There are some important facts about this keyboard I would first like to mention before proceeding with the review. First, contrary to what we all thought when first announced, the MediaBoard uses 2.4Ghz RF, like a lot of Logitech products, as opposed to Bluetooth or IR. The Mediaboard comes in two pieces, the keyboard and a small, thumbdrive sized USB RF transceiver that. Secondly, it is compatible with other USB keyboard enabled systems, like a PC. Third, it cannot be used for gaming; it’s only for inputting text and simple mouse use, like scrolling down web pages.
Lack of gaming support shouldn’t be too surprising; perhaps in the future developers could program in support for keyboards on the PS3, but really, that’s a moot point. This keyboard is solely intended to make text input and browsing more convenient on the PS3 than it is by default. Furthermore, the fact that it works with a PC shouldn’t be a big surprise considering that it’s still a USB keyboard; still, that’s definitely a nice touch, even though it doesn’t have a Windows key button, although that too is understandable given how the device is marketed.
The integrated mouse on the right side of the keyboard is handy for browsing around websites or the PS Store. Basically it’s a, I would say 1×2” rectangular flat box like you see on a notebook computer. Truthfully, it doesn’t speed things up very much and left-handers might find it hard to use, but I was glad to see it included. A small, flat scroll bar lies on the right side of the mouse pad to make scrolling through pages quicker, but I didn’t find it worked very smoothly all the time. There were times where it took a few quick attempts to get it to respond. Also, beneath the mouse area are two gray buttons that emulate your left and right click. These offer a decent sense of feedback when pressed, but you can also optionally tap on the mouse for a left click.
As you can tell from the photos, the MediaBoard is a rather plain looking device. This is not to say that’s a bad thing—many devices would be more intriguing were they designed with more simplicity. In other words, I’m glad this keyboard doesn’t try to appear to be more than it is—a cordless keyboard with an integrated mouse. Its simple silver, black, and white color scheme matches the PS3 somewhat, although I think I would have preferred more of solid black look.
Along the front top edge, there is a small battery light indicator that informs you when your 2 AA batteries are running low. Closer to the right edge is the On/Off slide switch. As far as I know this keyboard does not have any type of ‘sleep mode’ or ‘auto off’ mode. Moving on, you can see the key layout is pretty typical to a computer keyboard. Instead of the Windows and Application keys down in the bottom left, there are two buttons that equate to the left and right mouse button—a good design choice that could speed things up as well as appease left hand users. On the back side of the keyboard you’ll find two flip-out stands to rest the board on as well as a Reset button, used in case trouble arises between the keyboard and the USB transceiver I would imagine, but I have yet to have to use it.
Other thoughts about the MediaBoard would include how quiet and light it is. Any good keyboard should be made in such a way as to make quick keystrokes quiet and the overall unit lightweight. The MediaBoard does a good job here; it’s not much louder than my Microsoft Natural 4000 series keyboard. It’s also a lightweight board, probably not more than 1 or 2 pounds.
The design aspects of the device covered then, let’s delve into the performance of the MediaBoard. Honestly, when I first got the MediaBoard in for review, I wasn’t sure how useful it would prove to be. I don’t do a lot of text input to my PS3 on a regular basis, but there are clearly a few areas where I’m sure some users do. One such area would be in the integrated Web browser—after using the arrow keys on the board to navigate the XMB, you can press the F1 key in the browser to bring up the menu. Typing an address, or typing anything on this keyboard for that matter, is a breeze. One detail I noticed right away when I was erasing my homepage URL was that you cannot shift select text to quickly copy or delete it. This is probably a limitation created by the browser or the PS3 OS, but nonetheless it was a bit disappointing. Sending messages to fellow gamers from the XMB is also much easier than using an onscreen keyboard as you might imagine. The MediaBoard can be used to navigate the other areas of the XMB as well, including the Photo and Music channels, but it isn’t any more useful than just using the controller or the PS3 remote.
The MediaBoard has its uses, but they are pretty limited to just basic input; quite frankly, in every area it’s just as easy as or easier to use the PS3 controller than it is to switch to the keyboard to navigate. The only real advantage I see to the MediaBoard is in typing web addresses or messages and that’s really it. For those who have installed Linux on their PS3, you should be able to use this keyboard without a problem although I haven’t personally tested this.