USB keyboards suddenly work with the Wii!

Hamelin

This was a whole month ago! How'd I miss it?

The latest Wii system update is just the gift that keeps on giving -- we're still finding new, unannounced features included in the downloadable update. Case in point, you can now plug a USB keyboard into those vestigial USB slots in the back of the system for easier text input in some situations.

The support is far from universal -- while you can use the keyboard to type out message board messages, you can't use it to enter a name for you Mii, suggest a poll question on the Everybody Votes Channel or, most importantly, fill in web addresses and forms on the Internet Channel. The Wii Shop Channel, oddly enough, does support the keyboard for typing in search terms, and it was the only channel to receive a significant overhaul in the latest system update. Could more expansive keyboard support be on the way? You'll know as soon as we do.

Source.

My (wireless) USB keyboard works, does yours?

Hopefully next they'll add in support for the internet channel and I'd like an overhaul of the message system, maybe add in forwarding and sending messages to multiple people.

You can be sure I'll start sending you people more messages now that it's so much easier to type them out!

mario

Awesome! I'll check this out when I get home tonight... and almost never make use of it!

bruce

I could've sworn I mentioned it to you already...either way, I know I sent a message to Carter about it, using a keyboard (FYI: The now old-school apple white plastic keyboards definitely work)

geoko

Hrmmm... could be useful if they integrate it better, I have a keyboard hooked up to my ps3 on a relatively permanent basis, and it comes in quite handy, but it's integrated across the board. I use it in games, in the home menu, etc. I could see a wii-board being useful. (oh, that's right, i called it a wii-board.)

Agentcel

Night Lord wrote: »

I could've sworn I mentioned it to you already...either way, I know I sent a message to Carter about it, using a keyboard (FYI: The now old-school apple white plastic keyboards definitely work)

Yeah. I got it.

deku12345

Too bad all of my keyboards in the house use comm ports instead of USB. (Who wants to waste a USB port on their computer when a comm port works just fine and most computers still come with them?)

Drooling Iguana

I think you mean PS/2 ports. While it might be possible to have a keyboard operate through an RS-232 port (what most people refer to when they say "COM port") I've never seen it done. Before keyboards started using PS/2 ports they used the old AT keyboard ports.

deku12345

Drooling Iguana wrote: »

I think you mean PS/2 ports. While it might be possible to have a keyboard operate through an RS-232 port (what most people refer to when they say "COM port") I've never seen it done. Before keyboards started using PS/2 ports they used the old AT keyboard ports.

Probably. That, then!

apas

Hmm... I know the ol' Smith Corona's used what seemed to be RS-232 ports for the mouse, and I do believe that I've seen RS-232 mice even recently in MCM (http://mcminone.com/), however, I really don't remember what the keyboard used... By the way, whatever happened to PC manufacturer's putting serial ports on computers, anyhow? As nice as USB's are, I kinda like the serial.

X'o'Lore

Tell me about it. I got a computer to run a cutting table at work and the thing had no serial port! I needed a PCI card just to hook the table to the computer. But then, I'd never use a serial port on my home computer.

bruce

Aye, ya not wrong there. The only time I'd ever used the serial port on any computer was for a controller called the "Spaceorb 360". It was pretty sweet and cost me £5 in a computer shop. It's now broken, can't find it, even on ebay and I want one for the nostalgia factor

Drooling Iguana

apas wrote: »

Hmm... I know the ol' Smith Corona's used what seemed to be RS-232 ports for the mouse, and I do believe that I've seen RS-232 mice even recently in MCM (http://mcminone.com/), however, I really don't remember what the keyboard used... By the way, whatever happened to PC manufacturer's putting serial ports on computers, anyhow? As nice as USB's are, I kinda like the serial.

Nearly all PC mice used serial ports before PS/2 ports became widespread on motherboards, but keyboards didn't. Keyboards had their own dedicated port in those days, which looked sort of like a PS/2 port but bigger.

jc

SpaceOrb 360.

X'o'Lore

Drooling Iguana wrote: »

Nearly all PC mice used serial ports before PS/2 ports became widespread on motherboards, but keyboards didn't. Keyboards had their own dedicated port in those days, which looked sort of like a PS/2 port but bigger.

I had a 486 once with no PS/2 ports. In order to use it, I had to use a serial mouse that we had, but had to get an adapter to switch the AT keyboard port to PS/2 for the keyboard.

Also that SpaceOrb looks hideous.

bruce

It works like a dream though.

Didn't most mice in the mid 90s come with a serial adaptor anyway?

That one only ships to the US