keyboards are popular because they only shrink or remove a few keys compared to a TKL; most of the space saving is done by reducing the gap between different areas of the keyboard and placing keys like Insert, Delete and Home in a single column on the right side of the keyboard. However, these changes mean that finding replacement keycaps is sometimes difficult. Of course, the Sova isn’t just for PC gaming — it’s also a fast and comfortable way to queue up music or videos to watch on your TV, compared to relatively clumsy mobile and TV apps. You may need to find a spot to keep it — the sideways placement shown above doesn’t work too well with a mouse attached — but having it accessible can be something of a time saver. You already own everything you need to get started - all that’s left to add is the Sova. Comfort Tested Gaming

Gamer Network Limited, Gateway House, 28 The Quadrant, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 1DN, United Kingdom, registered under company number 03882481. A four metre cable connects the Sova to your computer, including the integrated keyboard and two other USB peripherals (e.g. a mouse and headset). Routing options are provided to keep your cables tidy, including a mouse bungee that can be placed along the periphery of the Sova to meet your needs.We had great fun using the Sova, turning the traditionally solitary pursuit of PC gaming into a more social experience to be enjoyed with friends. ROCCAT's most popular software features reside under the hood of Sova, making it not only comfortable, convenient and customizable, but powerful. And all of this is controlled by ROCCAT's innovative Swarm technology, which unifies all of your ROCCAT products and technology in one simple to interface with location. With lightning-fast access to system commands, vital game functions and so much more, gamin in the living room with Sova means always having an edge, all while owning the couch. I found very little to dislike here. The Kone Air is a gaming mouse, and has a lot of what you’d expect it to, but it’s also just a nice looking mouse and ridiculously comfortable.” I think the layout of the keyboard is particularly well-chosen; it’s compact but still includes all keys sans the number pad, ensuring simulators and other in-depth titles can still be played without issue.

The Sova is also a little messy. With three cables potentially in play — one from the Sova to your PC, one for your mouse and one for your headset — you need to rely on good cable routing to keep things tidy. You might consider a wireless gaming mouse or headset to maximise the portability of the setup. Wrapping up The Turret, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as stable when I tried it out for myself during my CES demo, and the mouse mat area also felt a lot smaller than what you get on the Sova. What's more, while the Turret has the added bonus of coming with a bundled Razer Mamba Wireless mouse, the magnets it employs to hold it in place when it's not in use often got in the way when it actually came to playing games with it, and it often felt like I was struggling to move it where I wanted. There are no such restrictions with the Sova, and for once Roccat's tendency towards the big and bulky side of peripherals actually works out in their favour.How does a wireless keyboard tie into Valve's million-dollar push into the living room? Well, the way it was described to me by a representative of Roccat, the Sova is the next generation of PC/controller hybrids. But we'll decode what that means in a second. Of course, playing games in the living room is quite different to playing games at a desk. For starters, the desk doesn't exist, and unlike the myriad of console boxes sitting under our TV, Windows 10 isn't really designed to be used with a controller. Instead, you need a mouse and keyboard, whether it's for simple things like logging into Steam and firing up a game, or actually using them to play said games. Corsair's K83 Wireless entertainment keyboard is one way of doing it, but a proper lapboard such as the Roccat Sova is definitely the way to go if you want to replicate that full best gaming keyboard experience from the comfort of your couch. The last and most important part of the design are the modular wrist rest and extendable mouse pad units. While no plan is in place to offer different styles of mouse pads or additional cushions, TechRadar was told that 3D-printer schematics would be provided to print your own modules. We liked The mouse bungee was also handy for cable management. However, we ended up removing it so that the mouse and keyboard could be put away separately when the Sova wasn’t in use; having the bungee in place lengthened the put-away and set-up process unnecessarily. Comfort & Usability

The keyboard uses a compact 75% size layout, as shown above and as explained below from this guide to keyboard sizes by The Keyboard Company.Now there's no beating around the bush here - the Sova is absolutely massive. Measuring 280x646x37mm and weighing 2.35kg, it's a lot heftier than, say, the sleek Razer Turret, which has a fold-away mouse mat for easier storage, and it's a bit of a faff to make room for it on our coffee table once I'm done playing. The Sova is a comfortably expansive device, spanning the width of an average couch cushion. It’s divided into three zones, with an integrated keyboard in the upper left, a palm rest in the lower left and a mouse pad on the right side. The palmrest and mousepad are formed from plastic panels, which can be removed by pushing them up from the bottom. This presumably opens the door to functionally or aesthetically different alternatives, perhaps even made by third-parties or 3D printed at home. Buy It Direct Ltd is a limited company registered in England. Registered number 04171412. Registered office: Unit A Trident Business Park, Leeds Road, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD2 1UA.

Is a lapboard the best option for gaming? No. Not by a long shot. But if you’re looking at doing some PC gaming in a dorm room or a small apartment, both the Lapdog and the Sova have a lot going for them. Roccat will offer at least two types of keys in when the final product comes out sometime next year. Roccat has taken care to give plenty of options for protecting your cable connectors. On the front of the Sova itself is an integral, breakaway connection not unlike that found on a wired Xbox controller. It’s great piece of mind knowing that if someone walks by and stumbles over the included 13-foot cable, you’re less likely to need a new board from a broken connector. The Sova is first and foremost a PC controller. Something for you and a friend to use to create a second set of inputs while playing PC games, and for the most part it works fairly well. DesignThe DIY-ness of the Sova sounds a bit sketchy too. 3D printed technology is great - we love it, but not selling quality modules to consumers seems like a major misstep. Early verdict The Sova is supported by four cushions which clip into the underside of the unit, allowing the unit to lie flat on your lap without discomfort. Using the Sova is surprisingly comfortable. The cushions spread the weight of the unit across your legs, while still allowing for some much-needed airflow. The compact keyboard layout ensure that your arms can be held almost straight ahead, rather than being stretched out in either direction, and the height of the unit is just right too.