I got a 360 for christmas and I'm sucking pretty bad at the controller thing. Have any of you tried a keyboard/mouse mod?


I found a device here, but the fucking thing costs $100. Anyone used it?

http://www.extreme-mods.com/XCM-XFPS-3-0-Sniper-Plus-p/xb360-xcmxfpssniperplus.htm




[Edited on December 30, 2008 at 3:53 PM. Reason : and it's got a 1974 yellow tint.]

12/30/2008 3:51:46 PM

jesus christ its a console. if you aren't going to use the controller just buy the games on PC since they come out on PC anyways

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

12/30/2008 3:55:37 PM

Eh.


The games look better on the console.


anyone else?

12/30/2008 3:57:38 PM

if you're using a mouse and playing online, you are cheating. same with like auto triggers and any other 'mod'.

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

12/30/2008 4:04:48 PM

Helpful information, you say? Why yes, I can do that. I'm a video game "control" freak - I love to build control devices.

I would absolutely NOT recommend that XFPS. All of the XFPS family devices are craptacular. Seriously, do not buy it; I speak from personal experience. I have one, but only because I had to get it to build into my XIMv1 device. XIM is king of this field, hands down. You can read about the first incarnation of it here:

http://obsiv.spaces.live.com/blog/

The original XIM required the XFPS to defeat the 360's hardware encryption, but it also slowed down poll rate time to about 30ms. The new XIM2 does not require the XFPS, and there's <5ms (if even that) poll rate lag. XIM2 has been out for a few months now, but the kits have either been "do it yourself" builds or have been prebuilt in VERY short supply. The new XIM site is here:

http://xim360.com/

The new XIM2 is built directly into a wired 360 controller, as the circuit board is overlaid onto the controller's circuitry. Demand has been extremely high and construction is a LOT more complicated than the XIM1, so the dev team came up with a new build which will be on sale hopefully before the end of January. The price won't be cheap, though - expect to drop at least $150 for a prebuilt.

I have played many FPS type games with my XIM1, and I've had a much better experience using it than I ever would with a stupid control pad. I absolutely cannot play shooters with a pad since I just flat out don't have the same motor skill to be as precise as I can be with a mouse. Some games I have which work well with the XIM include Call of Duty 4 (almost perfect PC-like control), Battlefield: Bad Company, Left 4 Dead, and Halo 3. I am anxiously awaiting the XIM2 as it is supposed to be much more responsive and has greater configuration than the XIM1. I'd definitely recommend going to the XIM website and watching some of the movies people have uploaded.

[Edited on December 30, 2008 at 4:20 PM. Reason : typo]

[Edited on December 30, 2008 at 4:21 PM. Reason : typo]

[Edited on December 30, 2008 at 4:21 PM. Reason : stupid link tag!]

12/30/2008 4:20:21 PM

hello friend.

12/30/2008 4:36:21 PM

cheaters

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

12/30/2008 5:22:54 PM

And extremely proud of it.

McCoy: Lieutenant, you are looking at the only Starfleet cadet who ever beat the no-win scenario.
Saavik: How?
Kirk: I reprogrammed the simulation so it was possible to rescue the ship.
Saavik: What?
David Marcus: He cheated.
Kirk: I changed the conditions of the test; got a commendation for original thinking. I don't like to lose.

12/30/2008 6:34:07 PM

are you allowed to play on live with your cheater controllers?

12/30/2008 7:04:50 PM

how is this thing cheating? It is just a keyboard and mouse correct? Does it have like turbo keys or something?

12/30/2008 8:14:06 PM

Sure you can play online. Wouldn't be much point in having it if you couldn't.

And no, mine has no extra functionality. I know of one piece of software for the XIM which does use macros for some "gray area" type of functions, but I've never downloaded it. The way I see it, it's simply another control method for interacting with the game. Take a fighting game for example. You can choose to play Street Fighter with either a control pad or joystick. I'm going to choose joystick every day of the week and twice on Sunday because I get substantially better motor control response with it. (And by the way, I've rigged up my arcade stick in conjunction with my XIM for when I play Street Fighter and any other fighting game.) Does that mean that everyone is going to want to use a joystick, though? Of course not, some people prefer the pad. There's nothing about the device which gives me an unfair advantage - it's all personal preference. Does being able to use the mouse and keyboard make me a better player? Undeniably so, but not any more so than an average control pad player. There are kids who play Halo and are so good with the pad that they absolutely destroy me with my mouse. That's totally fine with me - they are better with that control scheme than I am with mine.

Whenever I play, I'm not out to pwn n00bs or any stupid shit like that. I just want to have fun with the game and enjoy the time I put into it. I don't enjoy for a second playing any shooter with a pad, so I have adapted the controls to accommodate my preference.

12/30/2008 8:28:11 PM

I hate online games where people play unrealistically, like jumping constantly and just randomly running... I was there was a really really realistic one out there

12/30/2008 9:29:50 PM

maybe cheating is the wrong word, but its definitely a handicap

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

[Edited on December 30, 2008 at 9:39 PM. Reason : nope i checked the encyclopedia, cheating is the word]

12/30/2008 9:39:20 PM

And yet, even after over a year and half of publicity, Microsoft hasn't done anything about this for the simple reason that any of these types of "control translators" still has to use and transmit instructions through an official Xbox 360 controller. It's the exact same thing which is done with a joystick, another type of "control translator."

I remember a very fun game named Silent Scope which was in the arcades a few years ago. The game had its own cabinet with a mounted rifle and optical display in the rifle. When that game was ported to the home console, something just plain wasn't right. Because the PSX didn't have the same input device, the programmers thought it'd still work OK with the control pad. Suddenly a great and somewhat innovative game became obnoxiously difficult to play because of its interface. I feel the same way about almost all FPS games. I choose not to play with a device which is innately slower to respond and requires considerably more fine motor control than another device which I am much more capable of using.

The main reason Microsoft is so keen on keeping peripheral control rights on the 360 is because they want to be able to license out the ability for them to be made compatible with the hardware. They want money, which makes perfect sense and I don't begrudge them that. However, come to think of it, I've spent a great deal more money on 360 games because of this XIM device than I would have if I was restricted to using the control pad. Just like with Street Fighter, these are games which were originally intended to be played with a particular type of peripheral. Old habits die hard.

12/30/2008 10:23:00 PM

^ true, there are a ton of FPS games that I would have purchased for Xbox if it had a mouse/keyboard

12/30/2008 10:52:13 PM

Why wouldn't you just get the PC version of the same game?

Consoles have always been PC's without keyboards and mouses. Never understood why people try to use mouses for consoles or gamepads (or whatever the bollocks they are called) for PCs. Okay.

Joysticks are one thing because it makes sense for flight sims games. Car wheels/Fishing rods are retarded, but it makes sense. Unless you are using a gun & boots for your controller in FPSes, you are cheating, and should probably be playing on PC anyways. You're probably the kid who always whips out the shotgun in Knife Only servers. Look at me, i don't have the patience to learn how to melee i'm just going to up my stats by using this handicap that i'm used to using.

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

12/31/2008 12:34:55 AM

If a keyboard/mouse is such a handicapp, why do all these damn console freaks talk shit? I mean if a fan-boy is all about his controller, then he should agree that a keyboard and mouse isn't superior.


All this assumes you dont mod a turbo button on the keyboard, of course.

12/31/2008 9:10:05 AM

I agree, if they want to use a keyboard and mouse let them. I much, much prefer a controller any day. (keyboards are too crampy for WASD). I really don't see the cheating aspect of using a control method you are comfortable with.

12/31/2008 9:25:59 AM

i personally find it easier to play FPS's with keyboards and mouses, but i still use a controller for my 360.

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

12/31/2008 10:45:48 AM

Quote :

"Why wouldn't you just get the PC version of the same game?"

Hmmm. Games with which I use the XIM:

Title/PC/360
Call of Duty 4/check/check
Battlefield: Bad Company/NA/check
Gears of War 2/NA/check
Halo 3/NA/check
Left 4 Dead/check/check
Soul Calibur/NA/check
Street Fighter II HD/NA/check

These are just the games which I'm currently playing. There are many others past and future which I am certain will see limited release on the PC and much wider if not exclusive release on the 360.

Quote :

"Unless you are using a gun & boots for your controller in FPSes, you are cheating, and should probably be playing on PC anyways."

Couldn't this same argument also be used against control pads?

Quote :

"You're probably the kid who always whips out the shotgun in Knife Only servers."

LOL. Few things bore me any faster than those kind of matches. In-game exploits which blatantly take advantage of the game's mechanics are no fun because it imbalances the playing field. The reason I choose to use a keyboard and mouse is that it brings my skills up to a level where I am at a comparable level against all other competitors. Whereas I might be at about 15% effective with a control pad, now I can at least be 55% effective with the mouse. I make no claim that having a keyboard and mouse makes me a better player than anyone else. It's just simply another type of interface which allows me to have the level of control with which I am most comfortable. I don't have any macros or turbos or any other such programmable because that truly would be taking advantage of the game's engine.

Quote :

"I much, much prefer a controller any day. (keyboards are too crampy for WASD)."

I love this keyboard for that same reason.



[Edited on December 31, 2008 at 7:10 PM. Reason : table]

12/31/2008 7:08:42 PM

Quote :

"Whereas I might be at about 15% effective with a control pad, now I can at least be 55% effective with the mouse. "

...and how is this not cheating if not everyone has the option to use whatever controls they want? Keyboard/mouse is easier for almost everyone, it's not just what you feel most comfortable with. (Personally I hate using the keyboard and mouse for games because it's just too fucking easy -- there's no immersion. But that's a different issue.)

You're getting a handicap that others don't... why not just spend your time learning a different control scheme and get good at the way the system is meant to be played, like everyone else out there?

12/31/2008 9:40:26 PM

Quote :

"The reason I choose to use a keyboard and mouse is that it brings my skills up to a level where I am at a comparable level against all other competitors."

isn't this the definition of cheating? The bottom line is that with a mouse you have much more control than a controller. There is no possible way you couldn't. There is no possible way that using a mouse isn't a handicap. Stick it out for a week and try to use a controller like everyone else. We are not all FPS gods i'm sure you can get a few kills with the oh so simple controller.

Quote :

" LOL. Few things bore me any faster than those kind of matches. In-game exploits which blatantly take advantage of the game's mechanics are no fun because it imbalances the playing field."

what? how are knife only servers an exploit? no one makes you join them. (i'm talking about games with dedicated servers)

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

12/31/2008 9:44:17 PM

Quote :

" I love this keyboard for that same reason. "

Will definitely look into that. Looks sweet. Thanks.

12/31/2008 10:15:53 PM

Quote :

"The reason I choose to use a keyboard and mouse is that it brings my skills up to a level where I am at a comparable level against all other competitors. Whereas I might be at about 15% effective with a control pad, now I can at least be 55% effective with the mouse."

if you prefer mouse/keyboard to a controller, that's fine. I just can't believe you suck THAT bad at using a controller that you have to mod your shit just to compete. I also don't understand how you can say that a mouse isn't a form of cheating/handicap yet it increases your skill in a way that normal gamers can't benefit from.

12/31/2008 10:25:26 PM

Quote :

"...and how is this not cheating if not everyone has the option to use whatever controls they want?"

The way I see it is that if anyone really wanted to, then they could also use the same control method. There's not a thing other than finances stopping them from building/buying one of these same devices. The information is not even remotely a secret. I don't hide that I have this device. Going back to a previous example, if we were talking about Street Fighter, what would stop a person from going to their local Gamestop and buying a joystick controller so that they could have the same type of precise control which I do? Only finances. Or how about Ace Combat? The flight stick and throttle would be the control of choice, if you can afford it. To quote a Japanese proverb, "There is no price too high to pay for personal satisfaction." It's the same reason why people buy $100,000+ cars - because they prefer something superior to a Ford Focus.

Quote :

"You're getting a handicap that others don't... why not just spend your time learning a different control scheme and get good at the way the system is meant to be played, like everyone else out there?"

I'd say the best answer for that is because I've been using control pads with FPS games since the first Doom game came out on the PC back in 1993 when I first got to NCSU. While the interface has changed with the form factor of the different controls, I didn't like it back then, and I still don't like it now. I don't play competitively, and with what little free time I have to play games, I like to be able to interact with them in a manner of my choosing.

Quote :

"what? how are knife only servers an exploit? no one makes you join them. (i'm talking about games with dedicated servers)"

No, no, that's not what I meant. A knife-only server could be a selectable game mode. I meant an exploit like wall clipping or invincibility. Being able to exploit a knife-only server with a shotgun, that's what I meant when I said that's no fun.

Quote :

"I just can't believe you suck THAT bad at using a controller that you have to mod your shit just to compete. "

Well, it's a fact. It is incredibly frustrating to consistently miss shots by a broad margin with the controller that you are certain you could at least have a fighting chance to make with the mouse. Halo 1, multiplayer, Boarding Action, sniper rifles only is quite possibly the best example of this I can ever think of.

By the by, this isn't a mod for the 360 itself. It's simply a peripheral. No part of the Xbox hardware has been changed in any way.

1/1/2009 1:20:34 AM

just try to use a controller... its really not that complicated

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

1/1/2009 2:07:35 PM

No, it's not. Nor is it as precise or as responsive as I would like.

1/1/2009 2:20:53 PM

lol what a cheater

1/1/2009 2:34:35 PM

no one else seems to have a problem with it

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

1/1/2009 2:43:22 PM

Talk about appropriate timing - preorders for XIM2 prebuilts just went up. They're shipping out January 12th. This one should be a huge improvement over the one I built.

1/1/2009 5:54:38 PM

Quote :

"No, it's not. Nor is it as precise or as responsive as I would like."

You know, you can up the sensitivity in the options.

1/1/2009 6:07:57 PM

people with little girl hands are cheaters because their hands fit on the controller better than mine

1/1/2009 9:23:38 PM

fuck controllers i got this thing i put on my head and i just think about where i want to shoot and motherfuckers die

I'm Big Business and i approved this message.

1/2/2009 12:10:11 AM

wow, really splitting some hairs in here, eh?

1/2/2009 12:55:08 AM

Quote :

"?. Optimus Keyboard, Art Lebedev Studio $??? We couldn’t finish a keyboard list without the OLED Keyboard. We’ve heard rumors it’ll cost $1200, but where will the OLED screen keyboard really place on the list of most expensive keyboards when it comes into production? So far, there have only been 3d renderings, but it has been reported a working model will debut at CeBIT later this month."

1/2/2009 9:10:25 AM

Quote :

"if you prefer mouse/keyboard to a controller, that's fine. I just can't believe you suck THAT bad at using a controller"

1/2/2009 12:17:30 PM

aye. after playing comp games for a while it does take a week or two to get back into the controller swing, but once you are there it isnt a big deal.

1/3/2009 3:26:36 PM

Got my new XIM 360 today. I can already see that it's vastly superior to the first generation XIM. My control scheme in Left 4 Dead, which is so far the only game I've experimented with, is significantly more accurate than with my old device. I can't wait to see what I can do with it in Bad Company, especially since now I can pick up the controller and drive when I get in a vehicle.

2/10/2009 9:23:04 PM

Quote :

"Eh. The games look better on the PC console. anyone else?"

It is widely accepted that games almost always look better on the PC. There are some exceptions. Bad ports like GTA4, but in general this is usually true. Although this is only so if you're able to turn all the settings up (better AA, better filtering, more advanced lighting, etc).

And another thing. Just because it's a PC doesn't mean you have to hook it up to a small monitor. Our HTPC is hooked up to our 42" and plays games great with a 360 controller. Most of the big 360 games also come out for PC so i just get them for PC and play them on the tv with a 360 controller always at 1080p with better quality.

2/10/2009 11:53:28 PM

Quote :

"Never understood why people try to use mouses for consoles or gamepads (or whatever the bollocks they are called) for PCs. Okay."

Late, but...

The people that want the keyboard/mouse combo for their console probably don't have a PC that's good enough to push the game they want to play. And I use a 360 controller for my PC because I'm sitting out on this generation of consoles.

2/11/2009 9:08:48 AM

Quote :

"gamepads (or whatever the bollocks they are called) for PCs. Okay.""

Any xbox 360 controller (plus guitar) also works with a pc, and with the same games it plays the exact same as on the actual 360. The only difference is the PC is going to look better on an HDTV than a console.

In my opinion some games work better on gamepad and some on mouse/keyboard. FPSs are almost always better with a mouse, while racing/3rd person games are sometimes better with a gamepad (where aiming isn't essential, or auto-aim takes over).

2/11/2009 1:37:43 PM