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Compact Wireless Gaming Keyboard?

G

G_Speed

n00b
Joined
Jul 22, 2015
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I'm practically searching for the impossible here, so I thought I would ask for some help. My computer is a HTPC that I also use for playing video games. I need wireless because I sit several feet away on the couch and don't want cables to trip over. Compact is a must because I'm using a writing lapdesk as a surface to put it on and they don't get much wider than 22" - 24". See http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000U1Y532/ for an example.

My requirements for gaming are a little lax. I don't need special function keys, backlighting isn't necessary, and I could even do away with the numpad. I just need the ability for any combination of WASD, CTRL, spacebar etc. to be recognized. Also, under $100 would be nice as I'm used to buying $30-$40 keyboards.

For the past say 8 years I've used a Logitech K340 keyboard which works okay for basic computing and has decent range, but I've been gaming without the ability to hold down W & D and then press Spacebar which at times is very frustrating. I think there's also another key combination that doesn't work, but I can't remember it. I'm upgrade my PC fairly soon, but I feel my gaming experience won't be much improved if I don't get a better keyboard.
 
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I'm also up for suggestions on alternative surfaces to put a normal sized wireless keyboard on.
 
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I'm sorry for continuously editing this one post, but I keep finding more and more solutions. Very few are released, though. Below are what I have found and they look very interesting.

Corsair Lapdog
Razer Turret
Roccat Sova
Phantom Lapboard

Of them all, only the last one is available but reviews for it are not great online.
 
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are those even out yet? either way your main gripe is key rollover/Ghosting, and all USB keyboards now should have at least 6 key rollover and most aftermarket will have "n-key" rollover, so no matter what you get you should be able to hit at least 6 buttons simultaneously. That being said, i would probably buy roccat or corsair, the razer is more akin to a laptop keyboard (keys are flush) where as the other 2 use cherry MX keys, which are pretty proven.
 
Agromahdi123 said:
are those even out yet? either way your main gripe is key rollover/Ghosting, and all USB keyboards now should have at least 6 key rollover and most aftermarket will have "n-key" rollover, so no matter what you get you should be able to hit at least 6 buttons simultaneously. That being said, i would probably buy roccat or corsair, the razer is more akin to a laptop keyboard (keys are flush) where as the other 2 use cherry MX keys, which are pretty proven.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information. I've never had an issue with ghosting, but limited rollover has been a problem. I wish manufacturer's would list this information about their keyboards. The only list of this information I can find is http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/1185198-Keyboard-anti-ghosting-(NKRO)-list but I am shocked to see my K340 among the 6-key plus rollover keyboards. Maybe a specific or newer model number does, but I wouldn't gamble on it. This list was also last updated early last year.

Yes most of the keyboards I listed earlier are not available yet :, but I remember reading that the Razer and Roccat ones are due to be out later this year.
https://insider.razerzone.com/index.php?threads/turret-release-date.7360/
https://www.facebook.com/ROCCAT/posts/944634182266926
 
I just noticed the Corsair Lapdog is wired :eek:

I really like the Roccat. I just hope it's not too expensive when it comes out.
 
The best option I can come up with atm is this lapdesk on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0090NNFHS/) and a currently available wireless keyboard and mouse like the Logitech MX800 or a separate keyboard and mouse like the K800 and my preference, a simple M510 which I already own. The lapdesk supposedly is 31" long. It does have a curve to it, but it looks like it would hold a full-sized keyboard with plenty of room to spare for the mouse.

The above desk, plus MX800 wireless keyboard and mouse would be a total of $148.83 on Amazon. With the K800 and M510 instead, the total comes to $103.97

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UPDATE: Forget the K800 and MX800. I just read https://forums.logitech.com/t5/Keyb...ARE-Logitech-Illuminated-Keyboard/td-p/509008 which says it has the same issue with ghosting/rollover as other non-gaming Logitech keyboards.
 
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The above lap desk has questionable reviews on Amazon. Since I've exhastively searched for a "lap desk", "lap board" and other keywords I tried thinking out of the box for just pieces of finished wood about the right length. What I came up with is to just look for a cheap shelf at a hardware store. I may have seen this suggested elsewhere, but they chose a 1" thick bright red shelf from Ikea.

Examples:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_334144-315-1863238_0__?productId=4264369
http://www.lowes.com/pd_240419-315-1863244_0__?productId=4264341

These might be a little long for the use, but I think they would serve the purpose. Now to just find a decent wireless keyboard and mouse. I'm researching into Microsoft's stuff as I think I read they don't quite have the same problem with rollover/ghosting as the non-gaming logitech keyboards.
 
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I visited my local Lowe's this evening. While the shelf is about the right size, the corners are rather sharp and I just know that I'd drop it on my food sometime and hurt myself.

I did spend some time brainstorming and searching the internet this evening. I tried looking up cutting boards, serving tray, wooden signs, wall art, and maybe a few things I can't remember. I could not find anything the proper size. And then I thought of the perfect cheap solution. A tabletop ironing board! :p I figure it shouldn't be that hard to take the legs off and they even come in various patterns, although none I've seen are very manly. I'll try to find a good looking example instead of something in pastels.

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UPDATE:
The best I non-pastel option I could find could find that was relatively cheap was this grey one from Bed Bath & Beyond for about $10. Add a 20% off coupon and it's only $8. Also, I can easily picture the narrow end of the board having a circular mousepad. I'm actually a bit surprised nobody has suggested this option before.
http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/1/224898-tabletop-ironing-board-grey.html.

Here are a few more examples.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000W3ODZI
http://www.walmart.com/ip/17108610
http://www.target.com/p/room-essentials-countertop-ironing-board-turq/-/A-527470
 
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I forgot to mention that the ironing board idea, when not in use as a keyboard and mouse tray, can also serve as a actual ironing board! Though I would not use it for that after spilling snacks, beverages, and other things all over it.

II feel like I'm talking to myself here. :( Anyway, I did some more thinking and if I'm considering taking the legs off of an ironing board, then maybe I should just looking for a small table and take the legs off of that. Other people online had mentioned using TV trays as intended, but most are no wider than a lap desk anyway. But I manged to find some "personal folding tables" that fit the bill. The example below is 18"L x 26"W. It's a little longer than I might like, but that's okay. Personally, I like the fact that it is solid black instead of pastels like most ironing boards.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Personal-Table-Black/39131547
http://www.kmart.com/cosco-home-and-office-products-black-adjustable-folding/p-021W004905071001P
 
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I visited my local walmart this evening to check out the folding tables. They didn't have black, but they did have blue, lime green, magenta, and purple. Looking at the backside, there are four screws that hold the legs in place, but there was also a metal loop/hook under what looked like a rivet and a washer which is used to provide tension on a coiled piece wire. That part tricky to disassemble without breaking anything.

As expected, the table top was a little wider than I would like, but it would be usable. I'm going to check out the ironing boards next as I think they would be perfect shape and size. Also, the ironing board I saw at walmart would be fairly easy to remove the legs. They were just held in place with bits of plastic. However that board folded and was mint green with off-white polka dots.
 
I went to Bed Bath and Beyond tonight and bought the ironing board. I liked it because the "board" was one solid piece instead of crosshatched metal with metal tubes around the perimeter. It turns out you get what you pay for. I was hoping the board was solid wood and that I could just take the cover off. Nope. It's particle board with a wood-looking laminate on the bottom and none on the sides or top. So for me the cover will be staying on. The fabric cover itself is a little scratchy so I haven't decided if I'm going to use the board fabric side up, or fabric side down. Fabric side down feels better on my hands and wrists, but my legs are getting a little warm. At lest the legs of were easy enough to take of; there were only eight screws. Since the board is particle board, I'd recommend filling in the screw holes with glue that way the board doesn't chip apart right there. I haven't done that myself as I'm going to try it out for a while. Oh and last comment, if using fabric side down, you do need a mousepad. I found my mouse didn't slide across the surface very well.

I still think this is a great idea, but I next time I might look for a better tabletop ironing board that is solid wood and has a nicer fabric top. I'll check out some other ironing boards when I'm out an about.

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I visited Target and the small teal ironing board is an all metal one. It's very lightweight and it should be easy to remove the legs. I just think the metal might hurt after a while. My local target did have one more ironing board, but it didn't look like the legs could easily come off.
 
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I found one last option for an ironing board in a store near me.
http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1274255
http://www.homzproducts.com/p-4159-wood-countertop-board.aspx#.Vf31vd9Viko

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I visited my local Ace Hardware and saw the ironing board above. It's made of a wood composite similar to the BB&B ironing board, but it's a much denser material. I'd say it's similar to that used for clipboards. I also had the opportunity to feel the fabric through a small hole in the plastic cover and it's a much softer material than what I've got. I couldn't entirely see what held the legs in place as there was a piece of cardboard covering it up, but it looked to just be a pair of screws. I opted to leave the board there since I had already purchase the BB&B board and dis-assembled it. If this board breaks, though, I know where to go to try something different.
 
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I bought the Logitech K750 keyboard and I can confirm by using http://www.microsoft.com/appliedsciences/antighostingexplained.mspx that I can indeed hold down any combination of WASD and still press space, tab, shift, and CTRL. The web tool doesn't have an Alt key to test, and I'm not sure how I would test it on my own other than going into a game and trying to bind something to it. If anyone wants me to test any key combinations, just ask.

Below are some picture of the keyboard and mouse setup I'm now using. Components are a Logitech K750 Keyboard ($50), a Logitech M510 mouse which I already owned ($22), the tabletop ironing board from BB&B ($8). and a mousepad from Staples ($10). Total cost is about $90. The latter two photos are with a Steelseries mousepad I have been using for the past few years.

emjAoMAl.jpg


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KIbJTTZl.jpg
 
Next to think about a little light/lamp to illuminate the keyboard when typing in near darkness and how to keep the mouse from sliding to the floor every time the board is tilted and it let it go to type something. There are some clip-on battery powered book lights that might do the trick or even just a head lamp. Considering how cheap I've been on the board, I'm trying to be cheap here as well. I'm considering options like:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B011U6OVW0/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007IHYBV2/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007R6NL3S/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DSRXYUU/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0144RJ5AK/

I'd wear the headlamps around my neck instead of on my head. I like the latter options since the light can easily go with you in case you need to go to the bathroom at night and don't want to disturb anyone else in the house. Plus they can also be used for other tasks. I already own a headlamp so I'll give it a try for a while to how I like using it.

As for the mouse sliding off, ATM I can only think to get a small badge/key reel and just tape/glue it to the board and the front of my mouse. As a fairly cheap example of what I'm referring to see http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006OKKN2/. I just don't know how easy it will be to removed the belt clip and I don't know how well something like this will stay glue to the mouse. I might have a junky badge reel kicking around if I didn't just throw it in the trash.

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I changed my mind on the badge reel and glue idea. Since the board has a laminate surface, any glue/tape or anything else adhered to it would just tear that off. It's probably better to get a wrist wrest that spans most of the board so if the mouse does slide it just hits the wrist rest.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000WU4H5C/
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004Z5RA/ & http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00006HVNI/
 
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