Xbox 360 Fanboy

Eagle-eyed fanboy reader lee\ sent in a tip telling us that our long awaited Chatpad (which was announced back in May) has been priced and now has its own page up on Xbox.com. The Chatpad will be part of what is called the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit which will also include a separate headset and retail for $29.99. No other new Chatpad news or surprises that we haven't already known are detailed as we'd still like to have a look at the separate headset. Though, we're banking on seeing all the goods later tonight. So fanboys, is $30 worth paying for this text input kit or will you pass and put the money towards a new game?

Update 1: We just found out (via some searching on Xbox.com) that the Messenger Kit's release date will be September 4th.

[Thanks, lee\]

Charles Huseman over at Gaming Nexus attended GamerscoreBlog's Road Tour event in Chicago, and got some hands-on time with the Chatpad, although not the retail version that'll hit shelves this summer. Charles said the Chatpad doesn't get in the way at all or messes up the weight balance of the controller. He also noted that the buttons are backlit for those who may be texting in the dark, with minimal impact on the wireless controller's battery life. Still no word on pricing or when we'll be getting it this summer.

The special headset packed with the Chatpad has yet to be seen. Either way, exactly 1/3 of X3F staff (We bet you can't guess who) is all about the IMing whilst gaming, to the point of having a USB keyboard handy to make use of the overlay window for quick conversations. Have any of you slowly warmed up to the idea of IMing while you game? Or would an accessory like this be necessary for you to make the jump?

Formerly known as the TID (text input device), the thumb board, and "that thingy," the Xbox 360 controller keyboard has received an official name. In the Spring Update help document (found by clicking the "Learn More" ad block on the Marketplace blade) the device is referred to as the Chatpad. Now all we need is a price and a release date.

We think it's a good name, though we were really warming up to calling it the TID. It's got that cool acronym flavor. Everyone likes three letter acronyms. Like X3F, right? Right? Guys ...?