Magic Box XFPS Review

Review Written By Brakken
December 2005
Introduction

The Magic Box XFPS is a keyboard and mouse convertor for the Microsoft XBOX. It allows you oldschool gamers to get a feel of the "PC" and is very usefull in FPS games such as Halo or Half Life 2. The device itself is plug n' play and has two built in PS/2 ports for use of both devices of your choice. I had been waiting a while to test out a solution that would let you use your mouse and keyboard in normal games and thanks to Mod-Chip.com I am now able to kick some serious butt and most likely wont go back to the clunkly XBOX controller ever again.

Features

Keyboard & Mouse Support
PS/2 Interface
Plug N' Play Installation
Three Modes of Operation
Stylish Design
Built in Reactive LED's

Contents of the Box

XFPS Hardware
Instruction Manual
High Quality Packaging

The Installation Process

Well, since all you really need to do is find a PS/2 Keyboard and Mouse and then plug them into a controller port the installation process really doesn't need to be covered. Though, I tried to use three different mice with the USB -> PS/2 converter and none of them worked. I tried two LED mice and one laser mouse (Logitech MX510, MX1000 and some IBM mouse). It seems they cannot draw enough power through the line to turn them on or the device just might not support USB mice.

I found a normal two button PS/2 mouse with a scroll wheel and it worked fine. I also tested two "enhanced" Windows keyboards and one older "normal" keyboard and all three worked just great.

Operating the XFPS

Due to my personal preference I was at a disadvantage when it came to controlling the FPS games I tested on the XBOX due to the fact that I use the UP/DOWN pad instead of the A/D/W/S keys most people are accustomed to. Though, after a few hours of practice I got it down and was ready to kick some butt.

Basically, there are three predefined layouts you can chose from using the F9-F11 keys to switch between them. Unfortunately, you are not able to customize these controls and you are left to doing this using the built in key configuration in the game itself (if it supports doing so).

There was no lag and getting to use a mouse instead of the joystick improved my abilities ten fold when it came to aiming. I no longer had to really "think" about moving the XBOX's pads and it left me being able to concentrate on other things, such as group strategies which greatly improved my performance.

One problem with the FPS games is that converting a key-press to the analog signal doesn't recognize the pressure feedback that the original XBOX controller supports. So say if you're pressing left it will go as fast as it normally goes or if you're pressing left and up it will move sluggishly. Playing FPS games like Halo 2 that use the pressure option will result in more of a "box like" movement.

Now, even though it's called the XFPS it can be used on any game or application that you can boot on your XBOX. It is great for strategy games, RPG's and also applications such as Linux. It is also very useful for people who have modified their console, but haven't added USB support yet.

Final Words

The device works as intended to with no lag and due to it's Plug N' Play installation the XFPS is a very easy to use device. If you haven't installed any other type of USB adapter that will allow you to control normal games it is a great solution. Even though it doesn't use USB you can still get a keyboard and mouse up an running in no time.

I am left feeling a bit dull though about it's boxy movement and lack of manual key mapping, but other then those two aspects it's a solid device.

Links

www.mod-chip.com - Excellent World Wide Source for the XFPS!

-=[ Magic XFPS Review Discussion Thread ]=-

Product(s) were received from the website above. ISO-420 will always link back to whomever sent the product(s) *respect*, but please remember that the reviews are independently written by our staff and are not subject to alteration by whomever supplies us with the product(s).