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Do you like your Natural Keyboard?
- Thread starter MiNdWaRp
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2004
- Location
- Irvine, CA
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2004
- Location
- Orlando, FL
My brother works for a big software company. He told me he's used one. He said, and I quote:
"It is the worst keyboard I have ever used in my life"
That's all he said.
Hope that helps
"It is the worst keyboard I have ever used in my life"
That's all he said.
Hope that helps
I'm on my second one (wife swiped the first one) and I like it. I type reports for work, and of course off hours are spent here typing.
I've had carpel tunnel, and typing is pure pain without it.
I like the feel of the keys too, you can tell when you don't press one correctly because they have just the right feedback to them. Not quite like an old IBM one, but nice.
Also since its an MS product, there's never any driver or install issues (on windoze systems anyway).
There's a learning curve to get used to typing with a split board, especially if you already know how to type, but a week is all it takes to get over that.
For gaming, well I don't game so I can't help a whole lot there, but it'd be like any new keyboard I suppose. Look at how the keys are layed out, consider which hands you're going to be using for which controls, and decide from there.
One more thing, get the USB version for "future proofing". It will do either USB or ps2. My older ps2 one will only do ps2. My current Abit mobo has no ps2 ports, and that may well be more common in the future. Do not try to use it with a USB hub, only a mobo connector.
Hope that helps.
I've had carpel tunnel, and typing is pure pain without it.
I like the feel of the keys too, you can tell when you don't press one correctly because they have just the right feedback to them. Not quite like an old IBM one, but nice.
Also since its an MS product, there's never any driver or install issues (on windoze systems anyway).
There's a learning curve to get used to typing with a split board, especially if you already know how to type, but a week is all it takes to get over that.
For gaming, well I don't game so I can't help a whole lot there, but it'd be like any new keyboard I suppose. Look at how the keys are layed out, consider which hands you're going to be using for which controls, and decide from there.
One more thing, get the USB version for "future proofing". It will do either USB or ps2. My older ps2 one will only do ps2. My current Abit mobo has no ps2 ports, and that may well be more common in the future. Do not try to use it with a USB hub, only a mobo connector.
Hope that helps.
Last edited:
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- Apr 22, 2004
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- dutty south
termin@tor said:My brother works for a big software company. He told me he's used one. He said, and I quote:
"It is the worst keyboard I have ever used in my life"
That's all he said.
Hope that helps
imma have to agree with your bro on this also. f that ergonomic crap. it slows me down and i have no patience to get used to it. never tried gaming on it but i would assume it is not good at all.
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- Oct 18, 2003
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- Leawood, KS
I wouldnt think they would be very good for gaming. You would have to move your hand more to get to a key on the otherside of the keyboard.
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2004
- Location
- USA - New Mexico
Forget all the impatient ones out there. I would vouch for a natural keyboard. I use one at home, but I have a regular crap keyboard at work. Props definitely go to the natural keyboard. True, it takes a day or 2 to get used to, but I bet you wont go back after the learning curve. It feels more... 'natural' to place your hands where the natural keyboard key's are.
Oh, btw, I have a wireless natural keyboard, and a logitech mx700.. (so they are both wireless). It's a pimp combination... I just threw away the mouse that came with the keyboard and used the logitech one. I game with it perfectly fine.
- Awperator
Oh, btw, I have a wireless natural keyboard, and a logitech mx700.. (so they are both wireless). It's a pimp combination... I just threw away the mouse that came with the keyboard and used the logitech one. I game with it perfectly fine.
- Awperator
Last edited:
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2004
- Location
- Shawnee Kansas
I have a mix of natural wired and wireless along with a couple normal wired ones on my network at home. When my buddies come over to game on the network they all agree that it takes a while to get used to the natural, sometimes we rotate to different pc's, depends on who gets up for a break and who is coming in and I dont like the gaming as well on the natural. For normal use its cool, I like it, but not for gaming. Just my 2 pennies
- Joined
- Jul 17, 2003
When my company first offered one to me, I refused it. I was not gonna use one. At some point, I started using one at work. After about 2 weeks, I got one for each of my machines at home. I can't live without them. If you type with one hand or one finger per hand, you won't like it.
I use mine for gaming and I like it tons. To be fair, I'm not the best gamer out there but I doubt that is the fault of the keyboard.
I use mine for gaming and I like it tons. To be fair, I'm not the best gamer out there but I doubt that is the fault of the keyboard.
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2004
- Location
- Charlotte, NC
i was using this keyboard for about 5 years and i looove it. i recently ditched it for a straight logitech elite because i missed all the feature buttons. IMO The natural is a better gaming keyboard though.
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- Apr 26, 2004
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- Shawnee Kansas
I just can not get used to gaming with it, I have tried and its just the way I move I guess, I always screw up. I'm not that great and need all the help I can get so I stick with what I'm good with, the straight keyboard. I switched to an elite also but I have a wireless microsoft natural that has all the feature buttons but I dont like it as well as the elite.Xenocide said:
- Joined
- May 23, 2002
I love mine, it took about a week to get used to, but I can type much faster and the keys are spaced further apart so I'm not cramped trying to hit a t or y g and h b and n. For gaming I have everything setup for the left half anyway because your right hand should be on the damn mouse!
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2003
- Location
- Ottawa, Ontario
I've had a natural keyboard at home since 1998.
I swear by them. It took me maybe 8-10 hours of solid use before I finally got used to it, and have never looked back since then. Each system I have here @ home has a natural keyboard (except the fileserver, it's got a wireless logitech desktop... hey it was $30.00 CDN used)
When you're on a PC for more than 8-12 hours a day (or PC's), the wrist protection and comfort of the natural keyboards are simply awesome.
Many probably equate the bad gaming experience on a natural keyboard to Microsoft's Natural Keyboard Elite. It was my 2nd natural keyboard. What MS had done was scrunch the arrow keys so close it was impossible to use them to control your character movement (well, if you had large hands. I could work it fine). That specific keyboard sucks for gaming if you are used to using the arrow keys.
However, MS fixed that with the Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro. It's the same keyboard layout as any other 104+ Windows Key enhanced keyboard, just with a 20* verticle split down the centre of the home row.
I've gamed with the Natural Keyboard Pro since 2001 on a daily basis (FPS, RTS, you name it) and it works perfectly fine. Paired with either an MX700 or IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0, it's the most comfortable, productive pair of input devices you can have.
Not to mention it saves your wrists and causes less strain on your wrists.
For those who think it will slow you down? I can type 95 WPM on a Natural Keyboard versus the 55-60 WPM I could on a normal keyboard.
During gaming sessions, since I use the arrow keys to control character movement, CTRL for jump, SHIFT for crouch, END for reload and ENTER for use, you may have to push the left side of the keyboard up a little, as it helps make that entire area straight across for your left hand.
FWIW.
I swear by them. It took me maybe 8-10 hours of solid use before I finally got used to it, and have never looked back since then. Each system I have here @ home has a natural keyboard (except the fileserver, it's got a wireless logitech desktop... hey it was $30.00 CDN used)
When you're on a PC for more than 8-12 hours a day (or PC's), the wrist protection and comfort of the natural keyboards are simply awesome.
Many probably equate the bad gaming experience on a natural keyboard to Microsoft's Natural Keyboard Elite. It was my 2nd natural keyboard. What MS had done was scrunch the arrow keys so close it was impossible to use them to control your character movement (well, if you had large hands. I could work it fine). That specific keyboard sucks for gaming if you are used to using the arrow keys.
However, MS fixed that with the Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro. It's the same keyboard layout as any other 104+ Windows Key enhanced keyboard, just with a 20* verticle split down the centre of the home row.
I've gamed with the Natural Keyboard Pro since 2001 on a daily basis (FPS, RTS, you name it) and it works perfectly fine. Paired with either an MX700 or IntelliMouse Explorer 3.0, it's the most comfortable, productive pair of input devices you can have.
Not to mention it saves your wrists and causes less strain on your wrists.
For those who think it will slow you down? I can type 95 WPM on a Natural Keyboard versus the 55-60 WPM I could on a normal keyboard.
During gaming sessions, since I use the arrow keys to control character movement, CTRL for jump, SHIFT for crouch, END for reload and ENTER for use, you may have to push the left side of the keyboard up a little, as it helps make that entire area straight across for your left hand.
FWIW.
- Joined
- Jul 24, 2002
- Location
- Seattle, WA
I hate NOT using a natural keyboard. They're much more comfortable for me, and standard rectangular keyboards hurt my hands and wrists. Most of my friends hate them though...guess they take a little getting used to.
- Joined
- Jan 19, 2003
- Location
- Ottawa, Ontario
MiNdWaRp said:
MS once again screwed with the new ones, buggering up the layout. I can't stand the new ones, but the older Natural Keyboard Pro (2nd picture) works wonderfully for me and hundreds of thousands of others.
Here's the Elite, my 2nd ergonomic keyboard as I had a cheap no-name one before hand that's still working to this day (notice the frigged up arrowkeys & the layout of the insert/home/delete/end/pgup/pgdn keys):
MS Natural Keyboard ELITE
MS Natural Keyboard PRO
Now here's the one I use: The Natural Keyboard Pro (Notice the normal key layout except for the split down the centre vertical of the home row).
As for the WSAD keys for controlling Mr. Surrender Freeman, it's just as normal as on a standard keyboard. The keys are layed out identically, minus the split down the middle of the home row. I found it easiest to transition to using those keys by pushing the right side of the keyboard up a bit until the keys were straight across infront of me (the WSAD) versus the slight twist the are on when you straighten the keyboard. Then... as time goes on, slowly push the right side of the keyboard back into normal position.
- Thread Starter
- #18
thanx sim you've helped alot, the pro looks nice
what about the wireless version of it? is it going to have lag in responsiveness as compared to a wired version? How long do batteries last? I've always had a cord between my keyboard and my computer
what about the wireless version of it? is it going to have lag in responsiveness as compared to a wired version? How long do batteries last? I've always had a cord between my keyboard and my computer
- Joined
- Aug 15, 2001
- Location
- Toronto,Canada(I can see you....)
MiNdWaRp said:thanx sim you've helped alot, the pro looks nice
what about the wireless version of it? is it going to have lag in responsiveness as compared to a wired version? How long do batteries last? I've always had a cord between my keyboard and my computer
Don't know anyting about the natural but I have the regular wireless version and no lag. Works 2 meters from my computer, 0 lag great for watching movies.
I have been using my natural for about 8 years (was it 1996 that I bought it....can't remember exactly). I can type all day long on it, but when I try to type on a regular one I can't, I just make too many mistakes. The only bad thing about it is that it has M$ printed on it (I'm an....alternative OS guy ).
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