Whilst reading this month's Australian T3 magazine, I stumbled across the Belkin SpeedPad n52 controller known as the Nostromo.  Quite frankly it got rave reviews, receiving top marks across the board from the reviewers and I decided I had to give it a try in a hope I might be able to frag at least one person next time I play Quake III.

Hmmm…what is it?

Very cool looking for starters.  Secondly, it is one-third keyboard, one-third games controller and one-third mouse to be used for gaming (although I guess you could type with it).  The ergonomically designed device fits perfectly in the palm of your left hand, providing the user with fourteen keys easily at their fingertips.  For the thumb, there is a D-Pad with two buttons and also a mouse wheel that you will likely find useful for switching between your rocket launcher and plasma gun.

What comes in the box?

In the box you will find the Nostromo controller itself as well as a manual and a CD containing the driver(s) and the key mapping software.  The package I purchased from Harvey Norman met the Expected Retail Price (according to T3) of AUD$79.95 and came bundled with a copy of Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six for free.  Lovely!

The device runs on Windows 98 through to XP as well as Mac OS 9.2+.  Both Operating Systems require a spare USB port for connection.

How does it work?

As most game players will know, you only really utilize half of the keyboard with your left hand, and reserve your right hand for the mouse (which is generally even the case for left handed user).  The common problem with this scenario is that your hand becomes cramped and it becomes difficult to be able to press all the required keys without physically moving your hand.  This is where the Nostromo excels, allowing me to play for a good few hours with no hand-cramping at all.  I have relatively large hands, and I was quite concerned my fingers would stretch beyond the keys, however, I quickly managed to find a position that felt both natural and very comfortable.  Furthermore, I found it much easier to play both Quake III and the Unreal Tournament 2004 Demo without continually looking down at the position of my fingers; a real advantage for me personally as normally, I would look down to place my fingers in the correct position and look back up at the screen just in time to see the rocket blow my guts all over my comrades.

Creating an arsenal of deadly maneuvers

Using the bundled key mapping software you are able to program up to 104 functions including macros, which are a sequence of keyboard keys and/or game controller events that can be played back when a button is pressed.  Creating the macros appears to be a simple process, with plenty of help provided by both the users manual and windows help system, however, I haven't bothered to use this feature…yet!

Multiple Profiles

For each game that you play, you can define a separate profile for that game allowing you to have different keys and macros for each game.  For each profile you create you can assign a game, meaning when you want to play the game using the Nostromo, you launch via the Loadout Manager.  Sound complicated?  Well its not, just hard to explain.

Does it help?

So has it helped me so far?  Although I have not yet used the macro feature, I have found it to be very good at preventing my hand from cramping up and allowing my to maintain focus on the game instead of watching where my fingers are located. 

Did I manage to win the games I played?  No.  But my friends tell me I would need a miracle for that.  What it did do was make the whole experience more fun.

Belkin Nostromo SpeedPad n52 Overall Score

Good: More comfortable Very cool looking Macro feature for creating those killer moves

Bad: Too bug to carry home from work (not that I play games at work of course ...) Slightly expensive to just go and buy

Verdict: I have been pleasantly surprised by the ability of the Nostromo to assist in my game playing. It would be nice to see a slightly lower price and some of those cooling fans I have seen in enwer third party XBox controllers embedded in the device; however, a well deserved score. Dave's Score : 8.5 / 10