Ploopy Bean
Pointing stick in Keyboards & input
Recommended as a precise, compact trackpoint that keeps hands on the home row. Critics say it lacks a scroll button and suits classic-layout users poorly.
Recommended as a precise, compact trackpoint that keeps hands on the home row. Critics say it lacks a scroll button and suits classic-layout users poorly.
14 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 6
- approval share
- 57%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Long-time loyalty to Ploopy products
“Ploopy stuff has been absolutely amazing.”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer” “Been using them for a long time”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Missing F keys and surrounding keyboard
“This is a nice looking keyboard. But not enough F keys for me”
Comment from 17 May 2026 in “Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer” “Nice idea but the keyboard around the trackpoint is missing.”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer” No dedicated scroll button or wheel
“drag-scroll is not in enough places to make this work without a dedicated wheel”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer” “it looks really awkward to use for someone used to the classic and there seems to be no button suitable for scrolling”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer” Demo prints look rough
“the fdm prints in those demo photos have some real bad first layer extrusion multiplier/bed/meshing issues”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer” “Never understood why someone would showcase a product printed in (sub)draft mode.”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer” “The demo product on the 'site looks really shoddy.”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Ploopy Bean: a trackpoint for every computer”
What people recommend instead
The same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo TrackPoint | 20 | 4 | 83% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Ploopy BeanThis page | 8 | 6 | 57% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
15 of the 16 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“This is a nice looking keyboard. But not enough F keys for me”
“Wireless would be a lot more practical for me.”
“Been using them for a long time”
“The demo product on the 'site looks really shoddy.”
“Never understood why someone would showcase a product printed in (sub)draft mode.”
“Ploopy stuff has been absolutely amazing.”
“Any variation of trackpoint where you have to move your hand away from the keyboard, is a failure IMHO”
“drag-scroll is not in enough places to make this work without a dedicated wheel”
“Nice idea but the keyboard around the trackpoint is missing.”
“it looks really awkward to use for someone used to the classic and there seems to be no button suitable for scrolling”
“the fdm prints in those demo photos have some real bad first layer extrusion multiplier/bed/meshing issues”
“It's kind of cool, though unnecessary, to have a way to get a TrackPoint on a desktop”
“the whole benefit in my eyes for trackpoint was that it saved you from moving your hands off the home row”
“I think the nub is in the wrong place.”
“a precise and complete cursor experience in a small, convenient package”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.