Lik-Sang bringing keyboard and mouse to Xbox, PlayStation 2

When forced to play a console first-person shooter with a friend, many persnickety PC gamers will constantly bemoan how controllers feel clumsy compared with a mouse and keyboard. Well, game-peripheral vendor Lik-Sang has now created a way to stop the aforementioned whining. The Hong Kong-based peripheral maker has just announced the SmartJoy FRAG, a new device that will allow gamers to hook up a PC keyboard and mouse to their PlayStation 2 or Xbox.

"SmartJoy FRAG is a unique adapter that allows you to connect standard PS2-compatible mice and keyboards to your PlayStation 2 or Xbox console," said the company in a statement on its Web site. "You will be able to enjoy first-person shooters, or any other game where targeting is important, the way they are meant to be played." The site offers video of the device being used with SOCOM II and Halo, in which it claims to have "doubled hit rates." The SmartJoy FRAG will also support advanced features such as mouse inversion and dead zones.

According to Lik-Sang, SmartJoy FRAGs are "fully programmable and come with preinstalled key configurations for the best games available." For the Xbox, those presets are Halo, Medal of Honor Frontline, Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, Unreal Championship, and--naturally--Counter-Strike. For the PlayStation 2, the SmartJoy FRAG has presets for SOCOM II: US Navy SEALs, Medal of Honor Frontline, TimeSplitters 2, James Bond 007: Nightfire, Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six 3, Ghost Recon: Jungle Storm, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and REZ.

Both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the SmartJoy FRAG are available from the Lik-Sang site for $28.90. Since they are configured for standard keyboards and mice, the peripherals will require adaptors for USB devices, which cost an additional $12.90 each.