Xbox Keyboard Adapter | The rare official keyboard adapter for Phantasy Star Online 2

With the first Phantasy Star Online releasing on Dreamcast with full mouse and keyboard support, Sega found new challenges in bringing the sequel onto subsiquent consoles after the fall of the Dreamcast. The first Phantasy Star Online played a huge role in popularising the Dreamcast's online services and text chat was popular in the community thanks to the inclusion of keyboard support.

The design itself is very basic

Despite Microsoft heavily pushing its online capabilities in addition to talking up its broadband capabilities, Microsoft consistently insisted the console had no need for keyboard support thanks to the packed in headset. Then general manager J Allard expressed in an interview back on the 5th of February 2001 with GamesDomain how
voice compatibility in the controller was a way to eliminate customers from buying extra peripherals like a keyboard; unlike like the PS2. One month later on the 4th of March 2001, J Allard told Total Games that Xbox Live is designed around actions having minimal button presses expressing how when you're in a middle of game the last thing you want to do is to type anything. At this point it's pretty clear what Microsoft's stance were on keyboard compatibility. Never the less Microsoft had a change of heart back in August 2002 as they stated the upcoming Xbox Live would have keyboard support. Regardless Microsoft never made a keyboard adaptor themselves leaving it up to third parties to fill the void.

As of 11th of April 2003; 4 days before the planned release of Phantasy Star 2 Online, Sega announced an official keyboard adaptor to be used exclusively for the game. The adaptor would be available for "free" with a shipping cost of $6.95 which expired on the 31st December 2004. Interestingly on the 14th of April 2003 Spong was told from a Sega representative who denied the existence of the adaptor; maybe that's just for Europe? Further details surfaced from alleged Xbox rep at TeamXbox which listed a number of facts in regards to the device. A strong emphasis higlighted that the adapter is exclusive to Phantasy Star Online 2 as well as being only available through xbox.com on the 25th of March.

The adapter alongside the main game in one of the few US Ebay auctions

It's unclear how popular this device was but it's interesting to see how Sega handled the situation themselves. The device would confusingly attach to the controller as apposed to the console itself and was designed to aesthetically fit the range of Xbox peripherals. What's odd is that in the TeamXbox link, the post states how the device was silver and blue in colour? Never the less I am unfortunately unable to try the device out in person as from what I can tell it was only available in the US (I could be wrong). Today the item is understandably uncommon thanks to its online exclusivity for a game no longer available. However that hasn't stopped the modding scene which has breathed new new life into the peripheral alongside alongside the countless Chinese knock-offs you can find on Ebay for a fiver...

Links:

• http://uk.ign.com/articles/2003/04/11/keyboard-for-xbox
• http://spong.com/article/4757/After-three-years-of-Microsoft-denials-Xbox-keyboard-is-confirmed

Archived Links:

• http://www.gamesdomain.com/articles/1247.html
• http://xbox.totalgames.net/features/featuresfull1.epml?features1.REF=1358&newsFormat.REF=11&featureType.REF=1
• http://forums.teamxbox.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=2086444
• http://eurogamer.net:80/news.php?id=21417