Other The "Lapdog" couch gaming solution...

[zovc]

Hey!

Am I the only person who has been holding out for "the right" execution on a couch-friendly keyboard and mouse solution?

These past few years, a few options have come out and they're all pretty revolutionary, being made by the manufacturers of peripherals themselves. They're all specifically tailored to the manufacturer's products for a clean fit and cohesive aesthetic, or in the case of the Razer Turret, the product is specifically tailored to the use-case. The ones I have specific memory of are the Corsair Lapdog, the Roccat Sova, and the Razer Turret, though I believe there are less 'first party' solutions that have been around for quite a bit longer.

These are all fine products. Much like I would consider the Logitech K400 a fine product. There's nothing inherently wrong with the design of the product and it does exactly what it's supposed to.But I like to recommend the Logitech K830 because it's a nice product. It looks and feels better than the K400, in spite of its larger footprint. It has the rechargeable battery, the tasteful backlight, better feeling keys, and a less cramped layout...

I feel like, right now, our choices are all K400's and there aren't any K830's.

See, I honestly wouldn't sweat the ~$300-$400 price tag of a similar device that was wireless and rechargeable, had a comfortable typing surface for a mechanical keyboard, and had a proper solution for the mouse. I'm envisioning a sort of lightly magnetic base for the mouse with just enough traction/grip on the mousepad/mouse that unless someone's moving it around it stays in place.

I think the Razer Turret is the closest to the 'correct' execution if only because who wants fricken wires dangling all over their couch and in between their legs when they're trying to relax? But then, of course, there are lots of complaints about the mouse area being slippery and too small, so.

I don't know. Do you folks have any thoughts on this stuff?

 

[doogie]

I did much of the same research, and drew pretty much the same conclusions as you did. I also think the Razer product is closest to "correct", but it still has some flaws. The Corsair Lapdog might be okay, but it's pretty expensive. I'm starting to think that building a custom solution, similar to how the Corsair works by dropping in a keyboard, might be best.

 

[Parge]

Are you thinking what I'm thinking...... design, build, crowd fund.....

 

[zovc]

I agree, @doogie, I've been "on the verge" of custom-building one a few times. I'm actually looking at a place I'm considering moving to and I'd have a big space for working on projects if I did. A big limitation on projects has been that I don't have tools or a good workspace/shop, and I'm mostly home at times it'd be rude/disruptive to be running power tools anyways.

I do think I could tackle the design, @Parge, but it might be aiming a little high to assert that I can tackle the build or crowd funding parts. Even just learning Sketch Up is something I've started and given up on quite a few times. Assuming I got a handle on Sketch Up, I think I could come up with a design I like and take feedback, but my access to resources like fabrication is a little limited--I could try networking. I know one or two people with smaller 3D printers, and one of my coworkers used to work at a machine shop?

One big limitation on the "make your own" is there doesn't seem to be many purchase-able wireless/bluetooth "USB hubs" available for consumers. The few time I've looked into making my own, I've stopped at that stage every time because I couldn't find an accessible solution.