Qwerty FTW! Straight out of the Leipzig Games Convention today, Sony has taken steps to make typing out invitations for your Home house warming party a little easier.

The company has confirmed that they are launching a bluetooth-enabled wireless keypad attachment with full support for all typing related actions in the console’s line up of games.

The device features a “touchpad mode” for mouse input along with two additional short cut buttons giving easy access to XMB presets such as “Friends” and “Message Box”. Connecting the keypad to your controller will be simple, as it snaps onto the top of a SIXAXIS or DualShock3 controller via the mini-USB port.

The keypad will ship with eight different flavors to support multiple languages. No word on pricing yet, but we can expect to see the device in the US and Japan by the end of November, and in Europe before the end of the year.

Full specs available after the jump.

Wireless Keypad for PLAYSTATION(R)3 to Be Introduced This Holiday Season Worldwide

TOKYO, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ — Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) today announced that it would release the Wireless Keypad, a new peripheral for SIXAXIS(TM) and DUALSHOCK(R)3 wireless controllers for PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(R)), this holiday season throughout the world. It will be introduced in North America in late November. It will be also introduced in Japan, Europe and Asia by the end of this year.

The highly anticipated Wireless Keypad is designed to fit precisely into the unique shape of SIXAXIS and DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controllers, and can be easily attached or removed. By using the product instead of the on-screen keyboard, users will be able to enjoy text chat communication more easily and comfortably in their hands, just as they would use familiar portable communication devices. It supports text chat in PlayStation(R)Home as well, and enables users to enjoy interactivity playing on-line titles and enjoying entertainment content more smoothly.

Equipped with Bluetooth(R) functionality, the Wireless Keypad can be paired to PS3 by simply connecting the keypad to the USB cable that comes bundled with the PS3 system. Also, two shortcut buttons, a Communication Button and a Message Box Button, are placed on the lower part of the Wireless Keypad, enabling users to jump to pre-set features on XMB(TM) (XrossMediaBar) such as “Friends” and “Message Box” during game play, which help PS3 users to smoothly communicate with each other. Additionally, a Touch Pad Button allows PS3 users to use the entire surface of the keypad as a touch pad, allowing them to easily maneuver the pointer while web browsing, simply by sliding their finger on the keypad surface.

More and more exclusive software titles that will support text chat feature are scheduled for release towards the end of the year including LittleBigPlanet(TM) (SCEI).

SCEI will vigorously promote various measures to introduce new entertainment world that can be further enriched through the network, including PlayStation Home.

Release date and price of this product will be announced later in each region.

Wireless Keypad Product Overview
Product Name Wireless Keypad
Product Code CECHZK1JP (For Japanese market)
Product Color Black
Hardware Specification Weight : Approx 60g
Voltage: DC 3.7V
Operating Temperature:
5 degrees C ~ 35 degrees C
Built-in Bluetooth(R) Ver.2.0
Keypad Layout: QWERTY layout
Battery Specification Built-in Rechargeable Lithium-Ion
Battery
Battery Capacity: 610mAh

Tags: dualshock_3, GC 08, keypad, PS3 controller, qwerty keyboard

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2 Comments » Dan Landis on August 20, 2008 11:12 am /begin sarcasm Wow! From the motion-sensing, the guide button, the change of the shoulder buttons into triggers, and now a chatpad? Sony is a company of geniuses! Where do they come up with all these great ideas? /end sarcasm DavidGX on August 20, 2008 3:49 pm Sony’s some kinda geniuses.. I tell ya what… RSS feed for comments on this post. Comment Now Note: Commenting on Ripten does not currently require registration, however to be eligible for contests on the site, you must be a registered user. Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Commenting Rules: No hate speech allowed. If you must argue, please debate intelligently. Comments containing selected keywords or outbound links will be put into moderation to help prevent spam. Ripten reserves the right to delete comments and ban anyone who doesn't follow the rules. Thanks. Notify me of followup comments Tired of the Goomba? Upload your own custom comment avatar.