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Play Console Games With a Keyboard and Mouse
HunterX writes "Lik Sang took the videogame community by storm this weekend by announcing a new entry in its product catalog. The SmartJoy FRAG is an adapter that allows Xbox and PlayStation 2 owners to connect a mouse and a keyboard to the console and replace the standard controller with the well known PC combo that has been the envy of many console gamers for years. TeamXbox.com has more on the story, and there is plenty of commentary on Lik Sang's Forums."
This is going to ruin games such as Halo 2 on Xbox live.
I'm pretty sure that the PS2 already has a keyboard adapter, because how then else would PS2 FFXI players type to me? :)
Still, this is probably a bit better than what they thought up, specially if the mouse is new.
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But this is one of the stupidest.
My problem is that the Xbox has PC hardware running it, has a PC operating system, and now has the standard PC input device. The way I see it, if you are willing to put out about $500, you can have a working PC made out of your Xbox. Whoop de doo.
Honestly, I think if you are playing console games with a mouse and keyboard, it's probably time to buy a PC.
I hate this. Way to try to un-level the playing field you bastards. Fortunately, I think that most people both won't know about this, and won't bother to pick one up because you can't just grab it at the store, like you could with the Dreamcast, for example. I also have the feeling that this will totally suck for those who try to use it anyway. It's not as if the games are programmed to handle the precision movement of a mouse, so it'll probably end up being somewhat awkward. Fortunately, I don't know anyone on Xbox Live that would even care about using a KB/M, seeing as most console-FPS gamers actually prefer using a controller anyway, or at the very least have gotten used to it. If not, they'd probably be playing them on the PC. I can see the usual Live A-holes doing this because they care so much about stats, but the average population, probably not.
The lack of mouse/keyboard support has been the only reason why I would not give FPS on consoles the time of day. I was brutally tramatized by Halo's control scheme. Game pads do not cut it for me...
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Anyway, that's just my two cents.
I had pretty much given up on FPSs for my PS2 in favour of using my Windows PC. However, the PC is aging now and the cost of upgrading it is worrying me but the latest games are really starting to crawl. I can just about play Doom 3 on the thing but have to have the graphics are the lowest res and with all the nice effects turned off just to get a decent frame rate. The advantage of games on the PS2 or XBox is that you know the game will run well on the hardware. With the ability to use a keyboard and mouse I think this will give FPSs a much better shot (slight pun). I expect I will even go back to a number of games I gave up on because I just couldn't stand the joypad having got used to the keyboard and mouse.
For some games the joypad is great, I found GTAIII on the PS2 much better with a joypad than the same game on the PC with keyboard and mouse (and no way to map a joypad on the PC to match the PS2 which is doubly annoying). Best tool for the job and the keyboard and mouse is better for FPSs. The annoying bit is the PS2 has USB ports already and some games support a keyboard and mouse through those but really, all games should have the option. This is a hack but if it works gimme gimme gimme!
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I want to be able to hook up an original Atari joystick. That would be weird just to try out.
Or better yet those paddle thingamagigs. Imagine the possibilties!
>>>>>> Chewie, take the professor in the back and plug him into the hyperdrive.
The adaptor doesn't seem to have the port on it that the Xbox communicator plugs into.
This will make it much more annoying to make use of this thing online. Though I think that is a good thing, I get rocked bad enough online as is, if I were up against guys with superior controllers I would be murdered.
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The number one complaint I have whenever I'm playing a console game is having to deal with the clunky console controllers. Nothing will ever beat the flexibility and fluid control of a keyboard and mouse combo for me.
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