PC gamers have long-known the precision of using a keyboard and mouse in their favorite shooter games. These gamers often lament using a gamepad when they switch over to their game consoles. Many products, including the FragFX and Fragenstein, have attempted to bring these peripherals to the game console – with limited success. Enter Penguin United: A peripheral-maker who has recently released the new Eagle Eye adapter for the PlayStation 3. In theory, this USB hub allows gamers to plug a keyboard and mouse into their PS3 for use in their favorite shooter. We acquired a unit from the manufacturer to see if it really works.
The Eagle Eye measures 26.18 x 13.58 x 12.20 inches in dimension, weighing a little under a pound. The adaptor features black plastic construction, with one side serving as the base for its 13 foot long USB cable. This long length allows gamers to site a fair distance away from their television set and have plenty of slack left over. The other side of the Eagle Eye features the two input USB ports – both aptly labeled for easy setup. On the top side of the adapter you will find an array of eight turbo buttons which, all being nicely labeled, will allow you to customize which, if any, controls you want turned into turbo buttons. Also along the top of the adapter is a switch to select between two pre-programmed keyboard control layouts.
Setting up the unit is very simply. Included in the package is a CD-ROM for use in your Windows-based PC. Setup the software and plug the adapter into one of your computer’s available USB ports. That will allow you to customize and map all the buttons and switches from the PlayStation 3 gamepad to your keyboard and mouse. From that point, you simply plug the Eagle Eye into the PlayStation 3, wait a few seconds, then plug in your keyboard and mouse. After making sure your controller is assigned to number one in the PS3 dashboard menu settings, you are good-to-go.
One thing worth mentioning is that, for the most part, any game you play with the Eagle Eye is going to need some tweaking in the sensitivity department. While the keyboard controls generally work without issue, the mouse is often not a direct translation of its own movement to on-screen movement. Many factors cause this, from the type of sensor featured on the mouse (including its DPI, etc) to the actual in-game sensitivity.
For Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 we went with a slightly higher than average sensitivity level. Playing with the Eagle Eye was… Awesome. The response rate is equal to that of the actual PlayStation 3 gamepad, so no lag or ‘jagged response’ was every noticed. I am not the best person to play shooters on gaming consoles – I have been a PC gamer for a long time. Playing with the Eagle Eye is great and replicates the PC control system very well. MAG, in contrast, turned out to be a very frustrating experience, as no matter how high I turned up the sensitivity, controlling my character was much slower than usual.
A very important thing to note before you use the Eagle Eye is that gaming mice and keyboards which feature their own drivers won’t always work with the adapter. Penguin United recommends keyboard and mice which use a standard HID driver.
At $59.99, some may find the Eagle Eye to be a tad on the expensive side. However, when you take into account the fact that no one else has a product that works this well on the market, you may change your tune depending on how important PC-quality control is in your PS3 shooters.
Penguin United does claim in its FAQ that they are working on an Eagle Eye for the Xbox 360 as well as possibly a joint-use model that would work on both platforms. Stay tuned for more from Penguin United as it breaks!
*DISCLOSURE: This product was sent to us by the manufacturer for review.
Eagle Eye Demonstration from Official Website:
