Gaming Keyboard

[Broin]

So I have been looking for a gaming keyboard and mousepad to go with my new rig and new mouse the Razer Naga.  

Here is what I am thinking so far

Logitech g110

http://www.cnet.com/1770-5_1-0.html?query=logitech+g11&tag=srch

Razer Lycosa Mirror
http://www.cnet.com/1770-5_1-0.html?query=razer+lycosa+mirror&tag=srch

Razer Lycosa
http://www.cnet.com/1770-5_1-0.html?query=razer+lycosa&tag=srch

Saitek Eclipse II
http://www.cnet.com/1770-5_1-0.html?query=saitek+eclipse+ii&tag=srch

Or any other suggestions.  I know T has ordered one of the gaming side pads or whatever there called.  

Opinions....?  Also what about mousepads.  I'm looking for something of some decent size.  I hear Steeleseries maybe?

[Ragnarok]

Are you looking for hard or soft mouse pads?

[Broin]

I'm thinking cloth.  I've done a bit of research and I think I'll be good with just a larger cloth one.

Saw these....

http://www.xtracpads.com/sections.php?section=1

The XXL is huge 36"w x 18"h x 1/8"

http://shop.steelseries.com/us/index.php/surfaces-us.html

The big one there is 17,7 x 15,7 x 0,08 in

[Tbone]

NEW Razer Nostromo: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004AM5RB6/ref=oss_product

Mine is scheduled to be delivered "Soon"...lol

[Broin]

I know I know... I've actually thought about getting one of those as well.  I'm just not all that sure about it.  It's probably exactly what I would need to up my game play a bit more but I'm just not sure that it'd work for me.

[ExternalError]

i have a g15 my self and i wouldnt part with it unless you give me £120 which would buy me the new version of it.  I've not tried the others but the g15 has served me well

[Saint]

Dude!!! Dont go cloth, cloth sux @## Check out these slim hard surface lazer mouse pads, the naga will glide over it like ice and they are easy to clean, slim and you wont regret it.  You can find them at office depot I believe see following link. They come in various colors, mine is black. They come in the small and large versions.

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/671877/Allsop-Accutrack-Slimline-Mouse-Pad-016/;jsessionid=0000MUa3bxrw2zV1B_FIcDCRpco:13ddq0sic?cm_cat=2000000020

[Ragnarok]

I would go for a hard just because they don't fall apart as easily as soft pads do, but the cloths your looking at look pretty durable so its really up to you.

[Wind]

When I was shopping for stuff earlier this year, i was recommended a QPAD, supposedly a quality mousemat brand. I picked up http://www.corporate.qpad.se/modules/news/article.php?storyid=150 , and I'm happy with it. Right amount of friction, and doesn't shift on my desk. I haven't had anything else to really compare it to though...

Same goes for the keyboard I got, the second G15 (less Gkeys), I like it, but nothing to compare it to. The screen is useful, but a bit gimmicky. I'm usually running fraps on it in the end. The media keys feel crappy, but work. There are just 6 gkeys, though its not been a problem for me.

(And that Razer gamepad, I'm fairly sure its a rebrand of http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-n52te-Tournament-Edition-SpeedPad/dp/B000WMEHYG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1293889725&sr=1-1)

[JazzyC]

I've got a Razer Destructor mousepad.  Hard surface.  Was a replacement two years ago for a hard SteelSeries mousepad (which went bad after a year).
The Razer pad is still going strong with my Mamba mouse.

Keyboard is G15.  I don't really use the hotkeys for much.  But I have SirReal Plugin running on the screen.  Surprising just how much can be displayed on there at any one time.  G15 has the TS screen too which is handy for working out who is talking sometimes.
My hotkeys are just set to open Internet, Email, Screenshot and the TS hotkey to chat.

[Ragnarok]

Broin if your going to get a gamepad get the logitech one. I looked at some reviews of each and it got better reviews.

[NoCry]

I use the razer goliathus - suitably large although might be a little dated now?

[Tbone]

So I got my Razer Nostromo in today and tried it out in Dragon Age and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Unfortunately, I was not satisfied with my results in either game.

First of all, the Nostromo was not designed for FPSs. Trying to use the joystick for movement made it unnecessarily complicated for someone used to WASD movement. If I wanted to run, I'd have to hit shift with my pinky while running with my thumb - it wasn't comfortable. So I switched to using WASD on the Nostromo, and found the Nostromo's flaws as soon as I wanted to jump or throw a grenade. The pad doesn't extend to the G key, so I'd have to rebind grenade to something random. And the space bar is positioned so far down (to make room for the joystick) that jumping was awkward. I could rebind both of those functions to the joystick, but what if I wanted to open the map? Gotta rebind that to something inconvenient as well. At that point, why bother? I'm not making use of any of the Nostromo's selling points.

So then I tried it on Dragon Age. A little better there. The joystick is a little bit more natural for the 3rd party view, but Dragon Age uses the space bar to pause the game in combat...and I remembered SWTOR uses it for jumping. So as long as I'm using the joystick for movement, I have to rebind jump to something like my index finger, and get used to that. Then there's figuring out the inventory, map, and character buttons. All of those will need to be rebound as well, or I just need to keep reaching for the keyboard. By the time I've done all that, I'm left with less buttons to bind with than if I was just using a regular keyboard with 1-9 buttons, so again I'm not seeing the point of trying to master a tool that will only give me less or equal customization as a keyboard.

I've decided the Nostromo was made for console gamers who sometimes play on the PC. Those people who still need to look down at the keyboard to find their "m", "i", "c", "1-5" buttons. Those who feel more natural using a thumbstick than WASD. So, sadly, I think the Nostromo might be a waste for me. If you're used to console gaming, you might find it is just what you need to feel like you are using a controller in your MMO. My plan, however, is to use my Naga mouse for 1-9 combat abilities and then using my keyboard 1-9 as the alt1-9 heal, buff, passive abilities. That should do pretty well for my Jedi Knight.

I might be will to sell or trade my Nostromo if someone thinks it would be to their liking. I could use a responsive keyboard with backlighting for the times I do have to look down.

[Anamodiel]

Broin,

Just wondering whatever came of this. I'm looking at getting a Naga mouse for Christmas (because I know I'll be struggling once Launch hits without one), and I was wondering what keyboard you ended up buying and what you think of it.

Regards,

Anamodiel

[Broin]

I went with the G110... I'm sure one of the others might look better with the naga but it definatley works for me.