Ask Lemmy

I'm KBM at my desk, but controller on the couch.

If you insist on mousing, you're going to have to engineer yourself a stable flat surface. Options really depend on available anchor points and how permanent you want it, but start with a board and figure out how to to attach it, screws, clamps, dowels, zip ties, extra-strength velcro-strips....

If it's a couch upholstered arm rest, make it a table with the leg going to the floor on one side, and between the cushions on the other.

Worse case scenario, ditch the armrests and just put the board on your lap.

Edit: maybe thumb (trackball) mouse or trackpad.

Steam controller.

The trackpads are great and weirdly make a decent keyboard too.

Logitech Ball mouse. You move the ball with your thumb and your hand stays still. Takes a little getting used to.

1. sock off
2. mouse on floor
3. foot mouse

Trackball mouse, either wired or wireless. No need to move the mouse at all besdes to get it into a comfortable position.

Only thing you really gotta worry about from there is occasionally removing the ball and cleaning where it rests from gunk that builds up and causes friction.

Mostly a Steam controller. It works in almost every application or game.

I've also got a trackball for the few cases where the controller doesn't work. I don't use it very often because I don't think there's a comfortable way to use it on the couch without using a lapdesk or something.

The Steam Controller with its two trackpads and gyroscope paired up with Steam Input which lets you configure the controller (even non-Steam controllers) very granularly to your liking.

For shooters the best setup for me is to use the right stick for broad aiming and the gyro for precision.

For strategy and management games I use the right trackpad as a mouse and the left trackpad for hotkeys. In StarCraft I set up the left trackpad to be contained to the area on the screen where the selected unit's functions are displayed. Not good enough for multiplayer, but good enough for casual play.

I use a large sketchbook as a mousepad. The sketchbook sits on a pillow to lift it to the appropriate height. Works great.

OG Steam Controller (I have the new one as well, but I'm not a big fan of the ergonomics).

Get a lap desk

Trackball!

Lapdesk

I just use a fat pillow and put a small mousepad on it if need be.

I got a "CouchMaster" desk thing for working from home. Works pretty well. It's hard to setup an ergonomic couch though. It was very expensive for what it is though

I'm not much of a power user on the living room PC but I use a handheld keyboard and touchpad mouse combo with rechargeable AAA batteries like this one for regular browsing.

I have a lap desk similar to the one below. Easy to pick up or put aside as needed.

Edit: You should also consider tackball mice. They are great in limited spaces.

Definitely not a gamer but what about one of those little tables for serving breakfast in bed?

I don't. Controller is for couch.

If I want to game with KB+M then I stream my lounge gaming rig to my desk workstation with Moonlight/Sunshine.

You could come up with some elaborate setup of lap tray or Steam Controller or Trackball or controller remapping...... They're all inferior to being at your desk.

Switch 2, pro controller, lying relaxed on the couch, resting hands with controller in my lap. I can comfortably keep this position for hours.

You will never make me sit at a desk and screen to relax. It'd be a contradiction in itself.

My usual gaming position is in my livingroom couch, keyboard in lap, mouse on the pillow next to me, and feet on the table next to my laptop. Mouse works fine in the couch. As long as it's not a reflective surface, it should work fine. Mine is cloth, so it's no problem.

Protip: I travel a lot, and often find myself in hotel rooms, trying to operate a mouse while in bed. Because I always travel with a plastic cutting board (regular white one I found at a shopping mall in Bahrain). It works well as a mouse pad, for when the sheets are no longer stretched perfectly flat. It also fits perfectly the bottom of the pelicase in which I carry my laptop.

KDE Connect Remote Input for me, but I mostly play mouse games on my desktop.

Not much of a PC gamer, but I have had a need to use a mouse without a desk. I swear by trackball mice. Personally I've been happy with the wireless Logitech trackball offerings, particularly the one with Bluetooth and a dongle you can tuck away into the mouse. Even at a regular desk, doing CAD work all day, it has saved my shoulder and wrist from stress and pain. I can basically sit in a relaxed neutral position and use my mouse wherever my hand falls, like on an arm rest. It may take some adjustment learning to use your thumb to navigate around, but for me it has been worth it.

Regular mouse and keyboard but on a lapboard with powered USB extension back to my PC.

Mine's an older, RGB-less (thankfully) version similar to this:

https://us.nerdytec.com/collections/couchmaster%C2%AE/products/couchmaster-lapboard3-gaming-lapdesk

touchpad and thumb trackball are what I use.

You may find that a different mouse will work better. For instance, I have an MX Master 3 that won’t register movement at all on my couch. Meanwhile a cheap little $15 mouse reads just fine.

Unrelated, I miss my MX Master 2. The wheel was so much better.

Lap desk, book on the coach next to me, but steam deck/steam controller mostly

I have the best cozy/lazy setup imo. Desk with pc next to bed. Monitor with monitor arm on the edge of the desk. Then just move monitor above bed. Bt mouse and keyboard works great on bed.

On the couch I use a Logitech K400r keyboard with touchpad for basic navigation, but for couch gaming just go with a controller. If you need pointer control, get a Steam Controller and use the trackpads.

I just put that shit on the couch right next to me.

Couch with high arm rest, firm pad underneath.

Look into trackballs. you can just set them on your lap and they are much more precise and easy to use than I was expecting. that said, you're not gonna be winning any counter-strike tournaments with one.

Trackball mouse.

I have a little table that straddles the arm rest of my chair. But it's uncomfortable for long periods.

Two people sitting on a 3-person couch, plenty of room to mouse on my left side.

Three words: Couch arm table

I have an aluminium mouse pad.
In the past I was gaming from my bed: lap table with cooling fans on top for the laptop and the high-res mousepad on the bed.

Nowadays I mostly play controller but I have a regular aluminum mousepad when I need it - but I no longer play demanding mouse games on the couch.