 Review By: Jared Black |
Developer: | Adesso |
| Publisher: | Adesso | |
| Genre: | Hardware | |
| ESRB: | N/A | |
| # Of Players: | 1 | |
| Online Play: | N/A | |
| Accessories: | N/A |
Keying in data using a console controller has never been fun. Given the fact that both the PS3 and Xbox 360 support USB keyboards, and I’ve never owned a USB keyboard before, that was my real motivation behind wanting to try out Adesso’s wireless USB keyboard/mouse solution. Not only does it work well with both of those consoles (especially the PS3), but very surprisingly it also functions as a decent mobile PC keyboard/mouse combo as well.
As you’d guess from the product name, the keyboard’s two biggest selling points are that it’s wireless and it features a trackball. The wireless range is certainly impressive, and held up as far away as I could take it inside my home. However, I frequently had keystrokes that never registered, even when I was sitting right beside my PC, but I think that’s more due to the fact that the keys themselves feel a little cheap and occasionally stick for a second or two after they’re pressed. They are soft however, and register a satisfying click when pressed, but on the whole they aren’t quite as responsive as I would like.
As for the 800 dpi trackball, it always worked well in my tests, although it took some getting used to since I’m not a regular trackball user. Together with the mouse buttons though, it makes a very convenient addition. The top right and left-hand corners of the keyboard are rounded off, making it easy to hold the keyboard like a controller at the top of the device. Above the trackball is a shoulder button that acts as a left mouse button, while on the left-hand side are left and right mouse buttons, along with a shoulder button that acts as a scroll wheel. Together they do a great job of emulating all of the functionality of a regular trackball mouse, making it very easy to kick back and perform basic functions (or play mouse-driven games) that only require mouse interaction.
Put these two features together, and you’ve got a versatile keyboard/mouse combo that frees you from the keyboard and mouse sitting on your desk. In fact, as I type this sentence, I’m kicked back in my office chair, feet propped up on an ottoman, and facing the TV to the right of the computer with the keyboard on my lap. I'm especially comfortable doing this because it's ergonomically designed to fit well in your lap, with contours wrapping around your legs to hold it in place.
Another nice feature of the keyboard is the hotkeys, which include keys for default back and forward buttons, browser, email, My Computer, and multimedia keys. These play well to the keyboard’s strengths in casual use, as one can easily surf the web, watch a movie, listen to music, and even check email from a more comfortable location.
I mentioned console use earlier, and indeed it works with both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. On the PS3, it’s easy to navigate the crossbar interface simply by moving the trackball and left-clicking to select menu options. In fact, the entire crossbar can easily be controlled with it (great design decision by Sony), and even basic video functions are easily accessible since right-clicking brings up the context menus. I particularly liked how I could roll the trackball to rewind or fast-forward videos, increasing the speed of it the more I moved the trackball in that direction. It also makes using the PS3’s built-in web browser easier, as you can key in website addresses without having to use the clunky on-screen pad. Finally, it makes the PlayStation Store interface easier to navigate as well, whereas it’s usually a little cumbersome to navigate using a standard controller.
Add all of these together, and this is almost a must-have accessory for anyone that uses their PS3 to regularly surf the web or watch videos. On Xbox 360, I was only able to use it for data entry in my tests, but this device could still come in handy during the initial setup of the console.
Unfortunately, there are a few things that prevent it from being an ideal desktop keyboard replacement. First and foremost, any numbers cruncher will be sad to hear that the number pad has been removed completely. Instead the keyboard has a laptop-style number pad as alternates of many right-hand side keys, but most people I know (myself including) have never been as comfortable using that as a true number pad. It also moves the print screen key (and a couple others) to a function key, which makes taking screenshots (important to me) unwieldy. Also, the size of most keys in general has been reduced, and even now I still hit the wrong key from time to time as a result.
Finally, on my PC (and I assume all XP machines) the keyboard would stop functioning anytime my PC went into standby mode. Whether this is a drawback of all wireless keyboards or not I don’t know, but what it meant to me was that I couldn’t wake the PC up without hitting the power button. After that I then had to press the ID button on the USB dongle (which itself feels cheaply made by the way), and then press the ID button on the keyboard again in order for the PC to recognize it. If your PC doesn’t have USB ports on the front of it, this could be a big inconvenience.
Bottom Line:
The WKB-3000UB is a solid wireless keyboard, and its strengths far outweigh an occasional missed keystroke and the hassle of reconnecting it from time to time. Aside from a few missing/misplaced keys, it basically replicates the entire experience of a traditional mouse/keyboard setup, while giving you the freedom to move around as you wish.
If you’re in the market for a wireless keyboard/mouse combination for either your PC or PS3, this is an excellent choice.
| Pros: | Cons: | Final Score: |
|---|---|---|
|
| 8.1 |
Posted: 2007-03-06 20:37:41 PST