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Forums - PC Discussion - PC gaming tools for left-handed gamers

If you're left handed you know that PC gaming can suck.  Not really because PC gaming sucks (it doesn't), but because every game and most game devices out there are made for right handed people.  Anytime you get a new PC game, you have to spend 30 minutes rebinding keys usually in an inferior way to the general WSAD setup.  With MMO's it's even worse because it's hard to get quick access to quick slots *and* do movement.  When you're trying to game on a laptop it gets exponentially worse. 

I know some people just use their right hand for their mouse and that's awesome for you people that can do that, but I can't and a lot of other people can't either.  That simply isn't an option so stop suggesting it.

Luckily all is not completely hopeless for left handed PC gamers.  I've seen a lot of questions asked about these but I rarely see answers so here are the two devices I've used and now love--

The first is the Razer DeathAdder Left-Hand Edition

I've been using this for quite a while now and I'm completely in love with it (I actually have two).  Not only is it a fine mouse but I'm pretty sure it's the only left handed gaming mouse out there.  Before, I had just used an ambidextrous mouse for work/gaming.  I was able to get the precision I needed but my hand would hurt after long use.  After getting this mouse, my hand pain has gone away almost completely since it's made to be used in the left hand. 

There exist other left-handed mice out there, but none of them compare to this one.

The other thing I've started using is the Cyber Snipa Game Pad.

I've only just started using this but I already love it.  Suddenly, I don't have to waste time rebinding all my keys as it just makes the WSAD setup work!  This game pad isn't as good as other game pads out there, but those ones that are better than it also have a thumb stick which makes it so left-handed gamers cannot use it.  It absolutely sucks there's no left-handed version of things like this but the Cyber Snipa game pad is a nice device to use until those are made.  The thing that made me fall in love with it now when I'm playing an MMO I suddenly have easy access to my movement and my quick slots.  This turned some MMO activities from a chore to a breeze.  I don't know how these work with shooters and the like, but it works wonders for MMO's.  It also comes with a nice rest for your wrist so it's pretty comfortable too.



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Also, another thing that really helps left-handed PC gamers is that most games are built for or have a decent traditional controller scheme now, though that's nothing of a surprise, it's just nice because it opens up a lot of options. I don't think I would have played something like Skyrim for half as long if I couldn't use a controller.



Any mouse can be configured to work in left-handed mode (the buttons are switched around), but I can see that you would be horribly off-centre using WASD with your right hand.

I'm one of those left handers who has always gamed right-handed, but it's good to see that there are tools out there for those of us who have trouble. Now let's force everyone to learn Japanese and write from right to left so that THEY smudge the ink on the page



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I am just going to say that whatever I type here isn't really going to be totally on topic but has something to deal with left handed gaming....

Anyways, I write with my left hand but I do everything else with my right (semi-ambidextrous). I game however right handed or least normal (d-pad on the left) which actually I always thought it was left handed gaming considering the most important control usually is which direction you guide your character (although for PC I use my right hand for the mouse and it feels normal since I've been using a mouse since 286/386 days). This is all supposed to lead to me talking about using the DS/3DS stylus in my left hand for application like (Swapnote). Let me just say that the dpad tends to sometimes get in the damn way when I am drawing/writing. Also, one more thing I love (hate actually) about being left handed writer is when you are writing in either pen or pencil on paper and start smearing the writing due to your left hand palm going across the page while you write....



Hey I can see how that would be bad for some people. I'm left handed too but thankfully my dad thought ahead and just made me learn to use the mouse with my right hand while I was still young and now it just seems completely natural and I have no problems, if anything using it with my left seems kind of weird right now :P

But good for you either way, I'm sure this will be useful to some people.



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ModifiedDuck said:
Hey I can see how that would be bad for some people. I'm left handed too but thankfully my dad thought ahead and just made me learn to use the mouse with my right hand while I was still young and now it just seems completely natural and I have no problems, if anything using it with my left seems kind of weird right now :P

But good for you either way, I'm sure this will be useful to some people.


I just basically wrote the same damn thing right before you posted.  lol funny...



sethnintendo said:
ModifiedDuck said:
Hey I can see how that would be bad for some people. I'm left handed too but thankfully my dad thought ahead and just made me learn to use the mouse with my right hand while I was still young and now it just seems completely natural and I have no problems, if anything using it with my left seems kind of weird right now :P

But good for you either way, I'm sure this will be useful to some people.


I just basically wrote the same damn thing right before you posted.  lol funny...


Yeah, like I said, good for you if you can do that but sadly not everybody can.  I always get annoyed when anyone asks for advice on left handed gaming gear and there's always the innevitable person saying they use their right hand so you should too.  It's cool they can do that but not everyone can and those links are for those people.

My right hand is pretty useless for doing anything precision and using my mouse right handed simply isn't an option.



twesterm said:
sethnintendo said:
ModifiedDuck said:
Hey I can see how that would be bad for some people. I'm left handed too but thankfully my dad thought ahead and just made me learn to use the mouse with my right hand while I was still young and now it just seems completely natural and I have no problems, if anything using it with my left seems kind of weird right now :P

But good for you either way, I'm sure this will be useful to some people.


I just basically wrote the same damn thing right before you posted.  lol funny...


Yeah, like I said, good for you if you can do that but sadly not everybody can.  I always get annoyed when anyone asks for advice on left handed gaming gear and there's always the innevitable person saying they use their right hand so you should too.  It's cool they can do that but not everyone can and those links are for those people.

My right hand is pretty useless for doing anything precision and using my mouse right handed simply isn't an option.

I'm just saying it is probably a lot easier for me considering I do everything with my right (except write) so using a mouse with right isn't as big of a deal to me.  I assume you are a pure lefty which would make things more difficult.



My friend actually has a Razor deathadder for lefties that he bought by mistake.



           

blkfish92 said:
My friend actually has a Razor deathadder for lefties that he bought by mistake.


Apparently, he missed the big letters on the front of the box that say WORLD'S FIRST GAMING MOUSE FOR LEFT-HANDERS in decently large letters and designed for left handers on the right top.