0304wv38 Accessories

14/2/2003

4:11 pm

Page 139

ACCESSORIES

(one-player starter pack)
(two-player starter pack)

UNIVERSAL REMOTE CONTROL

SKY GAMEPAD
BSkyBs gaming portal Gamestar is the most popular interactive TV service in the UK right now, with over 1.3 million users. And its appeal may grow further following the introduction of Gamepad, the UKs first digital TV games controller. For yonks the playability of games available on the service has been hindered. Why? Because the remote had to be used as the games controller a purpose it wasnt designed for. Gamepad aims to remedy this, providing a more natural gaming experience and smoother controls. This is great for playing Gamestars classic games such as Pong, Space Invaders and Bust a Move, but its an essential development following the addition of Tomb Raider: Apocalypse, Episode 1, the first 2D platform game on the portal. The Gamepad boasts a futuristic design and is completely wireless, as it uses infrared transmission. Its bundled with a small IR receiver that is connected to the RS232 serial port at the back of a digibox by a cable which is also supplied. Once hooked up, you have to enable the receiver and a handy, step-by-step guide is provided in the instruction booklet for this simple process. The device sits comfortably in the hand and sports Help, Select and Back up buttons for navigating the portal. The oft-used red, green, yellow and blue keys are sensibly positioned for easy thumb access opposite a sizeable directional pad. The latter enables fast movement inconceivable with the standard zapper which is essential for quickfire games such as Bust A Move and Boggle. The legendary Space Invaders, almost impossible with the remote control, is a completely different affair with Gamepad, where its easy to change direction and launch rapid fire on the targets above. Our only gripe concerns the trigger buttons located on the lower portion, which are stiff and at times unresponsive. The rest of the controls are intuitive and sensibly positioned. Games such as Pong and Boggle allow up to four players to slog it out, and extra controllers are available for 15. These can only be used in conjunction with one- or two-player starter packs, though. Currently, the Gamepad is only compatible with games in the Gamestar portal, but this is likely to change as services develop.

ONE FOR ALL KAMELEON 6

The Kameleon 6 is unlike any other remote control on the market. It takes its name from an ability to change its appearance according to the selected mode, illuminating only those keys that are relevant. Its entire face is a backlit touch-pad thats activated whenever you pick up the remote and turns off after 10sec of inactivity. At just 14mm high its probably the thinnest remote control around. Its also light and sits comfortably in the hand. One For All says the Kameleon 6 is future-proof, as new codes can be downloaded over the phone or from the internet using your PCs speakers. At the top of the pad are icons for the six main devices. When activated, these remain lit regardless of the selected mode, as do four Macro modes and the ubiquitous four coloured buttons used for TV text and digibox navigation. For each device the Kameleon 6 adopts the guise of your average remote, offering most common functions. Where necessary, a Scroll button provides secondary screens. The most unusual icon is the Magic button. This is used for programming the Kameleon 6, which is the most tedious part of owning a universal remote. The manual provides the setup codes for hundreds of AV products, listed by brand and device. In our setup of a Toshiba TV, JVC VCR, Pioneer DVD deck, Denon amp and Sky+ PVR, only half the products were listed. For the others we had to manually program each command into the Kameleon 6 using the Magic learning function. Next we set up some Macros to turn on or off several items of kit with one touch, which was a breeze. Setting this zapper up can be a major headache. Why, for example, doesnt One For All list every product by name and model number as a downloadable PDF on its website? This would take a lot of the guesswork out of the setup process, and avoid tedious phone calls to One For All. Still, once youve cracked the codes this is a superb device. Its not as user-friendly as some handsets but its a fine example of an all-in-one. The Sky+ PVR control is especially impressive

SPECIFICATIONS

FEATURES Six-device (TV, VCR, DVD, digibox/PVR, amplifier and CD) universal remote control with movement activation, touch-pad screen and macro facility DIMENSIONS 70(w) x 237(l) x 14(h)mm CONTACT One For All www.oneforall.com
FEATURES Wireless IR transmission; IR receiver supplied with cable for connecting to RS232 serial port CONTACT Sky 2000 www.skydigital.com

VERDICT

Complicated to set up but a highly versatile remote with the flexibility of an LCD-based remote and the usability of a button-based one OVERALL.%%%%%
Intuitive controller which is a must for Sky Gamestar users OVERALL.%%%%%
A P R I L I W H AT V I D E O W I D E S C R E E N E N T E R TA I N M E N T