trackball or no trackball?

[Nefesis]

i'm trying to decide how/if to save cp space (and money   ). can you use a joystick and pushbuttons as a mouse? or should i put in a trackball and mouse buttons?

[Onji]

Joysticks, and pushbuttons emulate keyboard strokes, you'll need a trackball unless you can hide a mouse somewhere, like in a keyboard tray or something.

[NoOne=NBA=]

What are you intending to do with the trackball, if you install it.

If it is just for Windows navigation, then buy a wireless mouse, and throw the receiver inside the cab.
An alternative to this is to set your front-end to autoload.
Most of the front-ends support joystick navigation, and button entry.

If it is to play games with, then the joystick is a really bad substitute.
You CAN play SOME games with a joystick, but it doesn't work nearly as well.
MAME uses the joystick to send a "go that way" command; the speed of which is set in your preferences.
If you set the preferences too high, you go too fast, and can't do small movements.
If you set it too low, you go to slow to get where you need to in time.

Missle Command is a good example.
If you set the speed too low, you will watch the cursor move slowly toward the top as it goes.
If you set it too high, you won't be able to do small adjustments to the cursor, and will miss alot.
The amount you need to move the trackball at any given time changes, so ANY setting will have times where it is too slow, AND other times where it is too fast.

For games, you don't really need mouse buttons.
You can configure the games to use the other buttons for fire, etc...

[Nefesis]

eh, i'll probably put in a trackball. seeing as how there's about 5000 games in MAME right now that i have no clue what they are, trackball willprobably be useful. thanks for the info.

[REBIRTH]

Yeah - there are a ton of games that use a trackball - if you can afford it and have the room, go for it.  A trackball is also good for shooter games (like T2) if you don't have a lightgun.