Nerdytec Couchmaster Cycon Review

1. Introduction2. Unboxing and First Look3. The Build Process4. Testing5. Closing Thoughts6. View All Pages

To test the Cycon, I sat on my sofa and used it while playing a series of games – all the while assessing its practicality, comfort and ease-of-use.

Perhaps the first thing I should mention is the comfort of the Cycon. The thing is, given the Cycon does not actually rest on your lap, I cannot really say ‘yes it is comfortable' or ‘no it is not comfortable.' The Roccat Sova and Corsair Lapdog both rest against your legs as you use the mouse and keyboard. The Cycon sits above your legs, as the cushions raise the cross-board up.

To me, Nerdytec's way of doing things is much better. As comfy as the Sova and Lapdog are to use, the fact of the matter is that they both need your legs to support them – if you are planning a long gaming session, your legs will need a stretch eventually. However, the Cycon's elevated cross-board means you do not come in to contact with any part of the device – so you may as well be just sitting on your sofa. It is an excellent way of doing things as you have the freedom of movement which the Sova, for example, does not grant.

The actual cross-board can be configured to suit both left and right-handers, too. Already, this is one better than the Sova or Lapdog – those units are designed in such a way that the keyboard must be on the left of the board. The Cycon lets you choose where to put your keyboard and mouse – and given the mousemat is separate, rather than integrated, you can position that how you like, too.

The downside of any sofa-gaming device like the Cycon is the wiring. There is no escaping the fact that you need a long wire from the sofa to your PC if you are going to be as close to zero input lag as possible. True, the Cycon does have a 5m cable which must go across the floor to your PC. But the internal configuration of the wiring is excellent. The 5m cable can come from the left or the right side of the Cycon – having the option allows you to tailor the Cycon to your needs better than a one-size-fits-all approach.

Furthermore, the cables from the peripherals themselves are neatly hidden away inside the Cycon – when using the Sova, the wires hang freely, creating a potentially messy experience. As I mentioned on the previous page, Nerdytec have designed the Cycon to have only one wire that could get in the way – which, while not ideal, is the best possible outcome for a device such as the Cycon or Sova.

The biggest problem with the Cycon is storing the thing. The cushions, which elevate the cross-board, add bulk – meaning you will be hard-pressed to find a neat solution to storing the Cycon when you have finished with it.

Finally, we have already mentioned how your mouse and keyboard's wires are plugged inside the Cycon, with access only given once you have unscrewed 10 screws. This means, unless you are happy to continually unplug and replug your peripherals, you will need a spare mouse and keyboard. It is not the end of the world, but it adds extra cost – it is simply not practical to use your usual desktop peripherals for the Cycon as well as your desktop PC. A tool-less approach would have been far superior.

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