14 DAY TRIAL // There are some truly odd peripherals out there, but Mad Catz may have just released one that takes the cake, at least for this month. After all, it not only has an unusual shape but integrated mouse capabilities as well.
Most keyboards, even the highest-end gaming-oriented ones, are usually at least vaguely rectangular, but the new one from Mad Catz really stretches design conventions.
A case could be made for saying it is heptagonal. Ergo, it has seven sides, even if two of them are very short and only there to make it comfortable to hold in your lap.
It is a wireless keyboard, you see, one that is not only supposed to let you control your PC (and, by extension, games) from the couch or bed, but also a substitute for a mouse.
There is no mouse pad anywhere on the peripheral, but the newcomer, called Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. M Wireless Keyboard, does possess the optical Finger Navigation Mouse Sensor, or OFN for short.
If you look at the pictures, you'll see two “mouse” buttons up on the top right, with two more mouse buttons on the left, plus brightness control, Bluetooth, and media keys.
OFN is meant to let you navigate on an Android device or TV while controlling the cursor, even if you're not actually holding a mouse in your hand.
That said, the rest of the specs are pretty normal as far as wireless gaming keyboards go, from the illuminated backlighting to the rechargeable Lithium Polymer Battery.
By Mad Catz' reckoning, the battery charge should last for a good 45 hours. Not really comparable to the months that a mouse can live off normal AAA batteries, but keyboards always do need more energy.
Besides, the newcomer does have mouse features included, and that backlight won't power itself. It might seem frivolous, but when evening falls and you stop seeing the buttons you're pressing, it can be really helpful. And with autumn and, later, winter coming in, night will fall all the faster.
Needless to say, the Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. M wireless keyboard has on-board memory for storing key macros. Useful when going to someone else's house or a LAN party but want your key shortcuts to always be available. Finally, the universal Bluetooth support lets you connect the peripheral to anything that supports a keyboard. You can have it hooked to four systems / mobile device at once actually. Alas, a price was not provided.
