Introduction
Gamers are always looking for better keyboards and mice to improve their gameplay. Zboard has done something I have never seen before. They have been able to create a keyboard where you easily just change the keys and layout by swapping it vs another one. Why did they do this? Well all games have their own keys and if you switch games you want a different layout on your keys and therefore you can buy extra keyboards layouts for the games you prefer. I met these guys at Cebit and now we got our samples and are ready to show you what you can really do with this keyboard.
About Zboard:
It all began back in 1999 as Oren Kramer, an avid gamer, tried his hand – both hands, in fact – at mastering the tricky basic commands of StarCraft�, an extensive real-time strategy game. Oren was also an avid Quake� player, an intense first person shooter game. Suddenly, the proverbial light came on and in a moment of inspiration Oren asked himself three questions he would soon pursue the answers to . . . What if a gaming keyboard could be designed to let gamers execute complex maneuvers and a combination of movements with just a single easy keystroke? Could such a keyboard eliminate the need to memorize key commands and free gamers for the first time to focus all of their attention on action, strategy and ultimate victory? Would a keyboard dedicated to gaming action not make it easier and faster for gamers of all levels to master any game and maximize playing enjoyment?So began the Ideazon revolution. Oren went on to create the first Zboard and the rest is gaming history. The Zboard was the world’s first gaming keyboard, an innovation that forever changed the way gamers connect with their favorite games. It cut down the learning curve to deliver a lethal competitive edge to core gamers, while helping casual players dramatically and immediately improve their play.
Specifications:
Check out their website for information
The product:
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The Zboard is not a spanking new product on the market so they have had time to develop keysets for games like Battlefield 2, World of warcraft, and many many more. I felt the keyboard at Cebit 2006 and thought it felt quite nice so we did a review on the product. The product itself is nicely packed in a box that shows parts of the keyboard and it has a big Zboard logo on the on the front. When unpacking the keyboard you will probably be a bit confused over the key layout but don’t worry there is a standard keyboard layout included with this kit. You get the standard gaming keyset mounted on the keyboard from start but it will take you 5 seconds to switch this.
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Here we can see the gaming keyset on a closeup picture. As we can see the red buttons are for movement, you have buttons like run, crouch, jump, use, reload and many many more. They are all well placed so you can easily reach them when gaming, I have to say though it will take you a few runs to get a grip of this keyboard and where all the keys are. You can update the keysets with the latest configurations by going into the software and clicking the download button and it automaticlly updates the settings.
As we can see there are some buttons also for typing even though they are very limited. You also have the top buttons for starting software and music.
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On the top of the keyboard two USB ports are mounted for easy USB access. A handrest is also included which you can mount on if you prefer to use it. You just push two clips in to mount the rest, quite comfortable I have to admit.
