First Impression

I first heard about the Ergodex DX1 Input System in a very excited phone call from our Editor Mark. He saw a lot of potential in this device for all sorts of uses. So when I finally got to see one myself, I had high expectations too.

As Mark handed the DX1 to me, the weight of the unit in my hand was perfect. This is no flimsy plastic pad with cheap stick on buttons. It is well constructed. You can comfortably sit the pad on your lap without fear of it being so light it flies off or so heavy it crushes your legs. The overall size is great too. It is practically no bigger than a standard 8x11 sheet of paper. That means you can sit it on your desk, your lap, your bed, or wherever you want to use it as long as your computer is at least near by. The DX1 came with the pad (the base), a tray (a clear plastic tray which is removable that you use to actually stick the keys on), a set of 25 pre-glued keys, two sheets of stickers for the keys, and a CD of installation software. Every piece seemed well made and at this point I was even more excited about getting it set up to see how it worked.

Installation and Programming

I had already decided that I wanted to try the DX1 in EQ2. I spent about 20 mins picking out what spells/abilities/etc I would need to have keys for. Then I put them into groups that seemed logical to me for how I play. I pulled out the DX1 instructions and had it totally installed on my computer in under 20 minutes. That includes the time it took my husband to get down on his hands and knees to find a usable USB port behind my computer to plug it into. ?

The keys are simply peel and stick. You can place them anywhere on the tray in any configuration that is comfortable for you. They are easily removable and restickable over and over in the event that you don't like where you put them. Let me also say here that the tension on the keys is great. The amount of pressure you have to use is just right. You're not going to break a finger trying to press the buttons down. The keys aren't overly sensitive either. No accidentally taking a swing at that level 90 npc because you grazed the attack button when you were really going for the VOIP button. Hehe

The one thing that took me a little bit to figure out was how to assign the keys in EQ2. But I felt like a dork once I figured it out though because its really SO easy. After you have your keys where you want them on the tray, log into whatever program you want to use the DX1 in. I logged into my character Helga in EQ2 (Permafrost Server). There is a small button in one corner of the pad that is a record button. You press that button down and it turns red to let the pad know your going to be assigning macros for the keys on the DX1. Then all you have to do is press the button(s) on the keyboard that you want to assign then press the key on the Ergodex pad you want those to be assigned too. You will hear a "plunk" sound and that lets you know your macro is set up for that key. You just repeat going on like that until you have the macros set for each of your keys on the pad. There is also a metronome sound that plays when you push the record button in case you want to set up timed multi-key macros. I did not use this feature because that is not how I choose to play. You will have to be careful with doing that in some games. I don't want anyone getting banned from his or her favorite MMO now! ?

I was roaring to play EQ2 after I got all my macros set up. Unfortunately, one of my macros wasn't right and I was having issues. That was easily repaired though by going to the Ergodex Manager, which is part of the software it comes with. You can easily review the macros and see if you pressed the right key(s) when you set up the macro. In my case, I had a couple of mouse clicks that were in a macro when they shouldn't have been. I just went back into EQ2 and did the macro recording for that one key again. It was painless. But it would be a good idea to check the macros in the manager after you initially set them up before you go off killing things that would love to kill you too.

Game Play

I have enjoyed using the DX1 to play EQ2. It takes getting used too though. I think that might be because I am so used to playing EQ2 the traditional way. Old dog and new tricks you know. ? I usually rely heavily on my mouse to do actions out of my hotbars when I fight. I cannot count on my right hand to always hit the correct keys on the keyboard because I have so little sensation in 4 of my 5 fingers. Trying to move my hand over the keyboard has always proven difficult. With the Ergodex, there isn't a l DX1 ck and forth with your hands since you can put all the buttons well within your reach. I find that pretty nice. You can also play with just one hand if you want - it's all in how you place the keys on the pad. The keys are also very responsive. I don't detect any delay from the time you push a button until you perform an action in game.

There is one problem I have encountered with the DX1 while playing EQ2, and this is an EQ2 issue, not an Ergodex DX1. Looting. I tried for a week to figure out a way to loot with just the keys on the pad and I got pretty close. The pop up box at the end has confounded me however. In the pop up loot box you have to select loot All, loot Item, or Decline. I see no other way to make a choice and loot than to use the mouse. I did figure out how to target a dead mob and to get to the pop up loot box just using the keys though. So, while I do have to use the mouse to finish looting in EQ2 - that certainly may not be the case in other games.

Bottom Line

I really like the Ergodex DX1. I think it would be of great use to someone with limited movement of their hand/arm. More than that, I think it would be a wonderful help to someone who needed a way to configure keys in a non traditional way - such as someone like me who has lost sensation in their hand or someone who has actually lost part of the hand. I could also see it being helpful for people who maybe cannot sit up at a desk to game because it is so portable. The one problem, as I see it, would be that you have to be able to hear the "plunk" once the macro gets assigned to a key. There is no other cue to tell you that the macro was set. If you are unable to hear, then the only way to know would be to open up the Ergodex Manager each time to check for each key. Not an impossible thing - just very inconvenient (especially for the hearing impaired). But despite that, it does seem to have a lot of potential for a great many people in our Ablegamers community.

The device itself is sturdy and well designed. In the event you want to play more than one game using the DX1, you can buy additional trays and key sets. You just switch out the trays for whichever game you're in without having to remove and reposition the keys each time. The Ergodex Manager will also save your macros into separate folders for each game so that you wont have to reprogram the macros. It seems like the developers have really taken their time developing all aspects of the DX1. The system itself is very affordable. I think it's worth a try. I certainly plan to use it in my next MMORPG adventure. ?