Ideazon ZBoard Customizable Gaming Keyboard Review

An anonymous user submitted a review of the ZBoard Gaming Keyboard. You really ought to check this one out just to see how nuts it is. It has custom plates with keys that are movable and... well just look at it. I can't decide if its pure genius or just ridiculous.

Comments

Is this not a two or three year old product now?

[Lukano]

Is this review not two or three years late? I remember selling those ZBoards when I worked computer retail - and that was 2 1/2 - 3 yrs ago.

MIrror

[winkydink]

http://www.networkmirror.com/PQzR_lmSlw378df0/www. tweaknews.net/reviews/zboard/index.html

Neat idea, but not worth it.

[Andy Dodd]

They have keysets for only about ten games, if they even have ten.

If you don't play one of those games, it's just a really expensive (and in some ways inferior) QWERTY.

Logitech has the right idea with the G15 - A high-quality QWERTY keyboard with nifty extra features (namely a bunch of keys that can be assigned to macros, and an LCD display.) Same with Saitek's gaming keyboard - basically a standard keyboard + lots of macro functionality.

Don't knock it till you've tried it.

[Da Stylin' Rastan]

I know this thing looks stupid, and I would agree with you, but I've owned one for a little over 6 months now (I bought it with Battlefield 2) and I have to say it is fantastic. Not only is the base layout one of the best I've ever used (snappy keys, great look, function buttons are easy to use and reach), but the additional gaming layout (known as crossfire) is great. I know at first it just looks like a keyboard for dumbasses who don't know where the keys are. The first few days it took a bit of getting used to, but the blown-up arrow keys and convenient surrounding buttons make long gaming sessions *much* more comfortable, whereas with standard keyboards I get a tendency to cramp up. And I'm not a noob either. I've been an online gamer since Quake and offline since long before then. And my BF2 stats speak for themselves I was just as skeptical as about 80% of the "rediculous" posts that will probably be posted on these forums, but after having actually used it, I don't think I could ever go back. -DSR

ZBoard Review.

[Calmiche]

Err.. What? This thing has been out for a LONG time. I've actually got one. It's okay, but not fantastic. I've got the World of Warcraft keyset, which is okay, but I eventually went back to the default keyset. It's a cute gimic, but the execution dosen't make up for the convenience of having a normal keyboard. The Pad Lock is pretty cool. It changes your numpad to useful windows shortcut keys.

Where it actually shines is in applications. I have a keyset for Photoshop http://webstore.ideazon.com/product.asp?pf_id=IW0U SE1-X2PHS01 that is increadible! It has cut down my searching for shortcut keys by quite a few minutes.

However, the keys are pretty mushy, it is way to quiet for gaming with surround sound, and the different keysets tend to take a LONG time to get seated correctly so that the keyboard sees them. It's not to bad for speed typing though. (The review says otherwise, but I don't have any problems.) The programable top set of keys is really nice though.

There are also 2 USB ports along the top. I've got my mouse attatched through there, meaning that I've got a longer reach and less cord clutter. I also plug my media card reader in there when I need it.

I have one of these

[OglinTatas]

My rating: eh...

I have the WoW and NWN plates, I thought it was a good idea at the time (November 2004) If you play different games which don't let you change the key mappings, maybe it is useful, to spare yourself from memorizing multiple control schemes. It certainly is helpful to look at the board and see the controls if you don't have any key mappings memorized.

The keys don't feel quite right, though, which makes in-game texting wierd, and I certainly don't like the base keyboard for everyday use.

It's all moot for me now, because I do most of my gaming on a Mac these days (WoW, NWN, some CoD, puzzle pirates, and misc. casual games. Nothing latest and greatest.)

I've had one for awhile now

[iCEBaLM]

Picked it up when Doom 3 came out. It's good for FPS games. The way the keysets attach to the base unit needs some work however. The metal contacts are in the upper right corner of the board and the snap down mechanism is on the right side in the middle. I have to press on the upper right corner of the keyset sometimes to get the software to recognize the board is there, it'll intermittantly lose contact and the software wont recognize it.

Novel idea, poor implimentation, only worth it if you play a lot of FPS games.

Not Totally Ridiculous

[Azarael]

• The Keyboard inserts work well, they are quick to take in and out and they are easy to store.
• The alternative button layout is good and bad. You don't loose your home key as easily when you are rushed, but on the other hand, the key size and spacing could be tweaked and the arrangment of the regular keys makes it pretty difficult to type chat messages.
• No one really needs or wants the weapon laybels on the number keys, overall though, the keyboard looks cool and makes an interesting computer accessory if you're interested in that sort of thing
• Zboards have very good game recognition and make it easy to set up and store your custom key mappings in one place. The utilities work well and aren't a major system hog.
• Zboards have better driver support for large key sequences. Some keyboards don't work properly when holding down 3 or 4 keys at once.
• I haven't had any reliability problems with mine in the year I've owned it. My girlfriend even melted a bunch of the keys by accident and that still didn't damage anything other than those keys

My review: Good, but not great

[xTK-421x]

My Microsoft Natural Keyboard Pro was 5 years old and was quite dirty, so I decided to replace it. I have been gaming for a long time, so I was trying to decide between the Zboard and the Logitech G15. I decided to go with the Zboard because I thought the idea of a customized keyboard for a particular game was a good idea. I picked up the Zboard, plus a Doom3 Keyset and a Battlefield 2 Keyset.

After setting up the software, I tried playing games with it. After about two weeks of using the keyboard exclusively for gaming, I realized that I'm too used to the way WASD is layed out on a typical keyboard. In the end, I'm spending more time making sure I'm hitting the correct key, rather than the one I've been used to for all these years.

I think the Zboard is great for people who are new to computer gaming, maybe console users coming over who are used to joypads. Give them a Zboard so they have easily identifiable keys to use and get used to the idea of a keyboard/mouse combo. However, if you've been PC gaming for a long period of time, you're better off skipping this one and going for a G15. The integrated LCD is beginning to get useful plug ins which can be found at either G15 Forums or G15 Mods.

Optimus ZBoard

[2obvious4u]

Back in October 2005, Wired Magazine showcased a keyboard called the Optimus Keyboard. This is truely the ultimate keyboard. It uses tiny organic-LED screens on the keys to dynamically change the keys for whatever your using them for. http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/ ZBoards are overprices and you have to pay for each additional key layout. Personally I'm waiting for the Optimus.

I had one.

[Superfarstucker]

They aren't very durable, their design means if anything is spilled on them they are gone, and you can guess what happened to mine. Honestly, I never used the alternate keysets, as many others have pointed out, most are far too used to the wasd key layout for it to make a difference. However, another problem is that the keys stop feeling very firm after you use the thing for awhile, which makes typing feel all mushy, not very exciting. Somebody also had the brilliant idea of making a good number of the keys on the 'gaming' sets DOMED. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why this is a bad idea. Not only are they ridiculously small, your finger manages to slip off them all the time even if you do manage to remember the completely arbitrary key layout. I replaced it with a microsoft 4000 zero inclination ergonomic keyboard. A fancy title but the thing is comfortable as hell and it is no different to use than a standard 104 key with the caveat that you can't easily access the right hand side of the keyboard while gaming, though it is fairly rare to need to move over there anyway. The whole thing looks absurd until you try it.

Eh, if you need something nifty

[phrackwulf]

Buy a Belkin Nostromo N52 or N50.

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process ?Merchant_Id=&Section_Id=2071&pcount=&Product_Id=1 57024

You can program any key layout you want for as many programs as you want and never have to bother with buying additional keyboard sets for the z-board. I picked mine up for $29.99. That's cheaper than any z-board I've seen anywhere plus the added costs of the "custom" inserts for each game you play. Who needs that.

Logitech finally got into the gaming keyboard biz.

[TellarHK]

I looked at the ZBoard for all of five minutes once, about two years ago. It always looked and felt chintzy when I was in CompUSA looking at the display model (which was usually set up with something like an EverQuest keyboard module) and hated it because yet again, it not only screwed with the tried-and-true classic keyboard layout, but it was impossible for lefties to use.

For a while, I wanted the Saitek Eclipse - a nice gaming keyboard, backlit keys, not too much extra crap other than a good feel and the sort of look that would go over well in LAN sessions, but then the Logitech G15 was announced. Holy crap. Logitech actually went and did a gaming keyboard -right-. The only thing that bugs me is that the 'Gamer Keys' are on the left side instead of the right (which is really understandable) and that my first one (I'm on a warranty replacement now, and Logitech was amazingly good about it) had problems with the paint coming off the keys.

Logitech's usual decent quality, keys with lighted letters, a hackable LCD, 18 programmable macro keys with three modes and built-in on the fly programming. And best of all, NO FREAKY FUCKING LAYOUT. I despise what Microsoft has done with newer keyboards, screwing up the home/end/pgup/pgdown/etc. cluster, curving the arrow keys, etc. For a left-handed gamer especially, the G15 just rocks.

Note to lefties: For games like Counter-Strike and other FPS titles, I strongly suggest arrow keys with control for ducking, keyp/ins for jump, delete for reload, and end for use. Those keys are a really good layout once you get used to them, unless you mouse with your right hand.

Re:Optimus ZBoard

[Superfarstucker]

I believe engadget or joystiq reported that in fact it will not be a 104 key board but instead a 3 key board that is released on febuary first for 'less than a good mobile phone'. 200 USD just sounded too good to be true, and it probably is.