Xbox 360 keyboard rumors circulate at the touch of the Enter key *UPDATE*

UPDATE: We have received word from tipster Macca that Major Nelson confirms a new text input device for the Xbox 360 coming this summer. Expect an article from us about this development in a few minutes.

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Something’s up. AndrewMP (thanks for typing this out to us!) sent us this tip that Gamespot kinda leaked word of a coming Xbox 360 controller (or attachment for existing controllers) that integrates a mini-QWERTY keypad. And then Gamespot pulled the article.

Yeah, with that, we know now what Microsoft is gonna say about this: “No comment.” Rinse and repeat as necessary.

Okay, ever since that little touch-typing slip surfaced, people have gone, well, touch-typing nuts. Here’s the dirt teh intarwebs has managed to dig up:

• MGC News referenced a 2005 Microsoft presentation in Spain, whose slides leaked and reeked of “QWERTY keyboard attachment”;
• Engadget has supposed pics of the keyboard attachment (pic shown for demo purposes), and posits a summer release date, no price estimated.

IF Engadget’s pics are legit (and not a red herring thrown by God-knows-who), then we can speculate on the gaming utility of this keypad attachment. Absolutely perfect for on-the-spot text chats, because some things are best left unsaid (or censored by the FCC). Also perfect for placing an additional gazillion hotkeys for whatever games needs a gazillion hotkeys (Steel Battalion for the Xbox, anyone?).

No, this does not mean that you can play Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars against a PC player – still need that godforsaken mouse to keep up, we thought we established that already. No, that XFPS 360 mouse-port doesn’t count either, deity-dang-it: what it does is translates mouse inputs into one of the analog stick inputs (most likely right stick), and it lags. Sorry; the next step in this case might have to be an actual mouse.

UPDATE: We have received word from tipster Macca that Major Nelson confirms a new text input device for the Xbox 360 coming this summer. Expect an article from us about this development in a few minutes.

---

Something’s up. AndrewMP (thanks for typing this out to us!) sent us this tip that Gamespot kinda leaked word of a coming Xbox 360 controller (or attachment for existing controllers) that integrates a mini-QWERTY keypad. And then Gamespot pulled the article.

Yeah, with that, we know now what Microsoft is gonna say about this: “No comment.” Rinse and repeat as necessary.

Okay, ever since that little touch-typing slip surfaced, people have gone, well, touch-typing nuts. Here’s the dirt teh intarwebs has managed to dig up:

• MGC News referenced a 2005 Microsoft presentation in Spain, whose slides leaked and reeked of “QWERTY keyboard attachment”;
• Engadget has supposed pics of the keyboard attachment (pic shown for demo purposes), and posits a summer release date, no price estimated.

IF Engadget’s pics are legit (and not a red herring thrown by God-knows-who), then we can speculate on the gaming utility of this keypad attachment. Absolutely perfect for on-the-spot text chats, because some things are best left unsaid (or censored by the FCC). Also perfect for placing an additional gazillion hotkeys for whatever games needs a gazillion hotkeys (Steel Battalion for the Xbox, anyone?).

No, this does not mean that you can play Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars against a PC player – still need that godforsaken mouse to keep up, we thought we established that already. No, that XFPS 360 mouse-port doesn’t count either, deity-dang-it: what it does is translates mouse inputs into one of the analog stick inputs (most likely right stick), and it lags. Sorry; the next step in this case might have to be an actual mouse.