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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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Belkin Nostromo Speedpad n52
Customer Review: Great controller - once you learn how to move the handrest!
Summary: 5 Stars
The reviews on here and elsewhere mention that you should give the handrest a "good yank" to adjust it. Well, I yanked and yanked, and it didn't budge... until I finally figured out that it doesn't slide back and forth! It lifts upward, off the unit! Lift it up to remove it. Then, you'll see two sets of holes - a set closer in to the keys and a set farther away from the keys. So, the hand rest has two settings. And, you can just keep it removed if you don't like it.I figured that if I can have this much problem trying to slide the hand rest out instead of lifting it up, then others might be having the problem too. Instructions are nowhere to be found on here, on the Belkin Web site, or in the boxed instructions.
Unlike the other reviews, the keys on my unit are quite flexible... the stiffness is very minor. The unit is quite responsive. Plus, it seems to be very solidly built. The rubberized pad on the underside of the unit keeps it from sliding around too much on my desk.
Being a tech, I tend to dislike using the software that comes with most hardware - printers, mice, etc. But after installing the Nostromo software, I found it to be pretty cool (looks like it takes up about a 4MB footprint). It's easy to use - plus, once you've got the keys mapped out for a game, you can set it up for automatic mode, so that each time that particular game is launched, that key map profile is automatically loaded dynamically. No manual switching of profiles is required!
Customer Review: The only way to play FPS games!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got one of these because my brother had been using the previous model for years. At first I was daunted; getting used to using it can be a challenge, especially if you use the d-pad for movement. However, once you get used to it, there's no going back. Every button you need for most games is readily available without having to reach way across the keyboard, with a Profile Editor and Loader provided on the CD to configure to your favorite games. The wristwrest is adjustable in two positions for your comfort. If I have one complaint, it is with the mousewheel, which occasionally becomes non-functioning after a few clicks and rolls (maybe a driver issues? not sure). Though I primarily use it on FPS's, I've even tried it with emulators and such, and have been able to easily play those as well, though playing one handed can take a bit of adjusting. If the game you play requires more buttons than those provided, you can use a button to "shift" to a different mode, which means you can assign different commands to the same button, and just hit your mode shift button (sort of like the CTRL and SHIFT keys) to get even more commands. The orange button is a bit awkwardly placed, and requires a bit of pressure to hit, but still works fine if used correctly.
So overall, definitely a great piece of equipment, I am certainly glad I purchased it, and I definitely recommend it to anybody looking for a way to get an edge on their gaming.
Customer Review: great for WoW
Summary: 5 Stars
first off, I use windows XP. My wife's desktop came with vista and I cant see anything worth upgrading for. Therefore i have no idea how this works for vista, just with xp.
I got this around july 2006 to use with World of Warcraft. i set it up and installed it right away. I already knew which buttons i used the most for my warlock and custom programmed it, even adding a couple macro buttons (like ctrl-1 to send my pet after somenone) . im not a ASWD person, so i set the direction pad to move, the red button as escape. Everyone says how hard it is to push the button and how unresponsive it is; but i haven't had any issues with it at all yet.
After teaching my fingers where everything was, it quickly became second nature. I can't imagine playing w/o it! Between that and my mouse (yes, im a clicker *gasp*) the only time i touch my keyboard is to say something in chat. and if I'm using vent, i dont need the keyboard at all.
The only wear and tear after a year and half is that the paint numbering for the buttons is starting to fade. But thats ok for me, since I dont need to look at them, if i want to shadowbolt spam or throw out some curses, i know right where all my spells are. The buttons are still as responsive as the day it arrived.
Customer Review: Works fine on Windows 7 64bit
Summary: 5 Stars
Just thought I'd mention that the software on Belkin's site (v3.2.4) is compatible with Windows 7 x64.
This thing (which I consider to be a keyboard replacement) is indispensable in Counter Strike Source. The amazing software allows you to create and customize macros, so I can buy everything at the beginning of round in under 1 second. Or I can type "bet ct all" by pressing only one button. It's extremely easy to customize macros, especially the timing between key presses. There is also a shift functionality, so you can quadruple all the controls if you want. Personally I barely use one of the shift modes, but it's good to know that I have the option (it should actually be handy for WoW players). I have heard that the new edition (n52te) has horrible software issues, especially on the macros front. Which means that if I ever need to replace this I'll stick with the old edition.
Not only is it functional, but it's also very comfortable. Keeping my hand on the WASD keys of the N52 as opposed to a plain keyboard, allows me to play a lot longer without any pain or discomfort.
The spacebar key is too far away though, so I programmed its functionality to one of the D-Pad keys. That's the only disadvantage that I can think of.
Customer Review: Best controller for FPS
Summary: 5 Stars
The n52 is the simply the best controller for PC first person shooter games. Once you get used to it you'll never go back to using the keyboard. It does take a bit of practice but once you have it down you'll wonder how you ever played without it.
Other reviewers have complained about lack of new profiles but you can make a custom profile in just a couple of minutes that suits YOUR preferences. I've never used a pre-done profile. And once you set up one profile you'll realize 80% of the commands for any FPS are the same so tweaking that one profile is even easier. I keep a sheet for each game that has an iconized graphic of the n52 keys and shows what key/button is what. This makes it much easier to switch to a game you haven't played in awhile. Then you just load that saved profile and go.
Games that can be a bit unwieldy on a keyboard become very easy with the gamepad as you can not only push keys with your fingers but use your thumb at the same time. Things like crouch and jump are just a flick away.
If you're left handed though you are out of luck unless you can use the trackball/mouse with your right hand.
Great product.