Input on game controllers.

[Denithor]

How many of you use a keypad controller instead of just a standard keyboard for your left hand?

I currently use a device called The Claw that offers ten buttons on the left hand. Works well but I find I really a couple more buttons for commonly used stuff.

I'm looking around and there are quite a few alternatives available. Of the items listed in my topic summary the G13 and N52/N52TE probably stand out as being the most likely to suit my needs.

I'd just like to get some input from you - any experience with any of these keypads?

Logitech G13
Belkin N52 or N52TE
Saitek Cyborg Command Unit
Zboard Fang

Or any others you've used and would recommend. Thanks!

 

[AmberClad]

- I have an n52, which I use for all FPSs, RPGs, and some other games. Really comfortable and ergonomic. I kind of wish it had an additional row of keys up top for number keys. The space bar is in a bad position, so I mapped the entire d-pad to function as a spacebar instead.

- I also have a Fang, which is not well suited for FPSs, but works well for RTSs because it does have keys for #1-11, and more buttons overall compared to the n52.

I got both of those at bargain prices ($5 AR for the n52 and $15 @ BB for the Fang). The G13 on the other hand...I'd love to get one at some point to try, but $70? Eeeesh!

 

[Denithor]

Yeah, that's pretty much my take on the G13 too. Although I have a $12 Amazon gift card to redeem (Coinstar FTW) and there's free shipping so I might just try it out.

How is the Fang for comfort level? And how do you like the directional pad on the N52? Is that useful at all?

I should add I play mostly WoW, don't know if that will make a difference in recommendation or not.

 

[bunnyfubbles]

yeah, the G13 and N52TE are both so much more expensive than the others due to being just a little bit higher quality (mostly in just build design and materials, not necessarily functionality) and having onboard memory to store your customized profiles for driverless operation should you move it to a different computer.

I have an N52 and when I messed with an N52TE in stores, the keys felt so much nicer and responsive, it really was a far less clunky feel (not that the N52 feels bad, I merely could tell that more went into the N52TE than back-lighting and internal memory)...same goes for the G13. I just wish they'd be found more readily under the $50 mark (of course this is a comment from someone already owning a functional N52 unit)

 

[styrafoam]

I have an N52, i use it primarily for playing WoW. I couldnt live without it as far as playing the game goes, im one who tends to lose my position on the keyboard and have to look down to get lined up again. If it broke i would buy a new one from the store the same day rather than look for a bargain online. A lot of people who have used the N52te are unhappy with the driver software if you look at the belkin forums http://www.n52te.com/community/index.php , i have no experience there as mine is the vanilla version.

 

[cronos]

Originally posted by: styrafoam
I have an N52, i use it primarily for playing WoW. I couldnt live without it as far as playing the game goes, im one who tends to lose my position on the keyboard and have to look down to get lined up again. If it broke i would buy a new one from the store the same day rather than look for a bargain online. A lot of people who have used the N52te are unhappy with the driver software if you look at the belkin forums http://www.n52te.com/community/index.php , i have no experience there as mine is the vanilla version.

Lucky I read the whole thread because the above is exactly what I was going to write. For real! This includes the somewhat negative comments I've heard about N52TE as well.

The only additional info I can provide is that if I hadn't stopped playing MMOs a couple of months ago I may have bought myself the G13. There's nothing wrong with the N52 and it has always worked flawlessly for me, but it's getting old and the G13 has a couple more buttons which I could use. Also, from my friends' experience, the G13 is an excellent piece of hardware.

 

[brblx]

i've had an n52; sold it 'cause it sucked. keys didn't feel good, thumbwheel felt bad, thumb button was too stiff, space was too small.

in general i think i'd just rather have a solid, good feeling keyboard, so maybe i'm biased, but the n52 certainly didn't win me over with build quality or ergonomics.

 

[Denithor]

Originally posted by: brblx
i've had an n52; sold it 'cause it sucked. keys didn't feel good, thumbwheel felt bad, thumb button was too stiff, space was too small.

in general i think i'd just rather have a solid, good feeling keyboard, so maybe i'm biased, but the n52 certainly didn't win me over with build quality or ergonomics.

That's what I'm looking for, but in a keypad...

Originally posted by: styrafoam
I have an N52, i use it primarily for playing WoW. I couldnt live without it as far as playing the game goes, im one who tends to lose my position on the keyboard and have to look down to get lined up again. If it broke i would buy a new one from the store the same day rather than look for a bargain online. A lot of people who have used the N52te are unhappy with the driver software if you look at the belkin forums http://www.n52te.com/community/index.php , i have no experience there as mine is the vanilla version.

...for that exact reason. A keyboard just doesn't cut it for me, I cannot keep my fingers in the right spots and end up with a sore wrist and frustration. That's actually what I like best about my current keypad, the Claw. Molded plastic that your hand fits over perfectly, buttons located exactly where your fingers would apply pressure if gripping it. I just need like two more buttons, grumble.

Maybe I should try to find a cheap N52 and avoid the problems lots of people seem to have with the newer version.

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: Denithor
Yeah, that's pretty much my take on the G13 too. Although I have a $12 Amazon gift card to redeem (Coinstar FTW) and there's free shipping so I might just try it out.

How is the Fang for comfort level? And how do you like the directional pad on the N52? Is that useful at all?

I should add I play mostly WoW, don't know if that will make a difference in recommendation or not.

The Fang isn't particular comfortable, at least not nearly as comfortable as the n52. It's still more comfortable than a regular keyboard, but it lacks the angled keys, contouring, and palm rest that the n52 has.

The only things I really use the n52 D-pad for are either a space bar substitute, or in the place of number keys in RPGs that have hotkey bars (so I might map hotkey #1 to UP, hotkey #2 to LEFT, etc). You can't really get enough leverage on it to use it as a gamepad substitute, imho.



One feature that the n52 has that might not be obvious is that it has three additional "shift" states. It basically lets you have four sets of profiles that you can quickly swap between, which is handy considering the limited number of keys.

So for example, in an RPG, my default control scheme might have A = rotate view left, D = rotate view right, W = move forward, S = move back. I map another key to Red Shift, and can then configure my Red profile to have A = strafe left and D = strafe right instead.

 

[The Boston Dangler]

Originally posted by: brblx
i've had an n52; sold it 'cause it sucked. keys didn't feel good, thumbwheel felt bad, thumb button was too stiff, space was too small.

in general i think i'd just rather have a solid, good feeling keyboard, so maybe i'm biased, but the n52 certainly didn't win me over with build quality or ergonomics.

i had an n52te, for about 1 day. i thought it was terrible.