I decided years ago that since the conventional computer peripheral is called a mouse, trackballs are rats.
I also decided years ago that rats are where it's at and that's all I'll use. A mediocre rat still has tons of advantages over mice, because mousepads are a scam by Big Computer Desk and I spent my formative years suffering technology that didn't work. If the surface is subtly wrong a mouse no longer honors your movements; a rat has no such problems and can be stopped only by debris falling into the optical sensors, which is as obvious as it is easy to troubleshoot/clean!
I'm not gonna say I'm objectively right or anything– I like there being options so people can pick what meets their needs! But I am a fan of the rat. I love the rat. I honor the rat.
Anyways I got a hot lead on buying a new rat1 and most of the offerings look really good and normal, but for reasons that are unknown to me they will also sell you This Fucking Thing, which is to trackballs what pug dogs are to domestic dog breeding: 