This weird-looking open-sourced computer mouse has four buttons plus a point stick which reminds me of IBM's…

• Ploopy transformed the classic ThinkPad pointing stick into a standalone desktop controller
• Ploopy Bean uses magnetic sensing hardware, capturing 20,000 samples per second
• Open-source firmware allows complete customization of every button and function

The computer mouse has splintered into countless variations over the decades, yet the pressure-sensitive pointing stick has remained stubbornly obscure outside a devoted circle of users.

Canadian company Ploopy has now introduced a standalone device built entirely around this fingertip-controlled nub.

The Ploopy Bean houses a red pointing stick — the same type famously associated with IBM and later Lenovo ThinkPad keyboards — inside a compact chassis alongside four programmable buttons.

How the Pointing Mechanism Works

For anyone who spent years nudging that small red post to navigate spreadsheets or code, the design triggers instant recognition.

A pointing stick relies on pressure rather than travel, translating tiny fingertip nudges into cursor movement across a screen - and...

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