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New texting device for Phantasy Star. Why?
Chatpad be damned! You may have seen shots of the Blue Orb Texter device on Joystiq last year. Essentially, you plug your wired control into the Texter, plug the Texter into your Xbox 360, and your controller becomes a text input device ... of sorts. Applying colored labels to your controller, you input combinations of stick presses to produce different letters. If the charts above are any indication, it is exactly as difficult as it sounds. SEGA has taken it upon themselves to create a Phantasy Star Universe branded version of the device. It's the same device, although it has a spiffier label and comes with lots of PSU-related stickers and a code to redeem a free T-shirt. Though it is intended for use in PSU, it will work in any 360 interface that accepts USB keyboard inputs. Given that the 360 Chatpad will give players the same functionality with a simpler interface, we have to ask: why?If this question does not vex you as it does us, you may purchase the Texter for $39.95. Hit the "read" link to see a video of the Texter in action.
Texter enables button combinations for typing on PS2, Xbox 360
If you've ever wished there was a faster way to type out messages within a console video game system other than the painfully arduous process of manually selecting each letter on-screen -- or plugging in an external keyboard -- thank your lucky stars that a company has heeded your prayers. Blue Orb has just released what it calls the "Texter", a small dongle that attaches to your PS2 ($25) or Xbox 360 ($30) and allows you to type by using certain two-fingered button and joystick combinations for each letter. Of course, like any new input system, it'll take time before you've mastered the new combinations and can type whole sentences without having to bust out that Character Guide cheat sheet. First person using the Texter to type out "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" quickly, accurately, and without looking should get a prize, but we're betting that it'll take awhile to get to that point.[Via Textually]
Texter turns Xbox 360 controller into keyboard, sorta
Blue Orb's Texter transforms the Xbox 360's thumbsticks into a makeshift keyboard -- and comes with decals. The device plugs in between the console and gamepad, and registers as a USB keyboard. A simple double-click of the left thumbstick activates Texter, allowing users to bypass Xbox 360's clunky on-screen keyboard. But is Texter any more efficient?Unless you take the time to memorize the character inputs (see diagram above), we're not convinced Texter warrants a purchase. But given the limits of a controller, we should give Blue Orb points for being clever. (up-right, left) (right, up) (up-right, up) (right, up-right) (RB) (left, right) (RB) (left, left) (up-left, up-left) (up, up-right) (right, left) (right, left)?
