Belkin n52te Tournament Edition SpeedPad
by Belkin Components
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Belkin ComponentsAudio: English (Original Language)
Platform: Mac OS X
Model: F8GFPC200
Color: Black
Product features:
- Gaming accessory incorporates keyboard and gamepad functions into one easy-to-use device
- 15 fully programmable keys built for complete customization and speed
- Programmable 8-way thumb pad with removable joystick
- Adjustable wrist pad and backlit keypad and scroll wheel
- Embedded memory powered by Razer allows you to personalize multiple player profiles for all your games
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable (3.3 Feet/1.0 Meter)
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to Mini-B Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)
- AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to A-Female Extension Cable (9.8 Feet/3.0 Meters)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Belkin n52te Tournament Edition SpeedPad
Customer Review: I love my n52te!
Summary: 5 Stars
I was very sad the day my old n52 finally wore out. It had provided me with years of great game play, and had made my game playing easier across all different genera of games (I am definitely an entusiast, and play all game types out there, including, but not limited to, fps, rts, mmorpg, turn-based strategy, and simulators). I was even more dismayed when I logged on to Amazon.com and saw all the negative reviews people had written here.
Because of all the bad reviews, I almost passed on purchasing this new version of the n52 when my old n52 wore out, but on the off chance that it might not be as bad as the reviews were leading me to believe, I decided to order three pads, including the n52te, with the expectation that I'd return the two I least liked. The n52te stayed with me, and the other two went back. Hopefully the following review will give some indication why.
What I ended up discovering was a game pad which was in most ways an improvement over the old version. I know my opinion is a minority view, but as a person who games for at least eight to ten hours a day, I believe it is a well tested and well founded view. In this review I will discuss some of the issues others have had, and how those have differed from my experiences. In addition, I'll talk about some things that few (if any) other reviewers have discussed, but which can be useful for the n52 novice and maybe some old timers too.
Much has been made of the quality of the build of the n52te. My experience has not upheld those findings. While some people have commented that the key directly under the thumb (usually referred to as the "space bar", but which can be programmed both on the n52 and the n52te to do anything you want it to do... game wise that is... I have yet to find a way to get it to do the laundry or wash the windows). Other users have complained that the thumb button felt "mushy" to them. I have not had any problems with either key, and have to wonder if maybe the users who had units which had that problem were in some way defective. The other possibility is that something about my touch is different from theirs, and that therefore the buttons work correctly for me even though they don't for them, though I rather doubt that this is the case since no matter in which way I push those buttons do I have any trouble with them. Further, they keyboard buttons have a much better feel to me than did the old n52. The n52 had a plastic on plastic feel, whereas the n52te has that slight click that good keyboards have.
Many people have complained that the n52te has fewer modes than the n52 had. This is true. The n52 had four modes, whereas the n52te has only three. But in all the years and through all the games which I have played since the n52 came out, I have never used four modes. For some games, such as World of Warcraft or Everquest and Everquest 2, I have used three, but for the fast majority of my games I use one or two. People who have been using four either aren't being creative enough with programming the n52 series pads, or haven't been making use of in game key binds. Using in-game key binds it is quite easy to program the pad such that by pressing two or three keys together you will come up with an entirely different result than if you pushed just one or two keys. The idea here is to bind one key as a shift key, one key as a ctrl key, one key as an alt key, etc., then define different key actions in the game to be, say for instance "p", "shift-p", "ctrl-shift-p, or any combination you can think of. Also you can set up the D-pad to act either as a second mouse (good for using mouse-look in games where you use the mouse to move around and can use a second mouse to look in a different direction than the direction you're moving in), or as eight different buttons. Becoming proficient at using the d-pad takes some practice, but once you get good at it you can program it in many different ways with equal success using it no matter how you program it. The scroll wheel doesn't have to be used exactly like a mouse's scroll wheel. Unlike the n52, the n52te's wheel has can be clicked like the "middle button" click available on many mouse scroll wheels. That means that the wheel can be used as three different keys, or if you'd rather, like a standard mouse wheel. I often program the wheel to shift between the three modes, such that up is red, click is blue, and down is green.
The software and memory of this unit is provided by Razor, the same company which makes the high-end gaming mice. For those familiar with programming Razor mice the programming interface will be as familiar as air since it is identical to the mouse programming software, except on steroids to accommodate for all the keys and buttons. For those who have used only the old n52 software it will be like starting all over again, but if you take the time to learn it, it will be no harder, and perhaps a bit easier than it was to learn the n52's programming software when you first started off with it. For those who are new to programmable devices, it's not that hard to learn. You simply click on the key you want to program, then choose what you want that key to do from a drop-down menu. If you choose "macro" from the list, you'll need to type in the letters you'd type in if you were doing the same thing on your regular keyboard. The advantage is that you can chain together commands to have them execute rapidly (or slowly if needed) in succession with only one key press, rather than many. The n52te also can be programmed to automatically load when you start a program, and can also be programmed to quit doing anything when you exit (this is accomplished by programming all the keys to "off" when you start any program other than one of the games you use the n52 on).
This is getting quite long, so I'll rap it up, but before I do so, I'd like to clue everyone in to an undocumented feature which few people know about. It is a feature which works both on the n52 and the n52te. Most people who have one of these two devices don't realize that the palm rest is adjustable, when in fact it actually has three positions. If the position it ships in isn't right for your hand, all you need to do is pull the palm rest off (its on quite snuggly so that it won't fall off during a game). Once it's off, you'll see two sets of holes in what looks like a second smaller palm rest. If your hand is bigger than the default position is, simply move it back to the last set of holes. If your hand is smaller (as mine are) simply leave the palm rest off and use the one which is molded into the body of the unit.
As a final disclaimer I'll state that I usually use a multi-button programmable mouse such as one of the better Razor mice or the Logitec G9 (which is the mouse I'm using at the time of this righting. That may be part of the reason why I never used the fourth mode on my old n52. If you have need for more buttons than the n52te has, or even if you don't, I strongly suggest that serious gamers buy a multi-button programmable mouse if for no other reason than their optics tend to be better (especially true with the high-end mice). There are one or two multi-buttoned mice out there which are more of a hinderance than a help, but if you read the reviews you'll know which those are.
Hope this has helped, and that it has perhaps put the n52te in an honest, exhaustive, yet perhaps more positive perspective.
Description of Belkin n52te Tournament Edition SpeedPad
Whether your passion is rooted in FPS, MMORPG, or RTS games, Belkin¿s n52te is built to dominate with swift execution. Gain a competitive edge with portable player profiles, 104 custom functions, cool blue backlighting, and enhanced with Razer¿s killer performance tools. Bring on all challengers and see why your n52te won¿t be the only thing that¿s lit up.Amazon.com Product Description
 The n52te is an innovative keyboard and gamepad with incredible personalization options powered by Razer. View larger. |
 Engineered to optimize your gaming speed and prowess. View larger. |
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Keyboard and Gamepad Functionality
The n52te puts keyboard and gamepad functionality into one small and easy-to-use unit, delivering more tools for customizing your game than ever. Using feedback from hundreds of gamers, Belkin's engineers designed the n52te's intuitive nature and stylish versatility to give you easy access to your arsenal of deadly maneuvers.
An adjustable soft-touch wrist pad offers maximum comfort and endurance, while the backlit keypad and scroll wheel give you total control in dark conditions. Gamers demand speed and instantaneous response, so the n52te features enhanced tactile feedback and button responsiveness for rapid key presses. Non-slip, rubber stability pads keep the device in place so you can concentrate on firing, bobbing, and weaving.
Supreme Customization
Need to custom tune your device to match your unique fragging needs? Not a problem with the n52te. Fifteen fully-programmable keys and three keymaps are built for complete customization and speed, giving you intuitive setup and performance. The 8-way thumb pad is programmable, as well, and it sports a removable joystick.
Powered by Razer
Thanks to Razer Synapse? embedded memory, you can personalize multiple player profiles for all your games and access killer performance tools. The inclusion of onboard memory also means that you get plug and play versatility with no additional software installation.
What's in the Box
Belkin n52te, quick start guide, and Nostromo Array Programming Software.
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