Xbox 360 gonna have a qwerty controller?

We don't know what the deal is with the source of where image was supposedly snapped from, but apparently during a really janky lookin' Espanol Xbox 360 presentation, one slide showed off a qwerty keyboard-equipped controller. The translation, friends, is utterly shocking:

• QWERTY keyboard

• Attached to the controller

• Send text messages or chat during the game

[Thanks, Alvin]

[Cullen @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

unf. thats jackoff material for a WEEK. far better than that 'keyboard with a controller on either side' thing they had..

itll be 60$+ though. sigh.

[Joe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I remember from early on in all the online hype, there was some talk about the controllers having an additional port for "future hardware" which was then assumed to be a keyboard. I figured we'd see a normal sized keyboard that you would have to plug in, but this could REALLY assist Xbox 360 sales if M$ comes out with a small, detachable QWERTY keyboard to attach to the bottom of the controller (which is what this looks like)

[Aaron Sittig @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

The translation should really be more like "You attach it to the controller"

[eMarrs @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

They dont show any real pictures of this controller, but they do show a new remote, one wired controller, one wireless, and a plug-in wireless card for something. I dont know when texting would be better than just speaking, since xbox 360 will support voice chat.

[eric @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

This was snapped from a Microsoft presentation at Campus Party, a huge annual LAN party in Spain.

[Dougie Fresh @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

If you look above it, i think you can add a head set to the controller too... just a thought...

[Wildoman @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

The controller needs some work, I don't know anyone that would use that.

[VVV @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

yup it says you can attach the headset to it too

[jcsickz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Hi! I'm the xbox live communicator. Have we met?

[VVV @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

there's also a 8 frames per sec. cam

[funkonaut @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Ooh. A small keyboard for entering Bash commands! :-D

[Mike S @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

but how small would the keyboard be?

i hate small keyboards =/

[a.sintic @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I think it's a good idea and I hope it's real.

[mattb @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

umm... and this is useful because? we have the communicator - and we DEFINATELY don't need another Typing of the Dead... ugh

[Anthony @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

There is something similar to this that a 3rd party put out for the ps2. it has 2 cables coming out if it one for the controller and one for the keyboard (usb). It really sucks, the buttons are way to small to efficiently type and if i remember right it doesn't have a few of the standard keys. I am sure that the one in the article won't have any cables as the xbox360 controllers are wireless.

[epthegeek @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

A guy I know that works in a non-xbox division at MS was telling me about a QWERTY thumb board that plugs into an expansion slot on the player-side of the controller. Had a picture of it from a press kit. It looked just like that outline, so I'm guessing it's legit.

[kelley barry @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Yeh, i use a qwerty keyboard about like that everday and i find it pretty darn usable and i love it. it's called a treo.

i would greatly prefer this in a mmorpg than using the headset...

[Arch-360 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

thats not the only thing that was on those slides. Half-Life 3 anyone?

[cessar @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

it says it has a video camera

[woopadeedoo @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Great, but will it have HD-DVD at launch?

[anon @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I'll just point out the wired controller.... seems unfortunate... i was hoping that all the controllers would be wireless.

And yea i do see the half-life 3 Arch-360... kinda small type but looks like those are the graphics engines they are planning on supporting or something like that.

[TheBoob @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

HELLLOOOO!!! You don't have to speak espanol to know that "VIDEOCAMARA" means "VIDEO CAMERA" in English! Am I th eonly one who thinks that's a bit cooler than QWERTY? I mean, qwerty is cool and all, I especially like to type it (qwertyqwertyqwertyqwerty) but the ability to show victims my victory face (aka my OH Face) is far sweeter.

[haloman @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

That's sweet. I can palm a basketball and I have no problems typing on the QWERTY keyboards. Even if you do, you can still connect a keyboard to the 360 via the USB ports.

No HD-DVD at launch. They said they'll offer one, but probably not until you can actually purchase an HD-DVD movie. M$ is requiring that the audio and video in games use the new compression technology that Microsoft released as part of the new DirectX stuff coming out so as to maximize DVD space. One of those 3 cores is just going to be doing decompression. Sony isn't requiring compression, rather they are just using a large media format (Blue-Ray). Seems like a better idea except it'll cost more for the consumer for the BR drive as opposed to the standard dual layer DVD drive.

[MILES @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

You don't need to use a core for Compression? What have you been smoking?!

[Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Why does it use el mando, which babelfish says is "the control" for the headset and keyboard,and controlador for the microphone under the camera heading? And what's with the camera including a microphone anyway? Just a microphone, not a headset? Doesn't the system come with a headset? And people aren't getting excited about the video camera because it was announced a while ago, but the keyboard on controller thing is new.

[GWing_02 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

#19:

The reason on one's going gaga over the Video Camera aspect is that it's old news... :-/

[Dom @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

The Atari Jaguar LIVES!!!

[gmrc @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

The decompression isn't done by one of the CPU cores, but there is a dedicated piece of hardware used to decode compressed audio.

I'd assume there's a similar chip to decode compressed video, but I haven't specifically read that anywhere.

[Johnny Spanish @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

The translation makes it sound like the keyboard is not integrated with the controller but thats its an add-on.

[hobgoblin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

hmm, jaguar anyone?

[gmrc @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Yeah, the QWERTY keypad is an add-on.

The spanish reads "It connects to the controller" .. this sounds like a GREAT idea to me. I'll buy one of these add-ons for sure.

Can't wait!

[GunForHire @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Can't see the point when the Live communicator works so well on Xbox Live as it is.

[The Jeremy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Hey, don't knock the Atari Jaguar. The Pro version of the Jaguar controller (with the six action buttons) was awesome. Its too bad it didn't ship standard because I myself had warned a couple of the Atari employees back in 92 (Mike Patton, I believe his name was) that their controller needed six fire buttons. They had the three button controller hooked up to an Atari Falcon computer at the time (they were showing off the ports of Road Riot and Steel Talons) and it had not been announced it was going to be the standard Jaguar controller but it was obvious. The Atari employee scoffed at my suggestion, but considering he was a former word processing programmer (or something of that sort) he obviously had not kept up with the arcade sensation that was Street Figher II in the arcades at the time.

[Geoffrey Sperl @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Final Fantasy XI. The Xbox will need a controller like this for the FFXI players. Of course, I can't imagine how many new FFXI players are going to come from the Xbox, but it might be a few...

[console skeptic @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

i, for one, have sausage fingers and will have to look at the keyboard while i type on that thing, that means i gotta take my eyes off the action. therefore, straight typing on static menu screens with this peripheral may be tolerable for me, typing during gameplay however.....duhhh.. not a chance.
communication is best kept to the headsets, and if your wife/husband/boyfriend/girlfriend or guinea pig think you look like a dork, well, they are right, but screw them, they arent even ranked on XBL so, how can they even try to have an opinion, right?...hello?

(PLZ someone come up with a GOOD headset, im tired of looking like a telemarketer)

[Jared Roddy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I read somewhere that QWERTY is actually just the top 5 keys on a keyboard. That can't be true can it?

[Eran Hawke @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I LOVE IT! I'm not the biggest fan of the Xbox because I don't want to hear whiny 13 year-olds shouting vulgarities in my ear.

This reminds me of my Treo!

[Spartacus @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

LOL Jared Roddy. Look at the top left corner of your keyboard- that's where the name comes from. A QWERTY keyboard is a standard computer/typewriter layout keyboard.

[leojsoap @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

eww, I would rather just have a real bluetooth keyboard by my side, you'll have to look down to type anything with your thumbs, looks like another blind miss from M$

[Danny Boy @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Not the kind of keyboard i was hoping for... I was hoping for an official keyboard that i can use with FPS games lol..

[Oscar @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

I like both, the camera and the QWERTY Keyboard, let�s just hope it�s not too small because i hate when you press 2 keys with one finger on small keyboards.

[dj mirateck @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

bears somewhat of a resemblance to an ATARI JAGUAR controller:

http://www.atariage.com/controller_page.html?ControllerID=21&SystemID=JAGUAR

[CV @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

The keyboard's cool, but I'll be connecting a normal keyboard when I want to do typing. For those who can't figure out why you'd want a keyboard when you have an Xbox Communicator, there are a couple of reasons. One would be for typing in song titles when you're trying to rip CDs that aren't in the database. Also, it would be good when leaving messages for other players who are offline. I'd rather be able to make my thoughts more coherent with a text message instead of rattling stuff off verbally. I have Vonage and still don't use the phone a lot, even with unlimited long distance. I chat in IM all of the time, however. I'm sure many people prefer not to use their voice when they don't have to, and like the extra time between responses a text chat affords them. So yes, for Xbox Live, the Communicator is what most everyone is going to be using in-game, but I can certainly see uses for a keyboard.

Using a mouse will be nice, too. I assume a lot more Xbox Live Arcade games will come out that take advantage of a mouse and a keyboard. It really limits what they can release without those input options.

[Durinthal @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Keyboard integrated into the controller? It's been done: http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-13-71-23-77-2-15-keyboard-70-3no.html

[furtive boi @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

#37...You'll have to look down? Have you never learned where the keys are? Theres plenty of people who use treos and sidekicks and other phones with mini-thumb-only QWERTY's without so much as glancing down... youd be surprised how fast your thumbs can move across those lil suckers.

[Jesus @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Thats no wer near the xbox 360's controller... the 360's is basically exactly the same as the xbox but its silver'ish and the xbox simbol on the xboxs controller is now a on remote "on" switch 4 the 360 (NO MORE HAVING 2 GET UP AND SWITCH THE CONSOLE ON!!!!!)

[Harry @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Maybe its just a little detachable module that clicks in under the controller. That would be the most logical way to have the keyboard in that position.

Do the 360 controllers have a little port in the middle underneath where you could click in other modules. Like the keyboard, or thrust levers for a flight sim, or some other analoge thumb controls.

[Desiri @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

Here's more of the presentation:

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8862/Xbox-360-QWERTY-Keyboard-Revealed/

[dynamius @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

wow... didn't see this one coming. wonder what other kinds of controller add-ons they'll come up with.

[van @ Dec 19th 2005 1:02AM]

My initial thought was "what the f*ck is the point of this?" If it's purely for the sake of communication, then I'd have thought the headset would accomplish that job fairly efficiently. I've got nothing but good things to say about it myself.

BUT THEN WAIT! The keyboard could be used for obvious things like entering passwords and such, but more importantly it gets me thinking that the new version of Xbox Live will have the ability to send emails and the like (perhaps this has been announced already? I am teh slow). Very handy. I've always hated having to ask someone for their email address and then write the damn thing down. Would be much cooler to just access their profile on XBL and send them an email through that.

Even cooler would be if you could go to your friends list looking for someone to play PGR3 with, but you see that everyone's in Halo2. So you plug in the keyboard, pick a friend, type "hey f*cknut, get out of that POS game and come race wid meh!", and BAM it comes up on their screen just as their about to unload a rifle load into master chief.

I suppose it'd also be handy for people trying to play on XBL in a loud room; it's never cool to have someone's background noise pounding down through the headset.