PC Gaming in a LazyBoy? (I.e. No desk...)

Yall

So I'm contemplating moving my gaming desktop into my man cave to take advantage of my 1080p projector.

The problem I'm having (and I've never found a great solution with previous attempts) is the placement of my KBaM while playing in my recliner.

I've used BT KBaM but from a comfort standpoint, the best I've been able to come up with is a board spanning the arms of the recliner upon which I place the input devices.

Does anyone else have a similar predicament and if so, what solutions have worked best for you?

CuvisTheConqueror

Honestly, the best solution I've found for gaming in the living room is a 360 controller or equivalent. But if you insist on KB/M, you might try a TV tray like this one: https://www.etsy.com/listing/193733590/tv-tray-table-laptop-desk-c-table-side?ref=market

Yall

That could work. I'm running to Best Buy to check out a lap board they have too. I need an HDMI switch too, so it's worth stopping in to check it out.

Ended up getting this:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/creative-essentials-deluxe-computer-lapdesk-black/9267633.p?id=1218071903397&skuId=9267633

hsu

I used to play WoW off my 60" projector, which works okay with a properly painted wall, better with a good projection screen, but never great. The contrast and brightness just wasn't enough during the day, forcing me to use dark out curtains. But I liked the 60" screen enough that I broke down and bought a 55" LG LED TV - you're only real choices are Sony and LG 1080p big screen TVs, as the other brands have bad lag (and don't even think about 4k, as the lag is even worse).

As for controls, I used to use my PS3 controllers, using a wired USB cable (getting bluetooth wireless working for PS3 controllers caused too many problems), but again, I broke down and got XBox 360 wireless controllers with a PC wireless adapter instead, as that worked right out of the box. This works well for games with native controller support. Like CuvisTheConqueror, I came to prefer a controller over a keyboard/mouse for non-FPS type games.

Must have apps for controller play on Steam:
XBox360 controller manager ( http://pety.me/XboxExt/ ) - this solves the problem of how to turn off your XBox 360 controllers immediately (instead of letting them turn off after 15 minutes of idle)
Xpaddler ( http://www.xpadder.com/ ) - this turns your controller into a keyboard/mouse, for use on games that don't natively recognize the controller
JoyToKey ( http://joytokey.net/en/ ) - another app that turns your controller into a keyboard; it's free, but takes like 10 times longer to set up than Xpadder

Yall

hsu wrote: »

I used to play WoW off my 60" projector, which works okay with a properly painted wall, better with a good projection screen, but never great. The contrast and brightness just wasn't enough during the day, forcing me to use dark out curtains. But I liked the 60" screen enough that I broke down and bought a 55" LG LED TV - you're only real choices are Sony and LG 1080p big screen TVs, as the other brands have bad lag (and don't even think about 4k, as the lag is even worse).

As for controls, I used to use my PS3 controllers, using a wired USB cable (getting bluetooth wireless working for PS3 controllers caused too many problems), but again, I broke down and got XBox 360 wireless controllers with a PC wireless adapter instead, as that worked right out of the box. This works well for games with native controller support. Like CuvisTheConqueror, I came to prefer a controller over a keyboard/mouse for non-FPS type games.

Must have apps for controller play on Steam:
XBox360 controller manager ( http://pety.me/XboxExt/ ) - this solves the problem of how to turn off your XBox 360 controllers immediately (instead of letting them turn off after 15 minutes of idle)
Xpaddler ( http://www.xpadder.com/ ) - this turns your controller into a keyboard/mouse, for use on games that don't natively recognize the controller
JoyToKey ( http://joytokey.net/en/ ) - another app that turns your controller into a keyboard; it's free, but takes like 10 times longer to set up than Xpadder

I'm in pitch black basement and use a projector screen (about 100'' diagonal). It's 1080p, 120hz and 3D capable. For a projector, the input lag is quite low (I think about 5ms).

Whenever I've seen this question come up, so many people suggest the controller route, but for some games you either need a KBaM or it's simply the better option.

Regardless, this lap-board I linked is actually quite functional and comfortable.

hsu

I have steadily removed the keyboard from my game playing.

It started with a HanHo Hotrod arcade joystick for MAME, which I completely modded out with Happ optical joysticks and upgraded buttons.

Next, I put my Wii Rockband foot pedal (which, of course, is a modded real drum pedal) to use as my Ventrillo push-to-talk button in FPS games and WoW, since replaced with the Stinkyboard foot pedal.

Then I added the discontinued Microsoft Strategic Commander as a keyboard replacement, because mashing the WASD keys (actually ESDF) started to cause joint pain. It takes a while to set up, but I pretty much use the Strategic Commander for any FPS game. I don't know what I'd do should Windows 10 not support the third party driver.

Finally came the controller, first the wired PS3 controller, now the wireless XBox 360 controller for platformer games. Not only do many games natively support the controller, but there are quite a lot of games (platformers, side scrollers, rpgs) that don't really use the mouse anyways.

These days, I use my keyboard only for RTS games.

SmokeStacks

Yall wrote: »

Regardless, this lap-board I linked is actually quite functional and comfortable.

I've been trying to find a way to comfortably play PC games on my (hopefully temporary) deskless setup where my monitor is in an entertainment center, and this looks perfect. Cheap as well.

Thank you for linking it. Controllers are fantastic but there are just too many games where KBAM is the objectively better choice to shirk it entirely.

Bigity

Yall wrote: »

So I'm contemplating moving my gaming desktop into my man cave to take advantage of my 1080p projector.

The problem I'm having (and I've never found a great solution with previous attempts) is the placement of my KBaM while playing in my recliner.

I've used BT KBaM but from a comfort standpoint, the best I've been able to come up with is a board spanning the arms of the recliner upon which I place the input devices.

Does anyone else have a similar predicament and if so, what solutions have worked best for you?

A board is what I do.

The Dude With Herpes

@Yall is that board big enough for a keyboard and mouse? It looks fairly small but I guess I didn't check dimensions.

I've been toying with the idea of a recliner in my office but the kbam issue is what makes me dismiss it usually.

I'd keep my desk but I could go with a larger screen than even the 40in I've been looking at.

I guess another question for anyone who does their PC use this way, how long of periods of time do you sit at your PC? I know with my desk chair now even when I'm playing something with a controller if I'm reclined too long I have to sit up and 'proper' periodically and I'm concerned a recliner, even with the back up, wouldn't replicate that posture when I wanted it.

Yall

The Dude With Herpes wrote: »

@Yall is that board big enough for a keyboard and mouse? It looks fairly small but I guess I didn't check dimensions.

I've been toying with the idea of a recliner in my office but the kbam issue is what makes me dismiss it usually.

I'd keep my desk but I could go with a larger screen than even the 40in I've been looking at.

I guess another question for anyone who does their PC use this way, how long of periods of time do you sit at your PC? I know with my desk chair now even when I'm playing something with a controller if I'm reclined too long I have to sit up and 'proper' periodically and I'm concerned a recliner, even with the back up, wouldn't replicate that posture when I wanted it.

I'm using a Razor keyboard, and to leave enough room for the mouse it needs to hang over the edge by about 3 inches. Not perfect, but still quite comfortable and useable.

Bigity

I had to cut a piece of plywood.

Regular laptop boards just dont have room for a 17" asus, an n52 gamepad, and a mouse.

Veevee

Learn to use a trackball instead of a traditional mouse. No mouse movement required, and the keyboard can just sit across your lap. It's what I've been doing for a very long time, but I also don't do FPS and other twitch/fast reflex games where I hear trackballs fall behind because of technical limitations.

Bigity

Love trackballs for most everything but I sure love the extra buttons from a razer naga hex for WoW.