Multiple Keyboards

[Ascii2]

Do games tend to allow for the use of multiple keyboards at once?

If yes, would keyboard keys on one keyboard have the equivalent function as the same kind of keys on another keyboard? (Probably same answer as If the "A" key of a Keyboard1 is bound to a function in a game, would the "A" key of Keyboard2 also be bound to the same function?)

[Radical]

Yeah, if you have 2 keyboards plugged in, pressing "A" on one will be the same as pressing "A" on the other. It doesn't give you more keys to bind to.

[TollhouseFrank]

yeah... some games of long ago used to support multiple players on teh same computer at once... and all the keys were bound to the keyboard! So in such cases, it was good to have multiple keyboards (and fun to mess with your opponents)

[Ascii2]

Not the answer I was hoping for.

It would have been nice to have more keys to bind functions to by acquiring another keyboard.

Thanks.

[MechaWyvern]

Perhaps you should look into something like the Nostromo speed pads; n50 and n52. Also, a newer product called the Wolf King. I've used the Nostromo products for a few years now, and love them. The n52 I believe is the better product, but depends on your individual needs. Never used a Wolf King before, but they get good reviews.

Nostromo n50: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16826169001

Nostromo n52: http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Merchant_Id=&Product_Id=157024

Wolf King: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16823146002

[>HyperlogiK<]

or you could bag a cheap microsoft Strategic Commander on ebay, I got one second hand for £2 in sale in our students union, and I use it for strategy games and stuff like BF2 all the time. You can bind a lot of functions to it:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MICROSOFT-SIDEWINDER-STRATEGIC-COMMANDER-CONTROLLER-NR_W0QQitemZ9730550298QQcategoryZ3677QQssPageNameZ WD2VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[MechaWyvern]

or you could bag a cheap microsoft Strategic Commander

Wow, I havent seen one of those in a while. Yes, that would work as well I would say.

[>HyperlogiK<]

yeah they were like £45 over here when they came out, and now they go for under a tenner.

[[SaS]hornet]

why not get a g15 keyboard from logitech. i believe they have an extra panel on the left side of the board with loads of extra programmable buttons on it.

[Ascii2]

hornet']why not get a g15 keyboard from logitech.The keyboard is way overpriced ($113.97 USD shipped).

"g15 keyboard from logitech":
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/products/details/US/EN,CRID=2166,CONTENTID=10717

[Ascii2]

Thanks for the replies.

I shall select something cheap.

Another keyboard may have been cheaper than a gaming pad.

[Ascii2]

Would this work to bind extra keys?:
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10809&cs_id=1080903&p_id=1444&seq=1&format=2&style=

[Ascii2]

I would think that what I posted in the previos post would not normally work to bind extra keys.

The solution seems to be a modified keyboard or device driver. I believe that if keyborad drivers are modified such that keys are interpreted as something else that did not already exist on the system, the keys may be able to be bound to a function in a game. I do not known how to perform driver modifications.

Ideas?

[Malpine Walis]

Well, thanks to the magic of USB you can have as many actual keyboards as you want to. However, the problem that you are going to run into is that they all do the same thing. More keyboards will only mean that you can do more of the same thing.

Basically, there is a binary code generated every time you press a key and the same code is generated when you release the key (which is how the system knows when you are holding down the alt key or whatever). Adding more devices will only give you more ways to generate the same codes. sure, you can get something like the logitech keyboard but all that you are really doing is binding the extra keys to macros. Unless you can generate different codes, you don't really have more system events to bind to.

Also, remember that unless you are programming your own games, you can only bind stuff that the current game is set up to recognize. So if just for grins we say that a certain game does not "listen" for alt+whatever, then even if you try that key combination, it really goes nowhere.

I suppose that you could have two keyboards. One for typing and one for gaming and arrange your desk/shelving to accommodate both. However, that still does little for the purpose of being able to do more stuff.

[pdehn]

If you're up for some modding/building, you might be interested in something along the lines of one of the-PAC (http://www.ultimarc.com/l) devices or gp-wiz (http://groovygamegear.com/webstore/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76_81&products_id=234) (there are various models of those devices and other brands entirely, those are just two common ones I've worked with and like).

They're basically like a standard gamepad, except that you need to connect buttons yourself. They're created primarily with arcade emulation in mind, but wired up to a keyboard or other group of buttons (homeade or pre-built) they should let you do what you want. If you do use something like this, make sure to get a USB version that doesn't map to keyboard controls (for obvious reasons...)