Corsair K63 Wireless + Lapboard

Product Information

The Roc cat Sova, also available in a membrane version, is the classic middle of the road option when it comes to gaming lapboards. It’s smaller and cheaper than the Corsair Lapdog and more capable than the Razer Turret. You can absolutely get better keyboards for less money, but the Sova’s cushions, mousepad, and wrist wrest make it the best possible way to get a desktop experience while sitting on your couch. Coming in at just over four pounds, this is one of the lightest products on our list. If you’re looking for a portable product that’s easy to travel with, this is an excellent option. This product is designed for mobility. The foldable design means it reduces in size when you’re not using the keyboard. If you want a simple, sleek product that also benefits from high-end gaming hardware, it’s hard to see where you can go wrong with this product. The mousepad area is a smoother finish than the Sova and Lapdog and is significantly smaller, measuring roughly 7.5” wide by 4.5” tall, but it provided more than enough room to use with a higher sensitivity mouse and wrist motions. If you are accustomed to a lower DPI while using the whole pad with sweeping elbow motions, this isn’t the lapboard for you, but I never found myself wanting for more mouse space, even when playing shooters. That is until I finally abandoned the included mouse and plugged in a larger one, which is when I almost ran out of vertical space without even moving it! The left and right motions were fine, but top to bottom risked the edges of the mouse going off the pad.

That being said, the Turret is not really what you’d think of as a “gaming” keyboard. It’s essentially the same kind of flat chiclet keyboard you’d find on a MacBook laptop, with a bit more spring to each key press. It works well and will be more than enough for those not looking to play fast-paced games on it, but it was a little bit of a problem when I tried to play Overwatch or Warframe. The flatness of the keys and the lapboard overall meant I had to twist my hand slightly to hit a certain combinations of keys, like pressing Q while keeping my fingers on WASD. It wasn’t terrible, but it was noticeably more difficult than using a full-sized keyboard. This is an excellent product if you want to avoid hunching over your desk when you game. While it doesn’t give you the same couch-to-bed-to-floor flexibility that you find with some of the other options on our list, it’s a great choice if you want to sit in your own gaming chair. title=More%20Expert%20Tech%20Roundups&type=articles%2Cvideos&tags=tech-roundup&count=6&columnCount=6&theme=articleThis device includes everything you need to get started. Users will also receive a built-in keyboard and mouse. The hardware connects directly with your PC or console via a wireless USB port. Once fully charged, the Razer Turret Mechanical battery life will last approximately 43 hours. Razer also has another Turret model that is popular with gamers around the world. As one of the most prominent producers of gaming-specific computers and hardware, it’s no surprise that Razer has multiple options. This is the Gaming-Grade Mouse version of the product. While it’s not optimized for comfortable gaming, the LapGear lap desk will fit laptops up to 15.6 inches, not to mention most mice and smartphones. The top comes in your choice of six colors and designs (including woodgrain and faux marble), and it has a built-in mousepad and phone slot. The bottom is lined with double bolster cushions that conform to your legs so you stay comfortable while working, watching, writing, or eating. Currently, it has an overall 4.7-star rating.

The solution I came up with for using the K63 lapboard for long gaming sessions was to sit not on the couch, but a large easy chair. The lapboard fits almost exactly in my lap between the arms of the chair, and I was able to rest my elbows and forearms on the arms, which alleviates much of the strain. I actually found that this is my new favorite way to play PC games. I spent eight hours straight playing Kingdom Come: Deliverance from this position, refusing to get up to feed myself or help my wife take care of the children. The whole lapboard is plastic, with about an inch of memory foam on the bottom so that it's comfortable on your lap. There's also a built-in wrist rest as well, but I didn't find it to be comfortable. The problem is when using a keyboard on a desk, your wrists are more or less straight while your hands extend over the relatively flat keys. On my lap, however, the keyboard is below where it normally would be, so my wrists were always at an angle. The added height of the lapboard’s memory foam cushion does help mitigate this a bit, but I found my wrists hurt after a long gaming session, and felt like a softer wrist support may have alleviated some of the discomfort. The inconveniences don’t stop there. The two extra USB ports on the right side of the Lapdog require a power cord be plugged into an outlet to function. The foam cushion on the bottom of the lapboard attaches with magnets so you can decide whether you want to use it or not, but the magnets are just a little too weak, making the two halves slide apart fairly easily when I tried to move or readjust it on my lap. The whole thing is uncompromising in its design—power to the USBs allows them to charge things faster, for example—which would be noble if it weren’t also so uncomfortable to use. This product does not include a keyboard or mouse. It also doesn’t have any designated areas to attach or place your hardware. This might prove slightly annoying for gamers who want more stability. One reviewer wrote: “It's exactly what I needed. I work from home a few days a week now and I just wasn't comfortable at the table with my laptop. With this, I can sit for hours on the couch and get work done. It has a nice spot for a portable mouse and a very convenient slot for a cell phone.”Size is not to be underestimated as a factor in these tests. Sure, you want a desktop experience on the couch, but you also don’t want a big hunk of plastic taking up space in your living room. The Lapdog and the Sova are hard to hide, and you’ll almost definitely need to dedicate a spot specifically for storing them when they aren’t in use. The turret not only folds up, it comes with a neat little stand for both the mouse and keyboard that displays them nicely while they charge. Because of this, I never had a problem with battery life for either device, which Razer says is up to 40 hours on the mouse and a whopping four months on the keyboard, and they never got in my way. If you’re looking for a premium wireless experience, the Razer Turret Wireless is one of your best options. The product is manufactured by Razer, one of the world’s most popular gaming hardware and software providers. Whether you’re more into FPSes or puzzle games may influence which lapboard is best suited to your gaming needs. But what I can say with full confidence is that any of the three options above are better than a keyboard on your lap and a mousepad on the sofa cushion next to you, and they’re almost definitely better than the cheap wireless keyboards with built-in touchpads you may have seen.

You’ll benefit from four USB 3.0 inputs that allow you to control your keyboard, mouse, and gaming headphones. It’s an excellent choice for Xbox One users. Gamers benefit from up to 32 feet of range without any lag increases.

4. A keyboard that doubles as a lapboard

The minimalist design of this product is perfect for gamers who want a sleek device. It’s hard to find a better looking product on the market. Still, it’s essential to keep in mind that this product is much larger than the other options on this list. If you want to take advantage of the full benefits of this product, expect it to take up most of your couch or bed. Using a mouse and keyboard on a couch can be oddly uncomfortable. It puts your body in a very different position than it’s used at a desk, and a good lapboard has to either compensate for that, or be flexible enough to let you find the position best for you. If you’re going to be playing for a long time, the lapboard needs to be comfortable sitting on your legs and not hold your arms and wrists in a position that will strain you over time. Cushions, wrist rests, and being able to move around easily on your lap go a long way to letting you feel at ease while playing. This is another product that’s great if you’re planning on making a long-term investment. Because you can replace the wrist rest and mousepad, you’ll never have to worry about wear-and-tear impacting the viability of the Roccat Sova. While the product comes fitted with a wrist wrest, it’s not nearly as large as some of the other competitors on this list. While this might not be an issue for some gamers, it’s critical to note that the Razer Turret Mechanical can feel a bit compact .

Additionally, the shorter width means there are no gaps between each set of four Function keys, making them harder to find at a glance. It’s a worse layout than your average keyboard, but it’s done this way to allow the lapboard to be shorter overall—a point I really appreciated when compared to the Lapdog. And the fact that the keyboard is built directly into the board also means that it is positioned for the wrist rest nicely. The bottom of the unit has a memory foam cushion that contours to your legs and ensures you’re never uncomfortable. On the upward-facing side of the product, you’ll find a wrist rest and large mousepad that makes it easy to control your gaming interface. One other criteria in comfort to consider is how wide of a lapdesk do you want. You should buy one that's wide enough to balance properly on your lap even if you're legs are spread out wide. What's more, your larger play space will also allow your hands to sit apart from each other at an ergonomic distance. When gaming, you always want to have your arms far apart and a wide lapdesk will allow you to do this. Other considerations include how much surface space is needed, whether you'd like USB or power options, and if an included keyboard may be something that interests you. Lapdesk FAQ What is a lapdesk?One reviewer wrote: “I do everything from my couch, health issues have forced me to, and over the years I have used no less than 5 different lapboard/keyboard/wireless mouse combinations, and this new Turret is now my favorite of them all.” It’s also an excellent system if you currently use wired peripheral devices. There is an internal space that helps you avoid wire issues and reduce cord-related clutter. The Sova is generally an easy-to-use lapboard, but it is a big piece of plastic that will be sitting around in your living room. Even if it doesn’t have much of an effect on your gameplay experience, finding a spot to store a lapboard like this is important. Razer's Turret is much smaller and designed to be easily stored, but the Sova is thinner than Corsair's Lapdog and doesn’t detach into two pieces. That made it much easier for me to find a place for it in my living room when not in use. The USB cable that plugs into the computer also has a point where it can disconnect (similar to a wired Xbox 360 controller) close to the board itself, which made putting away the cord a lot easier. The Couchmaster CYCON consists of a gaming lapboard and two large memory foam cushions that support either side of the platform. Your arms rest on these cushions, which also lift the lapboard above your legs for ultimate comfort. Unlike testing a regular gaming keyboard, there are a lot of unique factors that go into judging a good lapboard. The quality of the keyboard and mousepad are important, along with the ever-present question of price, but I also looked at the comfort of the board on my legs and wrists—especially after longer periods of time. It’s also important to look at the ease of use, setup, and how much space the lapboard takes up in your living room when it’s not in use. There are factors beyond just gaming that are crucial to consider.