Engadget: This double-height keyboard puts a numpad above the letters

Zarathustra[H] said:
I don't know man.

There I was playing games on the PC for YEARS and all of a sudden someone decided to change the controls from the perfectly good arrow keys intended for directions to some stupid WASD lettered layout.

Why should I change if they are the stupid ones? :p
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I’m barely old enough to remember the glory days of strafing with the direction keys.

Keep up the good life. I love and support you.
 
5150Joker said:
I use this for my fps games and its super comfortable: One Handed Keyboard One-Handed Mechanical Gaming Keyboard RGB LED Backlit SADES Portable Mini Gaming Keypad for LOL/PUBG/Wow/Dota/OW/Fps Game https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D6NTPWH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_bEf8Cb7VY3W86
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Like the idea of that, but i would prefer slightly larger WASD keys (and positioned more like the arrow keys), with the hotkeys positioned around that. I have even thought about a thumb stick, like the tartarus/orbweaver but not sure if i would be able to get used to that. Plus with these being off the keyboard, it is far more difficult to quickly type in chat.
 
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Derangel said:
That is really stupid looking. Why is there a giant ass hole in the middle? How do you effectively use those top keys? If people are space limited on their desk I doubt they have room for a double-height keyboard. I just don't get it. Also, this fucking line from the article "Keyboards are infuriating, right? With their long, thin layouts require you to move your hands left and right in order to hit specific keys." What? Just, what?
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Quirky. I kind of like it to be honest, new is sometimes nice. English Engadget has some of the most odd commentary I've seen (far cry from the JP one which I read daily).
 
Because it always good for effectivenss to replace a memorised layout ...
This is bar far at best a niche product and at worst tottaly idiotic

Also moving hands from side to side is way more natural than up and down.
 
Armenius said:
You have to up your game to ESDF.
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I tried once back in my heyday with WoW. By "tried", I mean I gave it a shot for about 5 minutes, then I didn't feel like putting in further effort. I can see it's validity though, opens up W, Q, and A.
 
SvenBent said:
Because it always good for effectivenss to replace a memorised layout ...
This is bar far at best a niche product and at worst tottaly idiotic

Also moving hands from side to side is way more natural than up and down.
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Also you wouldn't be able to rest your wrist when you use the numpad. Well you could, you would just be spamming juihkguh in your numbers. It almost defeats the entire purpose of this keyboard.
 
BiH115 said:
I tried once back in my heyday with WoW. By "tried", I mean I gave it a shot for about 5 minutes, then I didn't feel like putting in further effort. I can see it's validity though, opens up W, Q, and A.
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I mean, the position of the keys is exactly the same, so it shouldn't be hard to acclimate to it. Your pinky may be confused at first, but I don't think that is hard to adjust to. ESDF is also keeping your hand in the natural position on the home row.
 
Armenius said:
I mean, the position of the keys is exactly the same, so it shouldn't be hard to acclimate to it. Your pinky may be confused at first, but I don't think that is hard to adjust to. ESDF is also keeping your hand in the natural position on the home row.
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Believe me, I absolutely understand all points, and you're right that it wouldn't take too long, but I just never really stuck with it. WASD honestly works just fine for me, and I can do nearly everything I want with that layout with any game.
 
Derangel said:
That is really stupid looking. Why is there a giant ass hole in the middle? How do you effectively use those top keys? If people are space limited on their desk I doubt they have room for a double-height keyboard. I just don't get it. Also, this fucking line from the article "Keyboards are infuriating, right? With their long, thin layouts require you to move your hands left and right in order to hit specific keys." What? Just, what?
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By far the best solution that i've found and that I use is having a Tenkeyless keyboard and a cheap wireless numpad that I take out whenever I need it (which is incredibly rarely).

I use the Logitech G410 Tenkeyless and this cheap 2.4GHz wireless numpad. A single AA battery lasted me what seemed like a year.

81zOdJh9P3L._SX425_.jpg
s-l300.jpg
 
I cannot function on a computer keyboard without a numpad. If I'm gonna have to type in IP addresses, or numbers quickly in general... no frigging way I'm doing it without a numpad, let alone one above the rest of the keyboard like this abomination.
 
JustinCorrigible said:
I cannot function on a computer keyboard without a numpad. If I'm gonna have to type in IP addresses, or numbers quickly in general... no frigging way I'm doing it without a numpad.
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Obviously everyone knows that but are you really crunching numbers and entering IP addresses that often when you are at home? Unless you play flight simulators a lot I doubt you're using much of the num pad at home.
 
zamardii12 said:
Obviously everyone knows that but are you really crunching numbers and entering IP addresses that often when you are at home? Unless you play flight simulators a lot I doubt you're using much of the num pad at home.
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I use it any time I'm entering more than one or two numbers, it's really convenient (and I wouldn't want to have to pull out a separate numpad just to have a short kb. Which is why I got a coolermaster storm quickfire tk.
20190531073117.JPG
 
zamardii12 said:
By far the best solution that i've found and that I use is having a Tenkeyless keyboard and a cheap wireless numpad that I take out whenever I need it (which is incredibly rarely).

I use the Logitech G410 Tenkeyless and this cheap 2.4GHz wireless numpad. A single AA battery lasted me what seemed like a year.

View attachment 164443 View attachment 164444
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https://www.amazon.com/Asus-Claymore-Mechanical-Cherry-Red/dp/B01NH58I8J

goto 4:53 in this video to see the Asus ROG Claymore. Detachable 10 key and can attach to either side (not wireless tho)..



Only $249, bargain *cough cough*
 
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zamardii12 said:
Obviously everyone knows that but are you really crunching numbers and entering IP addresses that often when you are at home? Unless you play flight simulators a lot I doubt you're using much of the num pad at home.
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Yes, actually, more than you assume. The only time I use the numbers above the qwerty is for the special characters. I am also doing a lot of adding new IP ranges, etc. for exceptions and block lists in my firewall. Pretty much the only reasons I'm using my computer anymore since having children. I would love to be able to play a flight sim.
 
Krazy925 said:
I’m barely old enough to remember the glory days of strafing with the direction keys.

Keep up the good life. I love and support you.
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Z's not old or he'd remember that WASD was the default because the 5150 didn't have an island of arrow keys and the numeric keypad used different scan codes. It's just you whippersnappers that need that kind of crutch!;)
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
I mean, it's not for me, but someone may wind up liking it.

Personally I am completely tied to the standard IBM Enhanced Layout at this point. You know, this one:

View attachment 164311

I use an unusual set of controls and keyboard binds in games that dates back to the early Doom/Quake days, and has been tweaked, modified and added to by me over the years such that I use the numpad, arrow keys and the navigation block all based on "touch type" when playing games.

I don't think I could change it at this point, so no condensed keyboard layout could ever work for me.

If anyone is curious, my typical FPS controls look something like this (but are customized per title)

Mouse Y axis Inverted
Move Forward: Up Arrow
Move Backwards: Down Arrow
Move Left: Left arrow
Move Right: Right Arrow
Fire: Mouse1
Jump: Mouse2
Run/Sprint: Right Shift
Duck: Right Ctrl
Use: Enter
Reload: Del Key (on navigation cluster above arrow keys)
Drop: End Key (on navigation cluster above arrow keys)
Aim/Scope: PgDn (on navigation cluster above arrow keys)
Melee/ Instant Grenade: KP_ins
Next Weapon/Previos Weapon: Mouse Wheel
Quick Weapon Selection binds: Keybapd numbers
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Wow, that seems like a lot of wasted movement to do basic stuff. When milliseconds count, moving fingers all the way up to the backspace key and back to reload would drive me nuts. It would be interesting to see someone do a theoretical analysis of a minimum time to execute layout...
 
Todd Walter said:
Z's not old or he'd remember that WASD was the default because the 5150 didn't have an island of arrow keys and the numeric keypad used different scan codes. It's just you whippersnappers that need that kind of crutch!;)
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I remember when everyone started buying those stupid Logitech and razer single handed keyboard devices. I could never get used to it.
 
Krazy925 said:
I remember when everyone started buying those stupid Logitech and razer single handed keyboard devices. I could never get used to it.
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Yeah, muscle memory needs an anchor point. Those keypads were too small to provide one. They were somewhat useful for the CAD set as it left more room for the digitizer.
 
Needs a flight stick right in the middle. NB4 foto-shoop.

When I first read the title, I though it would be hovering above, like a two story KB.
 
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Wtf is this layout. It's not even close to a normal qwerty board... seriously this is awful.
 
So you're expected to sit in a position where you can comfortably type... And now you get to reach forward a bunch and hover your palms above the rest of the keys while you try to use the number keys? How is that good from either an ergonomic or convenience standpoint?

From a gaming perspective I dislike moving "up" from WASD on the keyboard for any reason, and I've been gaming on Nostromo/G13/Tartarus gamepads for a good 10 years now to avoid it. This thing does not appeal...
 
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