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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.
Took for a while for TFA to load, but it looks really awkward to me. Besides, how many keys and configuration options do you *really* need to play CS/BF2/Whatever it is? LMB, RMB, Space, Ctrl are pretty much sufficient, at least IMHO.
Ridiculous
This is for people that can't even type let alone find asdw and spend more time looking at the keyboard then playing or doing anything else productive with the keyboard...mouse people
"Some things have to be believed to be seen." - Ralph Hodgson
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.
This thing has been around for a while, and as for your question... the latter is true. Its ridiculous.
People keep trying this custom keyboard stuff, and it never takes hold.
Han shot first.
does it have those stupid alternate functins on all the F-Keys, and if so, are the bloody things turned off by defaut.
Now I kinda like my Micorosft Natural Keyboard wing-ding, it saves my hands a bit, but it pisses me off whenever I'm playing a game and cant figure out whether PrntScrn is working, or whether the F-keys will work when i need them to. GRR!
When the posters fear their moderators, there is tyranny; when the moderators fears the posters, there is liberty.
You don't move much, do you?
Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
http://www.networkmirror.com/PQzR_lmSlw378df0/www. tweaknews.net/reviews/zboard/index.html
"I'd rather be a lightning rod than a seismometer." -Ken Kesey
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.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
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
Taco,
You recently and candidly discussed the supposed "conspiracy" surrounding article submissions. One thing that I felt was left conspicuously unmentioned was what has been coined "Slashvertisements" e.g. enthusiastic submissions that promote underwhelming and uninteresting products. I remember seeing this keyboard in CompUSA (of all mundane places), at least six months ago. The only logical conclusions are: a) the editors don't get out much and have lost touch with what's considered new and exciting tech or b) OSDN is being compensated to provide stealth marketing services. Please provide some insight.
Thank you,
The Slashdot Community.
Entrepreneur : (noun), French for "unemployed"
Things like this just add to the cost of being a hardcore gamer. Lets say you get:
1 /qid=1137519621/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-5603418-8999209?_ encoding=UTF8/
(all prices from amazon)
Zboard: 40.84
COD2 keyset: 18.99
BF2 keyset: (unavailable price but probably around 18.99)
COD2 directors edition: 59.99
BF2: 44.99
Fatal1ty mouse: 49.99
total price: $233.79. And that's JUST for mouse + keyboard and games, not to mention new graphics card etc etc.
This is why I think more hardcore gamers will go over to systems like the xbox 360. Get the system, xbox live, and a microphone and you're set - everything else is skill. Back in the days where you could program your own buyscripts for counter-strike, advantages were at no addition cost. Now it's getting expensive... hard to imagine a teen blowing all that money just to play at the top level.
The keyboard itself would be very usefull for games like Warcraft 3 or Battlefield 2 (playing as the commander) where you have many different key combinations. I imagine it would be hard to switch from typing to gaming on the fly though. For games like COD2 though, I can't see how this keyboard would offer an advantage.
Nice to show off at LANS, but unless you a big wallet, I'd stick with your 10 year old IBM keyboard.
Zboard at amazon.com... link appears to be broken
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002H7F3G/sr=1-
The voice of the next generation. "In this tower, in my mind..." Babble - Tower
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.
U SE1-X2PHS01 that is increadible! It has cut down my searching for shortcut keys by quite a few minutes.
Where it actually shines is in applications. I have a keyset for Photoshop http://webstore.ideazon.com/product.asp?pf_id=IW0
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 actually saw an 'extension' (aka keyset) for this device a while back - snap on keyset for BF2 controls. At the time I thought the keyset was for regular qwerty keyboards, but they are actually for the product being reviewed.
TFA loaded too slowly for me to have a look at (read: short attention span), but it strikes me that this product is a bit redundant. How many CS players suddenly forget which is the flashlight key? How many people in BF2 have to stop and think "How the hell do I crouch??". No-one that has played the game for more than a couple of hours anyway.
In the end, I can only really see this benefiting newbies. Or maybe those that have only played Nethack for less than 100 hours...
If all you have is a grenade, pretty soon every problem looks like a foxhole -- MightyYar
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.)
More music, fewer hits
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.
If you have not used this keyboard you don't know what you are missing. I got sick and tired of pressing the tilda or caps lock key while I was trying to gun down some dude in BF2 or Call of Duty. This keyboard removes those keys from under your fingers giving you just the keys you need. It is a great gaming keyboard. I have had no problems using the keyboard, and I did not even have to use the software that came with the keyboard. I just plugged it in and off I went. If you are tilda and caps lock challenged, this keyboard is a life saver.
Where's the /. key?
Don't you see it? It's right next to the ANY key.
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
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.
"TK-421, why aren't you at your post?"
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.
At least it explains the people standing rock still at all those Americas Army assault missions. They got no movement keys!
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
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.
Buy a Belkin Nostromo N52 or N50.
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http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.proces
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.
What would Richard Feynman do, if he were here right now? He'd do some math and he'd follow through!
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.
My own pointless vanity vintage computing page
So you want a programmable keyboard for gaming? One that's ergonomically shaped for your left hand? One that works on PCs and Macs via USB? One that also comes with a mouse-wheel-like device that's also programmable? And has a d-pad positioned correctly (under your thumb), which is itself also programmable?
And costs around $30? And lets you keep your existing keyboard for, you know, typing text?
Then you want a Nostromo N52 from Belkin. Pure gaming heaven.
Between it and my Logitech MX510 mouse, a Mouse Bungee, and LogiGamer, I'm in gaming heaven, and I get to keep my 15-year old IBM Model M keyboard and 15-year old Apple Extended I keyboard for thumping out articles.
In December 2004, I bought the ZBoard and the key plate for use with World of Warcraft. It was instantly apparent that it was a crappy product for the simple reason that the "special" keys were on the right side of the keyboard. 99% of gamers I know are familiar with wasd and use their left hand to move and use the right hand to control the mouse. Having the extra keys on the right side of the board means you either have to reach over to the right side with your left hand, or take your hand off the mouse to use them.
Another thing that contributed to the suckiness of the board was the fact that there was absolutely no facility to take a screenshot. This was right when WoW was new and I was taking screenshots all the time. There was some sort of hack they provided, I think on their website, that included a "screenshot.exe" type deal that you had to go configure so that when you pressed "custom1" key or something like that, it would take a screenshot. For a device whose selling point is convenience, I found this appalling. In general most of the special keys are just hard-coded existing key combos. E.g. if you can skip to hotkey bank 3 by pressing "Shift 3" then the ZBoard just presses "Shift 3" for you, so if you happen to leave focus in a text entry box and press that key, you'll see a "#". Big deal. I thought it was going to have some kind of API with the game that let you do more interesting things. Alas.
Today that keyboard is serving as a USB hub.
rooooar
These things truly would be pure genius if only there were keyboard layouts for typists: a keyboard that could swap QWERTY for Dvorak or AZERTY would be a god-send in my household.
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.