The XFPS was recently released and I was able to get my hands on one before most of the public, however writing a review for it was not so easy. The XFPS "promises" PC-like controls for the Xbox 360, in which it delivers as well as the PS2 Pad support. The PS2 adapter is perfect, however the Keyboard and Mouse combination falls short of my, and several other owner's expectations. This review originally was supposed to come out 2 weeks ago, but I lost all my review due to an unexpected BSOD and was using Notepad, but I am finally here with the review, and you won't be disappointed.

---- Review ---- 

First Impressions - Lag = Bad

First impressions are always the breaking point of a product for me, whether it will be good or bad. This is found often in video games unless you feel like you have an obligation to continue on in a game, even if you don't like it. The XFPS felt like just like a bad game, but I had to use it, I had to get it to work.

The XFPS requires a Xbox 360 wired controller in order to be operated (any wired third party controller will also do fine), thus adding 30-40$ to your final price if you do not currently own one. I was in this category, thus having to borrow a friend's MadCatz wired controller in order to review this product.

Upon following the instruction booklet (also available online), I was able to get the XFPS booted up and running with a mouse and keyboard after several tries. I attempted several mice, from ball to laser to get the perfect one for the job - ending up with a standard Microsoft Laser Mouse with the scroll wheel aided by a standard QWERTY keyboard (of which is a PS/2 controller/keyboard). In the instruction manual it tells you to remove the wired controller after you have gained mouse and keyboard (or PS2 pad) support, but I decided to leave it in there in case I needed to change any buttons mid-game. However, this was a bad idea - mouse lag and keyboard lag were experienced, leaving this little boy's first impression off on a bad point.

Sniper Skills - Elephants..yes, Chickens...no?

The Xbox 360 and its games were designed under the thumbsticks/joystick controller configuration, thus leading mouse and keyboard support not natively supported in any of the games. The XFPS is a high-quality product that does its best job to emulate the thumbsticks onto a linear mouse. Thus, even though it may not seem perfect and you may want to blame it on the bad development of the product - it's not a shortcoming from XCM, but rather a shortcoming of the mouse control on a thumbstick-based game/system. With thumbsticks you are able to slightly tilt it to slightly move on the screen (whether a person or a cursor), however you do not have such luxuries on the mouse with the XFPS - making headshots hard to get, thus elephants make a perfect target and chickens do not.

If you have the Xbox 360 controller plugged in still, headshots are virtually impossible due to the lag that it brings about with the mouse. So, be wary that it may be hard to get headshots with this at first, but with enough time and practice, I was able to tame this beast to tolerable usage. Videos of Halo 2 and Rainbow Six Vegas will be uploaded at a later date when time allows me to do so.

Keyboard - Yeah, we can do that!

The XFPS's keyboard support is perfect as far as I can tell, with only a few lag issues experienced, but for the most part are not noticeable. The XFPS features a key re-mapping feature that allows you to designate any keyboard buttons/keys with the Xbox 360 controllers buttons, but the thumbsticks are not re-programable/mapable. Each game has their own special controller configuration, making it hard to program as a universal configuration as some buttons will be easier or harder to access and they might be required more in one game and less in another. Unless you have a mouse with a ton of buttons, then this won't be an issue - but you'll find yourself fishing out what key does what.

Keyboard - Yeah, I can do that "two", and fast

Upon configuring my buttons, even forgetting what was what, I jumped right into Halo 2. Upon attempting to melee the enemy, I found myself throwing a grenade (plasma) and jumping at them in a melee attack - both with one button! This could be the advantage that some are looking for in this device, do something that a normal controller can not do. It even displayed my out of ammo (with grenades) icon when I attacked with this specific, single button. With the inclusion of a turbo functionality, you'll be able to melee the opponent as fast as possible just by holding down the button in which it is configured to.

Playstaton 2 - What's old is new

Even though Sony has taken the Dual Shock controller and used the exact same design with their Six Axis controller, the "old" Dual Shock controllers are left in the dust, unable to be natively used on the PS3. So, like those video game stores telling you to buy a Xbox 360 rather than a PS3, why not use a PS2 controller on that newly bought Xbox 360? Frankly, I find that the current Xbox 360 controller is the best, and most comfortable controller that I have ever used in my entire lifetime, but some games just require a better d-pad or button layout, in which the PS2's Dual Shock controller comes into play.

PS2 controller/pad support is flawless from what I can test, having no third-party pads to test, I was left only with the dual shock itself to test with DOA4, of which I had no complaints about the controller as it accurately emulates/mimics the Xbox 360 controller with no noticeable lag or error.

Stick to the Joysticks?

The ultimate decision comes down to you, the consumer as to whether or not you will buy this product. It doesn't offer everything you might want, but it's the best one can do on the Xbox 360 platform. So, if you want to frag like a pro, I suggest you stick to the Xbox 360 controller, but if you want a fun time spraying bullets (hoping one will hit), then this product is perfect for you. Stay tuned to a comprehensive video of the XFPS 360 in action (tried to get you the best image of the on-screen action for your judgement).

Those who are a fan of scores, I will give this product -

7/10 - It does the best job it can, I do not believe it can get any better - but the high pricepoint for this is enough to draw me away until next Christmas.

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