Shark 360 helps in shooter games
By Ron Harris |
January 20, 2012, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
CONSOLE gaming occasionally gets a boost from add-ons that can make the standard controller more efficient to hold and operate. A new wireless mouse looks to replace the standard Xbox 360 controller altogether in hopes of giving fans of first-person shooters added precision and control. The FragFX Shark 360 (US$89.99 from SplitFish AG) gives a new feel to popular shooter games such as "Call of Duty," "Halo" and "Gears of War." It features the familiar colored A-B-X-Y control buttons akin to those on the Xbox controller. What's new is a start/pause button just under the scroll wheel to freeze the action when needed.
The package also comes with a USB device that plugs into the Xbox and communicates wirelessly with the controller mouse.
Finally, there's an analog controller stick, dubbed a FragChuck, that is held in the non-mousing hand. The FragChuck has three triggers, various buttons and a thumbstick to walk or run the player's character through the game, while the mouse handles the aiming, shooting and other tasks.
The FragChuck also sports an up-down-left-right directional pad that can quickly toggle the player through an array of weapons in shooter games. The directional pad can be programmed to handle other tasks as well by adjusting the settings from in-game options menus.
This rethinking of the controller changes the gaming experience much more than the add-ons I've tried, such as small extenders for the thumbsticks.
One thing to note is the configuration is not completely wireless. The USB device that I plugged into the front of my Xbox 360 had to be connected to a standard wired Xbox 360 controller as well. The Shark 360 won't function without that.
The rest of the operation is wireless, however, and you are not tethered to the console.
With that cumbersome configuration out of the way, I was up and running, blasting my way through a few levels of "Turok." I swiveled left to right too fast early on when panning the horizon, looking for enemies. My performance improved once I got accustomed to the sensitivity and speed of the mouse.
The bottom of the three trigger buttons on the FragChuck allowed me to zoom in with my rifle scope, while a click on the left mouse button on the other hand took the shot.
And so it went with "Call of Duty 3" and a few other shooters. It felt a bit more like PC gaming and a little less like the standard console approach, which for shooter titles isn't a bad trade-off.
Overall, I noticed improved performance when strafing opponents. It was easier to center on targets by using my entire mousing hand and all of its muscles, rather than just a few in my thumbs with a standard controller.
It's not the best solution for all games, but it's a welcome bit of kit for some titles, particularly the first-person shooters.
The package also comes with a USB device that plugs into the Xbox and communicates wirelessly with the controller mouse.
Finally, there's an analog controller stick, dubbed a FragChuck, that is held in the non-mousing hand. The FragChuck has three triggers, various buttons and a thumbstick to walk or run the player's character through the game, while the mouse handles the aiming, shooting and other tasks.
The FragChuck also sports an up-down-left-right directional pad that can quickly toggle the player through an array of weapons in shooter games. The directional pad can be programmed to handle other tasks as well by adjusting the settings from in-game options menus.
This rethinking of the controller changes the gaming experience much more than the add-ons I've tried, such as small extenders for the thumbsticks.
One thing to note is the configuration is not completely wireless. The USB device that I plugged into the front of my Xbox 360 had to be connected to a standard wired Xbox 360 controller as well. The Shark 360 won't function without that.
The rest of the operation is wireless, however, and you are not tethered to the console.
With that cumbersome configuration out of the way, I was up and running, blasting my way through a few levels of "Turok." I swiveled left to right too fast early on when panning the horizon, looking for enemies. My performance improved once I got accustomed to the sensitivity and speed of the mouse.
The bottom of the three trigger buttons on the FragChuck allowed me to zoom in with my rifle scope, while a click on the left mouse button on the other hand took the shot.
And so it went with "Call of Duty 3" and a few other shooters. It felt a bit more like PC gaming and a little less like the standard console approach, which for shooter titles isn't a bad trade-off.
Overall, I noticed improved performance when strafing opponents. It was easier to center on targets by using my entire mousing hand and all of its muscles, rather than just a few in my thumbs with a standard controller.
It's not the best solution for all games, but it's a welcome bit of kit for some titles, particularly the first-person shooters.
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