The Nostromo SpeedPad is what every gamer needs. The 10 keyboard keys and 8-way directional thumb pad that are all fully customizable using the software that is included. There is also has a throttle wheel for whenever you might need it.

Features

The design is very well done and quite comfortable to use for long periods of time. Great for those who are into FPS (first person shooter) games. You can almost replace your full size keyboard if you're using this handy pad, because it gives you a lot of configuration options.

You'll still want to keep a full sized keyboard around if you want to type messages to your friends in-game.

Key Modes

There are also multiple "key modes" on the gamepad that make it great for the MMORPG (massively multi-player online role playing game) player.

You can set up to three selectable modes for the gamepad. In the software you have to assign a key to switch between the modes. There are three lights (red,green,blue) on the left hand side of the pad that tell you what mode you are in.

Lets say you only need two modes setup. First you would need to assign a button to allow you to switch between these modes. When you push the button it will toggle between modes one and two. It will also turn on a light that is associated with the mode which makes it easy to tell which one you are in.

In one mode you could make #4 key assigned to the letter K and in the second mode it could be set to the letter R. It might sound complicated to setup, but its honestly not. You can easily customize keys and even macros in different modes.

Software

The software for the Nostromo is easy to use. Just make sure you're using the latest version of the software because there are some problems with the old ones.

You can customize all of the keys and buttons of the pad to do whatever you want. You can even setup macros to do difficult key combinations with the push of a single button!

Different profiles can be loaded for each game you play or have a single setup for all your games. Most FPS games use the same keys which makes it easy to have a single profile. (btw, that's what I do). If you have a single profile then you can just go into the game your playing and change the settings so the buttons will work.

Advantages of the n52

The n52 has one more row of buttons than the n50 and it also includes two more thumb buttons and is more comfortable as well. I'd recommend it without hesitation.

Price

The price of the pad is very good around $35-$45.

Update: n52te

Belkin has now released the n52te! From reading the forums for the device some people have stated that the software on this new version isn't that great, but it's getting better as new versions come out. The buttons on the n52te are suppose to have better feel than the n52 version and the blacklight is a nice touch. One major downside is that the price for the n52te is around $70 which sucks.

It seems if you already have an n52 there is no reason to upgrade since there isn't all that much that has changed, but if you have a n50 or don't have one of these devices you should pick one up.

Website Link: www.belkin.com