14 DAY TRIAL // The peripheral that 3Dconnexion just announced is definitely not the sort of product one would expect to see in any home and, sure enough, it isn't even intended for consumers, gamers or otherwise.
Instead, it is the sort of item that only professionals will really exploit at the maximum, provided they can think of, and remember, uses for all those buttons.
There aren't just buttons either, but also knobs and the patented six-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) sensor for precise and intuitive 3D navigation.
Five QuickView keys provide one-touch access to 12 view combinations of top, right, front, and 90-degree rotation.
Also, the item has an ergonomic design and grants complete application control via four fully customizable function keys (fingertip access to frequently used application commands).
What's more, it even has convenient access to the Control, Shift, Alt, Esc functions.
“3D mice revolutionize the way people interact with digital 3D content,” said Antonio Pascucci, vice president of products, 3Dconnexion.
“We are committed to developing products that meet the needs of 3D users. SpaceMouse Pro provides a professional 3D navigation experience, enabling users to better understand their 3D content, while its new advanced ergonomic design ensures a comfortable working experience.”
If anything, the new device from 3Dconnexion will help owners increase their dexterity the more they use it.
Media and entertainment, product design, architecture, mechanical and engineering, healthcare and various other fields are just ripe for the arrival of this thing.
Prospective customers will just have to make sure they have the required $299 (224.30 Euro).
Finally, operating System support won't be an issue: as the press announcement clearly shows, the 3D SpaceMouse Pro is compatible with Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, Mac OS 10.4.6 or later, Sun Solaris 8 (SPARC), Sun Solaris 10 (x86/x64), and Linux (Redhat Enterprise Linux WS 4, SuSE 9.3 or later).