Belkin Nostromo Speedpad n50 10-Button

The Belkin Nostromo Speedpad n50 is by far the greatest PC Gaming device of it's day. It debuted in 2001-2002, and I quickly bought one for 55.00 dollars. Every penny was worth this little guy. After about 30 minutes of gameplay you will never have to look down at the keys. This device is designed with one thing in mind, to create seamless gameplay between you and the game. You forget you are even using a gamepad, the controls become second nature, and your abilities and scores rise immediately. Now, for some more in-depth rating of this device, see below. Functionality: Easily 5 out of 5 stars. There is a wrist pad that can be adjusted for different hand sizes to provide a better reach for the keys. 10 total keys are set in the top of the gamepad, designed and angeled perfectly for FPS players' typical controls. There is a D-pad that can be reached by the thumb, as well as a scroll wheel that can be reached by the fore-finger. Every single button can be completely customized on the n50, and three profiles can be created and 'hot-keyed' by a simple switch on the n50, so that you can switch profiles/key-sets 'on-the-fly' without having to re-program it. One of the best features of this device is the software that is bundled with it, and immediate customer support by Belkin. Simply stated, the software allows for immediate customization of any and all keys on the keypad, and get this, you can even create profiles in the software linked to any program in your computer. For example, I set profiles for Counter-Strike, Battlefield 1942, Vietcong, R63: Raven Shield, and Swat 3. As soon as I boot up whichever game, the software recognizes the game, and the gamepad controls for that particular game are selected automatically by the software. This is a truly amazing feature, and bundled with the fact that this is the most amazing gamepad on the market, for just about any platform, it makes for the greatest deal (and innovation)in gaming history. Value: Now, this gamepad sells for typically less than 20.00 dollars, and is well worth every penny. There is a new version available now, the n52, which has new features, improved buttons and control, and enhanced software. The n52 (amazingly enough) improves a great deal upon the already nearly-perfect n50, and is priced at anywhere between 30.00 and 55.00 dollars, depending on where you buy it. I recently purchased the n52 from Amazon for 30.00 dollars, and am currently awaiting the shipping of it so I can crack it open and rule the FPS realm to a new degree. I will post a review on the n52 soon enough, but if you want an amazing value for one of the greatest PC products ever available, purchase the Belkin n50, and you will never use a keyboard again. Honestly. Overall, a perfect gaming device that I have yet to see anything comparable to. I would also recommend a number of other devices to go with the n50 or n52, particularly, the MX500 or MX510 Logitech series of mice, or if you have some series money, the BFG Boomslang 2100 mouse or the Adesso Razer Viper 1000 mouse. I personally use the MX500 Logitech Silver Mouse, and the n50 (soon the n52), and it is truly an amazing couple. Thanks, and enjoy the n50, an amazing product I cannot praise enough.

bought one can use it, no drivers, reviews are old don't buy!!!!!

As someone who has gone to bed at night with their left hand stuck in the "fighting crane" position, I can say this device might save you from arthritis (hope the FDA doesn't sue me for touting the pad as having "medical benefits"...). As a bonus, it might make you a better player too. As others have said, you can map the various inputs (keys, d-pad) to single keys or key combos. You can also allocate some of the keys as "function" keys (nostromo uses red, green, and blue to denote different function levels) to expand the range of available mappings (for instance you can have 10 normal keys, or 9 normal and 9 "red" keys, or 8 normal, 8 "red", and 8 "green", etc.) That said, its' two main flaws are the d-pad, in both feel and durability (the n52 improves on both) and that it has been generally deprecated by the n52. Others might say that a well-mapped standard keyboard negates the need for a specialized keypad. I would agree to a point. For me, the n50 brings comfort and minimizes errors in key usage during games, which helps in keeping one's focus on mastering the enemy. I have since gone over to the n52, but bought a new n50 just in case. I recommend the n50 to those curious as to what a keypad can do without shelling out for an n52. And for some, it may be all you need.

And oldie but a goodie. For too long I've used the keyboard and I just could not get used to much else, this included. That said, there is nothing wrong with this product at all. Solid!

great, hard to make work with windows 7, i pounded mine into the ground to where the buttons would stick. i over used this thing bad. i would buy another, but i upgraded to the nostromo n52.

I've been hacking at this thing for a couple hours and after quite a bit of searching on the net and getting past the driver issues by renaming the device in the registry, I find the "loadout", key mapping software from Belkin is also broken. What a waste of time. Driver workaround (courtesy of "ThePCMechanic"): *** Use 'regedit' to edit the following key. HKEY_CURRENT_USER/System/CurrentControlSet/Control/MediaProperties/PrivateProperties/Joystick/OEM/VID_050D&PID_0805 Once you get to the entry right click "OEMname" and select modify, then rename it exactly as "Nostromo n50 Speedpad". If you don't spell it correctly it will not work. It is possible it will be in a slightly different directory. If you can't immediately find it check each enrty in the OEM folder and you will find it. The VID and PID should be the same: "VID_050D&PID_0805″. *** I did not realize that this device is over 12 years old! So no wonder there are no updated drivers. It's understandable, but disappointing. If you have anything after XP I would avoid this and get a newer, supported product. I can't comment on compatibility with Mac or Linux.

I've had this pad for a little over two years now, and it's been fairly good to me. I don't play first person shooters a whole lot, but I did not get it for that reason. The included software enables you to make macro's out of just about anything (including turbo key clicks, mouse clicks and long series complicated macro's). I mainly play MMO's so the macro feature has been an invaluable tool for automation. Pros: It has been rock solid since I got it, the keys are easy to press and the directional pad is smooth. The software is great! Cons: I lost the detachable palm rest for big hands in the first week so it's a bit awkward to use as a fast action device without it. Windows 7 does not support it without a minor registry fix, but Belkin wont tell you what it is. The one I got, if you hold down certain key combo's produces unwanted key press's (like holding the 12345 keys makes 67 and 8 also activate). Supposedly Belkin will replace it if that is the case but I never bothered as I mainly use it for macro's and would never press that combo.

I have been using the N50 for three months now, and for me its a very good joystick or pad. I mostly use it on 1st person shotters, with great results, its confortable, easy to setup, easy to program, very easy to create macros, and you can get it between $20-30. Me and my brother are so happy with it, that we already order the N52 which has one of the only drawback of this product, no enough keys (enough to play), but when you want to crete marcos, scripts and binds, your run out of keys, but overall a great product.

The first thing I thought, when I opened the box, was how strange the SpeedPad looked. Installation (on Windows XP) was a dream. Plugged the pad in, installed the software, reset the machine and away we go. There is a program that allows you to set keystrokes against the buttons, wheels and thumb pad. You then check your game to match the keys to the controls. From opening the box to testing the gizmo on Quake 3, took less than half an hour, including installation and reading the manual. Does it work? Yes, I can actually survive longer in a death match and don't spend half my time looking at the keyboard for the correct button. If you play FPS games and want to improve the experience, buy a SpeedPad.

great bit of kit, especially for players of first person shooter games. Not so sure how good it would be for games like Shogun Total War, but for the likes of Ghost Recon, Castle Wolfenstein, Aliens vs Predator, it is very excellent, and will improve your gameplay. Easy to use and simple to install. My only critisism is that the handbook could have been a little better explained, but the backup from the tech guys at Belkin is faultless and very fast.