Have there been any thoughts of creating an Ultimate Hacking Mouse?
On the occasions where I do use my mouse, I find myself wishing that I could easily program the functionality like I can my UHK. I would like to switch the functionality of the wheel by holding a button to allow volume control. I would love to be able to fine scroll by holding a button and moving the mouse. I would love to be able to map the buttons to complex actions in hardware like I can my UHK.
I really wish I could use a key on my keyboard to control my external mouse’s acceleration/deceleration, like the mouse keys/modules on the UHK. Something similar to the sniper/DPI button on some gaming mice, but triggered by the UHK.
I’ve seen some AutoHotkey scripts that attempt it, but they’re awful and don’t work very well. And of course, a ton of games’ anti-cheat systems don’t get along with AHK either.
On a side note, I would also love to have standalone modules. This would allow for choosing the most comfortable positon of the respective peripheral. Idk if that is technically and economicall feasible.
A new module with a USB port into which you plug an external device with mouse/keyboard capabilities. You then map the events of that external IO device to the keyIds of the module, and then you can route the events through the UHK and program them that way. Voila! Any IO device with standard keyboard/mouse USB interface can now be an Agent programmable Ultimate Hacking Device courtesy of the host UHK! There are technical challenges for sure, but I am certain that the talented team at UGL is up to the task!
The Ultimate Hacking Adapter (UHA). It looks like a USB hub, or USB dongle. It might have an OLED display. It runs the UH* firmware, and applies all its macro engine and other features onto the events coming from USB devices (keyboards, mice, trackballs, touchpads…). Maybe you can even connect BT equipment to it.
I’ve wondered about the possibility of such an adapter, and it would be frickin’ sweet if it was doable! I imagine trying to consider all the variables would be rather complex though.
From a business perspective, I think taking the UHK out of the picture entirely would be a questionable choice. Having the hardware part adds a level of “presence” to the product. It has marketing value, it’s an image for the brand. I get asked about the keyboard regularly when I bring it places. Being just a dongle would take that away. Also, the quality of the hardware is also a key part of the product, as well as the tight integration with Agent, with the graphics and everything, so if I were UGL, you probably wouldn’t see that product from me. It would likely be brand suicide in the long run.
But having a module to support a mouse might work.
Great… now I can’t sleep because I had a vision of plugging an endless chain of UHKs together via their modules. Then I thought of the nightmare of trying to map all those layers in Agent. I just know I’m gonna end up trapped in a nested dream labyrinth like the movie “Inception”.
I’ve been thinking about the suggested adapter, but I’m hesitant to release it for the reasons mentioned, even though the modular nature of the UHK makes our keyboards quite unique. That is, if one needs the modules.
Also, the adapter would be a relatively low-priced, low-margin product, and the firmware could be problematic given the various USB devices users might connect to it.
I’m wondering if the pogo pin connectors on current UHKs could handle devices with high polling rates? Most modern mice (esp. gaming mice) are at least 1000Hz, and there’s a shift in demand for upwards of 8000Hz. I personally use between 2000-8000Hz.
IMO, if it could handle rates that high, it might be worth an effort to make it a reality. There’d probably be a decent demand if you could support the average gaming mouse, in addition to general use devices. The MMO crowd would love the flexibility of Agent/smart macros. Imagine how incredible it would be if you could plug pretty much any mouse into your UHK, and get it set up the way you want in just a few clicks…
Of course, the devs might go mad trying to keep up with it all though .
That’s another thing. Regardless of polling rates or anything like that, adding another device in between the mouse and the computer will increase response times. This is inevitable. An adapter, module or direct, could not be an e-sports accessory. It would be a productivity tool first and foremost. It could be useful for MMOs as you say, but for anything where reaction times are important, it would not be useful.
No, I believe that the best way forward if they want to enter the mouse game would be an actual hardware mouse, especially if they could find a way of making it modular in a way that’s actually meaningful to the user, the way the modules for UHK are, to align with the brand spirit. That is a big undertaking all in itself, though. Mice are a different beast than keyboards in terms of form factor, ergonomics, space constraints for the innards, and so on.
I can’t decide which would be more comically absurd; a normal sized mouse with tiny little UHK keyboards for modules, or a normal sized UHK with a gigantic mouse bridge?
It’s been a while, but I think I’ve come across that one before as well. IIrc, whatever games I was trying it on didn’t like it. I might check it out again if I can force myself to read through it all (that’s a long one ).
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