Several days ago, Sony unveiled their wireless keypad device at Leipzig without any details on pricing or release date. GamingBits found a nice little entry on Amazon, which lists the keypad at the low, low price of $49.99 and shows its release as November 30th. As you can see, Sony is highly invested in shipping out all of its “must have” peripherals just in time for the Christmas season.
Sadly, the keypad looks like something Joel Schumacher would put on Batman. In addition to its ugliness, I can’t even glean the desire to use this over a traditional keyboard. Are little keypads the answer for our text woes on consoles?
To be honest, I think this has a lot more to do with Home than it does with matching Microsoft’s peripheral. Home in November/December confirmed? I suppose we’ll see.
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Contest:
9:58 AM on 08.25.2008
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Doesn't the ability to use a USB keyboard right out of the box make this a teeny bit irrelevant?
Eventually it alway comes down to the fact that you always will find people dumb enough to buy your stuff.
Unfortunately, this Sony one just seems to be in the wrong place. If you have to move your hands off the pad, you might as well just use a USB keyboard.
The touchpad feature could be awesome... but how will it be used in a way that makes it worthwhile? Remains to be seen.
Voice is better than typing for chat functionality, and a full keyboard is better than a keypad add-on when any significant typing is involved.
So far, I'm having a hard time seeing how the $50 cost can be justified for this product. Other people who have more disposable cash may feel differently.
Argument A: OMG, that design totally sucks!
Compared to what? Microsoft's smaller, harder to use, having to move your thumbs the same distance to use keyboard that doesn't operate as a mouse as well?
Argument B: OMG, Sony prices this shit high!
Really? I guess no one else does this, right? Like MS' overpriced proprietary HDDs or the need to buy chargeable batteries outside the usual box or the need to buy a wireless adapter outside the usual box? And I'm sure the Wii doesn't make some ridiculous money on all the crap it makes for its remotes.
Seriously, lots of people don't want to clutter their entertainment system with a keyboard, so they buy something small that can attach to the remote and allow them to text when wanted and put it away in a drawer without much hassle or clutter when they're not using it. It's as simple as that, but you guys can bitch about idiotic things like the cost and usability because you're fine with using a regular keyboard when the item pretty much then isn't directed at you.
"Last but not least, the Wireless Keypad is a Bluetooth device that can not only be used with the PS3 system but with any other Bluetooth enabled device that has Keyboard functionality. You will be able to use it with your smart phones and other portable devices that are equipped with Bluetooth. With the PS3 system, it can be paired and charged seamlessly just by connecting them with a USB cable."
Expensive
Hard to use
LOL! I thought you were serious until you said that.
God forbid that Sony might want to have it attach and work as one synchronous unit because the keypad retrofits over several buttons on the controller.
No thank you.
that's no excuse for a crappy design and an exorbitant price
As for the price, it's keyboard + mouse + bluetooth + hot-buttons... last I checked the 360's keypad was just a keyboard. Maybe some company like MadCatz can make you a shitty one for less money down the line.
Wat? So this thing is bluetooth, but they put it on top to block the USB port? Yeah, fucking A. This thing "retrofits" over exactly three buttons of the controller, as far as I can see, which would have been possible to implement the same way if the put the addon underneath. The only feasible reason for the above placement I can see is that the ergonomic layout and size of the SIXAXDUALSTATIONwhateveritscalled forbids placement below, as it would mean one couldn't even hold the thing properly anymore, let alone type. People might take the following as fanboyish (if you do, fuck you), but the whole thing seems like a "me too" approach. And even the 360 keypad thingy isn't really necessary to begin with.
GTFO lol. mouse? where? You mean that b.s. about it using the keypad as a touchpad? Oh yea, im sure that's going to be super accurate & not burdensome or clunky. Bluetooth? maybe so then why does it need the USB port pray tell? Hot buttons? Is that supposed to make it more convenient? because sliding my hands up & down the controller or trying to stretch the thumbs up there doesn't seem very convenient.
Then the issue of it being completely off balance w/ the rest of the controller, i wouldn't be at all surprised if it moved the center of balance enough to feel awkward just by having it on. There's also the fact that it looks hideous. Go ahead shell out 50 clams for it, but mark my words check amazon's rankings of it 2 weeks after it's released (after all the automaton fanboys buy their copy) & you'll see it deeper than the Mariana Trench.
Seriously, think about it. The whole point of a keypad is so you don't have to move your hands to type. If you need to move them it would be more efficient to use a $7 Logitech USB keyboard or if you must have BT Logitech even makes a PS3 version (w/ an actual touchpad, though mouse would still be much better).
The whole problem w/ they keypad imho is that it was an afterthought since the controller was carried over almost exactly from PS2. Don't get me wrong i like the PS controller design (though personally i wish it were bigger, cramps my wrists after a while); but this keypad is just horrible.
This isn't bitching. It's called 'making fun of something'. :)