The unit is roughly the size and thickness of two stacked DVD or Blu-ray movie cases. The outer shell is black plastic that has a slightly oily feel to the touch. On the front are four memory card slots that can accept 26 different formats, and four very bright LEDs. On the back are six USB ports (480Mbps) for connecting devices, a USB 2.0 port to connect the hub to a PC or game console, and a 12V DC power jack.

Connecting the 6-port hub to a Windows Vista or XP machine is painfully easy and virtually idiot-proof thanks to the sparse-but-adequate color pamphlet included in the box. You simply plug the supplied USB cable to your PC and the unit, and then connect the power adapter. The hub is easily stacked on top of other Ultra products, or can be stood on its side by attaching the included rubber feet.

We put the device through its paces and tested it on a Playstation 3 (40 GB), Xbox 360 Pro, and Windows Vista PC. In every instance the device was quickly recognized, and we were able to stream photos and music from memory cards with ease. We also connected the full Rock Band instrument set on our PS3. Charging an Xbox 360 controller, playing with the Xbox Live Vision camera, and typing on a USB keyboard worked as expected on Microsoft’s console.

The Ultra hub ships with a CD ROM for Windows 98 SE use, though for current machines it is not necessary to install any driver software. If there are any complaints to be had with the Ultra 6-Port, they are minor at best. We had to reseat some memory cards since the slots are built to accommodate a wide variety of shapes and sizes, and with the USB connectors on the rear of the unit it made for some difficult game console hookups. But by and large, the Ultra hub is a capable device that performs exactly as advertised. If you’re in the market for a powered USB 2.0 hub and universal card reader, it’s a decent choice.