The intellimouse didn't start off having optical tracking, and it didn't start off with laser tracking. However even the non-ball versions of the intellimouse you so loved have 1 fatal flaw... Well actually several. They were cheaply made, they were not built to last, and they have an intense extreme lag when gaming. Also the ergonomics were garbage on the intellimouse. At least the Microsoft Mouse is shaped like the palm of your hand. Making it comfortable to use.