感受Xbox 360迷你键盘

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http://news.mydrivers.com/1/87/87682.htm

By: James Yu - Posted on Friday, July 20, 2007.
This year's Xbox 360 Spring Dashboard Update brought MSN Messenger contact-list integration to Xbox Live, but many of us have been waiting for Microsoft to release the chatpad accessory before making full use of the service. Microsoft knows that messaging isn't going to be widely used on the Xbox 360 unless the system has an input device to make texting easier for those of us who don't keep USB keyboards on the coffee table.

Xbox 360 Messenger Kit (bike and bag not included)
Xbox representatives dangled the chatpad in front of us when they first announced the Spring Update back in April but waited until E3 2007 to announce its availability. We now know that anxious texters will be able to get their very own Xbox 360 Messenger Kit for $30 on September 6, 2007.

The Messenger Kit will include the keyboard chatpad and a new wired headset. The chatpad is designed to slide into the base of the Xbox 360 gamepad. The pad feels a little awkward as you fit it into place, but it snaps on with a satisfying click as the pad's plastic retention pegs find their corresponding holes on the gamepad. The snug fit makes the pad feel like it's a part of the gamepad. The unit adds some weight to the controller, but the heft seems manageable. We played a few games with the chatpad installed and found that it didn't interfere with game controls. The edge of your palms will rest on the left and right sides of the chatpad, but you'll still be able to use the buttons and analog sticks just fine.

The chatpad sure beats hunting and pecking on a virtual keyboard.
The chatpad itself feels solid. The keys provide adequate, clicky feedback and are spaced well enough for fast typing. It uses a standard QWERTY layout, and many of the keys have special alternate values that you can activate. The alternate modes can be activated by using the green and amber keys on the bottom left and bottom right of the chatpad. The pad also has a messenger button that can open up the messaging window onscreen. For players who like to game in the dark, the pad has a built-in backlight that will illuminate the keyboard whenever a key is pressed. We tried plugging a USB Xbox 360 gamepad with the chatpad into a PC desktop system, but we couldn't get Windows to recognize the chatpad as a text input device.

The chatpad has a headset pass-thru jack at the base of the unit, but the single 2.5mm audio jack can't accept the triple-pronged connector on the old headset. That's probably why Microsoft bundled a new headset with the chatpad. Aside from the audio connector change, the new headset is almost identical to the original except the microphone mute and volume controls have moved from the base of the cable connector to an inline module. Older Xbox headsets and 2.5mm mobile headsets still work with the chatpad. We were able to plug our Plantronics Halo 2 headset into the chatpad without a problem.

The Xbox 360 Messenger Kit looks to be a solid product for system owners interested in taking advantage of the Xbox 360's communication options. Players who stick to gaming and voice chat won't need to pick up the chatpad, but the peripheral might become more compelling if Microsoft were to release more text-heavy applications on the 360, such as a Web browser, for example.


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今年春季的Xbox 360更新宣称Xbox Live将和MSN Messenger共享同一个联系人列表，但短信写手们暂时不会闻风而动，除非微软能优雅地解决主机上的文字输入问题。

于是，微软发布了一款用于Xbox 360手柄的迷你键盘，包装内还捆绑了一副耳机，售价30美元，预计于9月6日上市销售。

GameSpot的编辑拿到了这款迷你键盘的零售样品：



它看起来的确不错，有着清晰准确的手感，键盘上的按键还能复用（用橙色和绿色字符标明了复用定义），此外还设置了专用的“聊天键”以便一键弹出聊天窗口。为了照顾喜欢在黑暗中摸索的鼹鼠玩家，键盘还自带背景光照明。



迷你键盘通过边缘的定位槽滑入手柄的锁定机构中，与手柄结合后简直天衣无缝。虽然手柄的重量为此增加了少许，但编辑试玩后觉得这个问题能被克服，且体形变胖后的手柄也不影响玩家使用游戏按键及摇杆。



编辑试着将结合了迷你键盘的手柄插入PC机的USB口，Windows操作系统并未认出这是款文字输入工具。

键盘还设有一个耳机接口，但这个2.5毫米接口并不兼容现有的Xbox 360有线耳机，所以微软还附赠专用耳机——除了接口有所不同，这款耳机还将静音和音量控制改成了线控方式，此外再无其它变化。







也许有的玩家只喜欢语音聊天，用键盘打字的机会很少，可一旦将来微软发布更多与文字输入紧密相关的产品，比如主机内置网络浏览器，这款小玩意就会派上大用场。