Belkin Nostromo n52te Review

Jun 2 2008, 12:00am CDT | by Shane McGlaun

Today we are going to check out the Belkin Nostromo n52te gaming keypad. This is the latest product in Belkin’s Nostromo line and was one of the features products at CES this year from Belkin. If you are in the market for a new gamepad check out the Belkin Nostromo n52te review here.

Gallery

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Benchmarks

Features & Specifications
The Belkin Nostromo n52te has an adjustable wrist pad and the ability to toggle between three key map states. The n52te has 15 programmable keys, one thumb button, a scroll wheel and a D-pad with removable joystick. The Belkin Nostromo n52te is backlit and powered by Razer.

In Use
The Belkin Nostromo n52te is the first Nostromo gamepad from Belkin that is powered by Razer. The cool blue backlighting will be readily identifiable to any gamer familiar with Razer products. The n52te is powered by Razer drivers and software also.

The n52te has onboard memory that allows it to store macros and profiles for use on computers without software or drivers. The software allows macros of 42 characters in length to be programmed to any of the 15 buttons.

The pad is comfortable to use and the keys have a nice tactile feedback that remind me of the keys from my Razer Lycosa keyboard. The thumb button beneath the D-pad may be a stretch for users with smaller hands and the button above the D-pad is in a bit of an odd location. It is an uncomfortable reach for my medium size hands.

The main drawbacks to the Belkin Nostromo n52te are the price and the fact that it has less buttons that the similar product from Saitek called the Cyborg command Pad. The software for the Belkin Nostromo n52te is definitely better than the Saitek unit making the loss of a few buttons acceptable in my book. Three LEDs near the thumb button show what key profile is in use at the time and the joystick from the D-pad is removable. The price for the Belkin Nostromo n52te is $69.99 direct from Belkin.

The Belkin Nostromo n52te has a learning curve, but once you get the gamepad set up to your liking and get used to the control layout it is a nice tool for gaming. Personally I will stick to my gaming keyboard, but if you frequent LAN parties the Belkin Nostromo n52te may be exactly what you need.

Verdict

Conclusion

Pros

Great software
Nice backlighting
Works well

Cons

some keys are hard to reach
Expensive
Less buttons that some cheaper units

Verdict
The Belkin Nostromo n52te is one of the best gaming keypads on the market. You can get cheaper, similar units with more buttons but if recording long macros and easy to use software is high on your list of requirements the Belkin Nostromo n52te is hard to beat.

7.5

where to buy

Buy from Amazon

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Shane McGlaun
Leading our review center, Shane knows technology inside out. His extensive experience in testing computer hardware and consumer electronics enable him to effectively qualify new products and trends. If you want us review your product, please contact Shane.
Shane can be contacted directly at shane@i4u.com.