I'm KBM at my desk, but controller on the couch.

If you insist on mousing, you're going to have to engineer yourself a stable flat surface. Options really depend on available anchor points and how permanent you want it, but start with a board and figure out how to to attach it, screws, clamps, dowels, zip ties, extra-strength velcro-strips....

If it's a couch upholstered arm rest, make it a table with the leg going to the floor on one side, and between the cushions on the other.

Worse case scenario, ditch the armrests and just put the board on your lap.

Edit: maybe thumb (trackball) mouse or trackpad.

Steam controller.

The trackpads are great and weirdly make a decent keyboard too.

Trackball mouse, either wired or wireless. No need to move the mouse at all besdes to get it into a comfortable position.

Only thing you really gotta worry about from there is occasionally removing the ball and cleaning where it rests from gunk that builds up and causes friction.

1. sock off
2. mouse on floor
3. foot mouse

Mostly a Steam controller. It works in almost every application or game.

I've also got a trackball for the few cases where the controller doesn't work. I don't use it very often because I don't think there's a comfortable way to use it on the couch without using a lapdesk or something.

I use a large sketchbook as a mousepad. The sketchbook sits on a pillow to lift it to the appropriate height. Works great.

The Steam Controller with its two trackpads and gyroscope paired up with Steam Input which lets you configure the controller (even non-Steam controllers) very granularly to your liking.

For shooters the best setup for me is to use the right stick for broad aiming and the gyro for precision.

For strategy and management games I use the right trackpad as a mouse and the left trackpad for hotkeys. In StarCraft I set up the left trackpad to be contained to the area on the screen where the selected unit's functions are displayed. Not good enough for multiplayer, but good enough for casual play.

Get a lap desk

Logitech Ball mouse. You move the ball with your thumb and your hand stays still. Takes a little getting used to.

OG Steam Controller (I have the new one as well, but I'm not a big fan of the ergonomics).

Trackball!

Lapdesk

I just use a fat pillow and put a small mousepad on it if need be.

I have a lap desk similar to the one below. Easy to pick up or put aside as needed.

Edit: You should also consider tackball mice. They are great in limited spaces.

I'm not much of a power user on the living room PC but I use a handheld keyboard and touchpad mouse combo with rechargeable AAA batteries like this one for regular browsing.

Regular mouse and keyboard but on a lapboard with powered USB extension back to my PC.

Mine's an older, RGB-less (thankfully) version similar to this:

https://us.nerdytec.com/collections/couchmaster%C2%AE/products/couchmaster-lapboard3-gaming-lapdesk

My usual gaming position is in my livingroom couch, keyboard in lap, mouse on the pillow next to me, and feet on the table next to my laptop. Mouse works fine in the couch. As long as it's not a reflective surface, it should work fine. Mine is cloth, so it's no problem.

Protip: I travel a lot, and often find myself in hotel rooms, trying to operate a mouse while in bed. Because I always travel with a plastic cutting board (regular white one I found at a shopping mall in Bahrain). It works well as a mouse pad, for when the sheets are no longer stretched perfectly flat. It also fits perfectly the bottom of the pelicase in which I carry my laptop.

Definitely not a gamer but what about one of those little tables for serving breakfast in bed?

I don't. Controller is for couch.

If I want to game with KB+M then I stream my lounge gaming rig to my desk workstation with Moonlight/Sunshine.

You could come up with some elaborate setup of lap tray or Steam Controller or Trackball or controller remapping...... They're all inferior to being at your desk.

touchpad and thumb trackball are what I use.

KDE Connect Remote Input for me, but I mostly play mouse games on my desktop.

You may find that a different mouse will work better. For instance, I have an MX Master 3 that won’t register movement at all on my couch. Meanwhile a cheap little $15 mouse reads just fine.

Unrelated, I miss my MX Master 2. The wheel was so much better.

Lap desk, book on the coach next to me, but steam deck/steam controller mostly

Switch 2, pro controller, lying relaxed on the couch, resting hands with controller in my lap. I can comfortably keep this position for hours.

You will never make me sit at a desk and screen to relax. It'd be a contradiction in itself.

Two people sitting on a 3-person couch, plenty of room to mouse on my left side.

Trackball mouse.

Look into trackballs. you can just set them on your lap and they are much more precise and easy to use than I was expecting. that said, you're not gonna be winning any counter-strike tournaments with one.

I have the best cozy/lazy setup imo. Desk with pc next to bed. Monitor with monitor arm on the edge of the desk. Then just move monitor above bed. Bt mouse and keyboard works great on bed.

Not much of a PC gamer, but I have had a need to use a mouse without a desk. I swear by trackball mice. Personally I've been happy with the wireless Logitech trackball offerings, particularly the one with Bluetooth and a dongle you can tuck away into the mouse. Even at a regular desk, doing CAD work all day, it has saved my shoulder and wrist from stress and pain. I can basically sit in a relaxed neutral position and use my mouse wherever my hand falls, like on an arm rest. It may take some adjustment learning to use your thumb to navigate around, but for me it has been worth it.

You can use a ducky mini 2 (60%) (three levels of keys/macros and mouse function); but really just use a controller. Or just get $1200 Steelcase chair and get the mouse pad addition. Also you can get a laptop stand for like $40 and use that, as in they can slide under your chair and give you platform to put your mouse and drinks on.

I got a big enough armrest to use a mouse on.

I use a logitech K400 and a bluetooth xbox or ps4 controller on the couch. Any game that needs intensive mouse usage gets played at a desk.

I have an aluminium mouse pad.
In the past I was gaming from my bed: lap table with cooling fans on top for the laptop and the high-res mousepad on the bed.

Nowadays I mostly play controller but I have a regular aluminum mousepad when I need it - but I no longer play demanding mouse games on the couch.

mouse pad on big wide armrest

use something to create an armrest, like a box or book

but mostly I just don't do it, my hands and arms can't take using a mouse and keyboard that much anymore

Steam controller

On the couch I use a Logitech K400r keyboard with touchpad for basic navigation, but for couch gaming just go with a controller. If you need pointer control, get a Steam Controller and use the trackpads.

I cut a piece of wood. One side sits on the arm rest, the other side has a pillow I use to prop it up. Works great!

I do all my PC gaming from the couch using one of those drawing boards with a pillow on the bottom, and a normal mouse and keyboard. I think we bought the drawing board for the kids, but I use it for gaming (and general PC use) almost exclusively.

i usually use a thinkpad on the couch and it has a trackpoint.

K400r. But I still prefer a controller (I have a couple of 8bitdo, an NVIDIA controller, steam controller or a PS4 one too)

I've yet to have a setup for mouse and keyboard. I've just used controller with steam input. But i plan on getting or making a folding table that i can use.

My main gaming pc is used like a htpc in my loft, so not my main living area, with an "occassional chair", kinda like a smaller armchair. So it shouldn't be too bad to whip something up that would fit that but i like to have things fully planned out before starting and my ADHD stops me from fully planning. Here's hoping i get it sorted some day soon in the next five years haha

If you're looking for some lightweight wood that can take a beating and is cheap to use on your lap as a surface I'd get some bamboo

Couch with high arm rest, firm pad underneath.

I don't on the couch, but occasionally I do on my bed. Not stuff like first person shooters, but less-frentic mouse based stuff.

I have a USB trackball and a USB trackpad, and I'll use one of those.

I am not as accurate or quick as I am with a mouse with either of those, but both work fine without a rigid, level surface.

EDIT: My problem for use on a bed isn't really the mouse, but the keyboard. I have used a split ergo keyboard, with one half on each side, but even that isn't amazing. I don't have a reasonable way to do much typing if you're not sitting up.

Three words: Couch arm table

I have a little table that straddles the arm rest of my chair. But it's uncomfortable for long periods.

I’ve had a Corsair K63 with lapboard for years and’s have no complaints

I just put that shit on the couch right next to me.

Trackball, currently a Gameball Thumb and I'm pretty happy with it but I do wish it had just a couple programmable buttons.

I also have an old steam controller that filled the role pretty well once I got the settings figured out how I wanted them. After a lot of years though, the touchpad click has started to crap out on me though, I think I can fix it but I just haven't gotten around to it. The new steam controller would probably be as good or better but I haven't gotten my hands on one to say for sure yet.

At a friend's house we had a thin mouse surface sheet stuck to the front cover of a Warhammer 40k 6th Edition Rulebook.

You could also take inspiration from Timberborn and chew one out of wood yourself.

I didn't see anyone else mention mine: gyroscopic mouse. It's basically a Wiimote connected via USB dingle. It's good for strategy games. I'm not big on FPS, but I imagine it's doable.

You can use a trackball. Not great for FPS games but good enough for casual games.

the top of my coffee table lifts up so it works like a desk. I've also used a table next to my recliner if I wanted to relax.

There are so very many devices geared towards this issue. I don't think I have anything to add to comments lready here except that you should try a few of the optuons if possible and see what vibes best with you and your specific setup.

I put the mouse right on my fat fucking thighs

JK I ain't got no thickness to me. Keyboard and mouse gaming stays on the desk and controller gaming is for the couch. Looks like some other people recommended a lap desk, so yeah. Go with that

I use my PC in the living room more than my office desktop these days so I've bought a bunch of shit.

So you'll spot the usual Logitech K400 Plus on my couch because it's the only available option for a trackpad wireless keyboard combo unit with physical left/right mouse buttons. Then I also use a separate wireless mouse, which works just fine on my couch arm fabric as is for regular browsing. K400 Plus is not backlit and it's creaky af, but the "competition" is tragically worse.

Generally I'll opt to use controllers for games, but sometimes I need a proper mouse+kb so I bought a cushioned wood lap desk and a better mechanical keyboard and then I reuse the mouse with it. Most recently Minecraft Eternal 2.

I don't because that shit is bad for your wrists and forearm.