3rdalarm's Full Review: Belkin Nostromo N50 SpeedPad Game Pad
The PC keyboard has always been a blessing and a curse for PC gamers. It was never really designed to move secret agents through hallways, or simulate the cockpit of the latest stealth fighter, was it? Yet, it has survived because PC gamers are resourceful. At the dawn of first-person shooters with the likes of Wolfenstein 3D and DOOM, we forced our fingers onto the arrow keys and used CTRL to shoot. When features like “mouselook” became standard with the likes of Quake and Duke Nukem 3D, our left hand migrated to the left side of the keyboard to the popular “WASD” layout, and such it has been for many years. Joysticks are fine for flight simulators, and gamepads for arcade-style play. Mice have evolved trackballs, scrollwheels, additional buttons, and light sensors, but the keyboard, apart from some wireless, internet ready, and ergonomic models, have remained relatively unchanged. There has been a dearth of user-friendly, ergonomic, functional control devices until Belkin released the Nostromo N50 Speedpad. You will notice a difference as soon as your cramped fingers nestle onto its body.
The N50 is a USB mini-keypad with 10 keys arranged in two rows of 5. It also features a throttle wheel and a 4-way hat so that your left thumb doesn’t get bored. It has a compact, black, sleek appearance. The gentle support and natural feel it offers your wrist is immediately noticeable. Your palm rests on a curved riser, which can be removed to allow a flatter surface, nice for people with smaller hands. There are other small details that make this a comfortable unit to work with. For one, the center keys are not offset like the traditional “W” and “S” keys on a keyboard that are commonly used for forward and back.
The device drivers installed without a hitch. A small program stays resident in the taskbar, allowing you to select from one the preset configurations (available for several popular games), edit them, or create your own. The program also appears designed to readily incorporate other Belkin products. Editing and creating new layouts takes only moments. A key can also be programmed as a “shift” key to one of four shift modes available per configuration (off, red, green, and blue). Allowing for a considerably greater number of keystrokes. Key response feels good, and the center key is indexed with a raise bump (like the “F” and “J” keys on some keyboards for fast tactile identification. It is a very lightweight unit, but the rubber grips on the underside prevent sliding.
I was pleasantly surprised at the level of comfort derived from the Nostromo. The price was $29.00 at COMPUSA, which I don’t consider too steep, but if it comes to the choice between the N50 or a new game, is it worth it? I doubt the Nostromo will make anyone playbetter, move faster, or be the deciding factor in tournament play. The unit is easy to adapt to and feels great. Avid and advanced gamers should definitely take a look, especially those prone to long, late night sessions of Unreal Tournament. You know who you are.
FYI: I am running this unit on an ECS P4ITA motherboard, Pentium 4 1.7 Ghz processor, Windows 98 SE, and 128 MB RDRAM.
14 Programmable Buttons Plus 2 Thumb Buttons. Extra Keys With Presets For Select Games. 360 Rotating Mouse Wheel With A Switch. 3 Status Leds For Shif...More at Target
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