Sega USB Keyboard
セガUSBキーボード
A Sega‑branded USB keyboard specifically packaged with The Typing of the Dead: Zombie Panic in Japan, it allows players to type words and phrases during play, replicating the arcade experience on the console.
Description
The Sega USB Keyboard is a standard USB keyboard with a full Japanese JIS layout with QWERTY and kana characters. It works natively with the PS2 and functions like any other USB keyboard supported by the system. Its primary purpose was to be used in gameplay of Typing of the Dead, where enemies are defeated by typing displayed words accurately and quickly. Sega advertised compatibility with a range of USB keyboard models for the PlayStation 2, including this, their own model.
The keyboard was released, bundled with Typing of the Dead: Zombie Panic, which adapted the Dreamcast and arcade original title for PlayStation 2. The keyboard was essential for play, as the game required rapid text input to play in lieu of a controller. While technically interchangeable with other USB keyboards, the 610‑8460 set was marketed as the definitive package, ensuring players had the correct hardware.
Despite being an otherwise regular keyboard, the game bundle was praised for novelty and humour, though reviewers noted its niche appeal compared with mainstream PS2 titles. Today it is a somewhat a rare accessory, given the game’s unusual concept and for being one of the few PS2 releases to require a keyboard. A straightforward input device bundled to support one of Sega’s most eccentric experiments on the PlayStation 2.
