


Reduced size - Whether the player is looking to free up desktop space while they are gaming, or are looking for a keyboard that is more conducive to resting in their lap while they sit back and indulge their gaming desires, a keypad can give them the option of something much more manageable.

The benefits of having a gaming keypad over a traditional keyboard are many. These are commonly referred to as gaming keypads. Recently, certain companies have started to introduce mini-keyboards, or sub-keyboards, that are specifically designed to maximize the gaming experience. Still today the shape and layout of a keyboard remains the same, optimised for word processing but not gaming. There have been some modifications made to keyboards to entice a gamer, such as adding macro buttons on the perimeter of the keyboard, or having keys that glow in the dark. The keyboard is mostly viewed as simply a conglomeration of over a hundred keys that are placed and configured for typing efficiently, not for navigating a character through a virtual world. The keyboard has not seen as much advancement in terms of making it a formidable gaming device. Buttons have also become programmable, such that the player can perform a greater variety of actions with their mouse. Starting with two buttons, the mouse can now be found with up to seventeen buttons. The mouse has also been equipped with increasingly more buttons. The results of these progressions have allowed players increased sensitivity and accuracy while in a game environment. It has been upgraded from a rolling ball to an optical sensor, and the optical sensor has been upgraded to a laser. The mouse has had many advances to make it a much more adapted device for gaming. This could easily be attributed to the fact that the mouse is a much more simplified device. The mouse, over the years, has had better adaptation and incorporation into gaming than the keyboard has. While both are integral in the interaction of the game, their evolutionary track has not been equal. The two primary, and most commonly used, devices for players to use when gaming on a computer are the mouse and the keyboard.
