Customer Reviews

Playstation 3 Cordless MediaBoard Keyboard

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you have a PS3 60GB system and are considering the utilization of the Wi-Fi feature for internet and online play, (which I presume is why you pay for the deluxe model) then YOU NEED this wireless keyboard. Sure, you can always navigate online with a game controller, but I'll wager that after 10 minutes of entering characters one at a time with a controller you will have had enough.

This keyboard is fully compatible with the PS3 console and comes with a mousing finger pad built right in to it. This eliminates the clumsiness of having to work a separate mouse on a flat surface. When you want to relax on your couch the last thing you want to do is have to lean over a table to work a mouse. With this board, you just sit back and do it all right from your lap.

The keyboard works on USB technology, not Bluetooth. It communicates seamlessly with the PS3 via a small USB dongle that plugs right into one of the 4 ports on the front of the console. The unit boasts a wireless range of over 30 feet. I use mine at a distance of about 20 feet and it works famously. There is no software to load onto the console whatsoever. Just plug the dongle in the console, pop 2 included AA batteries in the keyboard and go.

There is a Bluetooth keyboard available that is compatible with PS3 as well, but it is twice the price of this unit and if I'm not mistaken it has a separate mouse. So until something else comes along this is the one to get.

The new firmware update for the PS3 that was released on July 24th 2007 has made keyboard function very easy now. it has made everything accesable from your keyboard for example:

F1 brings up side menu (right click does this too)
F4 now brings up the adress bar (you needed a controller for this function before this update.)
F5 refreshes
Backspace now goes to your previous page
Keyboard functions actually work now like page up and page down button plus the home and end buttons (these functions never worked)
The TAB button actually does what it is meant to do now, and the Esc button quits any application you are in which means it takes on any functionof the o button.
Lastly you can now just type in forum area without the virtual keyboard coming up the PS3 now recognizes you are using a keyboard.
Pretty much the mouse takes on the function of the analog stick so anything you can do with your analog stick you can do with the mouse pad, and the arrows take on the function of the D pad.

This is hands down the best keyboard you can get for use with the PS3 especially if you are into a laptop style keyboard it has the scroll on the touchpad and the double touch option on the touch pad for selecting items. It is extremely thin and weighs almost nothing, plus it is fully functional with a PC so there is no reason to get rid of it once you are done using it for your PS3. There is no software installation just plug in this little USB piece that is about half the lenght of a flash memory stick and you have up to 30ft with the keyboard and I have yet to experience any interference. This method of wireless connection is much more reliable than blue tooth.
GET THIS KEYBOARD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Finally, a keyboard/mouse for the ps3 :-)

Also compatible with PCs and Macs. So in other words, a great purchase.

Pros:
- Great for PS3 AND PCs
- Off button prolongs battery life
- Not using Bluetooth but wireless USB dongle instead, so it:
- Works flawlessly on all PCs so far, even in BIOS
- No software drivers required; recognized instantaneously

Cons:
- Awkward layout of Insert, Delete, Home, End, PageUp/Down keys
- Mouse pad is a bit small
- The above two flaws should not coexist - the keyboard should have had either a bigger pad or normal key positioning (the latter being my preference)

According to my experience, this keyboard works flawlessly on PS3 OS, PS3 Yellow Dog Linux, PS3 Suse Linux, on PCs and anything that can use a standard PC USB keyboard/mouse, NO DRIVERS REQUIRED. I never had a problem with it and besides plugging the USB dongle in and turning the wireless keyboard on, there's nothing else you need to do. The proprietary wireless transmission between the USB dongle and the keyboard is an engineering masterpiece so the computer "thinks" it is wired to a standard USB keyboard and a mouse. There are absolutely no drivers required regardless of the OS you are running. Many times I have plugged this into a PC, a laptop, or my PS3 in the middle of a session when I decided to watch a movie or connect the laptop to my big screen TV and operated those like a charm across the room without a need to shut down, reboot or install any drivers. This is a must have for techies, people running Linux on PS3 or for people tired of slow thumb-typing with the Sixaxis controller. According to my experience, battery life is extremely long - two old rechargeable AA batteries which don't hold charge well lasted for half a year in this set.

Had the designers not tweaked the position of the Home/Insert/PageUp keys this would be a perfect keyboard. This bothers me because I'm used to the standard layout and I use keyboard shortcuts and these keys a lot. Average mouse based user might not be annoyed with this. Another perhaps subjective detail is the lack of the sturdy professional keyboard feel while typing. These are the only flaws I could find, but I still think the keyboard was well worth the money, because it will last me a very long time, maybe even after my PS3 becomes obsolete.

I couldn't wait to surf the net etc. with the new keyboard as the PS3 controller makes it cumbersome to enter text. But I am very disappointed in this product (enough that I will probably return it) because it does not support the special PS3 controller functions that make surfing with PS3 easier. For example, on a large screen TV the R3 button allows easy zooming and the on screen options show a triangle or circle or X to directly enter commands but these keys (or keys that you could possibly program) do not exist on the keyboard. It seems that this would be easy to do and would make it a perfect accessory for the PS3. They way it is now you still need to sit with the Sixaxis controller and this keyboard. Shame on Logitech for billing this as a "PS3" keyboard when it is just a regular keyboard with absolutely no special features that make it a true "PS3" device. Maybe Sony will market one?
Positive note: works immediately with no real setup or fiddling.
Do not know of a better alternative at this time however. If anyone does please respond.

I bought the keyboard to use with my PS3 & Linux and it works very well. It seems to have good range and operation. I'm not sure of battery life yet. One thing missing - though maybe I am a newbie - if you set the PS3 to reboot into OtherOS there doesn't appear to be a keyboard function that will turn the PS3 back on (ie, like pressing the PS button does for GameOS)

I've tried this with my Windows PC, my Xbox 360 and my Nintendo Wii and it works great with all 3! The only thing I don't use it with is a Playstation 3, but that's just because I don't have one. The keyboard is light on the fingers and the touchpad works as good as any laptop touchpad. If you're looking for a nice, wireless keyboard for your home entertainment center or wherever, buy this!

I am typing this review on this keyboard as we speak. its a wonderful device. the pros definately outweigh the cons. the built in touch mouse is great, it even has a side the mimics a scroll button. the keyboard feels most like a laptop keyboard. right down to the mouse pointer. very lightweight, no lag or anything. the only cons, which i'd be nitpicking about is 1: no bluetooth 2: runs off batteries instead of something rechargable. 3: no ten-key (again like a laptop) 4: no playstation button to jump to the xmb when you want to 5: no zoom button. but those are minor things. the only reason i would want a ps button and a zoom key is so i can operate my ps3 to a greater extent using just the keyboard. but all in all, it is a wonderful product. a must have.

A very short review on the keyboard when used with a PS3 or a PC linked to a TV. This Keyboard uses one of the 4 USB ports on the front of the PS3. You can still connect up to 7 controllers as those are wireless and chances are slim that you'd be charging 4 at te same time.

PROS:
1) Good range: we have a large 63" HDTV in the family room and sit 15 to 20 feet away sometimes: that range is no problem.
2) The keyboard has an on/off button, which helps save batteries as you probably do not use this daily.
3) The touchpad is great: who wants to try and use a mouse on a lazyboy or sofa.
4) The keyboard has responsive keys.

CONS:
1) The keyboard is laid out as a normal keyboard, i.e. it is not always clear when using the PS3 as to what buttons to press to get the desired effect. A little common sense and trial and error will sort you out though.
2) More severe: there is a lag when using the touchpad that can be quite irritating as you will sometimes have a hard time positioning the cursor, especially since the PS3 browser sometimes makes everything tiny.
3) Given the PS3 browser shortfalls around displaying the webpages a built in zoom functrion would have been great.
4) They should have added PS3 specific keys to truly call this a PS3 keyboard and they should have color matched it.

Conclusion: still much better than any solution that has no touchpad. That is truly the lifesaver here. Otherwise the keyboard is so so and not PS3 tailored. This keyboard is not worth the 45$ but gets that because of lack of quality alternatives.

Having this keyboard make any typing much easier then using the virtual keyboard done with the controller. However, it took a bit of time to have the PS3 recognize the keyboard. Also, the touch pad leaves a lot to be desired in that it does not move the pointer exactly where you want it to be. Overall, it is convenient but not the greatest keyboard.