Belkin Nostromo Speedpad n52
by Belkin Components
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List Price: Our Price: $39.99 You Save: $10.00 (20%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Belkin Nostromo Speedpad n52
Customer Review: The Next Level.
Summary: 5 Stars
I began playing World of Warcraft back in 2005, coming as a complete nub into the world of MMORPGs. Way back then, I didn't know much about what I was doing, how to set up my keyboard, not to mention spend my talent points. But as I progressed in the game, level by level, I eventually began to figure things out and got really into PvP and the battlegrounds. In WoW, as in most "real time" games, reaction time is key, and after a certain point I began to hit a wall with just my keyboard and <shudder> clicking. Yes, I was a clicker (/shame). I'd heard of other people using an n52, and put it on my wishlist. When my birthday rolled around, my girlfriend completely surprised me with one as a gift and WoW has never been the same for me since.
There was a learning curve of about a week as I configured the speedpad and my playstyle, but once I got the hang of it, my reaction time improved drastically, and I went from feeling like a scrub to a mass murderer (in the game, not in real life--in rl I feel like a scrub all the time). The vast options that the speedpad opens up in terms of keybindings make a huge difference, with pretty much as many actions, macros and abilities readily available at your fingertips as you could desire. I also found the software and interface for setting it up very easy to learn and use.
There is also the comfort factor--the ergonomic hand rest is easy on the tendons and whatnot for those long hours of gaming. If you want to take your game to the next level, I definitely would recommend picking up one of these bad boys, especially now that the price has come down below $30. It is well worth the price, the time to set it up, and learning how best to use it.
Customer Review: Love it! Despite the size...
Summary: 5 Stars
Now the actual unit itself is nicely compact. On a pretty small keyboard tray I've got a Microsoft Wireless media keyboard and mouse combo (pretty hefty in size) and it fits quite snugly.
But for the girl gamers out there with small hands - It's pretty rough to get a good fit. I've already felt some strain trying to use the D-Pad in conjuction with the top left buttons (poor pinky!). And the 15th button under the thumb? Ya, I don't even try to hit it without taking the rest of my fingers away from the keypad. To help, I've removed the handrest completely from this unit. Looks a little funny but feels better overall.
Playing a various amount of MMO's pretty regularly, this immediately caught my eye. And after playing WoW on a PvP server, it was almost a neccesity. Having already preset my keys to my keyboard, it was pretty frustrating to get used to the changes, but even fumbling through my keys I could tell the huge improvement of difference. It's gonna take some time to fully adjust, but that should be expected when you completely change you're set up mid game.
The unit is sturdy, versatile, and compact. The keys don't stick with me, they feel great. The alt key is wonderful to have, altho nearly impossible to use with certain keys in tough situations (which can be remedied by a simple reprogramming of the keys). The thumb key is pratically useless to me. It's really just not meant for small hands. But I deal with it because I fear the girly version would be released in a pink and flower theme. No thanks.
I recommend it for MMOs hands down - can't wait to use it in FPS.
Customer Review: Fabulous for just about anything - works GREAT on a Mac!
Summary: 5 Stars
I spend a lot of time on my computer, for games as well as more serious pursuits. The n52 has been a surprisingly valuable and wonderful peripheral.Though the n52 does not include Mac drivers or software in the box, these were easily downloaded from the Belkin web site, and they work great. Within a matter of minutes, I had the Nostromo set up for shortcuts in my major apps - Safari, Photoshop, etc. I use it a lot when web browsing, using the "cursor" keys to navigate through pages and browsing history, the directional pad for horizontal/vertical scrolling in a page, and a couple of other keys for cycling through tabs.
For gaming, the n52 has also proven to be handy. It didn't take long for me to get it set up the way I like for Unreal Tournament 2004. I have cursor keys set to movement, various other keys set for my favorite weapons, and the directional pad set to jump or toggle the secondary fire mode. After a few hours of playing, I got to the point where I was actually playing BETTER using the Nostromo - probably because everything is all in one place, and it just "feels" like I have a more direct connection to the game.
Anyway, the long and the short of it is this: the Nostromo n52 is incredibly useful whether you play games or not. I use it for gaming and for getting Real Work(tm) done, and it's proven its worth in both areas. I've generally had bad experiences with Belkin hardware, especially on the Mac - but the Nostromo is a definite exception. The drivers and configuration software are first rate, and I'm extremely happy with the whole package. Highly recommended!
Customer Review: Give that hand rest a good solid yank and all is well.
Summary: 5 Stars
Yes, this is a review of the N52.I bought the N50 a few years ago when it first came out and it was and still is great, but it had some things that should have been changed. The D-Pad was awkward, if not useless as a directional controller (though it worked fine as crouch/jump/whatever). The "throttle" was not usable in most video games (joysticks for flight sims have throttle). Each color mode had to have a key dedicated to it (couldn't use one key to swap configurations). It could have also used a few more keys.
However, Belkin seems to have listened to gamer peeves that were posted on gamer sites all over the web and fixed the things listed above. Wow, a company listenning to customers? What a concept!
The N52 now has a more functional D-Pad (though I still prefer the main keys) and two thumb buttons. Four more main keys have been added in a row below the original main keys. The throttle has been replaced with a scroll wheel (which can be programmed to any keys or actions you want). You can now use a single key to change configurations on the fly (yay).
My only complaint with the N52 is that the keys need a good deal of "massaging" before they lose their sticky stiffness. Also, the hand rest comes stuck pretty good to the unit (in a very uncomfortable position for normal/large hands), though a good solid yank up will free the stuck pegs, allowing you to move it to the second set of holes.
After abusing it for a week and setting the hand rest further back, the N52 becomes my pick for best FPS/RTS accessory on the market.
Customer Review: **READ THIS**
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been playing Americas Army and wanted to narrow my keyboard down and the n52 did that. It does take a while to get used to it. I have read other reviews saying the software is hard to use? Wow that is not true! I cannot begin to tell you how easy it is to program. Plus the marcos are so easy to use you will wonder why you never used this before. Some quick things about it, yes the schroll mouse is hard but I use my mouses anyway. The orange button located above the d-pad is not as hard as everyone makes it out to be. It doesn't take 2 hands to press, if it does for you, get off the computer and go to the gym. The space bar does feel soft but still works the same as if it felt normal. The good news is it feels comfortable and in no time you will get used to so don't gve up. And if you play Americas Army this is a must, just stop tracking your account or make a new account to get used to it and so your fr (fragrate) doesnt take a hit. I noticed right away though you wont miss your commands. You will have to still use your keyboard for talking and the fkeys but I do that stuff when I am dead anyway.
So recap:
*Must have
*Mouse wheel is tough - use your mouses
*Orange button doesn't take 2 hands to push
*Space bar does feel soft, but works fine
*Very easy to program
*Macros rock!!:)
*Does take some time to get used to, me about a week. (I even look at my fingers when I type)
*Did I mention must have?