Playstation 3 Wireless ThumbPad Reviews

• Very Useful

  
  By A2FOYQEOT74FMB on 2007-06-03
  I recently bought this item and am very satisfied with it for many reasons. For one it was much much easier and faster to type than it was with the on-screen keyboard. While this is attached to the controller (using either the clip for the Sixaxis or the Madcatz controller which are both includind in the package) all the buttons are accesible It is comfortable to use and hold (although it makes the controller a little heavier) when just typing. If you were trying to type while playing a game this would be very awkward. The best place to have put the keyboard would have been under the analog sticks which is why I gave it a 4 instead of a 5. One great feature about this is if you don't use the clip you can use it as a normal wireless keyboard that works with anything that is compatible with a keyboard and has a USB port like a computer or an Xbox 360.
  
  Overall this is a great product and I would recomend it to anyone.
  
  

• Works fine for me

  
  By A2FTGH7QJRMX6U on 2007-08-06
  I've had this mini keyboard for about 6 months now and it works consistently without incident. Granted I only use it with the web browser and to chat in RFOM. I just plugged it in and it worked. It does make the controller front heavy and I do get a bit nervous shaking off bullseye tags without feeling like I'm going to send it flying. Although, to date this hasn't happened. The size is a huge pro. My wife wouldn't stand for a full size keyboard in the living room. The only reason I am giving it four stars is that I wish it was bluetooth.
  
  
  
  

• Fine mini-keyboard

  
  By A34YCHVE4EX0U4 on 2008-01-31
  (Preamble to my review: unlike the other reviewers I'm using it for my HTPC not a PS3)
  
  Nice little find and fine for what it is: a mini thumb keyboard. Detected immediately in windows xp, good range (through walls at least ~20 feet; my apt's not big enough to test farther). Missing many keys that would be handy on a PC (eg ESC, ctrl, etc...) but they can apparently be scripted in with an external program. Keys are a little spongy, and missing the solid tactile feel of PDA thumb keyboards, but it d/n affect typing speed.
  
  As another review noted, the receiver's red LED does flash (~1-2 Hz) but only when the kbd is in sleep mode. This could potentially be annoying, but you could just cover it up with some electrical tape. Another potential concern is the USB charging: if the battery runs out, you can't just the change batteries; you'll need to recharge. Not sure if it works while charging, but that sort of defeats the point.
  
  Filling such a niche market, I wasn't expecting too much, but was pleasantly surprised, esp. for the entirely reasonable price.
  
  

• Purchase with caution

  
  By A1ILI3A8PSP4C on 2007-11-19
  The USB light never turned green (which should indicate that it's charging). It never stops flashing red (which indicates that it's searching for a receiver). It never syncs with the thumbpad. Be careful when purchasing this item. Some have claimed success, others have not. Unfortunately for me, I'm in the "have not" category.
  
  

• quit working as soon as the warranty expired.

  
  By AOZUH34LIFNTA on 2009-06-17
  i bought one of these a few months ago and it worked perfectly for a few months. then all of the sudden the keyboard won't synch up with the dongle for it. and when i plug it into to charge instead of a solid green light it blinks between red and green really fast for a minute or two before the light goes out. madcatz website has no help information for this product on their website, they don't return any of my emails, and nobody answers when i call their tech support number listed on the website.
  
  
• Not bad, using it for PS3, but works with PC too
  By AR99GABWTV523 on 2008-04-24
  It's got a couple weird key positions. For example, the space bar is really the "BACK" button on the bottom, so for a back space you press and hold the "SYMB" button then press the "BACK" button. The "SYMB" button acts like a "SHIFT" key. There are two letters/numbers/symbols on each button (besides the bottom three), one is white and the other orange, all the whites are used by holding the "SYMB" button (SHIFT).
  
  It fits on the controller OK (if you drop it from 5 feet it might come off, but not break, unless it's on concrete or something, but not carpet, well, unless you throw it from 5 feet) It's a bit bulky (it puts some weight on, but not much). I was excited to see that the keyboard doesn't block the USB port on the controller, it'd be dumb if it did. It's pretty easy to get it on & off the controller, some people would think thats a good thing, but if you're a hardcore gamer that tilts and shakes a lot while playing, then I wouldn't be surprised if it comes off. But you can always keep it off while playing a game, then after the match is over you can slip it right back on and start typing, It's pretty convenient. I wasn't aware of this until I actually got it, but it not only comes with a typical PS3 SIXAXIS clip on, but another clip on for controllers that has the PS button in the exact middle of the Select & Start button. Even if you dont do a lot a texting on the PS3, you'll still find it pretty handy at times. There are always some sord of text fields that you can fill out in some games, like when you create your own server and have to put in the name & description ect... So yes, I would recommend it to anyone. Thank you.
  
  
• Great Product!
  By A1X7ZEKLFJGC5B on 2008-01-06
  This product has worked perfectly for me ever since I bought it. Before we got this, we tried to use a wireless USB keyboard, but the range was horrible. The range on this is great, and it works flawlessly with the PS3. All you have to do is plug it in right out of the box and it works! You can also take it off of the controller and just use it by itself too. The only bad thing about this product is that it fits above the controller. It is a little bit awkward typing this way. The best place would have been below the analog sticks, since it would be more comfortable to type this way. I would have given this product a 4 star review because of this, if not for the fact that this little keyboard will work with computers too. I plugged it into the computer just out of curiosity, and it worked right away! It might be useful with a computer if you want to control music or anything else from a distance away. Also, I have heard that it works with an XBOX 360 as well. I don't know for sure though, since I don't own one, but I'm pretty sure that if it works with a computer, it will work with a 360. The Symbol button worked flawlessly when backspacing, typing numbers and punctuation, or when using the arrow keys and caps lock. The F1 - F10 buttons are used by holding down the Function button instead of the Symbol button. Absolutely no key was wasted when this product was designed. This is good, since it needs to be small enough to fit onto the controller.
  
  Overall, this product is great, and I would highly recommend this product to anyone who owns a Playstation 3. For the $30 I paid for it, this product is a steal compared to the money you would have to pay for a wireless keyboard with a good range.
  
  
• A hopefully unbiasd review
  By AISLILG4J3D4M on 2009-06-22
  I bought this for use mainly on PlayStation Home (as I use voice-chat when I'm in-game, no time to type :P), and I must say that I am extremely disappointed. The only reason I did not give it a 1-star is that it does not malfunction; it works perfectly (tested both on PS3 and PC), but how it works is just horrible.
  
  About the construction and performance: Every time I fit it onto my controller, I feel like the plastic is about to snap, and could almost hear it cracking. I tried different methods of fitting it in, but all lead to the same result. I feel the plastic isn't of good quality, and that a better job could have been done. To add to that, whenever I'm typing, I have to press the buttons pretty hard in order for it to register the input, which not only makes it difficult and frustrating to type on it, but again, I could feel the plastic cracking under the strain of the hard button presses.
  
  To sum up, though it works smoothly (plug & play for both the PC and PS3), actually using it is problematic, difficult, and stressful. Hope this review helps!
  
  
• Very Good
  By A3QO5JZ1TJ1ETF on 2009-06-21
  i like everything about this keyboard . its easy to use and it works without being clipped onto your controller ... im actually using it to write this. i just wish it was secured better, it stays on well but there are divits in the back of the controller for attaching accesories that the clip does not use. overall this is a great keyboard.
  
  
• No Problems......Yet
  By A339FMXW0MXJNN on 2008-12-13
  Not really much to say about this thing, other then it works. I wouldn't buy this one just yet since sony is making their own. But, if you want one now, this works just fine.
  
  
• Other uses other than playstation
  By AU01DC9TX4QZD on 2008-08-31
  Just got this today. I have only seen this online, and it wasnt exactly what I expected, especially after reading some of the reviews. I purchased this as a small keyboard for my n800, and if it didnt work for that, was going to use it on my htpc. I don't own a playstation, but the keyboard attaches with a clip over the controller which attaches to the keyboard.
  
  It is much thicker and a little bigger than I expected (4" x 2.5" x 1"). It draws too much power for the n800 natively. It does work with a powered hub, but not directly plugged in. I decided to not use it on that as i wanted more of a blackberry type of keyboard for the n800. Works fine on windows, good for chatting, pain if you need to use symbols (not too great for web browsing, especially addresses). My biggest gripe is that it doesnt have that little notch on the j and f keys. Touch typing is almost impossible as you keep losing your position of the keys. I think I am gonna drill 2 small notches in those keys so I can use it without looking at it every 5 seconds. The one odd thing was the only symbol which you don't have to press the symbol key is the + key. I don't know if that is used on the playstation for something.
  
  It has pretty impressive range, better than I expected. Have it plugged in behind my equipment and have no problem using it from my couch. I tested it through walls and gets to about 25 feet. Not sure what the actual range would be if it had nothing interfering. Seemed to me to have much better range than bluetooth keyboards even.
  
  I don't know what the other reviewers are talking about charging this thing and the led. It uses 2 aaa batteries. The led doesnt blink when it "sleeps", and even if it did, it has an on/off switch on the side. The only time I noticed it blinking is when it went out of range of the receiver (maybe they mean the pc is sleeping, I leave mine on all the time). When you don't use the thumbpad for a period of time, the led goes off completely and turns back on when you start typing. Maybe I have a slightly different model.
  
  I think I am gonna keep it. I would recommend it for a small keyboard, chatting, etc. If you need to use symbols or need accurate typing, dont get it.
  
  
• Doesn't work with FFXI
  By A1B6I547XD9IP on 2007-07-20
  The Mad Catz thumbpad works fine with the PS3 web browser, but it doesn't work at all with Final Fantasy XI (FFXI) on-line.
  
  Considering I bought it to use it for chat and gameplay in FFXI, this is a huge disappointment.
  
  Other keyboards, such as Logitech's PS2/PS3 USB keyboard, work fine with both the PS3 web browser and FFXI.
  
  As soon as you start up FFXI, however, the Mad Catz thumbpad stops working, its LED starts blinking furiously, and it never syncs up with the receiver which is attached to the PS3. Very frustrating!
  
  
• Wireless Thumbpad
  By AMW636ZQYB7MC on 2007-05-31
  This is the best accessory released for the PS3 yet (besides the Blu-Ray remote). Typing in characters is much easier and faster than before without having to use a large keyboard. Highly recommend the thumbpad surf or text message their friends. You'll never use the on-screen keyboard again!
  
  
• Does Not Work
  By A38QD3RTG6JEX2 on 2007-05-30
  Many people who have purchased this item have found out that it does not work. The instructions for the device say that when the u.s.b receiver is plugged into the PS3 and the "thumbpad" is turned on, both lights will flash ,and then turn solid. Well, they never turn solid, and the "thumbpad" never works. I would like to know if anyone got this to work. Also, there is no technical support on the Mad Catz web page. I guess this is what you get for buying a third party peripheral.
  
  
• Disgusted customer
  By A32TQ4SVPLCRQ0 on 2007-07-24
  Don't buy this piece of garbage. I bought this to use for FFXI on my PS3 because I was getting tired of using the controller to try to chat with people (very tedious). I was excited to get this home and use it so I could finally communicate with other people easier. Hooked it up and fired up the game and nothing. The on-line support info was useless so I called technical support. The individual I spoke with was rude and said that by the packaging stating that it was for the PS3 that it's implied that it's only compatible with PS3 games. Hello, anyone that is anyone knows that Sony has always made their systems to be backwards compatible with older games. Any company that cared about their consumers would design their add on components to work the same. I will never buy an item from this company again, no matter how cool it might be.
  
  

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