The 8 Best Gaming Keypads

For a first one-handed keypad, the Razer Tartarus V2 is the safe place to start. It has 32 programmable keys, a thumbpad, a scroll wheel and a padded wrist rest with two positions. The keys pair a soft rubber dome with a bump you can feel, so they're quieter than mechanical keys but less crisp. A shift key gives every key a second job. It's wired and for left hands only.

Fast tappers get a lot from the Razer Tartarus Pro, whose keys let you choose how deep a press must go to count. A key resets the moment it starts to rise, which speeds up repeated presses, and one key can do two things, at a light or full press. Hardware Canucks found the keys smooth and the build solid but called it overkill for most players. Profiles live in Razer's software, not on the pad.

If you want a real thumbstick under your thumb, the Razer Tartarus V2 Pro has one, and it can act as either stick of a game controller. The stick senses position with magnets, which is meant to resist drift, the keys let you set how deep they press, and the wrist rest adjusts for length, angle and tilt. Setting up the stick and software can be frustrating, owner reports are few and mixed, and it's expensive.

On a budget, the Redragon K585 DITI gives you the left side of a mechanical keyboard, 42 keys plus seven macro keys, with profiles stored on board. You pick clicky, bumpy or smooth switches, and you can swap them later without soldering to change the feel. A spare USB port takes a mouse or headset, the cable detaches, and the wrist rest attaches with magnets that may not hold firmly. It's large, and it has no thumbstick or scroll wheel.

To lose the cable, the Redragon K585 PRO connects three ways: a USB receiver, Bluetooth or a cable. It has a full left-hand key layout plus seven macro keys, smooth switches you can swap for others, and a battery rated for about 15 to 20 hours with the lights on, so expect to charge it every few sessions. Its wireless lag hasn't been measured, and several look-alike versions are sold, so make sure yours says PRO and wireless.

Built around your hand instead of a keyboard, the Azeron Cyborg II gives each finger its own adjustable channel on a metal frame, with buttons around every fingertip and a magnetic thumbstick that shouldn't drift. The stick can act as movement keys, smooth all-direction movement or a mouse, and there are 30 programmable inputs. This version is for the left hand. It's expensive, it ships with nothing assigned, and getting the fit right can take days.

Shooter fans get a small, quick pad in the Keychron C0 HE 8K. Its 35 magnetic keys let you set how deep each one must travel, they reset the instant they lift, and it talks to the computer up to 8,000 times a second. A palm rest is molded in, and setup runs in a web browser on Windows or a Mac. There's no thumbstick or wheel, and only Keychron's own switches fit.

To find out cheaply whether a one-handed keypad suits you, try the RedThunder G30. It has 35 keys that register several presses at once, a big built-in wrist rest and lights in seven colors, and it's light enough to travel with a laptop. It needs no drivers on Windows, Mac or Linux, and you record its two macros right on the pad. There's no remapping software, though, and no thumbstick or wheel.