[2] The ARDS was the first commercial product to include a computer mouse as an optional peripheral as early as April 1968 for an additional $1200 (about $10,793 in 2024).

Computer Displays, Inc. also offered optional graphical input peripherals for the ARDS including a mouse and joystick.

The ARDS began development in early 1965 jointly by MIT's Electronic Systems Laboratory and Project MAC at MIT's CSAIL, with prototypes named the ARDS-I and ARDS-II prior to becoming a commercial product.

[1][5] This was attributed to the terminal's relatively low cost and intended remote use over narrow-bandwidth telephone lines.

Along with the original ARDS's mouse and joystick, it added a graphics tablet as an input option.