XCM XFPS 3.0 Sniper Plus
The XCM XFPS 3.0 Sniper Plus is your best alternative to the Xbox 360 controller for first person shooter games and works pretty well to boot.
Ease of Use, Performance: 18/25, Look & Feel: 21/25,
Features 21/25, How much I enjoy 24/25
Total: 84/100
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I hate the Xbox 360 controller with a passion and I hate reviewing first person shooters using the Xbox 360 controller. Okay, maybe hate is a bit strong but I do not look forward to them. I am an avid computer gamer and have owned so many games I have lost count but I just love first person shooters.
I still have fond memories of Ghost Recon and all the first games in that series and other Tom Clancy greats, but the graphics for them are just not up to today’s standards. I have some new ones I am really liking to replace those games of the past, Battlefield: Bad Company and Frontlines: Fuel of War are my current games of choice for fun.
But when it comes to games on the XBox 360 I have none that I really enjoy until the current one I purchased for reviewing a few things tied to the XBox 360. I went out and put down my own money on Rainbow Six: Las Vegas 2 and am not disappointed in the least with the game, but the controls using the Xbox 360 controller are terrible. I just cannot get the cursor or firing reticule to go where I want it to and moving is like walking through dense brush.
Let’s forget about actually moving around and firing as I can’t even get the guy on screen to move in the direction I want much less get the gun pointed toward the enemy. I have tried using the controller over time and my control has improved a little and that is not going to change much more over time.
Enter the latest version of the XCM XFPS controller adapter for the Xbox 360, XFPS 3.0 Sniper Plus, yes the tan one. The XCM XFPS 3.0 Sniper Plus that I received came from Divineo.com and I thank them for their review sample. The XFPS 3.0 Sniper Plus is the latest version with some internal improvements but nothing on the outside has changed except the color.
Those internal improvements make all the difference in gaming and actually make gaming on the XBox fun, at least for this avid PC gamer. The newest version has almost completely gotten rid of the dead zones that make the previous version less useable, the main thing that this little gem does is allows you to use your keyboard and mouse for controls on your XBox 360 very well.
The XCM XFPS 3.0 Sniper Plus is an adapter for the Xbox 360 that plugs into the USB connection on the XBox 360 console and allows you to connect a USB or PS/2 keyboard and mouse. You can also connect PlayStation 2 adapters like the controllers, guitars and racing wheels. The XFPS 3.0 Sniper Plus is compatible with quite a variety of mice and keyboards but I have found that more simple mice are a bit better for use with the 3.0 Sniper Plus.
I think, but am not sure, that there is some kind of simple analog process that makes it easier for the device if the mouse you use is not very complicated with all kinds of additional signals going through it. A simpler mouse with a regular optical sensor seems to work the best like general mice; my gaming mice do not work as well or respond any better than a lower cost one.
I have tried several mice like the Logitech G-5, a few Razer mice and a couple of lower cost ones and the simple but cheap ones seem to respond better. The mice that are designed for gaming usually have extra electronics inside that deal with sensitivity and extra controls that I think add to the problems with the adapter.
The generic mice, but still optical and good for regular use and this adapter, works very well as there are no extra signals and things to “confuse” the XFPS 3.0 Sniper Plus. I have been using a GE mouse that has an optical sensor and the PS/2 connection and this seems to work the best out of the six mice I have tried with it. I have not found any mice that I own and reviewed that just did not work with the XFPS adapter but some just did not respond as well as others and these usually were the ones with all the extras on the mouse like gaming mice.
You can connect a USB keyboard and mouse or a PS/2 type but the keyboard does not seem to matter as much like the mouse does, any keyboard works just as well. I have used several keyboards and have not had any problems with any of the keyboards, USB and PS/2, with the XFPS 3.0 Sniper Plus. The keyboard makes a great control scheme for FPS games so you have more keys for things like weapons selection and being able to program keys for your personal preference.