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Conclusion
The ID-75 is neat. Very neat. Extremely neat. But, like any neat toy, it requires some ingenuity and imagination to get it to work the way you want it. Furthermore, like any good company that listens to its customers, Massworks will give you the development source just for asking! This allows you to do all sorts of nifty things with the ID-75, such as developing Mac/Linux drivers for it (Don't laugh), and customize it to perform various other needs and applications. For instance, with some programming know-how and a magnetic card reader, a restaurant owner could adapt one of these into a simple point-of-sale system for employees without having to buy a specialized solution.
As a gaming solution, however, the ID-75 just isn't all that useful. I suppose it's what you make of it. For most of today's applications, I can't see how the ID-75 would really make a game more enjoyable, aside from the coolness factor, and using it to execute macros. However, games of the future might be able to take special advantage of devices like these in much the same way that Windows multi-monitor support was to revolutionize gaming by offering gamers different displays on each monitor. Unfortunately, while this would certainly be a worthwhile practical application for the display, the USB interface it incorporates would most likely be unsuitable for such uses, due to the slow refresh rate of the display.
Most of the bad points (Along with the price, $300 US currently) are merely issues of practicality, however. In other words, if I were trying to sell this device to someone, or argue a case to my girlfriend for her to let me buy one, then I'd have a tough case on my hands in justifying $300 for this. However, if I were to simply throw caution to the wind, then this would be one of the coolest toys for me to own in a long time.
Again, with the Lego analogy, this device is what your imagination makes of it. The possibilities are all but endless. If you can spare the cash and are looking for something cool to hack, then this should be right up your alley. I have to dock some points due to the unwieldy software and the steep price tag, but otherwise, this device offers a Pandora's Box of fun.
Rating: 7.5/10 SystemLogistics
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