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PD Scientific Wolfclaw Type II

Author:	Tyler Curry
Date:	2005.08.22
Topic:	Peripherals
Provider:	PD Scientific
Manufacturer:	PD Scientific

Introduction

Gaming on the PC is bigger and better than ever.  According to the ESA (Entertainment Software Association) 50 percent of Americans play video games, which roughly makes out to be 148 million people. And that's just in the United States.  So it would only make sense for companies to take advantage of these growing numbers and come out with new products to enhance and/or make gaming easier for everyone.  Of course we have joysticks, game pads, and racing wheels, but that can only be applied to certain games.  First person shooter games on the other hand are one of the main game genres that is sort of left out of the picture when it comes to gaming hardware.  Sure you can get FPS based game pads however me and you both know that using a keyboard and mouse is MUCH easier.

On a personal note, it's like when my brother kicks my ass at Halo, it's because I can't stand using a game pad for first person shooter games.  I know if I were to hook up a keyboard and mouse to the XBox and duel with him then he would be the one getting trampled.  Though that's not to say you can't be a skilled gamer with a game pad.  Anyway, now things may have just gotten a little easier for first person shooter players on the PC.  PD Scientific, a little company based in Singapore has recently came out with what they call "The ultimate gaming keyboard for FPS games".  It's dubbed the Wolfclaw Type II.  And let me tell you at first glance this thing is sexy.

About PD Scientific

PD Scientific Pte Ltd began with an enterprising spirit of responding to the rising demand for the need of ultimate gaming tools in the gaming community. With its setup in Singapore, a place conducive for the development of new technologies, PD Scientific Pte Ltd developed a range of upcoming products for the gaming community.

As a technological innovation company, PD Scientific Pte Ltd develops “out of the box” products to improve lifestyles in a modern and high-technological savvy environment. With its flagship product, the Wolf Claw? Ultimate Gaming Keyboard for FPS Gamers, PD Scientific Pte Ltd aims to change the gaming keyboard front, offering a serious alternative for gaming.

The Wolfclaw in Detail

First and foremost, what is the Wolfclaw keyboard? Well it is a keyboard to appeal to the first person shooter gaming crowd if you didn't get that already.  But it isn't as outrageous and different as a few gaming keyboards that have hit the market.  It has a rather simple design, yet looks very effective.  It is a sleek and stylish looking keyboard with it's black and grey color scheme, and the shiny chrome internet shortcut keys on the top.

Basically, to make a persons gaming experience better, the Wolfclaw intergrates a key set on the left side of the regular keyboard.  This key set uses the typical WASD control setup that the majority of first person shooter players use (and if you don't, then try it!), however it's not your typical WASD keyboard setup, it's designed in a circular type way so you can reach a variety of different keys without moving your hand away from the WASD position.  All the typical keys are now within easy reach. For example, the K and O keys can easily be pushed, rather than physically moving your hand off the WASD keys in order to push K and O on a regular keyboard setup.

Another great little addition is the two built in USB ports on the upper edge of the keyboard beside the cord.  This can allow you to hook-up any other gaming devices you may have like a joystick and/or game pad, that is if of course they are USB based.

Although not showed in a picture, underneath the Wolfclaw are four rubber feet to place the keyboard securely on your desk, and they do a great job.  On the other hand, there are two risers also which you normally see on keyboards.  These two risers have no rubber on them causing quite a bit of slippage if you have them up.  You would be much better off playing with the keyboard flat without the risers.  As well on the back there is a small "Team Tag" area where PD Scientific has left to place a clan logo or your alias or whatever you like.

Installation

Installation of this keyboard is easy and setup like any other keyboard.  The keyboard does come with a "Touch Manager Driver" floppy disk for those of you still using Windows 98, in order to get the Wolfclaw up and operating normally.  It would have been nice to see the drivers on a CD though, as floppy drives are becoming more obsolete.  As for Windows XP, everything will be setup and ready to roll once you plug in the keyboard, which is USB based by the way.  So for those of you who would rather like a PS/2 based keyboard you will have to buy a converter or just make do.

Usage and Conclusion

We've had the pleasure to use this keyboard for a few weeks now, day and night, with games, applications, messaging, surfing, and everyday general computer use.  First we love the design, it's definitely not ugly.  It's very sexy and different looking, everyone that has saw the keyboard gave compliments and ask questions, this will definitely be a head turner at a LAN party.  Second, the layout of the keys is very well thought out and works very well.  The layout is sort of strange, not only for the left key set but for the right side where the PGUP, PGDN, Home keys are.  It is a little difficult to get used to at first but once you do get used to the key layout it makes you not want to go back.

As for the left side key set for FPS games, this is also very laid out.  Just as the right side, it is hard to get used to at first but once you do you don't want to go back to a regular setup.  All the keys are within easy reach and really makes gaming experiences with first person shooters easier.  Third, it's always great to have a quiet keyboard, and thanks to the 3-layer silicon for the keys it is very quiet.  You won't be annoying anybody with your typing.

Now as for a couple minor downsides.  The first downside comes with the risers, some of you like using risers however on the Wolfclaw the keyboard becomes a little unstable.  It would be nice if they added some rubber to the risers.  The second downside comes with the size of the keyboard itself.  Now some may not consider it a downside at all, but during our testing it did seem a little big compared to our generic keyboards used in the past.  In fact we are now unable to push in the keyboard drawer on the desk because the Wolfclaw sticks out the side.   However because we like this keyboard so much it doesn't really matter, the likeness outweighs the inconvenience so to speak.

Overall, we are extremely pleased with PD Scientifics Wolfclaw keyboard.  It's nice to see a simple yet great design that helps with controlling first person shooter games.  We can't wait to see the Wolfclaw Type III due out sometime in 2006, and see how much better it can possibly be.  But for now the Type II is excellent and deserves our recommended product award.

The Wolfclaw gaming keyboard is available to buy at their website http://www.wolfclaw.com.sg/ for $79.90 SGD (about $47 USD), and you should see it in stores in the United States coming soon.  The Wolfclaw is also the official keyboard for the Battlefield 2 launch in Singapore, and if you happen to live in Singapore and buy a copy of Battlefield 2, you can get a 5 dollar off coupon towards a Wolfclaw keyboard, more details can be found here.