Xkeys question

[neen]

I just wanted to confirm, the xkeys just allows you to remap keys from the keyboard and combinations into their layout? It's not actually creating additional keys to play wow with?

I'm trying out an n52te because i've never heard anyone complain about it (I purchased this before I had attempted to multibox), but I think I want access to more keys for a 5-boxing set up. I always question what advantages these keyboard alternatives offer when a keyboard is usually 100+keys, unless it provided access to additional keys.

Edit: sorry, i was looking through the forums and I posted this to the wrong area.

[Drizzit]

the search function is your friend :cursing:

I hate the Belkin Nostromo N52te

people do hate it

[neen]

the search function is your friend :cursing:

I understand this, but I've searched the forums and the wiki and was unable to find this specific information. Perhaps you could prod me in the right direction on what I should be searching for other than "xkeys"? Thanks!

[Binaryzero]

I have used the n52 and n52te with not issues, but I now have an xkeys. Yes you can setup the keys anyway you want and program them to do almost anything. the PS/2 and USB versions do work differently in reguards to programming the device, so do check the forums here and at the xkeys site.

[Nixi]

I bought the x-keys pro, and it's collecting dust. As an ESDF user I found my hand to be REALLY uncomfortable on the xkeys pro since it only has 4 columns in the center of the pad. I couldn't use it as a keyboard replacement, and I hate moving my hand off my movement keys. If it had 5 columns in the center i'm sure i'd use it. One thing I've considered but havent' taken the time to do, is rotate the xkeys pro 90degrees so I do have more columns. If I try it i'll post about how it worked out.

Btw- to clarify, the issue i'm having with the 4 columns is that movement keys take 3 columns (SDF) and then my pinky rests on an action button and my index finger is ready to move one space to the right to hit an action button, therefore needing 5 columns. The xkeys pro is setup to have 2 columns, a space, 4 columns, a space, and 2 more columns. The gaps between the center button set and the flanking sets are too large to for my pinky and index finger to comfortably reach without lifting my hand.

I think WASD users will find the xkeys pro to be right at home though. Because your pinky doesn't rest on an action button, but a modifier (shift), so the x-keys pro could potentially be a keyboard replacement for those users.

The x-keys footpedal that I purchased gets used all the time. I highly recommend one of those.

[Otlecs]

I just wanted to confirm, the xkeys just allows you to remap keys from the keyboard and combinations into their layout? It's not actually creating additional keys to play wow with?

Correct.

I use both an Xkeys Pro (for my Priest) and an XKeys stick (for my pally). The sheer number of keys on the Pro made me decide to programme it with full-length macros rather than key replacements, and that's worked really well.

The only problem I have is that it's complicated trying to drive four different devices (pro, stick, keyboard, mouse) with only two hands, so I'm in the process of simplifying my setup, and I suspect that will see the XKeys pro put back in its box and stored away somewhere to be forgotten about

[Depherios]

Pedals can be highly useful, especially as modifiers or for movement. Not using any at the moment, but I'm thinking of going back to them. (I just use cheap steering wheel(s) mounted under my desk for the pedals lol)

I love the Nostromo N52, but the TE has a glitch using the diagonals on the Dpad to move that drives me nuts (Tree has one, I don't)

I loved my Ergodex and used it until I started on wow, but with wow, moving and hitting keys was too annoying...

I've recently switched to the Saitek Cyborg Command Unit... gaining a few more buttons in a better layout. It's also a bit more comfortable for my (not small) hands.

Nothing can add new keys, because even if you have something that uses them, WoW won't recognize them (I wish I could use F13-F24 for a lot of things, but wow won't support it) So you're going to have to bind regular keys. I'm currently using every key on my keyboard except a few letters and the 10 keys on the number keypad that change with numlock. Including rebinding some of my media keys as hotkeys for Fraps/Vent... WoW won't even recognize a joystick's input, which is T_T

[HPAVC]

I bought the x-keys pro, and it's collecting dust. As an ESDF user I found my hand to be REALLY uncomfortable on the xkeys pro since it only has 4 columns in the center of the pad. I couldn't use it as a keyboard replacement, and I hate moving my hand off my movement keys. If it had 5 columns in the center i'm sure i'd use it. One thing I've considered but havent' taken the time to do, is rotate the xkeys pro 90degrees so I do have more columns. If I try it i'll post about how it worked out.

I have the same unit and I love the technology, the device is a little more than awkward. The xkeys-pro is quite big, the keys are square and blocky, it has a large footprint and doesn't snug very well with other desktop components. It's definitely not a ergonomic pad, but rather an industrial controller that would share the workload with a keyboard or replace a keyboard in a "command center" or something.

I have mine under my keyboard and tilted upward, only the block of 18 keys are exposed above my keyboard's function keys. I have a keyboard that is pretty slim where the keyboard edge begins just after the keys and its fits pretty well. So in the end its somewhat like an x-stick would be.

The x-keys footpedal that I purchased gets used all the time. I highly recommend one of those.

How durable is the foot pedal? Can you describe the device, I would think myself smashing it accidentally I fear in an epic "oh noes!" moment.

[neen]

Nothing can add new keys, because even if you have something that uses them, WoW won't recognize them (I wish I could use F13-F24 for a lot of things, but wow won't support it) So you're going to have to bind regular keys. I'm currently using every key on my keyboard except a few letters and the 10 keys on the number keypad that change with numlock. Including rebinding some of my media keys as hotkeys for Fraps/Vent... WoW won't even recognize a joystick's input, which is T_T

Thank you, this what I had thought, but I wanted confirmation. I don't like losing certain default wow keys because I'm so used to them (c, l, f, t, r, o, b, p, f1-5 etc..) so I was hoping there was some solution that would just give me new keys to bind. I even tried using the directinput buttons that the n52te lets you bind and those didn't function in wow, that probably would have been perfect for me.

The xkeys looks pretty awesome, but ultimately I think I'm going to go back to a standard keyboard and just stick with that.

[Revith]

Nothing can add new keys, because even if you have something that uses them, WoW won't recognize them (I wish I could use F13-F24 for a lot of things, but wow won't support it) So you're going to have to bind regular keys. I'm currently using every key on my keyboard except a few letters and the 10 keys on the number keypad that change with numlock. Including rebinding some of my media keys as hotkeys for Fraps/Vent... WoW won't even recognize a joystick's input, which is T_T

Thank you, this what I had thought, but I wanted confirmation. I don't like losing certain default wow keys because I'm so used to them (c, l, f, t, r, o, b, p, f1-5 etc..) so I was hoping there was some solution that would just give me new keys to bind. I even tried using the directinput buttons that the n52te lets you bind and those didn't function in wow, that probably would have been perfect for me.

The xkeys looks pretty awesome, but ultimately I think I'm going to go back to a standard keyboard and just stick with that.

I just got my x-keys today and I'm going home soon to set it up, but there are many options for x-keys even with the standard keyboard limitation. How often do you use, for example, ctrl-alt-[ or ctrl-alt-*? With x-keys, you can set a key to be one of those two, or any other combination you wish. It might also work with various foreign keys, which you can access via the windows character map. We'll see how well that works tonight. But I certainly plan on setting mine up with alt-ctrl combinations, which I'd otherwise never use.