Are One-handed Gaming Keyboards Worth It? On a PC, you have many options for controlling your games. Keyboard and mouse are the gold standards, but you can also connect gamepads or VR motion controllers. So what about a one-handed gaming keyboard?.
Are One-handed Gaming Keyboards Worth It?
This may sound like a strange idea at first, but there is a good argument for gamers (and some professionals) to invest in one of these sliced ?? keyboards. If this idea intrigues you, then start exploring this niche gaming peripheral.
What is a one-handed keyboard?
The concept of a one-handed gaming keyboard is pretty simple. Basically, it is a keyboard that only has keys for one hand. It is not a replacement for your regular full keyboard, but there are good uses for the concept.
One-handed keyboards offer various advantages in cost, performance, and space that a standard keyboard cannot offer. Before we look at the pros and cons, it is worth looking at the main varieties of one-handed keyboards that you will find in the wild.
The main types of one-handed keyboards
There are two main approaches to creating a one-handed keyboard. The easiest and usually the cheapest approach is to make a pad that looks like someone has taken a cleaver to a full-sized keyboard. The keys will have the same labeling and layout as the leftmost part of the standard keyboard. This makes the transition easier.
Another main approach is a dedicated panel with custom controls. These can include scroll wheels, direction buttons, thumb buttons, and more. These pads also tend to be more ergonomic and much less like playing on a standard keyboard. This has many benefits, but it also takes longer to get used to. The best example of this design so far is the Razer Tartarus. We have used both Tartarus v2 and Pro and gave them high marks.
Types of switch
As with any gaming keyboard, the one-handed keyboard offers a wide variety of key switching options. The cheapest products will use membrane keys. In addition, there are mechanical membrane keys that give the feel of mechanical switches, but still use membrane switch technology as part of the design.
Optomechanical switches have also gained some popularity, but the current gold standard is a fully mechanical switch. There is an even larger division in the field of mechanical keyboards. You can get switches in different designs, each with its own feel.
Read a little about the pros and cons of specific switches on whatever keyboard you’re considering. It’s also worth reading our article on lesser-known brands of mechanical keyboards for more information.
What are the advantages?
The main advantage of one-handed gaming keyboards is cost. If you have a keyboard that uses high-quality toggle technology and keycaps, it is much more expensive to expand that to a full 101-key keyboard. Many gaming keyboards handle this by having only the keys you would normally use while playing.
The problem is you get an asymmetric keyboard. So if you want to use it for other tasks such as writing or general productivity, it will be frustrating to use. This is one good reason to choose a one-handed keyboard. It can be simply placed next to your regular keyboard, ready to play anytime.
Ergonomics
Another big advantage of these keyboards is the improved ergonomics. In general, you don’t need to move your hand and the pillow is designed to support your hand while playing. Custom pads like the Razer Tartarus have thumb control, especially curved key surfaces and a large, adjustable wrist pad. Obviously, if your one-handed keyboard has a more standard design, this advantage will be diminished.
Compact size
The next advantage is size. You can set aside the large keyboard and only use the desk space for the keyboard and mouse. This makes the game more comfortable as you can position your hands at any angle you like.
These pads are also especially good for those with gaming laptops The keyboards built into these laptops are awkward to play. If you want the screen to be right in front of you, get ready for some painful keyboard yoga. However, a one-handed gaming keyboard allows you to position your keyboard and mouse on either side of your laptop. Allows you to set the screen to dead center and close to the face. This is a radical change for handheld gaming.
Game performance
Finally, these pads offer a gaming performance advantage. Thanks to their shape and size, you never have to move your hand, look down, or otherwise think about the keyboard. Once your muscle memory starts working, you will forget that it is there at all.
What are the disadvantages?
The biggest disadvantage of this type of gaming keyboard is that it is not suitable for games that often use keyboard shortcuts. Typical games that come to mind are certain real-time strategy games and massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs).
The one-handed keyboard just lacks keys. Of course, nothing prevents you from using regular keyboards for such keyboard shortcuts alongside your gaming keyboard.
There can also be a pretty steep learning curve with a one-handed keyboard. Years of unlearning traditional keyboard and mouse play won’t happen overnight.
If you’re using something like Tartarus, which only offers customizable keys, you’ll also have to spend some time configuring your pad to work for you. While you can use pre-existing control templates to get the most out of your device, customizing individual headers is required.
Who should buy a one-handed gaming keyboard?
Now that you know what a one-handed keyboard is, is it worth buying? Given their strengths and weaknesses, we think these are the users who should consider getting it:
- People who don’t want to pay for premium gaming keyboards.
- Gaming laptop users
- Users who experience ergonomic problems with standard keyboards while playing games.
- Gamers looking for an edge
We can also recommend these one-handed keyboards, especially macro keyboards like the aforementioned Razer Tartarus, to people who use applications like Adobe Photoshop or any other major video editor.
You can dramatically speed up your workflow by programming your most frequently used functions on the one-handed keyboard. Since you never have to raise your hand or look down to find the right key, all the seconds of time saved will add up throughout the project.
So, whether you just want to improve your gameplay or take your creative work to the next level, a one-handed keyboard may be just what you need!.
Are One-handed Gaming Keyboards Worth It?
Are One-handed Gaming Keyboards Worth It?
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