PS3 Wireless Keypad Ships This Holiday Worldwide

[DealBot]

Shortly after announcing a new snap on wireless keypad for the Playstation 3, Sony has released the full spec sheet for the device, which they say is going to be introduced worldwide this holiday season.

The peripheral will hit North America in late November and in Japan, Europe and Asia by the end of the year. The Bluetooth-enabled device will support all typing on the Playstation 3, including text chatting in Home and LittleBigPlanet support.

The keypad includes two shortcut buttons, a Communication Button and a Message Box Button, letting users jump to pre-set features on the XMB such as Friends screen and Message Box during game play. Finally, a Touch Pad Button allows PS3 users to use the entire surface of the keypad as a touch pad, allowing them to maneuver the pointer while web browsing by sliding their fingers around the keypad surface.

No price has yet been announced, but the full specs and release are on the jump.

Wireless Keypad for PLAYSTATION®3 to Be Introduced This Holiday Season Worldwide

TOKYO, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that it would release the Wireless Keypad, a new peripheral for SIXAXIS and DUALSHOCK®3 wireless controllers for PLAYSTATION®3 (PS3®), this holiday season throughout the world. It will be introduced in North America in late November. It will be also introduced in Japan, Europe and Asia by the end of this year.

The highly anticipated Wireless Keypad is designed to fit precisely into the unique shape of SIXAXIS and DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controllers, and can be easily attached or removed. By using the product instead of the on-screen keyboard, users will be able to enjoy text chat communication more easily and comfortably in their hands, just as they would use familiar portable communication devices. It supports text chat in PlayStation®Home as well, and enables users to enjoy interactivity playing on-line titles and enjoying entertainment content more smoothly.

Equipped with Bluetooth® functionality, the Wireless Keypad can be paired to PS3 by simply connecting the keypad to the USB cable that comes bundled with the PS3 system. Also, two shortcut buttons, a Communication Button and a Message Box Button, are placed on the lower part of the Wireless Keypad, enabling users to jump to pre-set features on XMB (XrossMediaBar) such as "Friends" and "Message Box" during game play, which help PS3 users to smoothly communicate with each other. Additionally, a Touch Pad Button allows PS3 users to use the entire surface of the keypad as a touch pad, allowing them to easily maneuver the pointer while web browsing, simply by sliding their finger on the keypad surface.

More and more exclusive software titles that will support text chat feature are scheduled for release towards the end of the year including LittleBigPlanet (SCEI).

SCEI will vigorously promote various measures to introduce new entertainment world that can be further enriched through the network, including PlayStation Home.

Release date and price of this product will be announced later in each region.

Wireless Keypad Product Overview

Product Name Wireless Keypad

Product Code CECHZK1JP (For Japanese market)

Product Color Black

Hardware Specification Weight : Approx 60g

Voltage: DC 3.7V

Operating Temperature:

5 degrees C ~ 35 degrees C

Built-in Bluetooth® Ver.2.0

Keypad Layout: QWERTY layout

Battery Specification Built-in Rechargeable Lithium-Ion

Battery

Battery Capacity: 610mAh

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[Spongeman56]

Thats looks really cool! But I don't know how you could type from the top...

[farmdoggg]

Yeah it looks cool but looks like it might be a pain to operate. Well see.