subject: A Microsoft Wireless Keyboard For Your Xbox [print this page] The Microsoft Wireless Keyboard, along with the Microsoft Wireless Mouse, really show up the different design philosophies behind the Xbox 360, as opposed to those informing its rivals, the Nintendo Wii and the Sony Playstation 3. Owing to the different demographics each company seeks to target with its gaming consoles, different approaches have been taken. While it may seem unfair at first to mention these three platforms together on the grounds that it would be comparing apples to oranges to pears instead of apples with apples and apples, such an approach may still prove useful insofar as all three are "fruits" all the same, so to speak. And as mentioned at the outset, peripherals like the Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse underscore like nothing else the different intents behind each system. This article will take a look at how a wireless keyboard and mouse can help differentiate gaming on the Xbox.
But let's start at the top by beginning at the bottom - the bottom line, that is: let's assume that price is the main determinant. After all, if price were no object, all three systems would be purchased and no review such as this necessary. So let's start by talking about prices: the Playstation 3 tends to be slightly more expensive than the Xbox 360 or the Wii. But despite the price differences, each console offers rather unique features all its own.
But back to the bottom line. The price of the gaming system itself is only part of the total outlay involved. Indeed, software - games - may well prove the most expensive part of the whole equation. But then again, it's what makes for a successful console, and ironically is probably the one line item that gamers complain about the least.
Next in line are the accessories. After all, today's games can be very sophisticated, and more complex peripherals are needed for command and control, such that the Microsoft wireless mouse and keyboard mentioned at the outset, which are normally associated with computers, can be found as game controllers for the Xbox 360. Now computing gaming is used to keyboards and mice, of course, but their use in the world of console gaming was until recently unprecedented. Many controllers are almost half the price of the console itself, but luckily that is not the case with the Microsoft wireless keyboard and mouse. Thus what could have been the second most expensive line item on our tally sheet may well prove to be even cheaper than the electricity used to power everything!
