Gaming keyboards

[Pifanjr]

My job is going to give us a €1000 budget to buy equipment to help us work from home. It's going to be a limited selection of course, but I'm thinking of getting a monitor, keyboard, mouse and office chair and then buying a budget PC from my own money this spring when I get my vacation money.

Also, I didn't realise that office chairs are so insanely expensive. The cheapest is €350 and they quickly go to €500+. I could buy an entire new budget PC for that money.

So I got the login to the web shop yesterday and spent a bunch of time comparing different desk chairs, monitors, mice and keyboards.

At first I just picked the cheapest mouse and keyboard option because I don't typically care much about having anything fancy, but then I noticed they had gaming mice and keyboards available as well. So I picked a mouse with a bunch of side buttons, of which I'll probably only ever use two of.

Then I had a look at all of the keyboards and spent probably an hour comparing a whole bunch of them, until I noticed something. All of the gaming keyboards have a different layout for their keys than regular keyboards do. Where a normal keyboard has, for example, the number keys like

!
1

Gaming keyboards do either

1!

or

1
!

Obviously, this makes them utterly unusable. So I ended up picking a €22 Logitech k120 keyboard, which I'm pretty sure is the exact same one I have for my PC right now.

Anyone else ever refused to buy a gaming accessory just because you didn't like the way it did something different, even if it might have been better?

 

[Colif]

What exactly is the problem?

Mine has 1! layout, in that 1 is next to the ! but that doesn't make much difference? Its just how they show on the key.

its likely they are cheaper chinese keycaps that use a different layout, Pretty sure I could get keycaps that are right, I just never bothered as I like my keycaps as they are and hadn't really noticed. I never even botherred to swap the windows key onto the keyboard, instead leaving an apple key there since I know its the windows key, it doesn't matter what it looks like.

The keyboard came with spare keycaps

so I can change some colours if I ever get bored. Or just buy an entire new set. I can replace almost everything on this keyboard.

Corsair K80 RGB MK 2 keycaps show
1
!
And they aren't cheap keyboards.

I had never really noticed as regardless of what keys look like, they function the same as normal keyboards. You still need to press shift 1 to get the !

Its just a superficial difference, it shouldn't effect typing as such. Its not a reason I would avoid using my Nuphy, that is for sure

the Lotro keycaps match the format you like for numbers but all the letters are.... um

Drop + The Lord of the Rings™ Gondor™ CSTM80 Keyboard | Mechanical Keyboards | TKL Mechanical Keyboards

Drop exclusive product, price and reviews: Drop + The Lord of the Rings™ Gondor™ CSTM80 Keyboard | Ends 6/29/2025 | Why settle for a steward when you can...

drop.com

this one would be interesting... none of the keycaps match

Star Trek Klingon USB Keyboard

Perfect for home or office use, this membrane keyboard features all Klingon language keys to bring glory to you... and your house! The Star Trek Klingon USB Keyboard is compatible with any Windows, Mac, Linux, LCARS, or almost any other computer interface with a USB port. Neural Interface...

mycherrytree.com

it doesn't type in klingon unless someone has added that language to windows

 

[Colif]

Anyone else ever refused to buy a gaming accessory just because you didn't like the way it did something different, even if it might have been better?

Does refusing to buy anything made by Razer count? I mean, they must make something good that I am ignoring... its different was its software package. Not sure if the new version of it is any better. I don't need anything right now so I not buying just to find out.

Most things I buy start from a comparison stage, as nothing is perfect. Have to way up pros and cons, and I have rejected some things which are better just because they don't have the right colors - fans come to mind. Or they didn't allow passthrough of power connections. But I am tired of talking about fans

 

[Pifanjr]

What exactly is the problem?

Mine has 1! layout, in that 1 is next to the ! but that doesn't make much difference? Its just how they show on the key.

Nevermind the layout of the special symbols, whose idea was it to stick the F-keys and the escape right against the rest of the keyboard?

 

[Colif]

That is by design. Mine isn't a full sized keyboard, I think its 80% meaning there is no space between the key groups. I am missing a few keys but I have never really missed them as such.

I have never used most of the keys near the num pad. If I had known I would have got a smaller one.
The key that looks like scissors is print screen in Windows mode and opens Task Manager in Apple mode. Sure can be confusing if you in wrong mode.

Its also not really a gaming keyboard though the latest version of it, is closer. They do have gaming keyboards now.

 

[Colif]

Not a gaming keyboard

Actually, it contains a key for everyone of the most common words in English.
1000 of them anyway

Only way it be faster than speed typing on a normal keyboard is if you used the thing your entire life. And even then the speed at which you learned it might be slower. Helps if you don't know any other words except those 1000... it does allow for more words as it has keys for prefixes and suffixes, and plurals etc

The special keys should be along side or top, not just on one segment.
I would want it in a more compact form too. Or add spacing and making it 6 panels that can be stacked vertically. Would look better anyway...

 

[Zed Clampet]

I'm proud to say that the keyboard I bought for my new system is a disaster and impossible for me to type on, so I'm giving it away to the next person I see, which will either be the mailman bringing my new keyboard or my wife who's been out of town.

 

[Colif]

wonders what forum to post this in... Its both a KB and a Mouse

Though its from 1990 so finding a working one outside of the video might be hard.

that would work for me, I wouldn't need a mouse pad on bed. Just need to adjust to where trackball is.