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Keyboards: Comfort and Gaming
Heya,
Recently I've been getting the crappy finger-wrist cramps that come with obsessive MMO playing, and, well, I think in a large part this is due to my keyboard being a crappy, uncomfortable Microsoft wireless, which works like a charm, but has never been really lovely to use.
So, any recommendations for gaming keyboards which are also extremely comfortable and reduce finger stress? I have fairly short stubby fingers, so a massive, large-keyed beast isn't going to work for me, but other than that it's afir game, whatever he price.
Cheers 
RIFT was a *crushing* disappointment; a shallow, loveless, generic MMO the likes of which hasn't been seen in a P2P format since, well, forever.
Eagerly awaiting: World of Darkness, ArcheAge.
Comments
I have this guy and I feel it is very comfortable.
http://www.cyborggaming.com/prod/v5keyboard.htm
I used to have this http://www.xoxide.com/razer-arctosa-gaming-keyboard-black.html
It might have even been more comfortable but I actually felt like it was TOO easy to press keys.
I'd also recommend watching this, you can skip to 2:30 or so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVd9XemSAOA
Now I just found this by searching for it, but the exercises he shows are the same that I was taught years ago.
I was playing games some, but mostly it was playing bass in two bands and an orchestra at the same time. I never got carpal tunnel (Sp?) but I did get some soreness and I was dating a Doctor at the time. She told me to do these stretches before and after playing bass. It completely fixed any problems I had.
Years years later, job, family permitting, I had some long gaming binges and got the same sortof soreness. So I did these stretches and it fixed that as well.
Takes less than a minute.
"Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga
Thanks a lot for that video, I've been looking for something like that but I thought it might damage my fingers even more ;S Just did them though and it seemed to loosen them up a bit already, so hopefully it'll work out over time. If only exercise for the rest of the body was that easy :P
Also: the Razer sounds perfect. I've played the piano and brass instruments all my life, so controlling my touch is something I'm surprisingly good at. I'll look into it.
Thanks a a lot for the tips.
RIFT was a *crushing* disappointment; a shallow, loveless, generic MMO the likes of which hasn't been seen in a P2P format since, well, forever.
Eagerly awaiting: World of Darkness, ArcheAge.
why dont you free your hands from a keyboard? Use something like an N52te and just your mouse. The only time you'll reach for your keyboard is to chat. Ive been using one for years and my wife thought it was a no-brainer when she started to play MMOs. Shes got very tiney hands and since its adjustable fits her fine.
Youd be shocked how versitile it is, from the ability to program macros to having each key completely programmable to any keystroke you wish. I typically have 5 hotkey bars that I cycle through with this device and I still dont have to click a single ability or action in any game
Logithech G11 is an excellent choice, go to a computer store and check it and a few others out. What is perfect for someone else might be bad for you and the other way around.
It is however not just the keyboard but how you sit and how close to you the keyboard is. If you sit wrong or have the keyboard in a bad distance from you it will make things worse.
Might be fine for you then, I'm used to ..smash hulk smash!! playing an upright bass. I totally can get the right notes on a cello but my mp sounds like ff.
"Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga
You might do well to look toward a soft touch keyboard of some kind. I recently bought a Logitech G110 (their only gaming keyboard without an LED display), and the keys seem to be designed such that they almost depress themselves after a light inital pressure is applied to them. I'm not too keen on the tecnhology behind keyboards, though there might be someone here who can clarify how a specific keyboard technology can work for someone prone to muscle cramps.
All that aside, the best advice that I've ever gotten was to ensure that the wrist angle isn't such that the full weight of the forearm is resting on the base of the palm - usually adjusted by changing the chair level. Having too much downward pressure on that point tends to limit circulation to the rest of the hand, triggering lactic acid cycles, burning, cramps and the associated bleh. The best way that I've found to avoid this, without using that annoying wrist up/fingers down scenario that old school typography encourages, is to ensure that the forearm is as level as possible when using the keyboard.
I was about to suggest the G11 as well. It's the best keyboard I've ever had. Looking at that Belkin thing posted above, a good alternative (and probably better with more keys for sure) is the Logitech G13 keypad, though it's a bit expensive.
And yeah, the way you sit infront of your keyboard, mouse and monitor is quite important as well.
Read more on Wikipedia about RSI... Been there myself and since I've had help from a former employer, my RSI is gone.
I was just going to say it's not always the keyboard and can be how your sitting but someone already said that. Also having a good chair can make all the difference in the world, gaming keyboards are nice to have though especially for twitch based fps games. I tried a gaming pad once similiar to the g13 but in my personel experience it was a complet waste of money, and I ended up switching back to a cheap old wired keyboard I was used to.
Yeah, I think things like the G13 keypads are more for FPS gaming than MMO gaming. A G11 (or an other programmable / macro keyboard) will do fine though for MMO gaming. On my G11 I always drop 2 extra key sets on my G1 tru G12-keys and the last 6 G-keys I drop certain macro's I use a lot (like target my pet for healing /feeding and the alike)
Oh that's exactly what I bought it for. I used to be in very active Unreal tonurnament clan before I really got into mmos and that's what I bought the device for. I'm sure whatever they have on the market now is better but I think investing in a nice gaming keyboard would be a better use of funds.
I use a Steelseries Merc keyboard, find it very confortable for gaming.
I bought the Steelseries 7G a couple of years ago, and I don't regret the price one bit. I wanted a gaming keyboard and quickly ended up with a choice of quality vs bling and macro buttons.
I personally resent macro buttons and the like, and thats coming from a WoW Arena player. So i went for Steelseries and this keyboard delivers, it's exactly as goodd today as the day I bought it.
http://steelseries.com/products/keyboards/steelseries-7g