But that’s not all: there are numerous special forms for special applications such as video editing or image processing, for live streaming on Twitch & Co. or for games with complex controls – such as simulators. We took a look at the exotic input devices and show you what strange mini keyboards there are.
one-hand keyboards
The so-called one-hand keyboards or keypads for gamers are designed for use with just one hand, but they do not replace the conventional keyboard, but serve as a supplement. The one-hand keyboards are usually the left part of the regular keyboard, i.e. the area around the W, A, S, D keys, which are important for movements in many games. In addition to the normal letter keys, many of the devices have additional, programmable keys for additional functions or macros, a palm rest and RGB lighting. Mechanical keys with a clearly defined pressure point are particularly important for gamers.
The big advantage is the significantly smaller space requirement compared to a normal keyboard. Even small 60 percent keyboards are larger. Anyone who sits at a small desk and has often been annoyed by the lack of space for the mouse when gaming will find a good solution here.
Disadvantage: If you don’t want to play, you also need a standard keyboard. If you rely on wired keyboards, you can also wait for a knotted cable. From our point of view, it is therefore worth using a one-handed keyboard with a 2.4 GHz wireless connection – or alternatively to operate the normal keyboard wirelessly.
Numpads
A special form of the one-hand keyboard is the numpad, which is connected to the computer via cable or Bluetooth. These mini keyboards are primarily of interest to users of compact laptops and compact 60 percent keyboards, since there is no numeric keypad including arithmetic symbols as standard. The target group here is not the gamer, but rather the typical office user.
Although you can also work without the number pad on the right side, it takes longer to enter long or many numbers. If you don’t want to do without the comfort of a full-fledged keyboard despite compact notebooks, you can get a compact and very practical solution for retrofitting from 3 euros. Whether a wireless variant is worthwhile here depends on the frequency of use. If you only need the keypad occasionally, you can also use the cheaper cable version. With prices starting at 10 euros, the wireless keypads are still very cheap.
Programmable mini keyboards
When we first stumbled across the programmable mini keyboards or macro keyboards, we initially thought it was a joke – made with Photoshop. The most compact version of these keyboards have just two keys on board – that seems surreal, but is meant seriously.
But what do you need such a mini keyboard for? The question is quickly answered: For everything you want to control on the PC. Since the small keyboards are fully programmable, special characters, key combinations, video calls or program starts can be stored here. We use our three-button variant with a rotary control to control our music player, for example. Shortcuts for programs such as Adobe Photoshop or storing sounds for the next livecast are also conceivable.
If you look around, you will find the smallest keyboards in umpteen other variations. In addition to models with two, three, four, six, eight or twelve buttons, devices with additional rotary controls are available. Inexpensive models rely on a USB-A connection to connect to the PC. The macro keyboards are also available with additional RGB lighting and as a wireless version.
It starts at a ridiculous 3 euros on Aliexpress for the variant with three buttons plus a rotary control. If you order here, you get the same keyboard that costs a whopping 16 euros to 28 euros on Amazon. Disadvantage with orders from China: Our test device came in a neutral box, without any description. Even the manufacturer and product name remain a mystery. The search for the software required to program the keys is correspondingly tedious. Although we quickly came across recommendations in various forums, it took us five tries before we finally found the software that was compatible with our keyboard. However, the programs that are recommended only work on Windows PCs. The mini keyboards also work without any problems under Linux and with our Macbook Air, but Windows is required for programming.
The program we use with the name Mini KeyBoard can be used universally for different key layouts. The operation is not very intuitive, but after a few minutes we looked through the program and successfully programmed the buttons and the rotary control. Our three-key keyboard also masters various RGB lighting effects. However, we quickly deactivate them again because they distract us. If you’re a fan of colorful lights on your desk, you’ll get your money’s worth.
Since the keys are not labeled, you have to remember well what you have programmed where. Alternatively, you could also label the keys by hand or print out a layout plan. This is unnecessary with two or three buttons, but you quickly lose track of models with 12 or more buttons. All in all we are satisfied with the purchase: A very cool and inexpensive gadget if you have the right purpose. From the simple copy & paste keyboard to kiosk or self-service applications, to the retrofitting of multimedia keys to practical shortcuts for Photoshop, Premiere Pro or any type of game, many possible scenarios are conceivable here.
A special form of the mini keyboard are USB foot switches from about 15 euros. These can also be freely programmed – if you find the right software. The inconspicuous switches for under the desk are available with one, two or three foot switches.
Displaypads
The deluxe version of such mini keyboards are the so-called display pads, for example from Elegato. These are also programmable mini keyboards, but no simple keycaps are used here, but small color displays or a large touchscreen. Whether a number, a letter or a colorful symbol is displayed here is up to the user.
Thanks to the very clear presentation of the stored commands, the devices are perfect for streamers who want to spice up their live stream with sound effects, for example. If you want, you can also link your most important programs and homepages and call up your favorite games and call up certain functions in them – conveniently by pressing the display with the right icon.
With prices starting at 61 euros for the Elgato Stream Deck Mini variant with six buttons or 130 euros for the XL model Razer Stream Controller X with 15 LCD buttons, the display ports are not exactly cheap. Nevertheless, if you see the benefit behind the programmable keyboard and generally enjoy futuristic technology, you can buy it without hesitation. The products are tried and tested and are also used by our colleagues.
The version of the programmable keyboard with a display is clearly more expensive, but it also looks much better and also comes with reasonable software to the customer.
Conclusion
Anyone who is regularly annoyed by missing keys on a notebook or compact keyboard, has too little space to play with the mouse or simply wants to assign commands and shortcuts to their own keys will find numerous, inexpensive solutions.
For the one-handed keyboards – both for gamers and for the numeric keypads – we recommend going for at least the middle price range. Experience has shown that the cheapest devices often do not have a decent stroke and tend to incorrect inputs. For reasons of latency, wireless variants for gaming should always work via radio, not via Bluetooth. Bluetooth is sufficient for keypads for office work.
If you want programmable keys, you can get well-functioning mini keyboards from China from 3 euros. If you don’t want to use unlabeled keys and aren’t looking for the right software, you should better go straight for the expensive luxury version with a display. The display port keyboards not only look extremely cool, they also perform better in terms of programming and operation.