Editing Computer mouse (section)

== Multiple-mouse systems ==
Some systems allow two or more mice to be used at once as input devices. Late-1980s era [[home computer]]s such as the [[Amiga]] used this to allow computer games with two players interacting on the same computer ([[Lemmings (video game)|Lemmings]] and [[The Settlers]] for example). The same idea is sometimes used in [[collaborative software]], e.g. to simulate a [[whiteboard]] that multiple users can draw on without passing a single mouse around.

[[Microsoft Windows]], since [[Windows 98]], has supported multiple simultaneous pointing devices. Because Windows only provides a single screen cursor, using more than one device at the same time requires cooperation of users or applications designed for multiple input devices.

Multiple mice are often used in multi-user gaming in addition to specially designed devices that provide several input interfaces.

Windows also has full support for multiple input/mouse configurations for multi-user environments.

Starting with Windows XP, Microsoft introduced [[Windows Multipoint Mouse|an SDK]] for developing applications that allow multiple input devices to be used at the same time with independent cursors and independent input points. However, it no longer appears to be available.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.microsoft.com/multipoint/mouse-sdk/developer.aspx |title=Multipoint Mouse SDK |website=Microsoft Developer |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |access-date=2012-08-05 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150216031430/https://www.microsoft.com/multipoint/mouse-sdk/developer.aspx |archive-date=2015-02-16}}</ref>

The introduction of [[Windows Vista]] and Microsoft Surface (now known as [[Microsoft PixelSense]]) introduced a new set of input APIs that were adopted into Windows 7, allowing for 50 points/cursors, all controlled by independent users. The new input points provide traditional mouse input; however, they were designed with other input technologies like touch and image in mind. They inherently offer 3D coordinates along with pressure, size, tilt, angle, mask, and even an image bitmap to see and recognize the input point/object on the screen.

{{as of|2009}}, [[Linux]] distributions and other [[operating system]]s that use [[X.Org Server|X.Org]], such as [[OpenSolaris]] and [[FreeBSD]], support 255 cursors/input points through [[Multi-Pointer X]]. However, currently no window managers support Multi-Pointer X leaving it relegated to custom software usage.

There have also been propositions of having a single operator use two mice simultaneously as a more sophisticated means of controlling various graphics and multimedia applications.<ref>{{cite conference |author-last1=Nakamura |author-first1=S. |author-last2=Tsukamoto |author-first2=M. |author-last3=Nishio |author-first3=S. |title=2001 IEEE Pacific Rim Conference on Communications, Computers and Signal Processing (IEEE Cat. No.01CH37233) |date=26–28 August 2001 |chapter=Design and implementation of the double mouse system for a Window environment |conference=IEEE Pacific Rim Conference on Communications, Computers and Signal Processing |publisher=IEEE |volume=1 |pages=204–207 |doi=10.1109/PACRIM.2001.953558 |hdl=11094/14053 |isbn=0-7803-7080-5 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>