Xbox 360 Messenger Kit
I love my Xbox 360. In my opinion it’s the best console in the 3rd Generation because I think it’s the most versatile. It has amazing graphics, a number of really great games and great online capabilities. The 360 allows you to chat with your friends, challenge people in games and just have a fun time.
Unfortunately before now, if you wanted to have a long talk with your friends over the 360 the only way to do that was to plug in a USB keyboard. This was really annoying especially if you didn’t have one laying around the house.
Microsoft has fixed these problems with the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit. The messenger kit gives you the full power of a 46 key full QWERTY keyboard that plugs into the bottom of your 360 controller.
Here are a few of the technical specifications for the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit:
- Street price: $29.99
- Chat on Xbox LIVE
- Attaches seamlessly to your Xbox 360 Controller
- Backlit buttons
- Includes the Xbox 360 Wired Headset
Things I like
Finally Microsoft has caught on that people want a full sized keyboard to chat with their friends. Before the Messenger Kit I didn’t use the chat functions purely because it was too tedious to type anything more than a sentence. The new Kit gives you access so you can now talk on MSN or for online games. The thing I like most about the Messenger Kit is it’s layout. The keys are perfectly spaced for thumb typing. I’m a fairly good typer on a normal keyboard and I was worried at first that it would be really hard to type on this keyboard but after a few minutes of practice I was pecking away rather quickly.
The other thing I like about the Messenger Kit is the actual keys themselves. The keys give a very nice feedback when they’re released and I like this because you know whether or not you actually hit the keys. Some keyboards don’t give you this feedback so you’re always wondering whether or not you actually hit it.
Things I don’t like
The thing I like least about the Messenger kit is that it doesn’t sit flush against the controller. The keys sit about 0.5″ above the controller so it can be annoying at times. The other thing I don’t like about the Messenger kit is that it only comes in white! If you have a black (or any other color) controller the keyboard will look a little weird. While this color difference isn’t really a big problem I would have thought Microsoft would have though of it.
This keyboard will take a little time getting used to. Like most laptop keyboards there’s a function button that’s needed to use some of the buttons. If you’re not used to a function button you will need to spend some time getting used to it. That being said it really isn’t that important to use the function button unless you need to type in numbers and such.
Pros:
- Full 46 key QWERTY layout
- Excellent feedback from the keys
- Inexepensive
Cons:
- Keys don’t sit flush against controller
- Only comes in white
- Takes getting used to
Final Thoughts
If you talk over Xbox LIVE then the Messenger kit is a must to have. It’s really inexpensive and it makes chatting so much easier. If you don’t have a white controller it’ll look a little off but this accessory for the Xbox 360 is a must. I totally recommend the Xbox 360 Messenger Kit.
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Written by Adam McKerlie on January 14th, 2008 | Category: Game Consoles |
ShadowKnight
January 18, 2008 at 3:41 am
Nice idea. Personally I prefer the Wii because I like to get up and move rather than sit on my bum. As for messenging I have enough computers to handle that.
chickenfish333
January 18, 2008 at 8:50 am
why would you not just buy a keyboard? i’ll be truthful and say that i’m a playstation fan because i am prooved time and time again that microsoft only wants money. Probably the same can be said about sony but money grabbing is done less on the ps3.
My example is xbox live. “The 360 allows you to chat with your friends, challenge people in games and just have a fun time.” So often do xbox live fans defend the feature by saying things like the quote from the above article. In case you didn’t know, you get all that and more on ps3 for free! no cost, nothing, nada. Oh and unlike xbox live fans around the world i have yet to experience any server down time. Everything the same, just on playstation, its free. So why do you prefer xbox?
And dont tell me “just because it’s better.”
Adam McKerlie
January 18, 2008 at 11:05 am
Well you can chat with you friends for free over xbox live with a silver account. If you want to play games then you have to pay.
For 12 months you can get xbox live gold for $90, this means you buy a 360 and you can play online for over a year and still be cheaper than the cheapest ps3.
The only reason why I would buy a ps3 at this point in time is for the Blu Ray player since it looks like it’ll win the battle.
JohnTP
January 18, 2008 at 8:31 pm
I would have bought PlayStation 3 as I previously owned a PS1, but decided to buy the Xbox 360 as its much cheaper.
btw, I did not know that we could play with other players online for free on a PS3. Anyways I would still have chosen Xbox 360 as its cheaper and also since Halo is only for the Xbox
Chickenfish333
January 19, 2008 at 11:15 am
Yes adam it would still be cheaper but you wouldnt have a blueray player, as much graphical power, or a whole lot of other features and then after that first year you’ve suddenly got a more expensive machine with less stuff in it.
John thats a big investment just for one game? would you seriously pay that much money for just halo? C’mon it’s not that good.
Adam McKerlie
January 19, 2008 at 11:35 am
Honestly ChickenFish, I’ve played both consoles a lot and the graphics aren’t that much better with the PS3. If you don’t have a HD TV (which I don’t) there is no difference in graphics.
As for games, the 360 has Halo, Gears of War, Crackdown (which is a really fun game), and a number others. The Ps3 has Resistance: Fall of Man, Lair (couldn’t stand it), Heavenly Sword (likewise) and Motorstorm.
Honestly I loved the previous versions of the playstation and hated the original xbox. I had such high hopes for the PS3 but I think Sony dropped the ball and Microsoft picked it up.
In my opinion the 360 wins hands down in gameplay, and in general its just more fun of a console. And I’ve played both a lot.
JohnTP
January 19, 2008 at 8:12 pm
Chickenfish333- I did not buy the Xbox 360 just for Halo, I bought it because its cheaper. Even though the Xbox 360 is cheaper than the PS3 its still a lot much here plus the games are expensive too. I have never spent this much money before for gaming. Plus now I have to pay extra for online gaming
Graphic wise, I am not sure whether PS3, xbox 360 or the Wii is better as I have just played Playstation 1, Xbox 360, Atari, and some other old game consoles I owned in my childhood.
JohnTP
January 19, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Adam- Is Crackdown worth buying? I am a fan of GTA and similar games but I read that Crackdown does not have good graphics.
Marshall1
January 20, 2008 at 5:10 am
JohnTP - forget the graphics! it’s the gameplay you wanna be looking at. Crackdown is very fun to play and if you have xbox live then you play the whole game on cooperative mode.
JohnTP
January 20, 2008 at 9:34 am
Marshall1- I think I should buy it then. Thanks for the info.
Marshall1
January 20, 2008 at 9:37 am
Oh I forgot, if you do have xbox live then there is a demo available to download.
JohnTP
January 20, 2008 at 10:09 am
Marshall1- hmm, it will take lots of time to download the demo with my slow net connection.