ZBoard Gaming Keyboard Review - PAGE 3

The FPS & DOOM 3 Keyset

Unlike those ridiculous testimonials where reviewers are claiming that a mousepad or a mouse is increasing their frag count I will make no such claims. The keyboard is versatile controller for gaming because it has a lot of buttons and allows for the relative complexity of computer games compared to a console game. As a veteran FPS player, I do not think I appreciate how daunting it can be to learn to play a FPS game. DOOM 3 is surprisingly one of the more simple FPS games in recent years but still requires close to twenty buttons excluding weapons. When I was playing with a clan for Team Fortress there was no button on my keyboard that was unmapped as either a communications bind or as a duplicate button for faster weapon switching faster.

Ergonomically, the button layout for the DOOM 3 keyset is pretty well thought out as all the specialty buttons are within a good distance. The key difference between the DOOM 3 keyset and the generic shooter keyset is the loss of 4 buttons at the near the bottom of the shooter keyset. As mentioned, DOOM is a relatively less complicated game than many other FPS games so the four buttons there may just complicate things. I use a pretty weird button layout with mouse1 as forward and mouse2 as back so my keyboard liking does not conform to the standard WASD movement model. Playing with the DOOM keyboard using the config layed out on the keyboard was not bad. Besides, the WASD cluster, all the bottoms are convex instead of the usual indented/concave structure of keyboards which gives the buttons a slightly unnatural feel.

Personally, I think that the FPS keysets would make great trainers for people just getting into FPS gaming. I had a friend over to play some DOOM and he was just baffled by the key layout because computer game configurations are not very intuitive. The key density is the same for the generic shooter keyset compared to a regular keyboard so there is no inherent disadvantage in using the Zboard. I do not know how useful the FPS specific keysets are for the veteran player. I think it comes down to personal preference more than anything else but I am sure that veteran players could get used to them too after investing some time into them if they are unhappy with the default keyboard.

Some of the other keysets available for the Zboard are interesting like the Civilization keyset. I play those types of games occasionally and I can admit that my knowledge of the keyboard shortcuts for those type of games are lacking at best. There are keysets available that are not gaming related including a Photoshop keyset amongst others. Again these could make good trainers for people that are unaccustomed to a specific program's keyboard shortcuts.

Conclusions

Ideazon has a pretty neat product with the Zboard. At the most basic level it is a quality keyboard that I would not hesitate to use on a regular basis as the buttons have a great feel. The multimedia software is not quite perfect but it does work well. A different set of problems exist in the drivers behind a bigger brand like Logitech so Ideazon is not exactly lagging behind in that department. The on keyboard USB ports are a nice touch although they are unpowered.

The ability to swap in keysets is the key selling point for the Zboard. The physical installation of the keysets is surprisingly smooth. Swapping between keysets is not a problem at all; there is a small scan time for the Zboard software to determine what keyset is plugged in. The keyset update seems pretty slick with an one button direct download.

The actual shooter keyset is the hardest part to evaluate and the best advice that I can offer end users is to try out the button layout at a store. Like I mentioned before, the standard keyboard keyset has the same layout as any other keyboard and the keys feel very good. The FPS keyset will take some time for the veteran player to get used to; I do not think that the transition between a regular keyboard and the Zboard setup will be too hard for the typical WASD user. The Zboard should be a great tool for the uninitiated FPS player as the labeling of the buttons will make things a lot more intuitive for the beginner. The Zboard also has potential in the office or home environment with some of the business oriented keysets that illustrate shortcuts for Photoshop right on the keyboard. At 50$, the Zboard is not cheap but it is a good solid keyboard and it will help both Windows users and those starting to dabble in games get the hang of the complex control schemes associated with PC gaming.