Fang USB Gamepad Keypad

This is a case where Amazon's review system is not working well - or at least, what it is giving the most prominence to is out of date. When I go to the customer review page, what is currently listed as "the most helpful critical review" is 100% lying to you about The Fang product you'd be buying - it is indeed now fully programmable. There are also several other older (year+) reviews listed prominently (on the first page) stating it's not programmable.

It is programmable on a key-by-key basis, and has been for about a year now. You can whip up all the personally customized key profiles you want.

On the product itself, where the ring, middle and index finger rest in the center - there is nothing better. It's not perfect, but it is far better in that area than anything else being sold right now.

The Fang is weak in the thumb area, this is it's main drawback. The Merc Keyboard (a Fang and keyboard merged) looks like it keeps what is good about the Fang and improves the thumb area substantially. For me personally, I like having a separate device from the keyboard.

Seldom would you see military equipment used by civilians but during the past decade, we do see that untested even alien-like equipment come into the commercial market, just like in MIB. The Hummer is actually one of those military vehicles that have made it mainstream. Ideazon makes the claim that the ZNP-1000 Fang is one of those equipment tested by the military and declassified for civilian use. Talk about controlling weapons of mass destruction.

Packaging:

The Fang weighs around 1.5Lb (0.8Kg) it is package. It is protected by a thick box and a solid transparent plastic mold. Encased in its shell is the controller, a wrist rest, one CD containing the Zboard Z-Engine software and two manuals.

The Merchandise:

The Fang comprises of 41 keys which is functional as a regular keyboard. The standard keyboard has 105 keys so don't expect it to replace your regular keyboard. Remember that this is for fragging people away not for typing It has 6 massive keys in a shape of a butterfly, ASWD are part of keys we control our player, the Q & E can be used diagonally or for weapon selection, depending on the games. The buttons surrounding the direction keys are small Skittle-sized buttons. For big hands, this is not what I recommend, the fact big fingers may depress two buttons at one time is a big issue, there is ample space for your fingers but remember, when you game, game in comfort. For players with the right fit, selected Skits (Skittle Buttons) have dimples and some with concaves for identification. I did wish that the buttons could be easier to remember with embedded characters for finger tip reading like mahjong.

Continuing off the last batch of buttons would be the controversial thumb button which takes a little bit of getting used to. We often take for granted the large size of the Space Bar. Well things couldn't be worse when you find out that the Space Bar replacement is almost the size of a medicine capsule, I did mention controversial and I leave that up to you. During game play I did find myself forgetting that I had a thumb. Finally, the remaining 6 buttons would be the ones near the palm. Having three on both sides below the ring finger and index finger. It definitely takes a little getting used to, but it is useful nonetheless.

Looking at the bottom of the pad, rubberized feet and an option to slightly elevate the pad help make the gaming experience easier. It is important that I stress out proper gaming posture for your arm and hand which should be the same way as you were playing on a normal keyboard.

Aside from the norm, the Fang has multimedia keys to control your audio during game play and the an emblazoned Z-Board logo that glows white for that extra bling.

Software Support:

The package comes with a CD with the Z-Engine application. I would suggest you download the latest version so that you get an update profile. If you are running on dial up, install the software from the CD and update so it will download the latest profiles for you. The bad side of the Z-Engine, keys are customized for each game and you need to activate the key set of each game. Unfortunately, the Z-Engine software does not allow you to customize your own controls so for sports games and others on the list, they may need to wait. Over all the software work fine, unfortunately, I can't really give my full point of view since I have only tried it with Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Recommendations:

If you are expecting that the gamer in you will come out with this gaming keyboard, it will provided that you practice. It will take time especially for those who are so used to the regular keyboard. Quality build, lots of buttons, military tested, there are so many things going right for this gaming keyboard but the thumb key may prove to be the Achilles heel of this marvelous product, then again, practice makes perfect.

Uppers:

* Dedicated gaming keypad with more than enough buttons

* Multimedia Controls

* Dimpled keys make identification easier

* Large ASWD buttons

* Ambidextrous

Downers:

* Transition to the Fang requires a learning curve when moving from a keyboard

* Thumb key will never replace the Space Bar

* Keys NOT YET customizable

* Not built for button mashing

* Not for everybody

Wish list:

* Add-on glow features for the keys for dark gaming environment

* Sticker Badge

* More dimples and dents on the keys for identification

* Game detection and auto key change

Alternatives:

* Logitech G15 Gaming Keyboard

* Belkin Nostromo Speedpad n52

* WolfKing Warrior Gaming Keyboard

I am happy with the Fang and would buy it again. I gave the Fang (...) because it is an average product not an exceptional product. (The Wiimote, the Nintendo Wii controller, is an exceptional product.)

The Fang is a PC-only product out of the box. Mac people, without third party software, will find it mostly useless. I knew this when I purchased it to help me play the World of Warcraft (WoW). The Fang, when combined with ControllerMate by OrderedBytes (...), can be used quite well on a Mac.

The Fang hardware is about what you would expect from a game oriented keyboard - mushy keys and a sometimes intermittent contact when not pressed hard on some keys. I was motivated to buy it when my Apple Keyboard started to have keypress problems on the keys that have the most use when playing WoW. Since I was replacing the main keyboard with one that has a better "key-feel" and was more expensive, I wanted to move my WoW 'work' to something that was less expensive and better for gameplay. The Fang is both.