability to snap a 180 or other long movements because unlike a laser mouse where you can set your desired accuracy and then just remember how many pad-lengths it takes to hit a 180 (e.g. 1.5x or whatever), with a trackball you kinda just have to flick it, let it spin, and hope you stop it on the 180. It doesn't have a static "frame of reference" like other mice do (the mousepad). It's more timing based. For me personally, even though I used a trackball for like 2-3 years, I ended up switching and never looked back.
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Below are just personal opinions so don’t take them too seriously 
I am super picky about mice and pointing devices, that’s how I ended up with a box of those that I don’t use anymore. Among them there is still a Microsoft ball mouse like the ones you mentioned. Was good but it would pick up lint from the pad and had to clean it regularly. That’s probably why mechanical mice haven’t been sold in decades. Moving to optical mice the first choice is between corded or cordless. The corded ones obviously don’t need any external power. If you go for the cordless than you have a second choice: Bluetooth or radio. Bluetooth is somewhat more power hungry but you don’t need a receiver dongle that blocks one of your USB ports.
Regarding the power usage, all mice go in a sleep mode to save power but they come back to life instantly and you don’t have to turn them off unless you go in vacation.
As for trackballs, I find the consumer grade ones to be very annoying and not comfortable. For me a good trackball needs to have at least 3-4 inches diameter while most trackballs are only 1 or 2 inches. I used a good trackball on a radar station but could not take it home 
I haven’t used a pad with a desktop but I imagine you would need a pretty big one to move the pointer across one or two monitors with enough accuracy. While your laptop screen has 14-16 inches, desktop screens can be 60 inches. For the same dynamic you would need a pad 4 times bigger, me thinks.
Currently in using a Logitech G305 and I’m 90% happy with it. Battery life is not an issue: I installed a rechargeable battery about 2 months ago and it’s still going (and no, I don’t turn the mouse off at night). When it will be discharged I have another one to swap. The curve of the mouse also fits my hand quite well. That’s something important that I cannot fully appreciate from a picture on the internet. I ordered many mice that were either too flat or too curved.
Also, I’m a lefty who alternates left hand and right hand for the mouse (good for RSI prevention) so my mice have to be symmetrical. This one is almost symmetrical except for the two back and forward buttons on the side. I deactivated them but still clicking them occasionally is a bit annoying (hence my 90% grade).
Mircea
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Mircea Neacsu wrote: I haven’t used a pad with a desktop but I imagine you would need a pretty big one to move the pointer across one or two monitors with enough accuracy. While your laptop screen has 14-16 inches, desktop screens can be 60 inches. For the same dynamic you would need a pad 4 times bigger, me thinks.
Using higher DPI mice does require some practice, but at 2000 DPI I can sweep across three monitors just by pivoting my hand at the wrist not actually moving it left/right like I normally do. My actual mousing area is on part with the smaller mouse pads I used back in the 90s. At the same time I still can move with pixel accuracy when I need it for editing images/etc.
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Again with the caveat that I haven't used a trackpad on a desktop, I doubt that they have the same resolution as a gaming mouse.
On my desktop I use a Logitech G305 at 3200 dpi and, unsurprisingly, takes less than 2 inches to flick it across 2 screens (1920 x 2 / 3200 = 1.2).
On my laptop the trackpad is 3 inches across and takes the whole trackpad width to move the mouse from left to right. I'd figure a resolution of 1920 / 3 = 650 dpi.
I couldn't easily find dpi specs for trackpads so I might be very wrong in my back of the envelope calculations.
Mircea
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The regular plain old wired optical mice do not turn off (they may "dim" a bit when idling, but instantly turn on when moved), and turning off that badly is also not familiar to me from battery-powered optical mice (some, but not all, of them annoyingly need to be clicked to turn on, having to be turned over just sounds nuts to me). By the way they last ages on a fresh pair of non-rechargeable batteries, maybe half a year, could be more or less depending on the mouse and the batteries. On the other hand, it seems that the batteries sense when you need them most, and suddenly cut out without warning right at that moment. Jokes aside, I prefer the wired mice because they are light. The batteries make the wireless version heavier, which in particular was not good for twitch-movement.
Optical mice work directly on most tables, it is often not recommended but you can use them that way.
swampwiz wrote: Everyone seems to say that once the hang of it is garnered, the trackball is the best;
Best at what? I have yet to see one used in e-sports, so probably not that. Maybe CAD?
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abmv wrote: RollerMouse RollerMouse Red Series - Contour Design Inc. What on earth is a "Roller Mouse"?? - YouTube
I bought an entire small notebook (11.5" touch screen, 4GB memory, 64GB drive) for less than the cost of this! 
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abmv wrote: RollerMouse RollerMouse Red Series - Contour Design Inc. What on earth is a "Roller Mouse"?? - YouTube
The marketing blather: RollerMouse Red, unlike a traditional mouse, sits in front of your keyboard instead of to the left or right. This placement eliminates the need for reaching for the mouse and will greatly reduce unnecessary muscle activity in your arms, shoulders, and neck.
And then a screen farther down, they show the users left hand on their contraption farther away from the home row than my left hand is when using the mouse immediately adjacent to my keyboard to the side.
Did you ever see history portrayed as an old man with a wise brow and pulseless heart, weighing all things in the balance of reason?
Is not rather the genius of history like an eternal, imploring maiden, full of fire, with a burning heart and flaming soul, humanly warm and humanly beautiful?
--Zachris Topelius
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I've had a number of wireless mice over the years. The batteries last for several months. I've never had one that powered itself off and had to 'wake up' to be usable, or if it did, it wasn't noticeable.
Software Zen: delete this;
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A laser pointer. And a cat, hours of fun to be had. (No cats were harmed in the posting of this message).
On a more serious note, I use a wireless optical mouse. Many have an off switch, which solves the battery life and wake-from-sleep issues. I recently bought a cheap and cheerful Bluetooth mouse on eBay which is excellent and saves a USB port.
Update: This mouse actually does USB too so it's a pretty nifty device, I really like it. Trackball mice tend to clag up over time, I would avoid them, and if your optical mouse won't track reliably, use a mouse mat. And yes, you can turn this one off.
Bluetooth Wireless Rechargeable Game Mouse Optical Gaming Mice For PC Mac Laptop | eBay[^]
modified 18-Apr-22 4:25am.
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Microsoft's Arc Mouse is also an option, it combines the best of the two worlds, portable, it's BlueTrack so expected to work on glass, too.
Review
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My RedDragon mouse is wireless and uses a laser. It lasts a good 3 days on a single charge and can be used while charging as well. It has variable speed right on the mouse and other features that I don't currently use (I think it's a lowish-level gaming mouse). It also matches my keyboard 
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It lasts far longer than my laptop battery, so I'm satisfied.
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My Logitech wireless laser mouse goes for week without needing to be recharged. No batteries to replace, just pop it in the charging unit overnight. It is model MX-1000. Unfortunately, it is no longer available. I've had to replace the left-click micro switch a couple of times, but it isn't difficult to do and more recent versions (MX Revolution) of the mouse are not as versatile.
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My personal preference is a trackball. I'm currently using the MX Ergo made by Logitech. The M570 is cheaper but, lately, they don't seem to last as long. My wife prefers using a touchpad and a while back we bought her a Logitech K830 keyboard that has a touchpad where the numeric keypad would normally be. It's wireless.
Hope this helps.
Scott
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I came to prefer using a Wacom Tablet with stylus. Direct mapping from pad to screen meant that I didn’t have to shuffle the mouse over and over to move it across a wide or multiple screens. Some models allow for touch (fingertip / multiple finger) and gestures.
The downside was the desk space it takes. But I got used to it.
Since I retired, I opted for a gaming mouse due to desktop size, and not spending 8 to 12 hours on it. Currently using a wired Roccat mouse. It’s programmable and precise.
It’s all personal preference, so, as another commentator said, all this is opinion.
Good luck 
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Mark
Just another cog in the wheel
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I prefer wireless mice and just to clarify.
I never turn it off and it lasts about a year before I have to change the battery and I use it a lot. Hours a day.
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I use a Logitech wireless mouse and a Logitech trackball and alternate them when the batteries run out. The idea is to reduce the chance of OOS by using different muscles.
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Eye tracking?
It seems like a hi def web cam should be able to drive it.
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