Max Shooter XBOX & PS2 Keyboard & Mouse Adapter Review
The third and latest XBOX/PS2 keyboard & mouse adapter to hit the market is the Max Shooter. Before this adapter was released there was a good chance that the guy destroying you in Halo 2 was using a regular XBOX controller and not one of the previously released keyboard & mouse adapters. Enter Max Shooter stage right. Now you should be afraid, very afraid, as the Max Shooter basically turns the console FPS into a PC FPS with all the accuracy that that entails. After spending a good few days playing Halo 2, Socom II, and Unreal Championship 2 there is little doubt that FPS games were mostly made to be played with a mouse and keyboard.What's In The PackageThe Max Shooter, both the XBOX and PS2 versions, come in a small package that holds the actual hardware and an instruction manual.
The adapter only accepts PS/2 compatible keyboards and mice so if you have USB peripherals you'll need to get an adapter or head over to the old used PC shop and pickup an old keyboard and mouse combo.The actual adapter is small in size and doesn't hog any serious amount of extra space. The XBOX version features an extra slot on the backside of the adapter for a memory card to plug in.FeaturesThe Max Shooter, both for XBOX and PS2, is packed with a wide array of functionality which can be accessed by using certain keyboard key combinations listed in the manual. It is fully programmable and also comes with game presets for many titles. The XBOX and PS2 presets are listed below.XBOX Game Presets * Halo * Medal of Honor: Frontline * The Chronicles of Riddick * Counter Strike * James Bond 007: Nightfire * Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 * Return to Castle Wolfenstein * Unreal ChampionshipPS2 Game Presets * Socom II * Medal of Honor: Frontline * Time Splitters 2 * James Bond 007: Nightfire * Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3 * Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm * Return to Castle Wolfenstein * REZIf your favorite shooter isn't listed above, the Max Shooter also has three programmable controller setups to fill your needs. The variables that can be adjusted include key assignment, deadzone adjustment, mouse speed, and mouse inversion.
Most seasoned gamers know about all these terms but might not be familiar with the deadzone. The manual describes the deadzone as the zone within an axis range that is interpreted as being at rest.Along with the game presets, the factory default preset automatically assigns keys in the following way.The selection of game presets and programming for custom games is all very straightforward, if not time consuming, and is well explained within the manual.All these features are great but what really matters is how it holds up in the games. So without further ado let us jump in to our first game.Halo 2My first experience with the Max Shooter and Halo 2 was less than stellar, but that was completely my fault. Like most gamers I know I jumped in head first without reading a single page of the instruction manual which was a really bad move. The factory default setup is pretty much only suited for menu navigation.So I popped open the manual and found out about the presets, sadly no Halo 2, and decided to try out the Halo 1 preset so I could get a quick start.
Everything worked ok but it wasn't better than the XBOX controller I had become so accustomed to. In fact, it was much worse. The mouse sensitivity was horrible and the keys were mapped semi-incorrectly. But again this was my entire fault and I dove back into the manual to see how to fix my problems.An hour and a half later I had finished tweaking one of the user programmable presets included in the Max Shooter and things were starting to feel much much better. The mouse responded close to what I would expect from a PC FPS and the keys were all mapped to my liking, but I was still sprawled out on the floor in an awkward position.
I wasn't quite in FPS bliss.Another thirty minutes later I had a table setup with the TV, mouse, and keyboard in the regular PC positions and things were feeling even better. The Halo 2 bots didn't know what hit them, but the mouse movement was still a bit off. Then I noticed in the manual that this is one of the biggest issues that needs to be resolved when setting up the Max Shooter and that I should max out the sensitivity settings within the game for optimal "PC Like" results. So I did that and it proved to be the one tweak that turned Halo 2 into my first PC FPS on a console. The controls are that good.I finally decided my setup was ready for prime time and I headed online to face the masses.
I must note that my ranking in Halo 2 was quite low before I got the Max Shooter and that the PC FPS setup has always been better for me than any console controller. So with that said, I jumped into an online match and low and behold I got my rear end handed to me like always, but it was just the first match so I pushed on.I changed my weapon setup from what I usually used to what I thought would be great for accuracy based shots and wow did that make a difference. Now all I use is the Battle Rifle. Four hours later I emerged with a better ranking and an awesome kill to death ratio. My hit rate and shooting speed went way up with my new found accuracy and the competition was destroyed because of it.Once the Max Shooter is tweaked to a gamers liking, it is an incredibly deadly controller for Halo 2.
But Halo 2 is just one of the FPS games out there so lets see how it holds up with the others.Unreal Championship 2I confess this is my favorite all time XBOX game, so I was extremely excited to see how it would hold up with a mouse and keyboard. I once again tried out a preset which didn't hold up so well and then went on to create my own setup. Once the setup was done I headed online for a FPS shocker.I used the same mentality I had in Halo 2; go for the accuracy based weapons. I loaded up the sniper rifle, headed to a dark corner, and started sniping. My TV echoed "Headshot" many times before the match was over, but that was mostly because no one ever found me.
The next match was much different.The rest of the matches I played online with the Max Shooter were populated with very good players. They would find me sniping and then destroy me. It seems the problem with Unreal Championship 2 is that it was designed to only be a console FPS. Much of the gameplay really relies on the button configuration on the controller. Thus I couldn't bounce around the walls, dodge, and reflect as well as I could with the controller.
This could be because I have spent so much time with the controller that I couldn't break my habits, but I believe this is one case where the Max Shooter isn't superior.So one game is completely changed by the adapter and one is built too much around a standard controller to benefit from it. Next up is the PS2 and Socom II; let's see how the PS2 version of Max Shooter fairs.Socom IIOnce again I connected the keyboard and mouse to the adapter, plugged it into the PS2, and immediately got a good connection. I surfed through the menus with ease and entered an online game. This time around there is a preset available for the actual game I'm playing. I loaded up the preset and was pleasantly surprised to find the preset layout to be perfect for Socom gameplay.It felt good and worked just as well as it did in Halo 2.
I don't play a lot of Socom but I found myself playing quite a bit in this setup as I could never get into using the PS2 controller for FPS gameplay.With the large amount of customization, the ease of use, and the low price this adapter is really worth every penny. If you really want an advantage in games like Halo 2 or just want to try a new controller setup I would definitely recommend picking the Max Shooter.Pros * Plug and Play * Customization and presets * Low priceCons * Lack of new title presetsOverall Score9.5.
Jeromy is the webmaster of http://www.gamebrink.com/ GameBrink.Com Import Video Game Compare.OTOVATION Announces New Amplitude Line of PC Audiometers
OTOVATION today announced its new Amplitude line of PC-based audiometers. Amplitude addresses the need for efficient and portable audiometric testing on a standard Windows PC. The first model in the Amplitude line, the A1, is based on a headset that can be connected directly to a USB port on a PC running the Amplitude software. The Amplitude A1 is designed to make audiometric testing quick and easy, portable, and usable on a wide variety of existing PC's as well as the latest of tablet and ultra-portable PC's.
Some of Amplitude A1's features:* USB connection to a desktop, laptop, tablet or ultra-portable PC * Connect headset to PC, load Amplitude software, and be ready for testing in about a minute * Keyboard, mouse, and touch-screen capable interface * Built-in patient database and easy, flexible operation * 11 frequencies from 125 to 8k Hz and intensity range from -10 to 110 dB HL * Manual or automated (Hughson-Westlake) testing * Optional bone conduction with masking The...
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Two Houston Companies Discover Rare Chinese Typing Frog
In yet another leap forward in compact usability, FrogPad Inc. and OHAI Technologies Corporation, both Houston-based companies, today unveil their strategic partnership to impact the extremely compelling Asian computing market.
OHAITECH and FrogPad combine their leading-edge technologies to create BossFrog? (K??, "ShOu Zhng W"), the first-to-market, easily learned, fun to use, one-handed Chinese rapid input system.
This unique total solution combines:????FrogPad? - FrogPad's ultra-compact, ultra-portable, single-handed keyboard????OHAI? ? (hw?, "?o Hi") OHAITECH's Rapid Language Input interface Combining the Companies' patented technologies, BossFrog? is a breakthrough in learnability, functionality, and ease of use.
Daniel Mailman, OHAI's General Manager, says: "In Chinese traditional culture there's "1 Finger Kung Fu" and "2 Finger Kung Fu"; now FrogPad plays OHAITECH's "5 Finger Input Kung Fu" (???, "Wm ZhY Ch?n")!
Where users have been suffering...
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MSN Messenger Tips & Tricks
Here are a few tips and trick for MSN Messenger* When you start MSN Messenger you get always a pop-up from ?msn today', when you want to turn off this. You go to extra, options, general, and you tick off the fourth option ?Display MSN today by sign in'. Click now OK.* When you have a problem on your PC but you don't know how to solve it you can give a friend of you who knows the answer the control over your PC. This allows him to help you as he can remotely control your entire PC.You can find this feature in a MSN Messenger chat window by clicking on Activities, and then select 'Remote assistance'. When he, or she, accepts it he can see everything what you see on your screen and can remotely assists you.
Of course you cal always stop him by pressing the 'ESC' button on your keyboard.* When you want to control your ?receive files' op viruses automately. Then you have to change it in the options because its not a standard setting. You find it by ?file transfer' and the you trick...
MSN Messenger Tips & Tricks
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Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor Now Available in Spanish
Edinburgh, Scotland (ContentDesk) November 3, 2005 -- Runtime Revolution announces the release of Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor 3.4 (www.tenthumbstypingtutor.com) for Spanish language speakers. Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor is the easy way for people to learn to touch type or to improve their skills and is available for Windows, Macintosh and Linux. Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor is used in schools, colleges, universities, business and in the home by thousands of users worldwide.Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor comes with great graphics, a user-friendly interface and a structured tutorial style making it the perfect way to learn to touch type. Its many features include:- Support for the Spanish language and keyboard layout- Built-in real word generator capable of producing over 800 Nonillion Spanish phrases- A collection of addictive games which are fun and improve typing skills- Support for a range of keyboard...
Ten Thumbs Typing Tutor Now Available in Spanish
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The Apple Mac mini - It Fits Anywhere And It is The Most Affordable Mac Ever!
Mac OS X, the worlds most advanced operating system! Just connect, plug, and your playing. The Apple Mac mini will work with either Mac or PC-compatible peripherals, this makes it easier than ever to upgrade from and older Mac or PC system. All you have to do is connect your USB mouse and keyboard, then hook up your DVI or VGA display (our adapter is included). Then just plug it in, turn it on and your ready to go.Now this is power packed into a small package - Apple has outdone themselves! Under the sleek anodized aluminum styling of the Mac mini is a G4 processor, room for up to 1GB PC2700 main memory, a Radeon 9200 graphics chip, and a large enough hard drive, up to 80 GB, to store todays digital media.With the mini connections you can hook-up your digital devices like cameras, iPod, printer, camcorder, and your keyboard. There is even a audio/headphone jack.
You can customize this Mac with some great extra options after you select your Mac mini. You have the choice to use...
The Apple Mac mini - It Fits Anywhere And It is The Most Affordable Mac Ever!
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