PC gaming from the couch — the quest for the ideal affordable lapboard
Creating your own affordable lapboard for playing from the couch
I recently put together a mini-ITX build for the living room for streaming media and playing games on Steam. So far, I’m loving it. I can’t see myself going back to console gaming anytime soon to be honest.
It’s great when I can sit back, hook up my wireless Xbox 360 controller and browse through Steam in Big Picture mode.
But, not all games have full controller support
And this means you’re gonna have to change your set up to play games that require the keyboard and mouse like Counter Strike or Half Life etc.
EDIT:: Ok, so you can configure controllers to substitute mouse and keyboard with some software and CS isn’t a great example because it does have controller support but for me this is doesn’t actually work (I tend to be able to shoot and everything else but move and look ha). I just wanted a little disclaimer here so I didn’t enrage anyone caught in the whole keyboard and mouse vs. controller argument.
So what can you do?
If you search the net for keyboard and mouse from the couch or PC gaming from the couch, you’ll find plenty of articles and discussions. After much research, I’ll go over some of the options I came up with and what I eventually went for.
Initial set up
For general keyboard and mouse usage, I had resorted to initially having the keyboard on my lap and my mouse on the coffee table by the couch. The same set up I was using to play games. But after some duration, this isn’t ideal.
For general PC usage and non intensive games
After reading around some discussions and having a look through Amazon. I came across the Logitech K400. I can’t recommend this product enough. For those not familiar, it’s a wireless compact keyboard with a built in trackpad and programmable buttons.
It’s great for not only general PC usage but also games that don’t require heavy mouse keyboard usage. So simulation games, point and click games etc. like for example, Prison Architect.
Options
Roccat Sova
Unfortunately, the Sova isn’t available yet but this is certainly a product to keep an eye on. It’s a specially designed lapboard with an integrated illuminated keyboard. It was announced at E3 and you can give it a proper check out here. I couldn’t see a price for the Sova when I last looked.
Couchmaster
For those with a little cash to spend, the Couchmaster offers a full solution to PC gaming from the couch if you have the space for it. There are different versions available providing a desk like setting reminiscent of a bed tray. However, you can also now just buy the top panel that holds the keyboard and mouse with removable velcro wrist pads. You can see the Couchmaster and its available options here.
Lap desk and keypad
From a few discussions and forums I’d come across the idea of various available lap desk options. Lap desks are primarily intended for those wanting to rest their laptop on a surface and then on their lap. You can pick these up in various places in many different shapes and sizes. However, there is a problem. None of these lap desks are really wide enough unless you’re comfortable with your keyboard hanging off the edge and this really isn’t ideal when applying pressure to the WASD side of your keyboard.
So how can you make a keyboard narrow? Change from a keyboard to a keypad. There are some gaming keypad options available such as the Razer Tartarus, Razer Orbweaver and the Logitech G13. But, I wasn’t particularly comfortable with spending a large amount of money on a peripheral I might not be completely comfortable with. I did spend some time mulling over whether I’d be happy with this option or not thinking it might be the best way as I was running out of affordable options and it could be the only way I’d get a good keyboard and mouse set up from my lap. I wasn’t ready to give up though.
So, what did I do?
I first needed to gather the peripherals I wanted to use from my lap.
For my mouse, I already had a R.A.T 3 that I had picked up some time ago.
For my keyboard, I was fortunately in the market for one, so my first thoughts were to find a keyboard that had a small footprint and would be sufficient for what I required. It didn’t take me long to come across the Roccat Arvo, a compact gaming keyboard that has a keypad that does away with the directional keys on the keyboard by integrating them into the keypad area and allowing the user to switch between their use and the keypad use with a mode button.
Where do these peripherals go though?
From my research I’d read an article where some body was using an IKEA shelf as a lap desk. After pondering this, I thought to myself, how could I take that a little further.
I headed to IKEA and grabbed myself a suitable shelf for the grand sum of £3 and then proceeded to return home and set up my keyboard and mouse on it for a test run.
It was oversized, sharp on the edges, hard on the wrist and the cables were everywhere. But, I had the right foundations. I got hold of my Dad and he kindly lent me a jigsaw so I could make some modifications.
The first thing I did was to shave a good chunk of length off the end. For cable management I decided to drill a hole into the board and then jigsaw out a larger hole to fit the USB cables through.
To get rid of those nasty sharp corners I gave them a quick visit from the handfile and a little swipe with some sand paper. Lastly, for my wrists I grabbed a mouse mat, the SteelSeries QCK.
The idea I had was that I could tape up the edges with some Gorilla tape I had left and then with some sort of adhesive stick down a cut down mouse mat and with the left over use it for a little wrist comfort on my left side instead of discarding it.
That excess mouse mat actually came in real handy as I was also able to roll it up and stick it underneath the board to give it a little height as to not crush any cables going through the cut out hole.
Placing the keyboard and mouse and I get something like the above. To be honest, I’m pretty happy with it. Yes, it may not be the most aesthetically appealing thing but it does enable me to use the keyboard and mouse to game from the couch. And the main thing, it is comfortable (for me at least).
What were the velcro and cushions for?
Those with beady eyes might have noticed the cushions and velcro in one of the pictures above. Some discussions had mentioned that in some seated positions, the board might not quite sit high enough and therefore prove a little uncomfortable. My solution, grab a couple of cushions and velcro them to the underside of the board. This means you also have the option of two removable comfy cushions for your lap too!
Is it worth it?
For me personally, I’m real happy I put this together. I’ve put this little set up together for around £10 (around $16). The shelf cost me £3, each cushion was £1, and then the velcro, adhesive and tape hit around the £5 mark. If it didn’t work, I hadn’t really lost much and if it did, I’d saved myself some cash and put myself something together from scratch.
In terms of comfort, I find it really comfortable. I can happily crank out the hours in CS:GO with this little set up and not even think about comfort issues etc. On top of that, once I’m done, I can stow it away nicely in my TV unit.
This is how I solved PC gaming from the couch for myself and maybe it’ll help you. Or maybe you’ve already got a solution. If so, I’d love to hear about it.
As always, any questions or suggestions, please feel free to leave a response or tweet me 🐦!
