Making a keyboard and mouse for PC gaming in the living room is hard, just ask the infamous Phantom Entertainment. After blowing tens of millions of dollars trying and failing to release a PC-based console, the company settled on releasing the ergonomic monstrosity that was the Phantom Lapboard instead. Since then, few companies have taken the challenge. Sure, Valve had a stab at it with its Steam Controller, and while that functions as a good substitute for a keyboard and mouse in certain games, it's not quite the same as tapping away on some WASD keys.

Fortunately, thanks to the buoyant PC gaming scene, there's been a renewed interest in developing a keyboard and mouse that work well on a couch. And as someone who built a gaming PC specifically to use in the living room only to resort to using an Xbox controller, I was particularly keen to try some new offerings out. Enter the Corsair Lapdog "gaming control centre" and Razer Turret (buy here), two very different takes on a keyboard and mouse for the lounge.

The Lapdog (buy here) is the "no compromises" solution unashamedly aimed at the hardcore PC gamer that will accept nothing less than a full-size mechanical keyboard and laser mouse. But despite what Corsair says, there are most definitely compromises.

As for the Turret... well, let's just say that it's a far more realistic take on how to bring a keyboard and mouse into the living room, combining a compact wireless design with a neat charging dock and a fold-out mouse surface.

Both are pricey: the Lapdog costs £110/$160 while the Turret goes for £149/$160. The question is, which is better?

Unleashing the Lapdog

You don't get a whole lot for your money with the Lapdog. Inside an oversized box is the Lapdog itself, which measures an imposing 735mm wide and 261mm deep, weighs a hefty 2.6kg, and is built out of a combination of aluminium and chunky plastic. Suffice it to say, tucking this thing away discretely in a living room is its own challenge. Aside from a few cables and a detachable memory foam underside (which is held on by strong magnets), there's little else to the Lapdog. It's the technological equivalent of a very large plank of wood, onto which you have to add your own keyboard and mouse.

That would be OK, even with the steep £110 upfront cost, if you could use any keyboard you like—but you can't. Compatibility is limited to Corsair's own K70 or K65 mechanical keyboards. You're even out of luck if you own one of Corsair's Strafe keyboards, because those don't fit either. There's also the whole matter of putting the thing together. For some strange reason, fitting a keyboard inside the Lapdog requires screwing it in. There's no clever clipping mechanism, no quick-release latch, no nothing. Whatever keyboard you sacrifice to the Lapdog is going to be stuck in there for a while.

What's worse is just how fiddly the whole process is to begin with. You have to undo a set of screws with an Allen key to remove the aluminium top-plate, slide the keyboard in, thread the USB cable through the cavity, secure the cable using the included cable ties and loops, plug the USB header into the internal switch-box, and then screw the whole thing back together. It's a similar process for the mouse, plus you can at least use any model you like. For the mouse, you have to unscrew the 28mm² mouse surface, plug it into the internal switch-box, and thread the cable through a small opening. Sadly, forget about it if you're left-handed: the mouse surface can't be switched to the left of the keyboard.

A typical Lapdog setup with a Corsair keyboard and mouse will run you upwards of £230 (~$300+). Ouch.

The real kicker, though, is that the Lapdog is wired. Yes, once you've slapped the whole thing together, you then have to run a USB cable and a power cable (if you want to use the built-in USB hub) to your PC and a spare plug socket. Sure, being wired removes any of the lag (however small these days) or interference associated with a wireless setup, but in terms of practical living-room usage it's ridiculous—and let's face it, wireless keyboards and mice are very good these days. For the kind of gaming that goes on in the living room (i.e. not likely to be reflex-heavy e-sports), what little lag they do introduce is negligible.

In use, this is not great. The memory-foam bottom does relieve the Lapdog's weight when it's on your lap, and being able to tap away on mechanical keys is nice. But that's about as far as niceties go. The sheer size of the Lapdog makes it awfully unwieldy to use, and it can see-saw around as you try to find a way to balance it properly over your legs. Your arms feel ludicrously far apart as they try to span its oversized width. The edges of the aluminium are sharp too, and without a wrist wrest it's not long before they're cutting into your palm and wrist.

Unless you plan it perfectly the first time, the mouse cable either feels too short or too long, tugging at your hand or getting in the way of your movements. And be careful if you're a particularly exuberant mouse user: the elevated aluminium top panel is all too easy to bash into by mistake.

Frankly, I'm not quite sure what Corsair was thinking with the Lapdog. Sure, it does let you use a full-size keyboard and mouse on your lap in the living room, but was that ever really a good idea? I've always been impressed by Corsair products, particularly its PC cases and those items' many thoughtful features. But this... this is a design disaster. I'm not sure what the folks at Corsair were smoking when they came up with this thing, but damn.

The Lapdog needs a serious rethink.