Zboards offers a line of PC keyboards just for gaming. The set up includes a solid keyboard base and a variety of pop in keysets that go easily into the basic unit. There is a set of standard QWERTY keys and the game keyset in the box with the base unit. It comes with a specially designed gamers keyset. There are nine hot keys on the gaming keyset that it comes with.There are volume controls, e-mail, and web browser buttons. The game keyset was designed for first and third person shooters and action games. The base also has a set of the standard PC keys that you would normally use with Windows applications packaged with it. It also has two conveinent USB ports in the back to add on a matching Reaper mouse or other accessories.
The World of Warcraft keyset which is sold separately, looks fantastic. They have even started offering a new keyset for the Burning Crusade which is gorgeous too. The World of Warcraft keyset looks amazing. If you are a collector of WoW shwag you will totally love these. The entire right hand side is covered with WoW character art and there is colorful trim all the way across the keyset. It looks awesome and it makes your life in game a lot easier with keys that are all ready dedicated to the specialty zones and group commands. It is divided into two zones: the Game Window Zone and Chat Command Zone. You can chose to yell or whisper, get access to your spellbook and go to character interface commands in easy reach.
The macros are enabled for you and one key press will perform multiple actions and emotes like laughing. You can also assign keys to do whatever you want. They have gone ahead and programmed in all of the default game commands, such as open bag, targeting, and finding friends. Dedicated keys like “Quests”, “Map”, and “Skills” make life in an MMO much easier. The screen shot feature takes perfect screen shots. You can edit out the user interface if you want to, and get good wallpaper shots.
The keysets are very simple to put together. The various keysets just snap in. So when you want to switch off from WoW to, say Counter-Strike you can, with a couple of pops and snaps. Keep in mind each individual keyset will set you back another $19.99 US. The base will sense the change of games seamlessly all on its own which is pretty impressive. Of course it's a good idea to keep it unplugged from your computer when you do that.
You just stick the Zboard's USB cord into the PC via any available USB port. They give you installation software that is easy to use. In some cases a driver might need to be updated, and that isn't a problem either. The software does it automatically and guides you along with prompts. It also updates the data for any new key inserts as needed if you get more of them.
I was concerned that the keyboard would be wiggly and that the keys would be bouncy or feel mushy the first time I used Zboards last year. But the products remain solid and keep improving with time. Once put together it was very reliable and it didn't look or feel like something cheap the way you might think it could be, since it does have interchangeable parts. The keys aren't loose and there isn't any shaky stutter that could cause duplicate keystrokes that would be fatal mistakes.
The Zboard makes playing much smoother and more efficient. You can concentrate on the game more with the easy access from the keys. I was pleasantly surprised by Zboard. It made everything faster and effortless to control. The keyboard has no heat coming from it, even though it does have lights on it.
I still love these. I think that they will be very popular. I give the Zboard Limited Edition World of Warcraft keyset and the Zboard Keyboard a 9 out of 10.
Manufacturer: Ideazon
Retail Price: Zboard $49.99
World of Warcraft Keyset: $19.99
Website : http://www.Zboard.com
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