Weekend Question: Would you ever use a tiny keyboard?

[PCG Ted]

Greetings gamers, happy Memorial Day in the US/bank holiday of unknown provenance in the UK/sorry everyone else. It's time for another weekend question—I'll be collating our staff's responses and the best answers here into a feature on the site this Saturday. If you'd like to throw your hat in, feel free to participate!

This week's question is Would you ever use a tiny keyboard?

I used to think I was function keys and number pad guy for keeps, but for the past year I've been living that 65% life and loving it. If you're unfamiliar, that means my board has 65% of the layout of a standard QWERTY, meaning no function row or number pad. Accessing my missing quick save, quick load, and Steam screenshot keys just requires a simple two-key combo press.

I'm sure it's not for everybody though—Alt codes only work with the num pad, so I've had to get creative in Gdocs to access my beloved em dash. Likewise, if your work involves anything computational or requires a lot of numerical entries, fuhgeddaboudit, you're gonna want the pad. Meanwhile, there are layouts even smaller than 65%, hubristic exercises in minimalism and key combo memorization that stretch the limits of my credulity. But for gaming and writing? 65% suits me just fine.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I had a 75% keyboard from 2014 or 2015 until a couple years ago, would still have one if the USB cable hadnt broke. I like having the extra desk space a lot. I used to miss a numpad occasionally but its been so long since I had one I've forgotten about them at this point.

The 2 I've had since then have been TKL, which are great, but there was something pretty sweet about having a really tiny keyboard too. It would take some time to get used to having a full size board again, and probably a bigger desk.

 

[Brian Boru]

my beloved em dash

Finally—I knew there must be someone else of culture out there—…—!

65% of the layout of a standard QWERTY

Ooh gosh, that'll reduce the amount of RGB on the KB—that's gotta hurt the CARE bears …Christmas-All-Round-Everything… fans.

Answer to your question is a big no—if that's not clear, let me clarify: NO.

I use my KB a lot, so every ounce of efficiency I can squeeze out of it makes a difference—mostly psychological of course, but hey, the inside of my head is where I live!

My KB is even bigger than 100%, got an extra row of media keys above the F keys, and an extra column on the left. I don't use all the extra keys, about 50%—cheap and programmable were the main draws.

 

[Alm]

I'm sure it would be alright and I would get used to it, but I don't have to take a keyboard anywhere with me and I can't think of another reason to switch to a smaller keyboard. Maybe one day.

 

[Slasken]

Nope, would never use it. I need the numpad when I do Excel sheets, and I even need the extra "gaming keys". One of the gaming keys I use to switch between headphones and speakers. Will never go back to do that manually. I never travel with my keyboard, so I don't see the point, and even if I were to travel with my keyboard, I would rather have an extra keyboard just for that.

 

[ZedClampet]

I use the numpad for too much. Would make me a lot less efficient without it. Plus, who cares if their keyboard is slightly smaller?

 

[Brian Boru]

who cares if their keyboard is slightly smaller?

I can only assume it's a desktop size thing.
To which, of course, Chief Brody says "You're gonna need a bigger desktop".

I typically make my desks from old doors, so they're over 6' / nearly 2m—necessary to hold 2 x 42" TVs as monitors.

It's not in me to skimp on where I spend a lot of time. Can't see myself trying to sleep in a 65% bed.

 

[Zloth]

If I don't use an ergo-keyboard, my wrists start hurting after a few days. That means a big keyboard for sure.

EM dash? (google google) Oh, you mean the long dash! I guess the minus sign isn't good enough for some people.

 

[Slasken]

I can only assume it's a desktop size thing.
To which, of course, Chief Brody says "You're gonna need a bigger desktop".

I typically make my desks from old doors, so they're over 6' / nearly 2m—necessary to hold 2 x 42" TVs as monitors.

It's not in me to skimp on where I spend a lot of time. Can't see myself trying to sleep in a 65% bed.

Cool to see others making their own desktops. I made mine from 2 by 4s and plexiglass. Spraypainted the plexiglass on the back.

Desktops available in stores are too expensive for the size I need. Using old doors is a really good idea too.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

I made my desk too! It came from Ikea.

If I don't use an ergo-keyboard, my wrists start hurting after a few days. That means a big keyboard for sure.

I got you

ACR Pro Alice Plus | Akko Official Global Site

Pre-Assembled Version of Alice Plus (Kit also available) Structure: Gasket Mount Number of Keys: 68 Case Material: Acrylic+CNC ASA PBT Keycap Set Switch: Akko CS Crystal Switch Plate: Polycarbonate…

en.akkogear.com

 

[Pifanjr]

I've used a laptop without numpad before and I didn't like it. There were bigger problems with that keyboard than the missing numpad though.

I use the numpad of my current laptop quite a lot, but that's mostly because I lost the regular 6 key...

 

[Colif]

Sort of, I used one of these for about 5 years and most of time the numpad was unplugged

numpad could be attached to left or right side. I normally had it off
But ever since then I have used normal size keyboards

I think @Lutfij still has that keyboard or perhaps its the mouse.

 

[Frindis]

I use the num lock for spamming some skills in RPG games so that would be a big no-no removing it. I'm sure it is possible to use something like Windows Powertoys to make another key work like num lock even if you don't have it on the keyboard, but I prefer using what I know is safe and not bannable.

 

[Lutfij]

Sort of, I used one of these for about 5 years and most of time the numpad was unplugged

numpad could be attached to left or right side. I normally had it off
But ever since then I have used normal size keyboards

I think @Lutfij still has that keyboard or perhaps its the mouse.

I have both, the X6 and X8, loved it so much that I wanted to complete the set with an X3 and X4 as well, the latter 2 are unused and even in their original packaging waiting to be unboxed.

Yeap, the numpad when attached to the left, would double as a macro, made your keyboard feel like a pseudo TKL, move the mouse closer to the keyboard. This was before Asus decided to jump into the keyboard scene.

Currently, this is my daily driver;

Keychron Q1v2(in Shell White), with a Retrogaming XDA profile keycap set that I sourced nearly a year ago.

 

[PCG Dash]

I use this tiny mechanical set from Logitech and have never run into any problems!

For games like The Sims 4 or Arma 3 (which need a few numpad keys by default for camera controls etc.) I can get by binding those functions to the emoji buttons down the right hand side.

 

[Frindis]

You'll definitely see the breadcrumbs with that keyboard. Not that people eat where they work, absolutely not, never happened.

 

[Brian Boru]

I lost the regular 6 key

You could remap an unused regular key—eg tilde ~—for 6. I do that with a couple.

Anyone ever try Dvorak or Colemak layouts seriously? They got on my "Must give it a shot" list long ago—shame I lost that list.

 

[Lutfij]

I have a friend, used to work for the BBC, now works for Tencent...he knows Dvorak, he says it's useless learning it but it was fun learning about it.

 

[Zloth]

I got you

Great guns, $130 for a keyboard with FEWER keys!? Are keyboards like swimsuits, were you have to pay more for less material??

 

[Lutfij]

Dude, less is more!

 

[Brian Boru]

Are keyboards like swimsuits, were you have to pay more for less material??

It's all about the strategic placement of the materials—eg the Enter key and of course Backspace

 

[Zloth]

This topic is starting to get a little shifty, I think I best leave before I get blamed.

Wait, where's the exit!?

 

[DXCHASE]

I love how some of the smaller compact keyboards look esp. the custom designed ones like the ones at computex this year i also like really clean looking setups with these wireless keyboards and mouses.

BUT i need a 100% full sized keyboard (WIRED!) with sound controls and all. It needs to be heavy duty too. Im a big rough and tumble gamer and need my peripherals to match. Corsair K70 gang!

 

[Eudicots]

If I had a set-up just for gaming I would prefer a 65% keyboard, but the number pad has its use while working or being in school.

 

[BeardyHat]

I could see myself using a smaller keyboard, but that would require buying myself something new, which I don't really have any motivation to do.

I've been daily driving, gaming and generally using a typical laptop keyboard on my various Thinkpad T-series machines for years at this point, so I don't think I'd have any issue giving-up the numpad on my gaming desktop, which I barely use anyway.

Come to think of it, even when I was using my desktop regularly, I think I barely used the numpad. I'm sure it's essential for many jobs, but I never really needed it much in my line of work or in my regular life.