Belkin has announced a new version of their N52 gaming keypad, this time developed in partnership with Razer. Aimed at the FPS market, the Belkin N52TE Speedpad is an update on the previous Nostromo Speedpad released in 2004.
Featuring backlit keys in Razer’s trademark blue, a scroll wheel and 15 fully programmable keys, the N52TE will be available in stores from November priced at US$69.99 or UK£49.99.
Razer has also allowed the use of their Synapse onboard memory, allowing multiple key profiles to be stored and retrieved without the need for drivers installed on the gaming machine. There is an 8-way programmable thumb pad that includes a removable joystick, and up to 3 keymaps can easily be toggled with a button allowing you to bind even more commands onto the controller.
The wrist rest is adjustable so you should be able to get a comfortable hold on it, and there are rubber non-slip pads on the base to stop it moving around in the middle of a frenzied firefight.
This is Belkin’s first new gaming peripheral in 4 years. In that time they have been listening to opinions on the original N52 and have used them to improve the new version. By partnering with Razer, they gain additional expertise and technology that should help make the Belkin N52TE Speedpad a quality device. It certainly looks cool but hopefully the performance matches the looks!
I bought this thinking it would be great.. But after which I found out that many people prefer the older N52t version and say that’s it’d better.
I wouldn’t recommend for FPS’s but it is handy for flight sim’s to use alongside a joystick.
Oh and the support forums for this is nearly nonexistent.. or dying