Ultimate configuration for you arcade machine

[Lilwolf]

Forget about having a wireless keyboard sitting near...

instead, work this into your machine..  Imaging a clean black control panel with a few joysticks and a few buttons... And a button for config... press it and this turns on.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/input/8193/

[Cutty]

Yeah those things are really cool, but I guess theyre hard to use because there's no feedback, you HAVE to type by looking right at the keyboard. Also, I can't justify spending that much on a keyboard that I plan on not needing. However, it would definitely add to the wow factor, which is half the reason anybody builds their cab.

[dpz147]

That is really cool!  The only catch is that you need to pay $179.99 for a keyboard. 

[KillerArcades]

yeah, I saw that recently and had the exact same thought. awesome idea, but they need to get it under $75 for me to get more interested... Plus, I'd have to figure out what type of "flat" surface I could display it on that wouldn't be as hard as wood and make the ends of my fingers get all black and blue (I've been told when speaking on the phone to some friends and typing at the same time that my typing sounds like machine gun fire......)

[lharles]

I read somewhere, (forgive me for not being able to recall the specifics), that the functionality of this was a bit dicey.

Specifically, there were issues with recognition of keystrokes, not being terribly tolerant of variations in the surfaces it could be used on and so forth.

Since I'm not a 'hunt and peck' type of typist, (which is apparently how it works best), I don't know how functional it would be for me.

On a MAME setup, I imagine it would probably be a fantastic solution. 

A quick google search, ("laser keyboard review"), turns up a wide group of varying reviews...some good, some bad.  I don't know if I'd pull the trigger on this thing at that cost... 

Just some random rambling, but somewhat related to the topic... 

[ahofle]

Why in the hell did they make it run on batteries?  Seems like a USB cable would be fine.  Who wants to have to recharge their keyboard every 2 hours? 

[Kremmit]

Why in the hell did they make it run on batteries?  Seems like a USB cable would be fine.  Who wants to have to recharge their keyboard every 2 hours? 

Because it's wireless? 

A mini USB port like you find on a digital camera might not be a bad idea, though.  You've gotta have a connector for charging anyway, might as well make it a USB connector.  Enables compatibility with non-Bluetooth systems and devices, too.

[Timoe]

my, uh, wife saw this on CSI: Miami a few weeks ago.   

[MYX]

But would you really want that big honkin monolith sitting between you and the monitor?

[Lilwolf]

It would be cool if you could fit it into your bezel.

As for seeing it before... I first saw the prototype a year+ ago... the difference... their in stock now.

But come on... your friends are over, they say something like 'can we change a dip switch on this game' or more likely 'I remember having 5 guys per quarter'... and you flip a switch, and a picture of a keyboard shows up above your joystick... and you hit esc, tab, down arrow ect... then set it...

Also would be cool for frontends to allow you to search for a specific game with a keyboard... or maybe type in your name for favorites...  All of which most arcade machine specific frontends don't really allow because they don't expect a keyboard easy to access...

I don't think I would spend the money... but if I was rich...  come on lotto!

[MYX]

I remember when I was a kid and saw Tron. He typed on a monitor that had a keyboard on it. It was all fake back then. Now we actually have lasers making keyboards. Ghaw we live in a great time. I am never ceasing to be amazed.

I remember the CSI episode that the keyboard was on. Perhaps you could project onto the bezel glass it's self. I am a little concerned about the transmission as you might not be able to see it. But if there were a thin layer of somehting that was nearly transparent... what about using (ok this is getting out there) those windows that have grey LCD that can be used for dimming windows, once it is somewhat opaque you could project onto it. Mount the laser up in the speaker board. Mike Q could program it into PowerMame. The world would be a beter place and little doves would flutter into the air tweeting.