X11 has multi pointer but I have no idea how usable it is https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Multi-pointer_X
this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2024
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Is it possible for a game to read two mice separately? Sure. It's not common, but it's possible.
The game "Lemmings" was ported everywhere in the early 1990s, but the original Amiga version supported two mice at the same time (two mice, two players, two cursors).
That's a rare example of a game that designed in some support for two mice, and that support was specific to one platform.
Like, digital dual wielding?
Kinda how you use the touchpads to type on the steamdeck?
Damn, that would be awesome on the Deck if you could dual wield the touchpads everywhere.
I've been dreaming of that at least since we had the Wii with its multiple cursors. But not even touch inputs are separate from mouse input. Not sure if multitouch is even available beyond some gestures. Maybe in some special applications.
To me, this is the kind of limitation that we should innovate away from. Computers can be so personalized and we should let the sky be the limit
I read a comment in a KDE thread recently that said Gnome has this.
"Two pointers" makes a lot of sense if you actually have the ability to pay attention to two things simultaneously. Most froods are not hoopy enough for this.
"Heeeey.... What!"
I knew a guy that would use a mouse and joystick with all sorts of fun keybindings in WoW. This was back in the BC days when Palidin face roll build was popular, (I don't know what the game is like now).
Do you think we could ever have that future?
That's interesting, but personally, I don't see a lot of point. I'm totally willing to learn about other people's workflows and use cases though. I just have a hard time envisioning a need for two pointers at once other than edge cases like resizing lots of windows or something. Maybe 3d modeling, for better moving/rotating control?
In most cases, it seems like the way to get more efficient is to stop using the mouse and fire up a terminal. If you just want more buttons on your mouse so you can have a full keyboard, maybe try the Azeron Cyro? I haven't used it personally, though I do use their Cyborg for games.
That thing looks sick! This is the kind of innovation I want out of the tech industry
Their Cyborg is really great. Takes some time to get the muscle memory, but it really does the job well.
@Dippy The thing is: Neither Windows nor Linux UIs are really designed for two mice.
That being said, one thing you COULD probably do: Get two programmable MMO mice and bind different keystrokes to their thumb buttons, then switch as needed. They'd still control the same mouse pointer, but you could use different keybinds/macros on each.