backtop

Print E-mail del.icio.us 23 comment(s) - last by 1078feba.. on Oct 9 at 11:03 AM

Belkin n52te Back  (Source: Belkin)
Belkin launches update to its n52 gaming device

Belkin sold the old Nostromo n52 gamepad for years to gamers looking for something for fast-paced games and other titles that was less bulky than a full keyboard, and sold it with some success. Today Belkin announced a new update to the n52 called the n52te SpeedPad.

The n52te SpeedPad is powered by Razer Synapse software, which allows a user to save three key map states to onboard memory for use on computers without software being required. The n52te has 15 programmable buttons that you can customize for three different profiles.

The keys are fully backlit in the familiar Razer blue color and the 8-way thumb pad is programmable and has a removable joystick. The wrist rest has a soft-touch finish and is adjustable to your preferences.

Belkin Vice President of Product Management Chris McGugan says, “We’ve partnered with Razer, whose significant knowledge and expertise in gaming make them an ideal partner to further enhance our n52. We’ve been avidly listening to the gamers and their feedback on how to improve the n52.”

The original n52 was aimed at FPS gamers for the most part while the new n52te is aimed at the FPS crowd, MMORPG players, and RTS gamers. The device is scheduled to be available in November 2007 for $69.99.

Comments     Threshold


This article is over a month old, voting and posting comments is disabled
I like it!
By JackBurton on 10/4/2007 10:52:18 PM , Rating: 2
I'm going to have to check one of these bad boys out. It looks pretty nice.




RE: I like it!
By Gul Westfale on 10/4/2007 11:06:42 PM , Rating: 3
as an owner of the original n50, i advise you to thoroughly check it out in a store before buying it. i never had reliability or functionality issues with mine, and i genuinely thought that this was the thing that would give me an edge (or at least make me more comfortable) in FPS games; but the key layout was a bit off to the side and the thumb pad was hard to reach. key action also felt "cheaper" somehow than on a good brand-name keyboard, and i just never got used to it.

the new one looks pretty good, but again: try before you buy.


RE: I like it!
By JackBurton on 10/4/2007 11:25:44 PM , Rating: 2
Good to know. Thanks.


RE: I like it!
By Crazyeyeskillah on 10/4/07, Rating: 0
RE: I like it!
By Gul Westfale on 10/4/2007 11:50:37 PM , Rating: 2
i don't like huge custom boards either, i like 'em small. but a good logitech or MS board simply has smoother key action and less noise and less of a dollar store plastic feel to it than most $5 boards i have seen. that is a personal preference of course; to each his own, i guess.


RE: I like it!
By bunnyfubbles on 10/5/2007 1:04:27 AM , Rating: 5
I wasn't aware that stuffing your face while playing offers a competitive advantage.


RE: I like it!
By jkostans on 10/5/2007 8:35:19 AM , Rating: 2
Too funny...


RE: I like it!
By kileil on 10/5/2007 12:15:03 PM , Rating: 2
The sound of wet nachos splattering the mic really adds emphasis when insulting an opponent's mother.


RE: I like it!
By rushfan2006 on 10/5/2007 3:40:26 PM , Rating: 4
quote:
A real gamer goes to town on the space bar and wasd keys, not to mention all the beer/soda/coffee/nachocheese that finds its ways under the keys.


A "real gamer"....so I guess in your world a real gamer only plays FPS games then? Guess all those folks who enjoy MMORPGs, Flight Sims, Sports Games, etc. aren't "real gamers".

Also I don't know about you but while I'm not a clean freak or sissy at a little clutter or dust here and there -- I am not a scum either - there is never food or drink under the keys. Oh I'm not saying it never EVER happens - but silly me I clean up after myself IMMEDIATELY.


RE: I like it!
By yxalitis on 10/5/2007 12:52:13 AM , Rating: 2
Sorry, i have owned the N50, and three N52's, and have never had an issue, ever. ( Why did i buy 3? One I wore out after 3 years usage, so i replaced it. I now have 2, one for each PC!)
They even just recently release signed drivers for Vista X64..that's pretty good support for a 4 year old product.

Just because you have problems, doesn't mean the whole freakin' product range is borked.

There is no product so well built that you can't find a forum full of people posting complaints about "shoddy merchandise"!


RE: I like it!
By Gul Westfale on 10/5/2007 1:55:46 AM , Rating: 2
i never said i had problems with their product, i said the opposite: i did NOT have any issues with it whatsoever, except that it just didn't seem to fit my hand, and therefore i didn't like it.

the ferraro claw btw was another product like this one, i bought that too (it came with a free copy of hitman 2 so it wasn't a complete waste), and the claw just flat out sucked. the shape was actually perfect but the button layout and the stiffness of the buttons was its undoing. i'm sure there's someone out there who looooves it, though.


RE: I like it!
By Egglick on 10/5/2007 12:52:30 AM , Rating: 2
I also owned an original N50. It was alright, but ultimately I found it a bit awkward and not particularly useful. Basically, it didn't provide enough benefit over a standard keyboard to make it worth the time spent rearranging my desk and reconfiguring all the keys in each and every game. Furthermore, some games don't even allow you to move WASD controls to a so-called "game controller" (the ones of the time at least).

This pad looks like the ergonomics and everything are substantially improved (probably game support too), but $70 honkin bucks??


RE: I like it!
By xsilver on 10/5/2007 2:23:42 AM , Rating: 3
I own the n52 - you dont need to re-arrange any keys, in fact if you really want - you dont even have to install the software (only the drivers)
the n52 gives you the standard wasd keys up to the RFV column, including the tab, caps lock etc.
installing the software will allow you to remap, I only do this for the thumb joypad which I've remapped to RHS alphabetical keys (assigned to secondary functions such as grenades and such)

What the n52 has that the others dont is the contoured rest for your palm, which i found very comfortable. Almost no learning curve at all.
After extended use however I have found that it is lacking maybe another row of keys along the top and LHS (although the switch profile key can give u an instant set of keys I prefer to stick with 1 profile.)


RE: I like it!
By Mitch101 on 10/5/2007 11:11:05 AM , Rating: 2
I have both the n50 and n52.

The n52 keys were too stiff to begin with and takes time to break them in to where its usable.

But I dont see much differnce with this over the n52 other than the backlight and removable D-pad. At least not for the price they want for these options.


RE: I like it!
By bunnyfubbles on 10/5/2007 6:12:29 PM , Rating: 2
You must have missed the part where it explains why they teamed up with Razer - the n52te has onboard memory to locally store your profiles to the device itself. This means you can setup your profiles and then move it to another computer where you will no longer need to install software to get it to work the way you want to.


RE: I like it!
By Mitch101 on 10/6/2007 10:25:10 AM , Rating: 2
I should have mentioned. I kind of felt that using a USB drive with your profiles you could do the same without the high a price tag. Copy/Paste/Done. After all how many PC's are you going to transfer it to? What would be worth it there is if they made the device work like U3 where the software for the device is embedded instead of just the profiles which they could easily do with an easy upgrade on the software ability.

Then when I think about it too I kind of felt that the Nostromo n50 and n52 were underpriced to begin with and excellent bargains. Its one of the few controllers I highly recommended having. If you have the cash Im sure the new one will be great as well but if you want to save a few bucks and will only use one PC then the n52 is a must have.

The only other item I highly recommended was my Game Commander 2 which I still use and love but the company I believe is history.


RE: I like it!
By 1078feba on 10/9/2007 11:03:03 AM , Rating: 2
Concur. I have the n52, used it for about 2 days and now it sits gathering dust (for the last 2 years).

Ergonomically, I think it must have been designed for gamers whose right hands were horribly mangled in an indutrial accident,


By xiaowugui on 10/5/2007 8:01:52 AM , Rating: 2
I really tried to use the N52, but even without the palm rest, it was too big for my hands, and it is hard to reach the side buttons (the thumb pad) as well as the top roll of buttons.

It's a real shame, I really like the design of the device, and had actually planned out how I want to map all the keys, but right now it is just sitting in the drawer collecting dust :(

If anyone know more about this new one please share! I really want to know how big the thing is. If it is as big as the original, then I will have to pass on it again :(




By xsilver on 10/5/2007 10:58:05 AM , Rating: 2
did u realize the palm rest has 2 adjustable positions?
the lower position is perfect for me and I thought I had small hands.

If you were really desperate I guess you could remove the palm rest altogether, just did it on mine and I can reach 2 rows of keys higher than the W key, your hands cant be that small!?


Not Bad
By HimuraX03 on 10/5/2007 2:12:04 PM , Rating: 2
Being an owner of both the original n50 and the n52. I'd have to say I'll be looking into this.

While the n52 is sweet with the extra row of buttons, and two additional thumb buttons, I tend to favor the solid feeling of the n50.

What I did notice on this new hardware is the thumb buttons return. Hopefully they adjusted the location and feel of the top thumb button so you don't get (1) a cramp trying to adjust your finger to push it or (2) an sore thumb since it's so hard to push.

Rog




RE: Not Bad
By juyanith on 10/5/2007 3:20:17 PM , Rating: 2
I always thought these would be a good idea (and in fact have an old n50 around somewhere) but there aren't enough buttons. Maybe I'm just too used to gaming with the keyboard but I think it should have four rows of buttons, not three. In games I use the typical WASD for movement and then map the surrounding keys to other things. With only three rows, I lose five or six spots to place actions. (I think it should have an extra column of buttons too, for a total of six across.) Also, if you're playing online you have to move your hand away to type a message -- this doesn't matter so much if you're using teamspeak though.


Might just get
By afkrotch on 10/5/2007 4:38:23 AM , Rating: 2
I've been contemplating one of the old models before, but have never seen a need for them. Looking at moving back to my old Dell keyboard and maybe add this in for a little change. My current Dell keyboard is hurting my pinky. Maybe the buttons are harder to press, but I'm just noticing the months of use. Maybe it's cause my 9 year old keyboard has been worn in so much that it just works well.




n52 was great
By darkpaw on 10/5/2007 11:01:27 AM , Rating: 2
When I used to 4 box in EQ (yes, I was quite the addict before my son was born), the N52 was a godsend. I could run my entire second comp with its two characters off of it with my left hand. Definately the best $40 I ever spent while playing for seven years or so.

This one looks very nice and the backlighting is definately an improvement. I don't need one anymore, but if I was still playing I'd definately be getting one.




"A politician stumbles over himself... Then they pick it out. They edit it. He runs the clip, and then he makes a funny face, and the whole audience has a Pavlovian response." -- Joe Scarborough on John Stewart over Jim Cramer









botimage
Copyright 2010 DailyTech LLC. - RSS Feed | Advertise | About Us | Ethics | FAQ | Terms, Conditions & Privacy Information | Kristopher Kubicki