Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Happy, June 8, 2006
I have purchased numerous gamepads in the past, and have eventually returned or sold them, as I could never get the buttons programmed to all the key features I needed. With this pad, I am pleased. The buttons can be programmed to any keystrike you like, and there is even a shift button, just under the base of the thumb, which essentially doubles all the buttons. It does take a little while to get the hang of the program software, but once learned, it is seamless. I have played Half-Life 2:episode one and Darwinia, freed of the key board. Each game has a different profile which is easily loaded prior to starting the games. Of note, this keypad only works with the left hand, leaving the right to drive the mouse. Not a problem for me, but I know some people shop at the Leftorium, and this may not accomodate them. Also, tho it looks like the distance from the handrest to the keys may be adjusted, they are actually fixed. The thumb dongle, however, may be tilted and slid in an out. The silver knob on the side tightens and loosens the bar which lets it slide.
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic Purchase, June 14, 2007
I play World of Warcraft and tried the N52 before, but returned it. I figured I would give this one a try and I admit I really like it. The buttons have the right press depth for me, my reaction is faster than clicking on the UI, the programming software is straight-forward and the device is ergonomically designed for comfort. No more losing in PvP while making sure I am clicking the right button, I can use my mouse for movement and use the Gamer Pad for using my abilities. You'll wonder how the heck you ever played w/o it.
Cons:
1. The feet slip, you'll need to buy no slip pads for the bottom.
2. You have to load the profile everytime you start the game. Unlike the N52 which loaded the profile whenever the game started.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best gamepad to complement my mouse, May 6, 2007
My history with these gaming keypads began when I was frustrated and fed up with losing in various PC games, especially first person shooters. My deaths have been facilitated for my opponents due to a syndrome I labeled "command paralysis." Command paralysis is when a player (1) presses too many keys on his keyboard, thus jamming the keyboard, (2) has too many fingers locked down on many vital keys and is unable to sacrifice one more finger to complete the sequence of actions that will save the player from humiliating death, or (3) has several fingers occupied with one section of the keyboard and cannot press keys to activate commands located on the other side.
I credit the main cause of command paralysis to the WASD control scheme. Because WASD dictates orthogonal directions, at least four separate buttons/keys are required to control the movements of an in-game character. Too many fingers can get tied up when pressing these keys, limiting the number of actions per time unit while in motion. I'm of the strong opinion that the keyboard is best used for typing, not gaming.
In order to find a gaming device to wholly replace my keyboard, I had purchased a Belkin n52 Nostromo. It's a fairly competent device. It had increased my survivability rates in various competitive multiplayer titles. However, the controller's D-pad was inadequate as a WASD replacement. It required a rather excessive firm grip to use it consistently and effectively for movement commands. Still, it certainly was better than using a keyboard.
Not sufficiently satisfied, I purchased a Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit to compare and contrast with my n52 Nostromo. I must say that after trying out the Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit, I immediately placed my old Belkin N52 Nostromo up for auction on eBay. This thing blows the n52 out of the water based on its analog stick design alone. I mapped the stick to WASD-movement commands in all my favorite first person shooters and now instead of tying three separate fingers to dictate four keys, I just have to use a single thumb to operate a single stick. It feels incredibly natural and intuitive when using this device. The amount of available fingers I now have when playing games make me feel absolutely unrestricted.
The only fault with the Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit was its quantity of shift states and the method of switching between them. The n52 supports three different shift states and the user can define which keys can toggle between these shift states. The Saitek PGCU, however, was only limited to one immutable shift button, plus these "modes" which can only be accessed using an awkward and unintuitive sliding switch. However, with Saitek's release of new drivers (now Vista-compatible), users can now define as many shift states as they desire and can define their own shift button toggles.
The Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit is highly recommended to anyone who is looking for different but equally effective replacement for the keyboard. It is quite simply the best gaming keypad out on the market. It's unfathomable that no one else has thought about designing gaming keypads like it.
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