-- Performance and Conclusion
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Using the ID-75 as a game controller is a rewarding
experience. I loaded up the Counter-Strike layout and played a
few rounds on the Gideontech Counter-Strike server. While it
took the same amount of time for me to either enter the commands by
hand (I have no buy lag) or tap the screen and have the script do
it, it did allow me to orient myself and and decide what
direction to go rather than looking at what weapons to buy.
I do have to admit that the ID-75 and First Person Shooters
(FPS) are not really made for each other. FPS's require your
hands to be at the keyboard pretty much at all times, so reaching up to the ID-75 to change a weapon, or do a rocket jump
isn't ideal. Instead the ID-75 takes more of a back seat roll and is
better served being used to buy weapons or issue Voice Commands, Chat, and Taunts.
In strategy games like Command and Conquer: Red Alert 2
the ID-75 really shines since you have a hand free to reach up
and touch the ID-75. The Layout that you get from MassWorks web page
has some of the more obscure options (Ally) of the game mapped
out along with some of the most used function (Team selection, unit
commands).
Again, while the layout wouldn't be as useful for the more
advanced users that have mastered the keyboard commands, it will be very
useful for newer players to the game.
As I mentioned before, Massworks has some beta
Windows display drivers to allow your ID-75 to act like another
monitor. While its certainly extends the usefulness of the
product the USB interface becomes a rather large handicap.
Currently the beta drivers take a 640x480 desk and shrink it down to
the 320x240 resolution that the ID-75 supports. The best analogy to
describe how the driver functions, is a DivX movie. Small
changes like mouse movements or typing is updated quickly but large
screen changes like moving an application or opening an application
are rather slow since it requires a full screen refresh which takes
about a second or two. So watching a movie or winamp
visualizations on the ID-75 is not practical.
Winamp running in double sized mode on the ID-75 (16 point font)
Also since the ID-75 is USB there is a little bit of lag
before it appears to do something, it takes a bit to get use to,
then it is just like using VNC or any other type of visual remote management
software.
Here is a comparison of the image quality of the ID-75 (it looks
better in real life):
A VB program I made displaying OS statistics. Displayed on ID-75.
A screen capture of the same VB program.
To get the ID-75 to show up on the digital
camera I had to turn up the backlight a lot, so it washed the
picture out. As you may or may not be able to tell the ID-75
image quality is actually very good. Although you will need to
use big fonts to be able to read the output effectively.
Overall the ID-75 was a pleasurable experience to
use. Some may wince at the $299.95 price tag (at time of
writing they lowered the price to $249.95), but to make a similar
product by yourself would cost around $135 for a 5.1" LCD
(composite connection) and about $200 for the touch screen
glass. So in comparison its a good deal. But never the
less some of you would rather prefer to buy a new video card than a
game controller.
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Pros:
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Perfectly suited for strategy games
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Open Ended architecture
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Good software support
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Cheap compared to how much it will cost to make a touch screen
5.1" LCD
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Plug and play, worked right out of the box
Cons:
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