The Antagonist has 9 chronicles

1. Xbox 360 Messenger Kit Review
   

   Player Chronicle -- Posted on Jan 17 2008

   In the last couple of weeks I have begun to realise that gaming isn’t always about games and consoles, it’s also about accessories. The amount of accessories coming out for the Xbox 360 has been phenomenal, keeping up with the vast quantities there are for handhelds. So I have decided to take a break from reviewing games, and review an accessory of choice. Hopefully I can bring more of these hardware reviews as time goes.
   
   Since the last update to the 360 dashboard my Windows Live ID along with all of its contacts has been reachable from my 360. This was mostly a great feature Microsoft added, I only had one complaint. When I’m in the middle of let’s say playing Halo 3 and a message pops up saying Jared has sent you a message, there is nothing harder than trying to type out a long response on the virtual onscreen keyboard as well as not die in your game. To combat this inconvenience I went out and purchased the Xbox 360 Chatpad.
   
   Essentially the chatpad is a tiny keyboard that you can plug right into the bottom of your controller, as appose to having a bulky usb keyboard plugged in to your console. The chatpad plugs right into the bottom of your controller where your wired microphone would normally plug in. The chatpad is just the perfect size you would want. It’s not too small that it would be hard to hit individual letters on the keyboard and it’s not too big causing extra weight or unwanted bulkiness. Although the pad its self is not overly big it does cause a bit of discomfort while holding the controller. Your fingers that would normally wrap around the side grips of the controller now must lay flat against the bottom of the chatpad. Once you play with it on for a while you will get use to it and wonder how you gamed without it. But once you take it off it will be very difficult to get use to having it off. If you plan on buying this accessory I suggest you use it in one of the following ways. Either play with it on all the time of just plug it in when you have to send a message. Switching it in and out will cause extreme discomfort all the time when handling your controller.
   
   When you go to plug in your chatpad for the first time, you will notice that your regular headset will not connect to the bottom of the chatpad. Thank goodness the chatpad comes with its own head set that will. The only downside to this is where the mute and unmute button is located on the new headset. Instead of having it right by the controller a thumb’s reach away, it is located on the wire running from your head to the controller. So now every time you want to must your microphone you have to fumble with the wire in search for this little command button. So for those of you who only like to have your microphone unmuted when you are talking, such as myself, you will need to come up with a different way to work the microphone system.
   
   When you actually get to the keyboard itself, it really does enable you to operate around your contacts with ease. It is a full keyboard with “qwerty” style lettering, and also contains symbols which can be reached thanks to the two color buttons. The two color button turns regular keys into different symbols such as @ or ?. Also as soon as you press any key the entire chatpad will light up thanks to its backlight system which enables you to type to your friends while you are sitting in the dark watching your favourite DVD. Perhaps the best feature of the chatpad is the Windows Messenger button on it. This button works similarly to the Xbox 360 guide button, having multiple purposes for different times. If you push the button with no prompts on the screen it will take you right to a list of your contacts who you chat to instantly. If you press it when someone has sent you a message, it will bring up a small box on the screen which will enable you to still see what’s going on in your movie/game and still chat to your friend. If you have multiple conversations going you can use this button and switch through all your conversations on screen quickly. And just as a reminder it will flash knowing a new message has been sent to you in your conversations.
   
   As you can see the device itself is very useful in its application. The only things setting the Xbox 360 Messenger Chatpad back are the facts that: you have to use the less convenient microphone when it is plugged in, and it may be strange to grip the controller when constantly switching in and out the chatpad. Overall this is a great alternative to using the onscreen keyboard or a regular usb keyboard, but only necessary for the gamer that is using their 360 to chat with their Windows Live contacts.
   
   OVERALL: 7.8/10
   
   
   Features: 8.5/10
   
   Useability: 7.5/10

   
   

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The Antagonist has 2 comment s on this chronicle.

1. Eckho22
   Posted On Jan 18 2008

   I agree with Ben, this is a great review, very informative and it's definitely led me to believe that I should buy one of these things, seems like it'd make life a little easier.

2. BEN
   Posted On Jan 18 2008

   Awesome review and thanks for the insight! Keep these Chronicles coming and now that they're rolling through the homepage, you'll be seeing even more exposure
   
   I've wanted to get one of these, because messaging on XBL is so annoying when you have to click around the keyboard. This video game accessory review will help me alot, so thanks again!