Zboard: The Ultimate Gaming Keyboard

{mosimage articles/zboard.jpg}

This article was originally written by Kenneth “dReaMz`oN” Tan.

Finally after several different types of keyboards in the market, a new gaming keyboard emerges into the market. The ZBoard™, an elite gaming keyboard which was designed by gamers for gamers, it is unique in a way as it could be used for both gaming (First Person and Action) and normal daily use. It consists of three seperate parts, the base, standard keyset and the gaming keyset.

First off, the base is the most important piece in the set as you would need to mount the keysets on it. On the top right hand corner of the base has a reader in which it could detect which keysets is mounted on it, so you could switch keysets anytime you want and enjoy the functions of it.

A set of nine hot keys launch common functions such as E-Mail, Calculator and My Computer or allow you to instantly return to a pre-selected destination, such as a file, folder, program or web page. The base includes two additional USB hubs so you could plug in thumbdrive and other devices easily.

Frustrated by not being able to press the correct keys at the right time or not being able to reach that important key? ZBoard™ has the solution, the gaming keyset provides a better gaming experience by placing the frequently used keys into a position in which it is easy to reach and press. All buttons are labled clearly on the keys so you would know which keys are the one that you need to reach for in a glance.

The butterfly designs for movement controls are made in a way that one could enjoy hours of fun without feeling uncomfortable. A pre-defined list comes along with the keyset so you could enjoy games like Half-Life 2™, Medal Of Honor™, Doom3™ and Call of Duty™ with commands binded to it. To the right of the gaming keys and buttons are your normal QWERTY keys for easy chatting within a game.

The standard keyset is like your normal 108-keys keyboard but with enhanced features. The keys are labeled clearly to different common commands and window commands. The commands in green requires you to use the CTRL key for it to work (eg. Ctrl+v = Paste), while the white commands requires you to use the Windows® key to use (eg. Windows®+m = minimise all).

Zboard™ Special keys are located in the Pad (labeled in blue on the keys of the numeric keypad) and Bar (labeled as icons under the Function Keys F1-F12) areas of the Standard Keyset and feature easy access to advanced functionality inherent to Windows®® and Internet Explorer applications. The keyset includes other frequently used Windows® and Internet Explorer features such as Minimize/Maximize and Backward/Forward.

RTS and RPG players do not worry, you have not been forgotten, the ZBoard™ now comes with special limited edition keysets for great games such as World Of Warcraft™, EverQuest II™ and Civilization III™. All buttons are labeled clearly and most of the commands are binded to it, which even includes targeting a foe, looting and even emotes. This keysets would help a gamer to micro more efficiently and gives the user a greater advantage against other players as one would be able to give commands to more units in a shorter time.

Overall rating I would give is 4/5, some gamers might not get used to some of the keys as it is small in size, while some might not like the layout of it. It would be really useful for MMORPG players as all the keys are together in one section so one could access each button easily.