Belkin n52te Tournament Edition SpeedPad
by Belkin Components
|
List Price: Category: CE See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
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: For my intent and purpose (World of Warcraft)... fantastic!
Summary: 5 Stars
I first want to preface this review by saying that I have NEVER owned anything like this. I am not some kind of strange Belkin fanboy, nor have I ever owned any other kind of gaming keyboard or any other product in this line. I am used to using the mouse and keyboard that came with my computer to play my game of choice, which is World or Warcraft.
My keybindings were becoming to plentiful to map comfortably to my keyboard so I found this device and decided to give it a try. From what I can see with the reviews here, some people really like their N52 (non-TE) and while I can't comment because I have never used it, I would think that once you get used to the layout of a gadget like this, any change will be for the worse.
I have good sized hands, they have no problem with reaching the keys, I had to actually move the hand rest back to get comfortable... but once I did, it was PERFECT. I have so much more dexterity in my ability to reach more buttons than ever before. I had no idea my thumb could accomplish so much...
Unless you have tiny hands like my wife (who can't reach most of the keys) you will LOVE this thing... It does have a learning curve, I got used to it with my 42 Warrior and it took a few hours of playing for it to become second nature, now once I get on my 70, because I am already completely used to the device, I will have ZERO problem getting all those extra abilities mapped correctly.
The program it comes with is CAKE to use. It doesn't matter what you map the keys to do, I mapped every key to a random keyboard key it doesn't matter, I just mapped a couple of them to a function modifier key (Shift, ALT, TAB) and re-did my bindings IN GAME to get it all straight, took altogether 3 minutes.
Great product, great looking, EXTREMELY comfortable in every regard, and gives me more buttons for comfortable binding then I ever thought possible.
I don't see what there is to dislike about this thing, I was a little skeptical at first, but I have grown to LOVE it in the 4 days since i got it.
PHENOMENAL!
Customer Review: This Gaming Pad is Full of Awesome
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a fan of the n52 lineup since its inception back in 2005. I picked up two n52te a few years back and I still use them to this day. Since it is 2010 and this product is a bit old now, here are some things you should know about the n52te before you buy
- Works with Windows 7 32/64-bit (I have both versions, software on Belkin website installs just fine)
- Fully programmable macro buttons, including D-pad.
- Works with any game on the PC market. Especially useful for MMO games like World of Warcraft and is endorsed by PvP pro-gamers of it like Swifty and Arena Junkies.
- Profiles save onto the pad, so it is tournament ready for any computer you hook it up to. Windows 7 will recognize the controller even if the software has not been installed on a tournament computer.
Here are some cons of it, after using it for several years
- Macro speed is limited to .50 milliseconds. Some people complain about this, but it doesn't affect the fact the button is pressed faster than a human can smash a key on a keyboard.
- Space key feels flat on one of my n52te.
- Keypad has a tendency to "slip up" via the frontside. Had to tape down one controller to keep it form doing this. I play heavy-handed though.
- Will not recognize more than 3 macro presses simultaneously. However you can bypass this by adding simple button combinations.
- Advanced scripting is not supported.
After 3 years of using this product, I can say this was well worth the $[...] I spent on it. I can't tell you how much this pad has saved my hide in PvP games. I even bought the Logitech G13 when it came out, but I still use this one for its ease of programmability and button layout. Too bad Belkin customer support is non-existent. They should really try to support the products which have a huge fan-base such as this.
Customer Review: Fixed all the problems I had with the original
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using the original n52 for a few years now and the only gripes I had with the original was the thumbpad was stiff and the keys had a generic feel to them... but evidently the thing was bulletproof (abused the crap out of it for years and it still works).
The n53te took everything about the old one and made it better. I was really happy they added the little extension to the Dpad because it makes it so much easier on the thumb. It looks a lot better, the buttons have a better feel to them when pressed. I've always bound shift to the bottom left key so it doubles the amount of keys I have (I play WoW). I was really impressed. It's plug and play. I tried using the software when I first got it but found it unneeded, most games let you bind the keys you want so it's just as simple as plugging it in then going to your game and deciding what keys you want where.
I guess the only con would be some of the keys. The ones around the thumbpad aren't the most useful. They seem to be at an odd position so I use them for mundane/unimportant tasks like view map and open bags; I don't want to have to stop moving to do something important. I would like an extra row of keys -- I just bought the logitech g13 to try that out (more keys) but it hasn't arrived yet so I can't compare them.
I've recommended this to everyone I play with, even lend it to them when I take brakes from the game hoping they see how much it helps. After my last break I gave mine away and now I literally can't play without it. It makes things so much more convenient and cuts down your reaction time. The way I describe it to people is Super Mario Brothers on the NES. Compare playing Mario Brothers with the Nintendo controller to playing it on a keyboard... it's frustrating and annoying.
Customer Review: Jumped me from 1600 to 2k in WoW on BG9
Summary: 5 Stars
This game pad comes with easy to use software, can run macros if you want, and has a perfect set up for the computer gamer.
My review will look at this gamepad from a World of Warcraft perspective. I am an average-skill arena player sitting at 2k mmr in 3's and fives since I bought this product.
The look and feel of the pad is presentable and even welcome on my desk: a sleek black case with blue back lighting.
It holds three sets of keybinds that can be swapped between quickly.
I use the left most row for shift and control modifiers, with the far left corner being tab, and this results in 11 keys, mw up, mw down, and middle button presses on the top of the pad. I use the thumb for my alt bind, which modifies and serves as my ptt. In skype, I free it up for an important in-game cooldown. The D-pad can be bound *very* creatively, and I have up bound as pet attack (shift up pet recall), down bound as fear (shift is deathcoil, control is howl of terror) and this is one of my faves. It is very natural-feeling. Left is strafe left, right is strafe right, and playing with a MX 1100 mouse, I have a few more binds. The dpad actually has 8 binds, but i have the corner binds disabled.
In my opinion, this product is more suited to WoW than a standard keyboard, far more comfortable, good looking, and responsive. It took me a mere two days to learn on it, and I was able to log onto other characters and immediately know which binds were which. I have 9 80's, and this a relief when I realized that my hand "knew" what to hit on other toons.
Great Product. If you're looking for a keyboard alternative, buy it.
Customer Review: Excellent Gaming Peripheral
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been using n52te for about 2 years now and i love it. For both WoW and TF2, it's a great aid, though you really do have to take the time to map it correctly and to get accustomed to it.
For WoW i use the d-pad (minus the pop-off mushroom stick) for movement and all of the buttons are mapped to abilities. The thumb button is a shift modifier so i can quickly use twice as many keys. I use the scroll wheel for tab targeting and quick cancels.
For TF2 (and other shooters) i stick with wasd movement on the keys (thumb button for jump) themselves and use the d-pad to pick weapons.
Setting it up was easy. The hardware worked at base level as soon as it was plugged in. The latest version of the software and drivers improves the mapping and macro writing, but even the original worked fine for basic stuff. I followed the instructions precisely and the upgrade went smooth and easy.
When setting it up for different games, first bind all your keys in-game the way you want them for regular keyboard play and then map the n52te keys to those settings. That way if you have to play without it you won't be totally hosed.
After 2 years of pretty heavy use, my original has the paint worn off of some of the keys and the palm rest won't stay attached. All the keys still register just fine and feel like new. I could probably glue the palm rest back on, but it's not too bad without it and I just caught a deal and bought 2 more of these for $29 each. I'll be set for years to come.