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Itused to be that PC gaming consisted of a mouse and keyboard along witha cheap controller for sideways scrollers, or for flight sim junkies, acomplicated control stick. But somewhere along the line, the industryrealized there's a big market out there consisting of computer gamers,and now we've got gaming peripherals at ever turn, the Cyberathletic Professional League televised on DirecTV, and Fatal1ty logos on everything from beanies to breakout boxes. The gaming peripheral market has exploded, with more companies than ever vying for a piece of the peripheral pie.
Cyber Snipa is one such company, with a product line designed by Flexiglow, and we'll be getting more acquainted with them in the coming weeks:
Cyber Snipa is one such company, with a product line designed by Flexiglow, and we'll be getting more acquainted with them in the coming weeks:
Flexiglow™specializes in the development and manufacture of custom PCmodification and gaming accessory products. Our key focus is on meetingthe ever changing needs of the gaming community - one of the fastestgrowing communities in the world today.
The Cyber Snipa™ range of gaming peripherals is specifically focussed on complimenting and enhancing the gamers experience.
Establishedin 1998, founding members have over 18 years combined experience in OEM(Order for Exclusive Manufacture) based projects.
Our expertise spans a range of areas including:
Todaywe're looking at Cyber Snipa's PC Gamepad 2, a replacement for thetraditional keyboard that dominates the gaming landscape. The keyboardand mouse combo have served PC gamers well in the past, but Christopher Latham Sholes,the inventor of the typewriter that would eventually evolve to thekeyboards of today, likely didn't have frag fests in mind when goingover his schematics. Can the ancient input device finally be dethronedby a superior gaming peripheral? Let's find out!The Cyber Snipa™ range of gaming peripherals is specifically focussed on complimenting and enhancing the gamers experience.
Establishedin 1998, founding members have over 18 years combined experience in OEM(Order for Exclusive Manufacture) based projects.
Our expertise spans a range of areas including:
- Injection molding
- Electronic component design
- Electroluminescent technology
- Industrial design processes
Specifications
| Size | 235 x 153 x 24mm |
| Color | Black or Silver |
| Connection | USB |
| Keys | 37 + 2 Volume Keys |
| Weight | 600g |
Ourbundle consisted of the gamepad itself, and a quick installationguide. If we really want to get creative, we could say Cyber Snipathrew in a flexible dust protector (plastic wrap) and a cablemanagement device (twisty tie), but goofiness aside, we'd like to seethem throw in a game, or even a sticker or case badge, if nothing elsethan for the perceived value.
Butdamn the bundle (or lack thereof), it's the gamepad we're reallyinterested in. The Cyber Snipa Gamepad 2 comes with 37 mappable keys,plus two volume buttons (which worked with our Creative X-Fi Fatal1tysoundcard). The pad takes up very little space on the desktop, andconnects via any free USB port. In both XP and Vista, our gamepad wascorrectly detected and ready for use in under a minute.
Thedesign schematics behind the Cyber Snipa PC Gamepad 2 include takingthe most popularly used keys during game sessions and relocating themto a specialized pad. The popular WASD directional controls take up abutterfly formation, similar to that of Ideazon's Merc and ZBoardperipherals, giving your fingers more surface area to play with toprevent accidentally pressing the wrong key. The Q and E keys, oftenused to peek around corners, open doors, or use objects, make up thetop portion of the winged controls.
Above the butterfly controlscheme sit all ten number keys, each one within easy reach, giving youultra quick access to any weapon in your inventory. On a standardmouse/keyboard setup, you'd need to either lift your had off thedirectional controls to reach the higher digits, or scroll through yourinventory with the mouse wheel.
Other commonly used keys areplaced a short finger stretch away, with the thumb resting naturally inthe area designated for the space (jump) button.
Thedesign schematics behind the Cyber Snipa PC Gamepad 2 include takingthe most popularly used keys during game sessions and relocating themto a specialized pad. The popular WASD directional controls take up abutterfly formation, similar to that of Ideazon's Merc and ZBoardperipherals, giving your fingers more surface area to play with toprevent accidentally pressing the wrong key. The Q and E keys, oftenused to peek around corners, open doors, or use objects, make up thetop portion of the winged controls.
Above the butterfly controlscheme sit all ten number keys, each one within easy reach, giving youultra quick access to any weapon in your inventory. On a standardmouse/keyboard setup, you'd need to either lift your had off thedirectional controls to reach the higher digits, or scroll through yourinventory with the mouse wheel.
Other commonly used keys areplaced a short finger stretch away, with the thumb resting naturally inthe area designated for the space (jump) button.
CyberSnipa throws a bone to the ergonomic hounds in the form of a wristrest. Covered with felt, the pad serves both as a resting point, andabsorbs any moisture you may accumulate during an intense fragsession. But then again, if you often find that your palms are sweatyduring gameplay, it may be time to either take a break, or fire up anold-school graphic adventure instead.
The wrist rest can easilybe removed, leaving you with just the square gamepad. During testing,we preferred to keep it attached, but that's not to say we're in lovewith the overall ergonomics. The gamepad lays flat on your desktop,and we'd like to see an option to raise the top section just slightly,especially with the low profile keys.
The wrist rest can easilybe removed, leaving you with just the square gamepad. During testing,we preferred to keep it attached, but that's not to say we're in lovewith the overall ergonomics. The gamepad lays flat on your desktop,and we'd like to see an option to raise the top section just slightly,especially with the low profile keys.
We'renot sure when it happened, but somewhere along the line, someonedecreed that any device marketed towards gamers must make use of LEDs,and Cyber Snipa obliged. Each side of the gamepad comes outfitted withbright blue LEDs, which you can opt to turn off with the press of abutton. The target just below the Function keys also glows blue, butyou're stuck with this one constantly turned on, whether you like it ornot.
Testing
Theprimary beneficiary of the WASD keys are first and third personshooters, and we spent the majority of on these types of games. HardwareLogic runs a non-competitive Counter Strike: Source server forour staff and forum members, and once we adapted to the short learningcurve, we felt right at home shooting each other with the Cyber Snipa. Same goes for other titles, such as The Shield, pictured above. Andbecause we use Skype for real-time trash talking, we didn't miss havingthe keyboard for typing in our witty insults and taunts.
What wedid miss with our keyboard was the tactile feel of the keys. Ourbiggest gripe with the Cyber Snipa PC Gamepad 2 is the amount ofpressure required to depress a key. We don't mind so much on theaction keys, but since you're constantly on the move in first personshooters (save for campers and snipers), we'd like the low profiledirectional keys to have a little less resistance.
What wedid miss with our keyboard was the tactile feel of the keys. Ourbiggest gripe with the Cyber Snipa PC Gamepad 2 is the amount ofpressure required to depress a key. We don't mind so much on theaction keys, but since you're constantly on the move in first personshooters (save for campers and snipers), we'd like the low profiledirectional keys to have a little less resistance.
| Section | Score | Comment |
| Feature-set | 14/20 |
|
| Construction | 17/20 |
|
| Aesthetics | 19/20 |
|
| Performance | 16/20 |
|
| Warranty and Support | 2/10 |
|
| Price / Value | 5/10 |
Our Recommendation
There'sno denying that the mouse and keyboard combo offers superior control infirst person shooters, and any console gamer that claims otherwise hasbeen drinking too much of the XBox360/PS3 Kool-Aid. But while themouse makes an ideal point and shoot device, there's still room forimprovement on the keyboard side of the action, and we're seeing moreand more companies release their own custom hybrid gamepads.
TheCyber Snipa PC Gamepad 2 takes the most commonly used gaming keys andsituates them conveniently for easy access without ever having to liftyour hand. We especially like the number keys, which allowed us toquickly switch weapons at the press of a button without having toscroll through our inventory, or fumble along the top row as we've beendoing on our standard keyboards. We also appreciate the felt coveredwrist rest, which can be removed if you find it to be more of adistraction than an aid.
But while we dig the placement of mostkeys and butterfly formation of the directional buttons (WASD and QE),we're not so keen on the amount of pressure required to get aresponse. The underlying theory probably had to do with preventingusers from inadvertently pressing the wrong the key, but the samesafeguard could have been achieved with a little less pressure, or atthe very least, making the commonly used directional controls easier topress.
We also take issue with the price and warranty. $40 is asteep asking price for a stand-alone gamepad with no bundled extras orcustomizable software, and worse yet, after six months of use, you'reon your own should the unit break. And if it proves defective beforethat time, you better have kept your receipt. That's not how you winover a customer base.
Overall, the Cyber Snipa PC Gamepad 2 fromFlexiglow is a decent gaming peripheral that does very well with buttonplacement. But in the cutthroat gaming market where dozens ofcompanies are competing for gamer's dollars, there's just not enough toseparate Cyber Snipa from the pack.
TheCyber Snipa PC Gamepad 2 takes the most commonly used gaming keys andsituates them conveniently for easy access without ever having to liftyour hand. We especially like the number keys, which allowed us toquickly switch weapons at the press of a button without having toscroll through our inventory, or fumble along the top row as we've beendoing on our standard keyboards. We also appreciate the felt coveredwrist rest, which can be removed if you find it to be more of adistraction than an aid.
But while we dig the placement of mostkeys and butterfly formation of the directional buttons (WASD and QE),we're not so keen on the amount of pressure required to get aresponse. The underlying theory probably had to do with preventingusers from inadvertently pressing the wrong the key, but the samesafeguard could have been achieved with a little less pressure, or atthe very least, making the commonly used directional controls easier topress.
We also take issue with the price and warranty. $40 is asteep asking price for a stand-alone gamepad with no bundled extras orcustomizable software, and worse yet, after six months of use, you'reon your own should the unit break. And if it proves defective beforethat time, you better have kept your receipt. That's not how you winover a customer base.
Overall, the Cyber Snipa PC Gamepad 2 fromFlexiglow is a decent gaming peripheral that does very well with buttonplacement. But in the cutthroat gaming market where dozens ofcompanies are competing for gamer's dollars, there's just not enough toseparate Cyber Snipa from the pack.
Other Reviews of Note
It'salways nice to have more than one opinion on a component before youspend your hard earned money. For one, we may see something othersmissed, and vice versa. Secondly, we're in this to help our readersmake educated purchasing decisions, and encourage you to seek outsecond, third, and fourth opinions. As with all reviews posted onHardwareLogic, we'll not only give you our recommendation, but alsopoint out some reviews from other great sites around the web. Yeah,we're just groovy like that.
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