Wasd is the most common gaming hand position for PC gamers. You can find it in Far Cry, GTA, Doom, TF2, and CS:GO. That is just a list off of the top of my head and there are plenty of other games that use the wasd keys to move around. Now games are really demanding and the small space given with wasd is really cramped to most people with larger hands, including me. The idea behind esdf is to not only give more space to the gamer but, also make more keys available at once without moving your hand across the keyboard. In CS:GO this can be really helpful because there are many actions and binds you can trigger in game and using wasd can make reaching all of the separate keys difficult.
This is where esdf comes in handy. The closer you hand is to the middle the more keys there are available. While using wasd you can reach 6 keys easily. If you use esdf you can comfortably reach 9.
Using wasd isn’t all bad. Many people say it’s more natural and instinctual to use because they’ve been using it longer than esdf. It is very compact and at the end of the board. It’s great for games with not too many controls. The downsides are that it’s not as comfortable to play with for extended periods of time. People with big hands find trouble while trying to press the shift, tab and ctrl key because it is too hard of an angle to use their pinky finger.
If you’re in game and don’t have a mic, typing can be difficult and costly. It takes precious time to find home row and then switch back to wasd.
Now onto the pros of esdf. Esdf gives you a very comfortable position to game in. It’s very ergonomic and will keep your arms are parallel “l l”. For people with big hands that need space to press the shift, tab and ctrl keys, they can easily do so. 9 keys are in reach to press in game rather than 6. If you need to type in game it’s much more efficient and best of all, while gaming at night just find the bump on the f key and you’re set.
There are only two bad things I’ve experienced while using esdf. First, it’s a little strange at while starting out if you’re really used to gaming on wasd. Second if you have small hands, reaching the tab, shift and ctrl keys can be a little difficult.
In general if you play CS:GO or any games where you may need a few extra keys, try using esdf. It won’t change your game drastically, but it might keep you more comfortable.
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