Ideazon Fang Gamepad

Product: Ideazon Fang Gamepad
Provided By: Ideazon
Price: $39.99USD MSRP

Introduction:

Computer gaming today is much more than a past-time for many people.  For thousands or even hundreds of thousands of gamers - gaming is life.  They spent hundreds of dollars upgrading their computer in order to play their favorite games.  Often, gaming peripherals are purchased to improve the gamer's experience.  Higher quality mice are purchased to improve aim, better headphones are obtained in order to hear where your enemies are coming from and yet the keyboard often gets neglected.  I'm a "WASD" gamer by default and it's hard to improve upon the layout or location of my gaming keys.  There are numerous other keys handy that can be bound to specific weapons and this makes weapon switching faster.  I've briefly tried some dedicated game pads and haven't been that impressed - although admittedly, game input devices do take some time to get used to.

Fang Gamepad Box

Lately, we've been playing with the Fang Gamepad from Ideazon and this review will showcase the product and help you decide if it's right for you.

About Ideazon:

It all began back in 1999 as Oren Kramer, an avid gamer, tried his hand - both hands, in fact - at mastering the tricky basic commands of StarCraft™, an extensive real-time strategy game. Oren was also an avid Quake™ player, an intense first person shooter game. Suddenly, the proverbial light came on and in a moment of inspiration Oren asked himself three questions he would soon pursue the answers to . . .

What if a gaming keyboard could be designed to let gamers execute complex maneuvers and a combination of movements with just a single easy keystroke?

Could such a keyboard eliminate the need to memorize key commands and free gamers for the first time to focus all of their attention on action, strategy and ultimate victory?

Would a keyboard dedicated to gaming action not make it easier and faster for gamers of all levels to master any game and maximize playing enjoyment?

So began the Ideazon revolution.

Oren went on to create the first Zboard and the rest is gaming history. The Zboard was the world's first gaming keyboard, an innovation that forever changed the way gamers connect with their favorite games. It cut down the learning curve to deliver a lethal competitive edge to core gamers, while helping casual players dramatically and immediately improve their play.

Zboard: Built by Gamers for Gamers
A compact powerhouse of a homegrown Canadian company, Ideazon exploded onto the market in 2000 with an ever-widening global ripple effect that continues to rock the gaming world.

Always striving to deliver a bulletproof keyboard that could consistently meet the rigorous standards of even the hardest-core PC gamers, the Zboard system was finally introduced to the world in March, 2003 to rave reviews from both gamers and the gaming industry alike.

Backed by solid partners and a loyal global cult of core gamers, Ideazon has released Limited Edition Keysets for some of the world's hottest games, including Doom 3™, World of Warcraft® and Battlefield 2™, Call of Duty™ 2, Age of Empires™ III and The Lord of the Rings™, The Battle for Middle-earth™ II.

The Future is Now
The Ideazon team has built on the success of the Zboard to launch MERC in 2006. Developed through years of research combined with feedback and intelligence gathered during hundreds of thousands of hours of gaming action, MERC is a premium hybrid keyboard that features an integrated gamepad powered by Z Engine technology.

About The Fang:

Tactically Placed Keys
41 tactically placed keys including four thumb-specific keys and 11 weapon keys surrounding a lethal central butterfly layout.       

Ambidextrous
Military training feedback has echoed the sentiments of the gaming community to develop a weapon that is left and right hand compatible.
       
Compact Design
Compact design provides enhanced portability for mobile gaming.

Simultaneous Keystrokes
Allows up to 7 simultaneous keystrokes while employing phantom keystroke elimination capabilities.
       
Powered by Z Engine™ Technology
Z Engine™ technology gives gamers pre-defined key layouts for over 100 PC game titles.

We will take a closer look at the Ideazon's Fang on the next page.