Removing Mouse Acceleration OSX

First off, thank you AussieDJ for your informative solutions, this problem has been driving me insane over the last few days. Having finally purchased a Mac (MBP 15") capable of running modern games, I decided it was time to finally retire my old trackball logitech mouse (you read that right, an actual physical trackball) so that I could play the likes of Diablo 3. I purchased a Logitech G400 but did not realize the complete lack of Mac driver support until it arrived. I've read about 30 threads like this one over the last few days and played around with command line fixes as well as both USB Overdrive and Steermouse. The latter two work fine for reassigning buttons and the like, but I am still unable to really get the cursor movement to be comfortable. As I understand it, this is both a function of the acceleration curve (its shape AND whether it is turned on at all) and of the polling rate of the mouse (the G400 has a 1000Hz polling rate and Mac OS X tops out at 125Hz.

So I have a few specific questions for you AussieDJ (or anyone else who has had success finding a workable gaming solution):

1) Razer SEEMS to have better mac driver support (eg. the Imperator 2012 claims to have Lion compatible drivers) than most 3rd party mouse makers (Logitech has no support at all). Is this actually true? And if so, do these drivers let you solve the acceleration AND polling speed issues (by adjusting the polling rate to the native 125hz) IN Mac OS? If I can solve everything in Mac OS with the drivers, then I could get something cheap, like the DeathAdder (though I see that this model lacks new drivers for 10.7, whereas the Imperator has a 2012 model with updated drivers).

2) Assuming that the Razer Mac drivers don't quite let you solve all these problems, what exactly CAN you set in the Windows control software? I assume DPI and sensitivity, but can you also change the polling rate and acceleration? And if so, do these features specifically (ie. the ones that are really at issue in Mac OS) carry over when you store them in the on-board memory of say, an Imperator or Lachesis? Can button assignments also be stored in these onboard profiles? If not, would I have to then use Steermouse to reassign them in Mac OS (and would that conflict with trying to use onboard profiles?).

3) Since your solution involves turning off mouse acceleration entirely in Mac OS, is there some way to only disable it for USB mice, but keep it for the trackpad (where it is actually helpful?).

Sorry, I know that's a lot of qustions, but I already ordered one mouse that I will have to send back. I LOOKS like I might be able to get what I want with either the Imperator or the Lachesis (albeit at double the price), but I want to be 100% sure that I would end up sending those back too. Thanks in advance!

if you have any problem regarding mouse acceleration in Mac, really just check out this app called Controllermate. I used to play WoW in Mac when I noticed that the mouse tracking speed does not feel smooth at all. In Controllermate you can adjust the acceleration curve so that the mouse feel smoother. My mouse is the Microsoft Habu (by Razer). It has on-board memory which I preset in Windows and it works well in Mac (no need to set it in Mac).

I know your problem and fixed it: The source code I got is not mine, I merely put it into an app container. Just run the APP and the accel is gone.

http://db.tt/r2aGDoDB

<This Link is a direct download>

how to remove that app/revert settings unihumi?

edit: just asked, but for now i really love it, it turned off accel only for mouse right? trackpad settings stayed unchanged?

i really hope apple implement mouse acceleration disabled feature in mountain lion

Just restart your Mac to revert back to normal. (Maybe log off and log back in works too)

I don't know if it works for the trackpad as well, since I didn't write to code and haven't tried it on a MacBook yet.

This thread is the reason why forums annoy me. It's like stumbling across a private party. Totally jumping the gun with your reactions to lomis1's question. Not everyone has to be as articulate as you, and I understood what he was saying just fine.

I'm having the same problem. I would really like to game on my Mac. I've bought the games, but I cannot play them properly - especially Diablo 3. Diablo 3 may as well be sold exclusively on PC. The whole game is built around flicking the cursor across the screen without any impediments.

As for normal use - I had an Apple mouse and that was frustrating. Switched to a Logitech mouse and it's no different. It's setup, but I'm using the trackpad - it's quite simply uncomfortable and it would be nice to have the option for a bit of comfort, even if some of you find it to be very ("very") sufficient

P.S. I would count your lucky stars that someone came on here and said "F'd up" and "disgusting" - they're not swear words. And at least it's a new outsider for you to interact with that may have a different opinion.

Apple is great -- but not always right.

BNDO1 is right, many genuine users whom have shelled out literally thousands on an Apple product only to be looked down upon and talked down too by disgruntled brown tonge'd forum clan's and forum police. It can especially give the wrong impression and make any newcomers feel very un-welcome indeed and give them a lasting wrong impression within the Apple community.

When users genuinely become upset with some 'real' problems and issues, they naturally feel frustrated that they exist with some unfortunate silly issues that Apple never ever seem to address to the pain and misery of genuine people trying to get get the mosy out of their Mac.

The acceleration is a real issue and drives me to despair. It would be nothing for a multi-bilion dollar company like Apple to implement an option to enable & disable the mouse acceleration feature and keep everyon happy - as well as many other pointles issues. To re-iterate what someone else had mentioned; the acceleration feature is better and more suited to a track-pad but uslees for a mouse. I have a Cyborg RAT 9 which is the best mouse I've used so far for gaming in BOTH OS X and Bootcamp but still the acceleration feature is a headache therefore I have to keep switching the dpi on-the-fly using the dedicated dpi button on the mouse to help compensate, but I'd rather Apple implement an option. I ony use the RAT 9 now because as nice as the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad are, for some reason they don't work as smoothly and well in Bootcamp as they do in OS X (therefore sold them).

Problem still exists in 10.8. DeathAdder 3500 still unusable.

omg... it's still not fixed in 10.8!?

Ok, this works! What the...

Where did you get the sourcecode from and what is it doing?! The only remaining thing now is a bit of lag, but otherwise the movements seems linear!

Thank you, unihumi!

LE. it seems that the very second I touch the slider in the system settings dialog, the acceleration is reset to its default value. So far so good, the only remaining problem is the in-built lag mice have in OS X, but I guess this is better than it used to be before I tried your hack.

You can also remove it's handy work by simply adjusting the speed in mouse settings. It will immediately revert back to how it was before you applied the script.

Honestly this seems to be the best solution ATM. I've tried many different apps and scripts which all require you to log out or restart to get a similar effect.

This little script seems to do exactly what you need right away without having to log off or restart to enable the settings.

Only issues I notice is that if you use a G9x like myself you may want to make your default DPi towards the lower half of the scale in windows because this script gives you no speed adjustments. I got lucky because my lowest on mouse setting gives me perfect feedback with this script. However if I turn up my onboard DPi to max then it will be way to fast.

I've gone back and fourth across the screen many times playing with it and it seems that even my angle snapping is working on my mouse and the input does feel raw. Looking forward to trying some tf and see how it works.

Thanks for the app! Maybe some day apple will spend 10minutes of their time to give us an option to remove mouse accelleration from mouse settings. Rediculous that they haven't so far. Doesn't make any sense to me.

1. I used a mac several years ago and do not remember this problem. I definitely would have noticed since not only have I used a PC since 1992, I used a PC side by side that mac at work every day for over a year.

2. The app by unihumi didnt seem to work 100%. It did stop most of the acceleration on both the tracking and scroll wheel, but in micro movements, it is still there. How do I know? Because when you are trying to say, select from a drop down on a super-hi res screen, it usually takes me about a second per selection. Here it takes me about 3-4 seconds because the pointer slows down so much, I end up having to move it more than necessary to go down a couple of rows.

3. I tried the Mouse Curve App and that did well for the tracking, but had no option for the scroll wheel, which also annoys me to no end. (Yes that was an emotional "professional" statement, but show me one IT professional who hasnt used that word to describe something... yes I am an IT pro and a professional web/graphics designer)

4. What is this crap (yes more vulgar language... which is used in 99% of forums every day and accepted 100% except by stuck up wanna be's who think they define the PC world, not the actual users) about not having to move the hand as much to move the cursor across the page as opposed to the small distances??? Why would you need a bigger mousepad or deskspace??? Ever heard of lifting your hand up and displacing the mouse? I need to do this maybe once every now and then... that beats the heck out of trying to guess the exponential acceleration algorithm of Apple's mouse control.

5. For those of you who have "used to macs for 500 years" thats great, but if thats your attitude to come to try to "help" in forums and impart your extensive habits on new users, I am not sure why you bother. The OP was totally reasonable and honest and even added an emoticon to ensure the good nature of the post. Not sure what kind of forums some of you are used to, but I frequent forums of all different genre probably more than all of you put together, let alone have designed and developed one of the largest complete forums in the world, and there is only one way to describe whats going on here... Apple snobs who think they are better because Apple is "better" than PC and you know its not, and that always adds a chip on your shoulders, and you dont ever resist the opportunities to knock on PC users. Apple's incessant attempt to "idiot proof" computers always backfires with higher level techs. I have worked as a computer consultant for years and years, and for the percentage of Mac users there are in my area, I have had as many calls from them as PC... and yes, you guys do have a "blue screen of death" as well... but yours is gray, LOL. Why else would u have a KB combo such as OPT-CMND-R-P if mac never has problems?

6. Now to get to facts... this accelerating option on Apple has to be one of the dumbest unnecessary features of all input devices. First, guess how we work more efficiently, with objects that work at a linear or exponential rate? But typical Apple reinvents the wheel to "separate themselves from the PC." I dont care how long some of you have used the Mac, I used the Apple IIe and the first Mac Classic... I didnt see any accelerated mouse pointers on those. I have been designing on a PC since 1997 and I never had a problem or never thought "Wow wouldnt it be great if the mouse slowed down when I did micro movements?" If u cant control your mouse in linear motion pixel by pixel, then maybe you need to enhance your motor skills.

7. This crappy take it or leave it attitude by Apple and their users is typical, and now with Jobs gone, it wont be long until PC's totally dominate in the new generation, and iPods/Phones/Pads will be dominated by Samsung and the Android world, so stay haughty while while u can... it wont be long... its a miracle that Jobs provided keeping u in business this long with your overpriced closed off proprietary sham. I have to admit though, your iPhone cases are pretty cool... high quality bonded multi-layered coated paper and nice glue... made an awesome box for some nuts and bolts... but the customers sure do pay for that box dont they, LOL.

You´re right.

JMASTERJ wrote:

4. What is this crap (yes more vulgar language... which is used in 99% of forums every day and accepted 100% except by stuck up wanna be's who think they define the PC world, not the actual users) about not having to move the hand as much to move the cursor across the page as opposed to the small distances???

So true!

JMASTERJ wrote:

6. Now to get to facts... this accelerating option on Apple has to be one of the dumbest unnecessary features of all input devices. First, guess how we work more efficiently, with objects that work at a linear or exponential rate? But typical Apple reinvents the wheel to "separate themselves from the PC." I dont care how long some of you have used the Mac, I used the Apple IIe and the first Mac Classic... I didnt see any accelerated mouse pointers on those. I have been designing on a PC since 1997 and I never had a problem or never thought "Wow wouldnt it be great if the mouse slowed down when I did micro movements?" If u cant control your mouse in linear motion pixel by pixel, then maybe you need to enhance your motor skills.

Absolute correct man!

I play (almost)diamond Level Starcraft 2. And i unfortunately have to reboot my Macbook Pro into Windows, each time i want to play, only because of the mouse movement, because in Starcraft 2 you need to move FAST ...._*AND*_... PRECISELY, which means... BOTH. But, naturally, my brain communicates linearly to my hand, not exponentially, which is why you NEVER get USED it, you learn to LIVE with it, with the pain (which many of you holy faithfully believers apparently do). Im aware that there needs to be an acceleration curve. But the amount of acceleration and deceleration is too much, which is why my brain cannot SAVE or LEARN the distances that my hand needs to be moved to reach a certain point on the screen, because it DIFFERS TOO MUCH (Aarrrgh), each time i move, once like this and once like that. Im absolutely sure, that those which are not bothered

1. either have an absolute tracking talent (like musicians with absolute hearing), which is very unlikely

2. are afraid of blasphemy

3. dont care too much, because they don´t.

someone do something. really.

🙂

<Edited By Host>

Now here is my solution to Apple:

Mouse Motion Concept

***New Feature*** (wow!)

As you like euphemism and simplicity (functionalism is so beautiful) so much: Why don´t you make an ONE CLICK option under mouse prefences called "Fast precision mode (useful for gaming)". Copy the mouse curves from Windows, as long as they don´t patent the "Windows 8 Style Mouse Motion Extreme Extended Technology", and put them under the awesome ***New Feature*** (wow!).

End of Concept

(sorry for spamming)

🙂

Haha I just started playing SC2 as well, only Bronze 😟 Send me your acct ID/# I'll add you.

I have no idea how you even approaching Diamond with this accelero crap... Look at the bright side... with a standard mouse you could probably be Master for sure... what the heck u doing on an Apple playing games anyways?????????

P.S. I was able to use that tool to get rid of the accel pointer feature, but no way I can get rid of the scroll wheel accel... SHAH, that stupid accel thing is on the scroll wheel too, LOL.. wow is all I have to say. But at least I can use the mouse now like a normal person... now too bad I cant blame that for my SC incompetance.