New N52 Design

http://gizmodo.com/assets/resources/...n52te-1web.jpg

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gaming/be...ing-307029.php

The Belkin n52te SpeedPad is a sexy update of the cult classic Nostromo SpeedPad N52. Meant to replace the keyboard (and even mouse) for hardcore PC gamers, the controller offers 15 programmable keys, an 8-way thumb pad and full ergonomic support for extended play (aka...a regular day in our life). But most of this was already standard, and the n52te boasts some nice improvements over its predecessor.

The new back lighting offering glowy blue keys that will turn your face to alien colors during late night frag sessions, and the addition of onboard memory that can store your settings and custom profiles, making the highly tweakable peripheral truly plug and play for tournaments and...uhh...showing off your skillz at Best Buy?

It's a bit too much of a commitment for our current setup, but glowing peripherals still haven't gotten old in our book. $70 this November. If you don't need the new settings, you can still pick up the cheaper original n52 for only like $30.

All we can hope the software that comes with it is better than the existing software...

I live in hope. :D

Hmmmmm. I've always wished that an upgrade to this device would replace the "Orange" button with an array of 2 or 4 smaller buttons, similar to gamepad buttons and easier to press. A few more buttons never hurts.

Also I've never been able to use the 8-way control reliably as an "8-way" but only as a "4-way". I've always used it for additional spell/ability buttons and pressing the diagonals would frequently activate adjacent buttons, so I can only use 4 reliably and I leave the diagonals unassigned.

There's not enough there for me to want to replace the old one, especially at $70.

Mine needs replacing, the buttons are wearing out, I'm actually quite tempted with this. But if its the same old software its not worth the upgrade. Biggest sticking point is the inability to hit a key, have it do something and change the shift state. Especially if you could hold a key to get say a new bar appear on screen, with a new set of key presses in game. WoW is good in this respect and I don't really need this function, but other games would be very much easier to set-up if you could.

More buttons would be handy, though I never had an issue with the Orange button (the big thumb/space bar key giving me more issues). A key that replaced the mouse scroll would have been handy too, I have a scroll on my mouse already, another on the N52 is not that handy and assigning the up/down to key presses doesn't seem to work on mine (button does), which would perhaps make it worthwhile. I'd also like to see on the fly programming that is so handy nowadays (MS Commander had this and I think G15 does as well). Best yet would be an extra row of 'f' keys above the current top row.

TBH I've been hassling Belkin support and asking for updated software/device for about two years on and off, there only response seems to be that its down to demand. This looks like its made to create demand rather than to actually release a good new product, its a special edition, which again TBH fills me with no enthusiasm. :(

Still I'll wait and see, it might be actually worth the $70 price tag.

Looking good but I would kill for a bowl shaped thumbstick instead of that, or a dome like the playstation/psp dualshock sticks, etc :/