Customer Reviews

Belkin Nostromo N45 Dual Analog USB Gamepad (F8GBPC001)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is a cool PSX2 style controller that can be used with just about any game offering gamepad support. I just plugged it in the usb port on my laptop and Windows XP instantly recognignized it-didn't even need the CD. I use it to play all sorts of games including vintage NES and Genesis ROMS and it works fine every time. Theres better controllers out there, but at under twenty bucks, this is the best deal for diehard and casual gamers alike.

The coolest thing about this controller is every single button is programable you could program the entire keyboard into it if you wanted to. If you have ever used a playstation controller then there is no learning curve its just a tiny bit bigger and has a bar on the bottom of it so as not to infringe on the copyright of the playstation controller( don't worry it's more comfortable and doesn't interfere with gameplay ). So far the games I've played with it are all of the CARMAGEDDON SEIRIES, GRAND THEFT AUTO 3, and other racing, flying, and shooting games. Buy it and you will not be sorry (unless you have small enough hands to hold that .. nintendo game cube controller)
Oh, and shame on the quitters who write bad reviews and blame this most excelent controller because they can't beat the first level of a game! OH DID I MENTION IT HAS A LIFETIME WARANTEE. Buy it now it works with about every operating system, AND HAPPY GAMING (or is happy shooting?)

This controller is the greatest ps2 clone type controller out there. Especially with its ability to use keys from the keyboard. With that ability you can use the controller even on games that dont support controllers. Say you wanted to use the controller with quake 3 (for whatever odd reason) then you could set the up D-pad key to w, down D-pad to s, A to left D-pad, and D to right D-pad and so on.

Anyway its a great controller and it controlls pretty well. Its not very big however maybe a 6 year old or someone with hands of that scale may have trouble grasping it i suppose.

Anywho 5 stars *****

I picked one of these up so I could play Madden 2004, NHL 2004 and NBA Live 2004 online with a friend of mine. I gotta say, this controller just owns. It feels very sturdy and well constructed. It feels so tough that I can't help but imagine the quality control guys at Belkin saying, "These things get stepped on. Can this thing survive being stepped on? Hang on, let's see." Even the analog sticks - usually the weakest link in a pad like this - feel very, very tough.

Sensitivity is high and, used as a default pad, it works awesome for so far for EA Sports games. I had to make a custom "axis" for the right analog "Playmaker" feature in Madden 2004 to work right. I dunno why. But with it up and running, my game has been great.

The pad is customizable to do all kinds of nutty stuff. You can map out keyboard keys onto the D pad or the analog sticks, creating a controller for games otherwise not designed for gamepads. You can even do "zones" on the analog sticks. For example you could have a slight press on the stick activate one key (walk forward), and a hard press activate another key (run forward). Or you could even have a slight press hit the "W" key, and a hard press activate "SHIFT + W."

The n45 has 13 buttons, not counting the D pad. 13 basic buttons is still more than most gamepads - I think more typical is 10. Having 13 buttons is a *very* nice feature. In addition you can set a button to be a "shift" key - so all your buttons have a second function when you press shift.

This means that in Madden 2004, I can have every single button in the game mapped, including a timeout button and a button for the pause menu. (If you play Madden, having a timeout button is very sweet.) Even with everything mapped I had 3 buttons left. I used one as a "shift" key - so now I have to press my shift key and a second button to call a timeout. (This is nice because you can't hit the button on accident and waste a timeout.)

With my other two buttons I made two macros. The macroing feature is the other miracle of the n45. You can use it to program sequences of button presses. My two macros were simple - one hits button 1, then button 8 to reverse my play. The other hits 1 then 7 to revert my play to it's original form. Of course I can activate these with single button presses.

Macros are not limited to button presses - they can include analog stick motions, D pad motions, mouse buttons, the "throttle" function from a joystick, and keystrokes. (Basically, you can put anything in a macro except mouse movements.) Another Madden example: another macro that I could easily make would be one that hits button 4, then hits the left stick down for "Bump and Run" coverage. All these examples have been short sequences - however there's seemingly no limit on the number of actions a macro can execute.

If I gave a warning, I'd say the contoller seemed big as hell at first - and I have big hands. After a lot of use, it seems fine - I think it's not really that big, but it's shaped in a way that I was really not ready for. Still, if you have little hands this may not be the controller for you - you might want to look at something petite, like the Logitech Wingman.

I'd also point out that when setting this game up to play Madden 2004, I found that the right analog stick had it's "X" and "Y" functions reversed. Meaning hitting "right" made the game think I was hitting "down." None of the default stick setups worked and I had to program my own custom set of X-Y axes to make it work right. This has not been a problem with NHL 2004 or NBA Live 2004 - only Madden.

Finally, if you get one of these and you have a Belkin n52 or n50, make sure you totally forget about the enclosed n45 install disk, and just download the latest drivers / profile software from the Belkin site. I re-installed from the enclosed CD, and suddenly my n52 just disappeared from the profiler. (Because the enclosed CD was made before the n52 was released. :) Doh.)

Regardless I'm happy to give this thing 5 stars. Between the avalanche of buttons and it's programmability, I'm sure I'll never wish for another gamepad.

The gamepad is average, I suppose. I've never used the PSX controller style, and I've always found that I could press forward more easily with a setup like the n64. This however, is irrelevant to this review.

The gamepad is awesome. It has all the features of the dual shock controllers, except for rumble, which I don't usually prefer. The analog sticks aren't cheapie, like I've found elsewhere... and they even have rubber coating so your thumbs don't slip. The D-pad and the triggers are the weak point, because of too much "play" (i.e. too much distance between "on" and "off," if that makes sense... not because I played on the pad too much), but once they are broken in a little, they feel more friendly.

The gamepad is sturdy. The "action stabilizer bar" which really doesn't stabilize a thing, keeps the controller more sturdy by adding an extra reinforcement. It also makes a nice handle when picking it up. And no, it doesn't get in the way at all.

The software is the best part. Don't think that just because this is the cheapest dual shock clone available that it is automatically a second rate product. You can have it controll the mouse and the keyboard for full controll of ALL games... even ones that don't support joysticks! The installation was a bit sketchy, but that's probably my fault for unplugging it and replugging it in.

i was pleased with it, although its not as mappable as i would like - in that if the game simply doesnt recognize the analog functions (for instance) then i can't remap them to another button instead... but for MOST games this works well, and while it feels slightly akward at first - you get used to it right away.

It's confortable, specially if you have big hands. I use it to play Fifa 2003 and X-Wing alliance. The software that maps the keys of the gamepad to those required by the game allows you to use it for any game.

Actually I prefer it over a joystick for flight simulator games. It's a lot more confortable.

I have owned my first one of theese for a year now and haven't had any problems. Configuring it might take a while, but it is not hard. And WOW, it is very very very configurable, macros, mouse, key strokes, excelent. But most important, I have a little naphew (4 years old) he learned to use this to play, even with his small hands, and yes, he some times gets a little careless and drops it, gets tangled with the cable, etc. The only thing he hasn't done is deliberately jump up and down on it, and it still works. I bought a second one a month ago to replace a Logitech controller thath could not handle my naphews hiperactivity.

The most comfortable controller I've tried. Many are too wide, but this is modeled very closely to sony's psx controllers with some ergonomic additions, like the rounded handles that fit right into your palms.
I haven't tried the analog sticks yet, so I can't vouch for them, but the D pad is a little hard to get used to. It feels a little large and not sensitive enough for a few minutes every time I play. No start or select buttons either, which is a pain in some games (Although, there are two buttons on each shoulder, so if you can spare two of them you can bind them as start and select).
Buy this controller if you're emulating ps1 games and you want a fairly authentic controller, or if you just want a pad that won't cramp up your hands.

This is my third Nostromo product; after owning bother versions of the Speedpad, I felt I couldn't go wrong with the Gamepad. And I was right! It's extremely confortable and has plenty of buttons to accomodate my games.

As with the other Nostromo products, the main perk of this controller over all others is the button editor. Through the very easy to use software that comes with the Gamepad, you can map any button on the gamepad to any key on your keyboard, or even program the button to perform a macro or other function. This is extremely useful and allows for perfect customization of your controls.

You can even set one of the buttons to switch you to a completely different control scheme. Program one scheme for when your on foot and another for when you're flying your ship, and you can easily switch from to the other whenever you want. All of this with the easy to use "Loadout Manager" which recognizes what game you're running and loads the appropriate button profiles.

Along with the other Nostromo products, this is an excellent buy.