Belkin n52te Tournament Edition SpeedPad
by Belkin Components
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List Price: 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 n52te Tournament Edition SpeedPad
Customer Review: I've used N50 and N52, this is a little better
Summary: 5 Stars
I have played mostly FPS games in the past using both the N50 and N52 pads, which IMO are the best possible alternative to the keyboard you can get. I have read the other reviews before buying, and I see some of their points...this device is not for everyone.
I am a little surprised at how many people use this basically the same way they would use the keyboard in a FPS game. I think it is much more intuitive to use one thumb on the D-pad for movement, rather than 3 fingers on the WASD. WASD is the way I used to play and I was very natural with it, so there was quite a learning curve to switching over to using the D-pad on this device, but once I got over that, it just feels much more intuitive. Then you have all 4 other fingers to use for activating all the keys on the pad for other functions.
Software:
I am not a heavy user of macros, and I usually only use a single bank of keys on my games. So for this use, the software works perfectly. It was super easy and intuitive to program the controls. I did not care too much about importing my previous profile as it was easy to create a new one.
TIP : It sounds like a lot of people are creating a profile for each game to map the games layout into the N52. I do the opposite : I create a single profile which maps arbitrary keys to the N52, and use it for all my games. Then I just use the game's control config to map actions to my desired keys on the N52. You have to do a custom mapping in either the game or the N52, so I find it easier to just map in each game. Thus no problems with profile switching or creating multiple.
Aesthetics:
This is the best looking Nostromo pad yet. I like the blue lighting and glossy black finish. Looks very slick and stylish. The blue light I do not find to be too bright at all. I play a lot in the dark and it's not too overpowering. Also, you can just turn it off with a switch on the bottom of the unit.
Build quality:
Feels very solid. Keys feel like they will hold up well. Despite the new bottom and foot design, it stays put very well and does not rock around or anything.
Feel:
The D-pad feels the same as the previous N52 (I am glad). I took off the little joystick attachment and just use the pad. The hole for the joystick is so small I can't even feel it. The joystick thingy is a little too slippery and does not increase accuracy, so I will likely never use it...but maybe with a little rubber pad on it could work pretty well.
The wrist rest is easy to move positions, and the back position fits my large hands well. I would guess small handers would have a bit of a stretch though.
The keys I actually like a little better as well. They are low profile and have a smooth action and low throw to activate. Feel about 1/2 way between a desktop keyboard and a laptop keyboard. Very easy on the hands over a period of time. Placement works well for me.
Shift key and circle key by the thumb : I use these for less used keys, as I don't want to take my thumb off the movement D-pad too much. They seem to click fine and I did not see an issue with hitting the side of the shift key. No missed clicks yet.
Value:
At the MSRP, I would say maybe a little too pricey, but on Amazon for fifty bucks with free shipping, it is a very good buy.
Bottom Line:
If you play a lot of FPSes or 3rd person action, this thing is perfect. If you are still sticking to WASD, I would say give it a little time to try using this as it was intended, with the D Pad for movement. It becomes very intuitive and will free you up to press more ancillary keys. Otherwise, you would be better off saving the money and sticking to the keyboard, as this will not give you much extra.
5 stars for me, coming from a mostly FPS gamer.
Customer Review: Expensive, but very nice
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this from a local retailer on 3/24/2008. My son choose the Saitek PZ31A Pro Gamer which I purchased at the same time.
First, others have complained about buggy software. I have not had any problems with either software or hardware.
For each game you use this unit with, you'll want a profile. In each profile, you can map each key (minus one to actually switch maps) to three different functions, one for each mapping (which goes by color).
This isn't as useful as it sounds, but it's still nice.
The software iteself is extremely easy to use. There is a picture of the controller on screen, you choose a button, then choose what you want that button to do. Each button can be mapped to up to tree different keys, functions, or macros. Switching is easy, however, I've found that switching between keymaps isn't that useful during a game. While not in battle, switching has some usefulness, but when you are trying to kill that last demon, you don't want to switch maps just to get to another weapon.
There are fewer buttons than I would have liked, but realistically, the fourteen buttons available for the fingers of the left hand are about all that can be reached comfortably. There is also a scroll button which can be used for up to three different keys. (One key for scroll up, one key for scroll down, and one key for press.)
The scroll button can cycle between keymaps, something I believe only it can do. My one disappointment was that the scroll button can't cycle between other keys. For example, if I have weapon sets mapped to F1, F2, and F3, it would be nice to be able to use the scroll wheel to quickly scroll through my weapons.
The thumb controls three keys -- a lower key, an upper button, and a D-pad. Each can be mapped to anything you choose, including all eight directions available on the D-pad. The thumb can only do one thing at once, however. Don't expect to use the D-pad and another button at the same time. This is important if you choose a thumb key to momentarily shift to another mapping. Since my D-pad is set for movement, and the upper thumb button to shift, I can't do both at the same time.
A manual is included on the CDROM, but simple exploration with the mapping application will give as much information except for two things. The D-pad has a removable joystick, and the hand rest is adjustable/removable. In either case, you simply pull the component off the base. The hand rest can be moved back about an inch, or the whole thing used without it.
Now, I wanted to make a couple of comparisons to the Saitek I bought for my son. First, the software for the Saitek is difficult to understand, and the colors the software talks about aren't the colors on the keypad. It also has several more keys available, which sounds good, but I'm not sure it would actually work well in practice. The one thing I really like about the Saitek is that it has a shift key that can be pressed by the base of the thumb, allowing use of the joystick and shift key at the same time.
Finally, my son has had issues where in the middle of a game, it seems to lose its programming and the profile has to be reloaded.
As for the n52te, I love it. I bought it specifically for Hellgate: London, and once I got the keys mapped for it, it worked wonderfully. I have also experimented with a profile for Starcraft, and while I don't believe it works as well for that game, it still speeds up my commands.
Customer Review: Quite pleased
Summary: 5 Stars
I held off on getting one for a long time, despite positive reviews from friends, but decided to take the plunge for a recent game.
I like it a lot. Expect to spend 1 day getting used to it another few days really getting a feel for it.
It really boils down to one simple benefit:
The thumbpad.
With this one simple thing, you put movement in control of your thumb (which previously was probably relegated to "jump" duty on the spacebar while movement required two fingers if you wanted to "strafe run") and now you have your fingers free for activating a bank of 14 hotkeys plus three more if you count wheel-up, wheel-down and wheel-push, which you can do with your index finger without leaving the thumb pad.
The other two buttons I don't find to be generally useful: the one above the thumbpad and the one below it, as I rarely want to take my thumb off of the movement pad to activate them (although if the game has any ability that can't be done while moving anyway, these are good buttons for them). I do think that a couple of left-side pinky buttons would be doable -- it really could use a few more buttons for those button-heavy RPGs -- but for FPSs you've got plenty.
The software is very nice and more configurable than I thought. You can map any button on the device to act as any button on your keyboard, including the wheel-up, wheel-down and wheel-press (by default, the n52te wheel maps to a mouse wheel but I always re-assign it because hey, I already have a mouse wheel).
You can also do macros. The easiest way is to simply "start recording" and then press the buttons in the order and speed you desire, then "stop recording". For example, perhaps I want to switch weapons, wait 1 second (while the game does the animation for switching weapons) and then execute a maneuver and then switch back; this is very easily accomplished.
I also personally found it helpful to map a button on my mouse to be "shift" so that I can get twice as many keys on my n52te. So I can map the top middle button to be "3" and then map that to something in the game, then map "shift-3" to be something else in-game and basically double the number of available buttons.
The only real downside to the n52te is the button layout and how some games (mainly RPGs) do not visually support a 3x5 layout.
That is, if the game only has one hotbar of 10 buttons, I have to remember that the "6th button" on my screen is actually the "first button of the second row" on my n52te.
Luckily, games like Warcraft and Warhammer are configurable enough that I can visually put three rows of buttons on screen and then map them to match the physical layout of my n52te. For FPS games I typically just draw on a sheet of paper what I'm mapping to where until I get the hang of it.
I also wish they had a left handed version (which is to say, a version for the right hand so that lefties can use the mouse in their left hand). I had switched to a left handed mouse a few years ago and actually had to switch back to a right handed mouse in order to use the n52te.
All in all, I'm well pleased with it, but it definitely has a learning curve. Hardware-wise and compatibility-wise, I've had zero problems with it, even on 64-bit Vista.
Customer Review: With respect to all the negative reviews..
Summary: 5 Stars
You'll find plenty of negative reviews about this little guy anywhere you look. I took all the negative points very seriously (there are a lot of very valid points) and decided not to buy it. However, I saw it at bestbuy a few days ago and man, I kind of drooled a little. Looks even better in person, so I thought what the heck, if I really don't like it I'll just return it and make up a story about bogus Mac software (which works impressively well, by the way. Not at all like your typical Razer software).
Its important to note that I never used the original n52, but I couldn't be happier with the n52te. Firstly, The spacebar isn't giving me the problems I was expecting. I see what people are talking about, when they mention not being able to hit it on the edges, but hitting the space bar at the far ends feels uncomfortable and unnatural to me anyways. I haven't hit space bar without it registering unless I try to get it to miss. I thought I'd have to pop the key off and put something in there to make it a little more stable, but it's really just fine the way it is.
The thumb stick comes off to reveal a d-pad, which I prefer. The small hole in the middle isn't a problem for me now and I don't see it being a problem later on.
I spent two days away from WoW just getting my macros in perfect order, and I honestly can't imagine needing more than is available with the n52te. Sure there are only 3 KeyMaps, where the original apparanly had 4, but I think I've got more than I could handle anyway.
There are blue, red, and green lights under the spacebar to let you know, out of the corner of your eye, which keymap is currently active. Very helpful, but these three lights are way too bright, in my opinion. I put a few layers of tape over them. Problem solved.
I'm just writing this to encourage folks not to give up hope, if you were initially really excited about this and swayed by all the negatives. I'll honor all the negative reviews and assume that if you're already accustomed to the original n52, you'll probably be disappointed. For everyone else, I really recommend you give it a shot. This thing works very well. Its made of quality materials, its comfortable, and dead sexy to boot. Looks incredible next to my blue DeathAdder. Five stars, absolutely.
Feel free to comment and ask me questions. I'll be more than happy to respond.
Customer Review: Best thing since......the crappy keyboard I used before...
Summary: 5 Stars
When I first saw this on Amazon I thought that looks cool and since I hate using a normal keyboard this might me awesome....but the reviews ah the reviews, some good and some very very bad. And not just I hate it cuz I suck a games kinda bad reviews. But well thought out bad reviews.
Anyway it looked to pretty and nice for me to pass up, the blue back light calling to me,
and I couldn't help myself and I took the chance and blindly bought it, like a good consumer, pulled it out of the box and plugged her in. Now I understand why it was calling to me in such a way, this thing is friggin awesome, I never used the old n52 so I can not speak to that. But this is wonderful, I'm not sure why I was so skeptical, all the bad reviews are wrong IMO.
Quality: does not lack, it's solid doesn't feel too plasticy or anything. The USB looks to be gold plated (it's so choice)
Layout: Almost perfect.......it's like they used @sssss for a spacebar, I mean come on, you have to hit right on the number and hard or it doesn't go down. D-pad/stick thing, very nice, it works well.
Comfort: The designer must have had hands just like mine, but with really long triple jointed thumbs to hit that spacebar. Over all it feels nice and is great for extended play.
The look: don't get me started, please it's beautiful,
It comes with some neat software for 3 different key configurations, and 3 is enough for me, oh and macros too, over all it's good stuff.
-1 Star for the space (rolls eyes on how bad it is)
6 Stars for everything else. (and being a sexy piece of hardware)
= A 5 Star product.
Totally worth the money, as my first gaming keyboard, oh and I use a Razer DeathAdder it lights up blue too and Destructor gaming mat.
********Edit 11/06/09, after 2 months of solid use*********
Still no problems, it just keeps on getting better, and now I can't even use a regular keyboard, because I'm just so in love with the n52te. I have sort of halfassed gotten use to the space bar. The programmable keysets and software work nice, I couldn't be happier.
My only real complaint is the nice black soft finish on the wrist rest is warring a little so it doesn't look `new' anymore, but this does not inhibit game play.