Pc gaming in the lounge - your thoughts

bakes0310

bakes0310

bakes0310

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I might be giving up my office space later in the year but as a compromise I can have a nice new SFF gaming pc to fit in the lounge and any TV I want. Is there anyone on here who has been in a similar position and just games from there sofa in the lounge with a pc. I will be getting a lap keyboard probably the Corsair version. So I think I got the ergonomics covered and don't have to worry about it being awkward to play RTS games with a mouse and keyboard. I do use an old wired xbox controller that I might upgrade to a newer wireless one.
So really I'm just asking your thoughts on how does everyone else get on with it, does gaming feel better treating it like a console sitting back relaxed in your sofa o a screen bigger than a monitor, is there any issues that I need to be aware of?
 
Been doing it for years now but still do having a desk based rig. For myself the lounge setup works great with a gamepad. I still find it hard to play certain genera's of games like MMO's or RTS so will play those on a desktop pc, but for everything else, vastly prefer playing on my living room setup to the point that HTPC gets all the better gaming parts. Combine with a full ATMOS surround sound and big OLED and its immersive as heck.

Yes gaming can tend to be a bit more of a casual affair it feels and can be more enjoyable. I do recommend you pick a good position, try to sit correctly posture wise. I found when I moved (and still do) to gaming on a couch, I tended to slouch into a more relaxed position which is not always good for your back! More so coming from office chair with much better ergonomics.
 
I've tried several times to morph into a lounge gamer, but since it's the busiest room of the house it just doesn't work and I end up back on my desk / office.

The Mrs. wants to watch TV, or the kids are jumping around or just plain inconvenience to use a wireless mouse / keyboard on a sofa.
 
@Radox-0

Thanks for the quick reply, very Informative and encouraging. I will be gaming on a sofa , but with a lap keyboard it looks like it's a pretty comfortable experience from what I have seen on YouTube, do you have one?
My gaming taste tends to be RPG and RTS games. RPG won't be a problem as some are actually better with a pad. Hopefully this lap keyboard will be brilliant and I won't have a problem.
As for the TV the biggest I can fit is a 49" so it's between the Samsung q80 which is affordable, or the lg oled which is a bit pricey but hopefully will go down in price. I'm willing to wait and put up with my old hd TV.
 
I don't think it can replace a proper desk even with an absurdly expensive laptop leg rest thing. I have an ITX PC in the lounge and whilst steam big picture helps get rid of needing a mouse, some games will need you to manually activate the gamepad using a mouse, or have a launcher that uses the mouse so you can't get rid of a mouse and keyboard (you don't need the leg rest thing for that). But I don't think I'd be comfortable playing an online shooter with a leg rest "desk thing" in the same way I do on an immovable desk.

I only use a controller and controller-y games for my lounge PC, for which it works great.

Depending on the case and location and distance from the sofa, be prepared for slightly annoying wireless mouse/keyboard range issues, especially if the PC is stuffed in a cupboard /shelf. ITX PCs are also a little noisier and are larger than you think, I'd really struggle to get a PC to feel like part of the furniture rather that a giant black box, short of spending £100+ on a "project" case. The keyboard and mouse will always be in the way when you're not using it.
 
Don't have a choice I'm afraid, I can either make it work or give my pc up and get a PS5 or a laptop.
I've done the measurements and I could fit a a cooler master nr200p under the TV in the TV stand quite easily.
I am also 9.18ft sat away from the TV is that going to be okay with latency?

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Gaming on a big 55" oled from the comfort of a couch + controller = best way to game and relax at the same time

Only time I'll ever sit at my desk and use M+K is for any MP PVP shooters (which is very rare these days) or where m + k just works better (again very rare)

I've been using controller for more shooters lately and tbh, you get used to it quickly enough and can pull of headshots etc. relatively easy but I used to exclusively game on consoles back when I was younger for years on end so using a controller isn't something that's completely new to me....
 
bakes0310 said:
@Radox-0

Thanks for the quick reply, very Informative and encouraging. I will be gaming on a sofa , but with a lap keyboard it looks like it's a pretty comfortable experience from what I have seen on YouTube, do you have one?
My gaming taste tends to be RPG and RTS games. RPG won't be a problem as some are actually better with a pad. Hopefully this lap keyboard will be brilliant and I won't have a problem.
As for the TV the biggest I can fit is a 49" so it's between the Samsung q80 which is affordable, or the lg oled which is a bit pricey but hopefully will go down in price. I'm willing to wait and put up with my old hd TV.
Click to expand...

I do have a lap keyboard but could not quiet get used to it. That said I guess because I also had a desktop pc at a desk, I did not give the lapboard as much of a chance for those types of games as I always had that option in back of my mind. I think get used to it and even RTS should be fine as along as it’s not overly competitive.
 
I stopped playing first person shooter games quite some time ago and really only play rts games like total war, crusader kings and a lot of different rpg games like witcher 3, divine divinity. My taste might change again and i might get into fps so i dont want to be close minded but i know im never going to be a competive mp gamer as im more into sp games.
 
I play in the lounge with my pc or steam stream with an old xbox 360 controller, streaming with steam from my linux HTPC that lives under the TV, works great for RPGs and other slower paced non-fps types.

I much prefer it to kb+mouse for these games and it means I can be a bit more social rather than hiding myself away in the study.
 
Sp00n said:
I play in the lounge with my pc or steam stream with an old xbox 360 controller, streaming with steam from my linux HTPC that lives under the TV, works great for RPGs and other slower paced non-fps types.

I much prefer it to kb+mouse for these games and it means I can be a bit more social rather than hiding myself away in the study.
Click to expand...

Do i have to worry about wireless latency at all? I have posted measurements in the post with a pic of my lounge. i do plan on getting a high end ryzen setup, with a corsair lapkeyboard and a new wireless xbox one pad.
 
To echo what others have said, it can work really well, but depends on the type of game you're playing.

Console-y games are fine, i.e. anything you can play with a pad - 3rd person RPGs, hack and slash, arcadey, platform etc. all fine

Anything which requires fast paced aiming or precision mouse control however is right out, I can't imagine a lap keyboard being useable for anything other than short sessions, as I just can't see how you could position it comfortably, the "laid back" position of sitting on a sofa lends itself well to a pad, but not for mouse & keyboard, particularly when you're balancing that mouse and keyboard on your legs and so have to compromise your position to keep it there!

I end up getting more frustrated than enjoying it trying to play anything which actually requires aiming (I suck horribly at aiming on a pad :p), so I just don't bother.

Obviously if it's your only option then it's better than nothing, but you may have to change the kind of games you play :/
 
bakes0310 said:
Do i have to worry about wireless latency at all? I have posted measurements in the post with a pic of my lounge. i do plan on getting a high end ryzen setup, with a corsair lapkeyboard and a new wireless xbox one pad.
Click to expand...

Latency on the keyboard/mouse? I imagine that would be down to the specific kit but 9ft doesn't seem very far for wireless range.

Xbox controller range is a non-issue, I could probably game from another room if I so desired lol
 
Only games I play in the lounge are on handhelds. Even when during lockdown I got my wife into gaming playing some COOP stuff (Overcooked 2), she much preferred to sit at my PC desk that looking accross the room at the TV.
 
I have a long HDMI cable that I just put from my office to my living room, on the few times I want to play on the TV (the wireless xbox controller reaches the PC). I can only play casual type of games, anything that requires concentration, I just can't seem to do when the screen isnt right infront of my face.
 
bakes0310 said:
Do i have to worry about wireless latency at all? I have posted measurements in the post with a pic of my lounge. i do plan on getting a high end ryzen setup, with a corsair lapkeyboard and a new wireless xbox one pad.
Click to expand...

No, you don't need to worry about distance with respect to latency and wireless.
 
Lounge gamer here now for about 17 years now.

PC sits down side of a unit way at back of room feeding into amp up at ceiling height then into my projector. Couch gaming this way means very discrete when not in use. Wireless KB & Mouse to complete setup. And an xbox pad for pad based games.

I sometimes think I would like a dedicated PC desk setup with a monitor but that's just because of the urge to buy shiny new gadgets rather than any real need!
 
Been doing for 6 years on a 55in 1080pTV at 2.5m distance and the past few months on a 75in 4k TV at the same distance using a wireless kb/mouse.

Never had any latency issues but I don't play high FPS competitive "twitch" gaming like CS:GO etc so my 60FPS TV limit has never been an issue.
 
I moved from Xbox gaming in the lounge to a SFF PC about 4 years ago so have always been used to using a controller (and very occasionally a wireless keyboard)

My system fits beautifully in the nice cabinet we have which the 65” OLED sits on

And whilst being 4 years old now, it’s still a pretty beefy system in a Corsair Air 240 case, with a 5930k CPU, dual Titan XP’s (one with a cooler), 32GB RAM, 500GB M.2, 3G. SSD and a 5GB HDD. Everything is housed so well I’m very reluctant to upgrade especially as CP2077 is the only game it struggles with at 1440p or above.
 
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