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View Full Version : Review: Nyko GameFace 360



bandit
January 30th, 2007, 02:23
Nyko GameFace 360
Manufacturer: Nyko
Site: Buy from Nyko (http://www.nyko.com/nyko/products/?i=69)
Price: $20-28

Overview : Get your Game Face on! Personalize your Xbox 360 with the GameFace customizable faceplate and skin kit. This two piece faceplate houses personalized templates placed between a high-grade clear polycarbonate front plate and a stylized base plate. Download the easy to use design software at www.nyko.com and instantly create faceplates using your favorite game characters, images, photos, patterns and more. Print the final creations on the 15 blank templates using any home printer or try one of the 6 pre-printed designs also included in the kit. The templates fit snugly between the faceplate pieces and snap into place on the front of the Xbox 360. With the GameFace 360, you get everything you need to make up to 16 custom faceplates right away all from the comfort of home.

Features :

Personalize your Xbox 360 with your favorite game characters, bands, photos, drawings and designs
Includes base plate and clear front plate, 15 blank templates and 6 pre-printed designs
Includes easy-to-use Game Face software. Create and print your own designs
High quality construction, designed for easy installation and removal
Software downloadable here. Requirements: PC or Mac computer, internet connection, home printer


Minimum System Requirements :

PC with Windows XP/2000 or Macintosh with OS 10.2 or higher
Dial up/broadband internet connection and compatible browser
Home Printer (with 8 1/2" x 14" compatible tray)


Quality/Usability : One of the nice unique features of the Xbox 360 was the ability to customize your console faceplate. With that, Nyko released the GameFace 360 which retails for $20, to help those with a sense of creativity and those who want a unique system that is different from the rest.

The Nyko GameFace 360 consists of a silver back plate and a clear front plate. In between the two plates, you place one of six preprinted paper templates or a custom design printed on one of the 15 included blank sheets. Each paper template has punch-out holes for the Xbox 360's disc tray, memory card and all face ports.

Although the included preprinted templates are nice, they arent the best looking things. If you're looking to pick up the GameFace 360, you're not looking to get it for its preprinted templates but to customize it with your own style and image.

In order to print your own design to be used with the GameFace you must download the GameFace software from Nyko's Web site (http://www.nyko.com/nyko/products/?i=69). The software is compatible with Windows PCs and Macs. The software itself is fairly simple. Just download the program, extract it and start the application. Once the program has launched, a blank document in a shape of a faceplate is shown with a few editing options for you to choose from. The software allows you to import JPEG, GIF, Bitmap or TIFF files. Once you have loaded an image, you have the ability to rotate the image, scale the image, increase or decrease the contrast and brightness, inverting colors, adding grayscale and blurring images. The application is like a mini-Photoshop.

Speaking of Photoshop, if you happen to have the program on your computer, Nyko offers a downloadable PSD template (http://www.nyko.com/GameFace%20360%20Software/GameFace360_PhotoshopTemplate.zip) for you to use for you more advanced Photoshop users.

Printing the templates are easy. Removing the template off the template can take a little patience as they can tear easily. Once you have removed the template, placing the paper template on the clear faceplate may be difficult as it doesnt line up with perfectly and may result in the paper being creased. Removing dual faceplate/sheet combos is a little difficult as well since you wont be able to remove all three at the same time. Be sure to take your time as you only have a limited amount of templates (15) to play with.

Conclusion : Overall, the Nyko GameFace 360 is a great product for those who would like to give their Xbox 360 a unique and stylish look. Nyko offers a great range of flexibility when it comes to customizing the faceplate by either using their software or using Photoshop. Although you are limited to 15 blank templates, Nyko will be releasing replacement templates for those who have run out of the allotted 15.

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