Gaming requires a lot of communication, and Discord is the gold standard for gaming communications right now. Picking the best push-to-talk (ptt) key is a difficult task for many gamers.
What is push to talk
Push to talk means that until you hit a button to broadcast, your microphone is muted to voice communications. It’s preferred because it prevents embarrassing and unintentional moments while also reducing overall noise from sources such as your keyboard or your mother yelling at you.
The best push to talk key is one that is easily accessible but not one that you would hit by accident while gaming.
What’s the best push to talk key for Discord?
There are a few popular key selections for push to talk that should work for most games while avoiding conflicts with other apps.
Mouse side buttons (button 4 or 5)
The side buttons are the Push to Talk in Discord key for Discord for gamers that can aim properly with it.
The side buttons are a popular choice because pressing them needs very little adjustment from your right hand. Your keyboard hand is free to concentrate on movement and other keystrokes.
Keep in mind that pressing mouse buttons in the middle of a gunfight can seem strange, so keep that in mind.
Because those keys are typically mapped to go forward and back in a browser, the side buttons might cause issues with browsers.
Some FPS games, such as melee and other skills, make good use of the side buttons.
C and V
For those who prefer not to use the side buttons when aiming, the V button is the optimum push to talk key.
C and V, which are located immediately above the spacebar, are excellent alternatives for push to talk because they are easy to reach with your left thumb and cause little interference with other software.
In-game keybinds for C and V are occasionally used, so be sure to rebind them in games that do.
V is a less commonly used in-game bind that is conveniently located above the space bar.
Left alt button
A simple button to find with your left thumb without having to move your hand too much. Lalt is a fantastic alternative because it is rarely used by gamers and is in a prime position.
Many games connect the scoreboard to the tab key, so be careful not to alt+tab out of games by accident if you’re using Left alt.
Middle-click button (button 3)
The middle click button functions similarly to the side mouse buttons, with the exception that utilizing it without compromising your grip during gameplay may be a little more tricky.
The advantage of the center click button is that it is not frequently used in games or other software. Middle click is used by browsers to close tabs and open new links.
Caps lock
Caps lock is a key that is rarely used while gaming, thus it seems sense that it would be a popular pick.
The biggest issue with capslock is that it takes your left pinky to reach, and your left pinky is frequently used for sprinting with left shift or crouching with left control, especially in shooters.
Also, make sure you don’t enter in all caps in your content.
Left Ctrl
Caps lock and left Ctrl have the same issues. Left control necessitates the use of the left pinky. The usage of left control is common enough in all sorts of games to cause a conflict with key bindings.
Best push to talk key according to reddit
On Reddit, a group of gamers are debating their favourite PTT key. The side buttons appear to be favoured by Reddit.
The most upvotes comments seem to recommend these keys:
- Side button
- Left alt
- Caps lock
- V
Conclusion
I’d recommend starting with the side buttons and the V key to get a sense of how things work. You’ll be able to use one of those two keys. You could always go voice activated or leave the mike wide open if you can’t find the proper match.