Get a plywood board, glue a rubber mat on it, screw a mini 4 port usb hub on it and there you have it, put whatever keyboard, mouse and pad you want on it.
First demo'd in 2014 and still not available, but a much more interesting option to me. I check it every couple of months hoping for a release. Maybe this will push them to get it to market soon. This would easily be my preferred choice. More features and more flexible than the Corsair.
That surprised me too. Why not use a full-size USB-B port? Type-C would be even better because it could do full power and data over a single cable without the wall wart but very boards have Type-C support and even fewer cases have them on the front panel.
Can you substantiate your claim with fact and logic? Must be the burden of figuring out which way to plug the cable in an A port :) B ports are just so convenient, you can't go wrong.
Meh, ends up like a fairly big unit, and for the price... I would've rather seen them develop a special living room edition K65 with an integrated mouse pad, given the costs it wouldn't be much different in the end but could be way more compact.
Yeah, at $120, you are so much better off buying a custom sized "cutting board" (something like 28"x7.5") (~approx $20-30 shipped), some DualLock (a velcro alternative that holds extremely well) ($5), a USB hub ($15), and an extra long USB cable ($10) and call it a day. You gain the ability to size the board to any keyboard you own, can also adjust the size of the mouse area to be the same as your normal mousepad. Add a couple screw-down cable/wire holders for another $1, and you have just made a much better device and cost you 1/2 the price.
I think the main difference is the word made. Some people don't want to make something, and for them the time and effort is worth paying the money to avoid.
It seems to be quite suprising it requires another power supply... Given my old MS Natural keyboard Pro (the white/light gray one) can feed itself and via two USB ports a mouse and a USB flash stick. And that's running with USB1.1 power limitations.
This looks fairly bulky for your lap. If you like a trackpoint, as I do, simply get a Thinkpad travel keyboard. This offers a keyboard and mouse, with palm rests, in the space of a laptop keyboard. It basically is a laptop keyboard and, being based on Thinkpad designs, one of the best.
The trackpoint doesn't have the speed and accuracy of a desktop mouse. I wouldn't recommend it for competitive multi-player FPS games, but it is well suited for everything else. It is, in fact, like a little joystick and one of it's benefits is that you never run out of space, like you can with a mouse.
I have always been a huge proponent of hooking a PC up in the living room. Since the launch of the AMD 5800 series, full HD audio was available over an HDMI cable without a separate sound card. I can hook up my PC to my receiver and game in glorious surround sound. Plug in a Xbox controller and your good to go...for many games. Some games are still best with the mouse and keyboard. To that end, I have been using a Lapworks lap desk to hold my favorite mouse and keyboard since the last decade. But here, finally, we have a new solution! The Corsair Lapdog, and it's...the same thing? But wait, the lap desk has been tailored to fit the keyboard, and we threw in a USB hub! All sarcasm aside, I really don't see how a custom built tray is really helping anyone here. The Bulldog, at 20 Liters, is hardly a small ITX case either. I am really interested in the PC in the living room and improving that experience. Hopefully we can get a review of the Razer Turret down the road? That device seems potentially far more interesting.
For me the Couchmaster from http://www.nerdytec.com has already solved all problems that the lapdog has.
- Much more ergonomic - Free choice of the equipment you want to use (no limitation to only two keyboards) - Also free choice of the mousepad - Left handed can use it as well
Confused why there's no place on the bottom for optional legs. If you're sitting on the couch and you have the space, why not at least leave the option for legs to raise it and stabilize it?
I like the idea of gaming on the big screen, but this probably won't fit the bill simply due to ergonomics. I mean, sitting at a desk and sitting anywhere else in the house are two very different positions. I just can't picture a one size fits all approach compensating for the hundreds of different living room configurations.
I got the couchmaster half a year ago and love it. It`s pretty expensive for what it is, but if you don`t want to build it yourself there is nothing better for couch-pc-gaming in my opinion
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lazarpandar - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
I can't wait for someone to copy this design with an adjustable keyboard well to facilicate the use of keyboards from any manufacturer.ddriver - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Get a plywood board, glue a rubber mat on it, screw a mini 4 port usb hub on it and there you have it, put whatever keyboard, mouse and pad you want on it.ianmills - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
and to attach the keyboard use velcro tape. that will make it easy to switch/move around the keyboard as neededMargalus - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
And save yourself $100 at the same time.I can't believe it's $120 for a flat board to put a keyboard on..
Lord of the Bored - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
It isn't 120 for a flat board.It is 120 for a flat board AND A USB HUB. That totally makes up the difference.
schizoide - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
I agree, it seems like this is something that could be cloned by a company in China and sold for $30. It's just a lapdesk with an integrated USB hub.Obviously a fair bit of design work went into making this product actually comfortable to use, but the Chinese could just wholesale copy all of that.
vanilla_gorilla - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Funny you mention that, I've been following the Roccat Sova for a while, see here: http://www.roccat.org/en-US/Products/Gaming-Keyboa...First demo'd in 2014 and still not available, but a much more interesting option to me. I check it every couple of months hoping for a release. Maybe this will push them to get it to market soon. This would easily be my preferred choice. More features and more flexible than the Corsair.
peterfares - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Products always look so cheap when they use USB-A ports on the slave devices.WithoutWeakness - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
That surprised me too. Why not use a full-size USB-B port? Type-C would be even better because it could do full power and data over a single cable without the wall wart but very boards have Type-C support and even fewer cases have them on the front panel.Lord of the Bored - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
I would've used a Micro-B port, personally. Though C is the future and all that.Definitely shouldn't be an A port, though. IST VERBOTEN.
ddriver - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Can you substantiate your claim with fact and logic? Must be the burden of figuring out which way to plug the cable in an A port :) B ports are just so convenient, you can't go wrong.edzieba - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Because USB-A for an upstream-facing port IST VERBOTEN.Shadowmaster625 - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
I place my mouse on the coffee table.damianrobertjones - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Block of wood. Wireless K+M.Done
Deelron - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
$2 Tv Tray from Goodwill, slightly modified.Sivar - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Interesting review on the product. A photo of the unit on someone's lap would be helpful in visualizing use of the product at home.ddriver - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Thrown in a dog for a good measureThe_Assimilator - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Put the Corsair Lapdog on a dog, then put the dog on someone's lap. This is how the review should've been done.Impulses - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Meh, ends up like a fairly big unit, and for the price... I would've rather seen them develop a special living room edition K65 with an integrated mouse pad, given the costs it wouldn't be much different in the end but could be way more compact.eva02langley - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Logitech k800ianmills - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
lol this looks like an all in one computer from the 80'sWildW - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
I'm having flashbacks to the Phantom lapboard.lllllllllllll - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
- No wireless option.- Terrible usability.
To get off a couch you need to use one hand for a mouse and other for the lapdog.
smartthanyou - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Or just get a wireless keyboard and Logitech Wireless Trackball M570 and be done with it.Ascaris - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
I always do my gaming with a mouse and keyboard in the living room.That's where my computer desk is!
Fallen Kell - Wednesday, May 25, 2016 - link
Yeah, at $120, you are so much better off buying a custom sized "cutting board" (something like 28"x7.5") (~approx $20-30 shipped), some DualLock (a velcro alternative that holds extremely well) ($5), a USB hub ($15), and an extra long USB cable ($10) and call it a day. You gain the ability to size the board to any keyboard you own, can also adjust the size of the mouse area to be the same as your normal mousepad. Add a couple screw-down cable/wire holders for another $1, and you have just made a much better device and cost you 1/2 the price.xthetenth - Saturday, June 4, 2016 - link
I think the main difference is the word made. Some people don't want to make something, and for them the time and effort is worth paying the money to avoid.HollyDOL - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
It seems to be quite suprising it requires another power supply... Given my old MS Natural keyboard Pro (the white/light gray one) can feed itself and via two USB ports a mouse and a USB flash stick. And that's running with USB1.1 power limitations.Ian Cutress - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
It only needs the power supply if you want to run heavy duty USB devices from the keyboard, like charging a phone.HollyDOL - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
Ic, that's fine then :-)FH123 - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
This looks fairly bulky for your lap. If you like a trackpoint, as I do, simply get a Thinkpad travel keyboard. This offers a keyboard and mouse, with palm rests, in the space of a laptop keyboard. It basically is a laptop keyboard and, being based on Thinkpad designs, one of the best.The trackpoint doesn't have the speed and accuracy of a desktop mouse. I wouldn't recommend it for competitive multi-player FPS games, but it is well suited for everything else. It is, in fact, like a little joystick and one of it's benefits is that you never run out of space, like you can with a mouse.
ajlueke - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
I have always been a huge proponent of hooking a PC up in the living room. Since the launch of the AMD 5800 series, full HD audio was available over an HDMI cable without a separate sound card. I can hook up my PC to my receiver and game in glorious surround sound. Plug in a Xbox controller and your good to go...for many games. Some games are still best with the mouse and keyboard.To that end, I have been using a Lapworks lap desk to hold my favorite mouse and keyboard since the last decade. But here, finally, we have a new solution! The Corsair Lapdog, and it's...the same thing? But wait, the lap desk has been tailored to fit the keyboard, and we threw in a USB hub! All sarcasm aside, I really don't see how a custom built tray is really helping anyone here.
The Bulldog, at 20 Liters, is hardly a small ITX case either. I am really interested in the PC in the living room and improving that experience. Hopefully we can get a review of the Razer Turret down the road? That device seems potentially far more interesting.
guachi - Thursday, May 26, 2016 - link
This looks interesting. Too bad the box, which says "Zero Compromise", is wrong. You have the compromise of having to be right handed to use it. :(T1.S - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
For me the Couchmaster from http://www.nerdytec.com has already solved all problems that the lapdog has.- Much more ergonomic
- Free choice of the equipment you want to use (no limitation to only two keyboards)
- Also free choice of the mousepad
- Left handed can use it as well
lmcd - Friday, May 27, 2016 - link
Confused why there's no place on the bottom for optional legs. If you're sitting on the couch and you have the space, why not at least leave the option for legs to raise it and stabilize it?redfirebird15 - Saturday, May 28, 2016 - link
I like the idea of gaming on the big screen, but this probably won't fit the bill simply due to ergonomics. I mean, sitting at a desk and sitting anywhere else in the house are two very different positions. I just can't picture a one size fits all approach compensating for the hundreds of different living room configurations.moggie - Sunday, May 29, 2016 - link
seems like a perfect application for wireless mouse charging, but alas!Phrixotrichus - Friday, June 3, 2016 - link
http://www.nerdytec.com/I got the couchmaster half a year ago and love it. It`s pretty expensive for what it is, but if you don`t want to build it yourself there is nothing better for couch-pc-gaming in my opinion