Xbox 360 Fanboy

Allowing the use of a keyboard and mouse (or a Dual Shock) on the Xbox 360, the XFPS has created quite a stir here at 360 Fanboy. Hailed by PC using FPS fans as a godsend and decried by proponents of an equal playing field, it's a potentially controversial piece of hardware. When it comes to first person shooters, the advantages of a mouse and keyboard over a control pad cannot be denied, but is it fair for certain 360 players to have a distinct advantage over others? It's an interesting question, but ultimately the answer lies in how well the XFPS actually performs. We put the unit through its paces and see what it's worth.

The XFPS -- a nifty adapter that allows keyboard and mouse controls on 360 -- showed up on our front step today. We have to admit the UPS guy was crazy good at evading our automated Nerf turrets. Naturally we tore right into the package, revealing an ordinary cardboard box. Inside of that was the XFPS and some instructions. All in all, a fairly unexciting unboxing ritual. We'll be testing this sucker in short order to give you the lowdown on how well it works, so stay tuned.

Oh, and If you've been eyeing one of these for yourself, pay attention, because the very unit you see pictured above could be yours. Once we put it through its paces, the XFPS will be hastily given away in a glee inducing contest. Until then, just dream of effortless head shots.

We ran a story about Team Xtender's XFPS the other day and received some pretty strong reactions. People have mixed feelings about these adapters, which allow the use of a keyboard and mouse on the Xbox 360. On the one hand, you have PC faithful who would love to recreate their favorite control schemes on the 360. Others think that it provides an unfair advantage over control pad users -- some even suggesting that its use be blocked by a firmware update. We understand where both sides are coming from, but for the moment we're just going to say "game and let game." It's also worth noting that cross-platform gaming is going to become more and more common as the 360 and PC adopt Live Anywhere, so this issue isn't going away.

Anywho, TeamXtender has released several videos of the XFPS in action. The first video, embedded at the top of this post, shows you exactly what the XFPS does, as the tester fights the good fight with a little Call of Duty. Two other videos, embedded after the break, show us how the adapter works and how to program commands into your keyboard or mouse. We'll have a review of the XFPS in the future. In the meantime, watch these videos and tell us what you think.

You may recall us telling you about TeamXtender's XFPS 360 last month. The XFPS 360 is an adapter that allows you to use mouse and keyboard controls on the Xbox 360. For those of you who've been longing to get one for yourself (or that special someone as a present) look no further. The XFPS is now available for purchase from Video Game Advantage -- TeamXtender's official reseller. The adapter allows you to use more than a mouse and keyboard, too. It's also compatible with pretty much all Playstation 2 controls. Sure, you could plug your DualShock 2 in there, but you could also use all those other PS2 peripherals you have lying around. Light guns, steering wheels, dance mats: if you've got it, it should work. At $79.99, the device isn't cheap, but we're sure the device will be worth it for dedicated FPS players and those with substantial PS2 peripheral collections.

Quick, somebody buy one of these and see what happens when you play Gears of War with a guitar.

[Via 360-HQ]