Ploopy Opens Preorders for $51 Bean Pointing Stick Mouse Inspired by ThinkPad TrackPoint
Updated
Updated · Boy Genius Report · May 25
Ploopy Opens Preorders for $51 Bean Pointing Stick Mouse Inspired by ThinkPad TrackPoint
2 articles · Updated · Boy Genius Report · May 25
Ploopy has put the Bean up for preorder, selling a $51.06 pointing-stick mouse that replaces a moving sensor with a central red nub modeled on ThinkPad-style TrackPoint controls.
The 3D-printed device steers the cursor through pressure rather than mouse movement, adds four surrounding buttons, 1,000Hz polling, 11 mm travel in any direction and sensitivity down to 3 microns.
USB-A to USB-C wiring is required despite some promotional images showing no cable, and buyers face long waits: one preorder tier ships in up to eight weeks, another in up to 20 weeks.
Ploopy is also pitching the Bean as a mod-friendly product, offering free firmware, mechanical and electrical updates, and downloadable customization files that could enable community-designed upgrades.
As tech giants ditch the 'nub', can this retro-inspired mouse prove the iconic design still has a future?
With mouse use causing 90% of office RSI, could this throwback device be the future of workplace wellness?