On your PC you surely have a keyboard, better or worse, but it is there and with it you communicate, work, play, do your business or consume content by entering what you are looking for in search engines such as Google. But as you surely know there is not a single type of keyboard and some are very peculiar, among them perhaps the most striking are the so-called “one-hand keyboards”what exactly are they used for?
We are not going to go into defining a keyboard because it is obvious and we have already done it, but we do have to do it now with this particular type of peripheral because many may not understand what we really mean when we talk about those «keyboards of a hand”, although it is not that there is any science locked up here.
One-hand keyboards, what are they?
Well, the definition is given by the name itself: keyboards that are going to be used with one hand, but there is much more to add to this. They are input peripherals that are usually made for lefties because their function is, as a general rule, very specific.
Here it should be added that within this world there are types, which we will get to know later, but above all we must understand that one-handed keyboards are not suitable for writing, they are not designed for it and it is not their main function.
So… What are they for?
Well, its function is linked to the types of one-hand keyboards that we can find, so defining its function is really defining the type. Therefore, we are going to list and explain them:
- One-hand keyboards for gaming: They are a mix between a conventional keyboard and a gamepad, to which a wrist rest is usually added for greater comfort. Its function is to improve the performance of a player and for this it offers the most used keys in gaming at your fingertips, where we will have the famous W, A, S, D, Shift, CONTROL, Space, Tab, Escape, and Enter.
Some integrate more additional keys that can be used for macro or secondary functions, as well as numeric keys for the same functions. Some even integrate a joystick to improve accuracy in certain types of games. - One-hand keyboards for productivity: Here what prevails is the largest number of keys available and with specific functions and for this reason we try to integrate all the F keys, Insert, delete and others. As if that were not enough, they also usually include a numpad that normally shares a key with other main keys and that will be activated by pressing FN plus the rigor key.
- One-hand keyboards for writing: they are the last ones on the list and they are the rarest, since their shapes are really strange and they try to integrate the largest number of keys of a normal keyboard in a minimum space, reducing their size and playing with voluminous 3D shapes against a normal keyboard which is flat.
There are not too many models and mastering them is an art, especially since ergonomics is not their general strong point, and they are usually very expensive.
Is a one-handed keyboard recommended?
Well, it depends on what you are looking for and the type of user you are. For gaming they are a total success and if you barely write on your PC they are the best option, although most users use it as a complement. The best thing is that ergonomically they are more suitable, everything is (pun intended) at hand and therefore the player’s performance increases.
For productivity, recommending a one-handed keyboard is risky. it’s very personal, there are people who do not want anything else, on the other hand, other people do not do it. Here the model and its quality have a great influence because you need an arrangement of keys and advanced functions that the design grants or removes according to the manufacturer.
Therefore, it is a personal decision that each one has to value, since at work time is money and there is no more reliable way than the empirical one to make sure of what is needed or what is not. Last but not least, one-hand typing keyboards are only necessary in very specific environments and used by very skilled people because they are not comfortable, they are not easy and they require time to adapt after all this.
In short, one-hand keyboards can be an improvement in features, ergonomics and general performance, or they can be an ordeal that you will have to return if you don’t end up adaptingwhich takes time.
