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Review: XCM XFPS RateUp Adapter
XCM XFPS RateUp Adapter
Manufacturer: XCM
Site: Buy from Play-Asia
Price: $89.90
Overview : Similar to the XFPS Sniper, this unit will allow you to connect a keyboard and mouse to your Playstation 3 (PS3) console for the ultimate control in First Person Shooters. No more fumbling around with controllers, you can now point and shoot your way to victory! Play FPS's the way they were meant to be played and get an advantage over your competition! Also compatible with Playstation 2 controllers.
Features :
- Compatible with ALL Playstation 3 (PS3) games
- Compatible with ALL versions of Playstation 3 consoles (NTSC/US, PAL, NTSC/JAP)
- Allows you to map the controller button keys to any key of the Keyboard
- Compatible with 95% of different kinds of mice and keyboards.
- High sensitivity, high precision controls.
- Easily adjust the mouse sensitivity from 2 extra wheels with 16 levels of adjustment for X and Y sensitivity to adapt perfectly to your mouse.
- Built in Turbo (Auto Fire) functionality. Independent Auto fire buttons: Eight customizable auto-fire buttons (no soldering required)
- Plug & Play - Just connect the XFPS RATEUP to your Playstation 3 console and go! (No PC Required)
- Ease of use: Just use the original Playstation 3 controller to re-map itself to the keyboard.
- Both controller analog stick keys can also be mapped to the keyboard.
Quality/Usability : XCM has brought over its XFPS line over to the PlayStation 3. Like the XCM XFPS Sniper Plus for the Xbox 360, the XFPS RateUp allows you to connect a keyboard and mouse to your PlayStation 3. This brings the PC feeling of First Person Shooters or just the simplicity of point and click. Its as simple as plug and play.
Like the Sniper Plus for the Xbox 360, it uses keyboard and mouse. The size of the RateUp is the same as all other XFPS'. The RateUp offers X and Y axis dial which allows you to adjust the mouses sensitivity. There is also TURBO switches that lets you activate turbo for whatever button you desire. You can also program keyboards that corresponds to the buttons on the controller. However, rather than the bright and hideous colors, the RateUp comes in a clear blue casing. It looks a whole lot better to me personally. Knowing XCM and their track record, there will be newer RateUp's and I hope to see more clear colored casings.
Unlike the Xbox 360 versions, you do not need to connect your controller directly to the XFPS unless you're mapping the keyboard which will be discussed below. In order to get the XFPS RateUp to work, you need to set it to Controller 1. Your PS3 controller will already be set to Controller 1 already. To do this, simply flip the switch to DEFAULT and press F1 on the keyboard. This will bring up the PS3's menu. Just go to "Controller Settings" and change it to Controller 1. This will now bump your PS3 controller to a different slot. Now you can use your keyboard and mouse. You'll have to use the X and Y axis dials to adjust the sensitivity of the mouse to your likings.
To map keys to your keyboard, first you'll need to turn off the PS3 controller (SIXAXIS or DualShock 3). To do this, simply reset the controller by inserting a sharp object into the reset hole. Second, connect a USB cable to the PS3 controllers to XFPS RateUp. PS3 controller will be flashing and you are unable to move. Press the "PS" button to confirm and you are now able to move freely with the PS3 controller. To map buttons, set switch to "SET" and press "P" to Program. LED will now flash on RateUp. Press button you want to map such as the X button and now the LED next to "P" will flash rapidly. Now press the button you want on the keyboard such as the SPACEBAR to correspond to the X button on the PS3. The LED will now disappear. Your SPACEBAR will now act as the X button. Repeat this until you have completely mapped out your keyboard with buttons on the PS3 controller.
To map the mouse, you'll need to unplug the USB's keyboard and plug in the mouse. Repeat the same steps for mapping the keyboard. All thats left is for you to unplug the USB cable from the PS3 controller and plug back the USB of the keyboard.
You can use the XFPS RateUp with a First Person Shooter such as Call of Duty 4:
How about a fighting game? Or even a racing game. Cant forget the TURBO feature.
Conclusion : Overall, XCM XFPS Rateup Adapter works just like the XFPS on the Xbox 360. Its the same size, same layout, same design and offers the same range of features such as X and Y axis sensitivity, TURBO feature and the ability to map buttons. However, price is always a factor and the RateUp hits near the $100 mark. As mentioned above, XCM is known for releasing multiple upgraded versions of the same product. There are at least 5 version of the XFPS for the Xbox 360. Does that mean there will be multiple upgraded version for the PS3? Only XCM knows. If they can find something that they can improve on or make better, no doubt will there be a new updated version. I suggest XCM to come up with a way where current owners can upgrade the one they purchased via a firmware upgrade or something. Its ridiculous having to pay $90-100 for a new product at the time only to have a newer and upgraded version come out a couple months later. I can understand if it was a big difference but if its calibration, a simple firmware/software fix via USB should do the trick.
*UPDATE - 2/12/10* This will work with PS3 Slim.
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