XFPS reviewed: Not ready for prime time
Our lovably biased cousins at Xbox 360 Fanboy tried the XFPS keyboard-and-mouse adapter in a few Xbox 360 games. The verdict: the $80 device works well as a PS2 gamepad adapter, but its keyboard-and-mouse input played worse than a standard Xbox controller. The review reminds us that Xbox games were designed for the Xbox controller -- simple enough, but something we began to forget while hoping for a PC-like experience -- so a game like Gears of War just doesn't map properly.For other games, like Halo 2, apparently the adapter is glitchy; key presses lag, and the mouse control isn't as good as a PC. Games that offer many analog sensitivity options work best, but the XFPS is far from a universal solution.
At least we'll always be able to use the XFPS as an excuse. Even with this mediocre review, we can claim that opponents with mouse control are the cause of our frequent Xbox Live losses.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Lewigi @ Dec 30th 2006 5:58PM
The mouse control was never going to be good. If you think about it, it will only ever move as fast as it will wit the analogue stick tilted right to the edge. To get the best persormance out of it youwould have to put the sensitivity of teh game up to the highest, then change the sensitivity on the adaptor to suit.
Even then, despite the name analogue sticks have, they are still digital to a certain extent and so will not have an infinite amount of speeds the aim in the game will turn (like a mouse in a PC game). In the end, you are only going to get the same precision analogue sticks will get.
My conclusion: This does not give any one player an advantage over another, but people who aim well with keyboard and mouse will do much better with this than they do with a controller
RHP @ Dec 30th 2006 6:19PM
This same type of product appeared on the original Xbox and suffered the same problem with keyboard and mouse controller. Unless the game is designed to support such an option, you're looking at having to remap the functions on the controller to an alternate device, which in practice doesn't always work well, and at the least you're looking at a partial delay.
Without the keyboard/mouse functionality, you're looking at trading an Xbox controller for a Sony PS2 style controller, however the Xbox controller can be wireless, whereas the PS2 controller is wired.
The usefulness of such an adapter is entirely questionable.
dybot @ Dec 30th 2006 9:04PM
I bet Quake 2 will run great with this (The one you get on the Quake 4 collectors edition)
Quake 2 aiming was not even optimized for controls and has no auto aiming...
Knoxximus @ Dec 31st 2006 12:19AM
SWEET! All I wanted it for was to be able to use my PS2 SF Anniversary Arcade Joysick for SF on XBLA. But damn, 80 bucks!?! I'll wait for the bad reviews to force a price drop methinks....SF can wait just a little while longer.
Matter of fact, since the keyboard/mouse component is less than desirable, why can they drop like a $40 PS2 controller adapter? THAT would be ACE!!
soul @ Dec 31st 2006 10:47AM
What a waste some poor sods are going to buy this crap, real shame as the 360 could have done wonders with the option for mouse and keyboard, but its another gimmick sale that gather dusk after the initial play.
so back to pads for now
phh @ Dec 31st 2006 11:18AM
I purchased a similar device (for a lot less than $80) from Lik-Sang a few years ago for the original Xbox and stopped using it after one session of Halo 2. Even apart from the hassles trying to negotiate a keyboard and mouse in front of the living room TV, it's just not a satisfying experience--control feels too "floaty" and you can't execute the kind of quick 180-degree flick-turns you can on a PC FPS. For it to work well, the game developers would have to code for it specifically, the way PlayStation racing game makers used to accommodate the Namco NeGcon controller. I don't really see that happening.