Xbox 360 XIM3 goes on sale: Keyboard+mouse for the 360

So the XIM3 has just been released this week. For those that don't know what it is, it's basically a device that allows you to connect a keyboard and mouse to your xbox360 and play games with it. It functions by transcoding the keyboard and mouse signal to the standard controller so doesn't break any EULAs and can't be banned on Live... in theory. Even though the device is selling for $149.99 there's an insane amount of demand for it.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/05/xim3-xbox-360-keyboard-mouse-etc-adapter-goes-on-sale-imme/

Well I don't own a 360 but I can imagine how it can break pretty much every FPS on the xbox with online play. Won't take a few months before a few folks with one of these with any reasonable level of skill to steamroller everyone else. In fact, here's a video of someone with the device doing just that:



Your thoughts? Is this cheating? Should it be banned?

 

IMHO, this is a huge advantage over console players who are using a controller, just like how cross-platform FPS multiplayer never works, this will give an unfair advantage to the users of this device, so yes, it should be banned.

Is it a good thing otherwise? Not really, if you want to play with a keyboard and mouse, buy a PC.

 

I don't see how it will give an advantage if it is simply transcoding to the normal controller interfaces. movement of keys/mouse will be the same as movement of the control sticks, so exactly the same control method.

kb and mouse works better through the PC because the games use the controls differently.

 

TBH. I think this is a horrible recipe. In hardcore you can't miss bullets or you will be die. So given the mouses pinpoint accuracy coupled with as good as instant reloading, zero recoil, and very quick health regen all it will do is let the keyboard excel and in turn drive the casual gamers away from the likes of the Xbox.I like the idea of showing the console gamers what they are missing out on and might drive some of them to play on PC, but I can completely see where Sony/Microsoft are coming from with not giving the PS3 and Xbox support.

 

These devices have been around for a while, haven't they? I've certainly seen a few others which reportedly allow you use a keyboard and mouse on a console, though I've heard mixed reviews of them since console games don't directly support keyboard and mouse input, so they have to resort to their own hacks for them to work (and even then, it's still not the same as using a keyboard and mouse on a PC).

But yes, auto-aim and KB+M is a recipe for disaster. It begs the question though, if you are willing to pay $150 for something like this, why don't you just buy a decent graphics card instead and play the game on PC where you also get much higher resolution textures and dedicated servers?

 

tbh watching the video i would not guess the person playing was using a mouse and keyboard, you learn to use what you have and the argument that one is better than another is just stupid just like any fan boy argument over platform of choice is also stupid.

personally i don't see the point of buying an xbox then spending the cost of the console again just to use a keyboard seems a little stupid.

 

Im skeptical it will give such a big 'advantage'. It mite give a marginal accuracy increase by using the mouse to aim, but in all the videos I'v seen of people using them you would hardly say they are performing that much better than a person using a standard controller. Also, I dont see how people can suggest these should be banned when using a gaming headset - like a turtle beach and so forth - gives a much greater overall gaming advantage than the difference between a keyboard and mouse vs controller. I mite be wrong, but we'll see

 

As others have said, it's kinda pointless and can't work the same way as a 'real' keyboard and mouse. A PC mouse works with basically 1:1 mapping of movement for movement of the cursor, sticks work with holding a direction until you face the way you want to.

I'm sure it'll help feel more natural for those used to PC FPS, but the ones released in the past for Xbox failed, I'm sure this will too, especially at that price :S

 

Have you watched any of the tech demos? It gets around those problems...

 

I dont see the problem really, these 'devices' have been around for ages, and tbh i dont see why it should be banned, surely thats like saying steering wheels should be banned on consoles, because they offer an unfair advantage over controllers?

 

Give me a console with native keyboard and mouse support and I might have to re-think my hatred towards console gaming. I just can NOT use the damn pads, but I do like the idea of just playing games instead of hardware updates and driver problems and all the bs that sometimes hit the fans with PCs.

 

Such devices have been around for as long as they 360 itself, how's this one special?

 

£150 :O

jeezus!
more than an actual xbox 360

 

Are these for sale in the UK?

Saw someone had bought one on another forum, but got it shipped from the US:

"I paid $219 then you'll have to pay vat @ 20% when it hits customs. I chose the most expensive P&P and insurance though."

$219 and then some?? Jeez....

 

i suppose the games in which these will be used is entirely casual.

whilst these games are competitive the majority of the players dip in and out for short sessions.

i wonder if there are any players who play with clans competitively on the xbox have any say.

This is the kinda of area where small differences count, not with the majority of players.

 

I looked into these devices a while back and found that the biggest problem with all of the ones I could find information on was the way the handled the mouse movement.
The resolution was so bad that trying to hit anything smaller than a tank sized object was extremly difficult, hitting a person was virtually down to luck and headshots or other precision tasks were just about impossible.

Presumably its a question of translating the relatively short travel of the gamepad stick into mouse movement. If you compare how much travel there is with a mouse to go from one side of the screen to another with how much you move the gamepad stick I suppose if the device does a poor job of translating the movement then you will end up with a real mess.

Here is the link to my post on this issue:-

http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=175896

There is another thread on the same subject from about the same time that had someone tear apart a gamepad and rebuild it to get it to work properly which I can't find at the moment. Frankly it seemed like an awful lot of effort for iffy results, I'll post the link if I can find it.

 

can someone explain to me how this works?

with kb+m, you can spin around 180 quickly. but if you are trying to transcode mouse movement into joystick controls, surely there is a maximum turn-rate that is limited by the game. so how can you play normally like using native mouse+kb?

 

Yes that is the case. In the game you have to set all the sensitivity settings to high so that the max turn is as high as possible. However there is still a max, the device will indicate when you are approaching it so when you are getting used to it you are aware of the point it is to adjust in future.

@Johnny, the one you linked looks like only hardware, so it doesn't eliminate deadzones or account for acceleration. This one says it eliminates them with software so makes precision aiming possible.


You know all these questions are answered on their website?

 

Be interested to hear first-hand experience if anyone gets to play with this.

I mostly play shooters on the PC, but would like to play the odd one on the Xbox (like Monday Night Combat), and I just can't play with the damn joypad, it's too.... yeck....

 

Nothing new, but tbh, just get a gaming pc. the graphics still look **** on the 360 compared to PC.