I recommend the Nostromo n52 Speedpad

Hello fellow Tankadins! In the last couple of weeks I have been using the Nostromo n52 Speedpad gaming aid and have been so impressed with it I thought I would share it with all of you.

It is a mini keyboard with mousewheel, dpad and two other thumb buttons that gives easy one handed access to many buttons. I found it while looking for a way to speed up my forms shifting for my Druid alt. Someone on the forums recommened this and another poster linked her blog review-

http://resto4life.blogspot.com/2007/04/belkin-nostromo-speedpad-n52.html

After reading the blog review and then checking out the feedback on Amazon-

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-Components-F8GFPC100-Nostromo-Speedpad/dp/B0000DC643/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-6789249-4040004?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1176920860&sr=8-1

I was convinced that I had to try it. Set up my Druid first and was so impressed set up my Pally. My gameplay has improved by an order of magnitude! So much faster than looking for keys on the keyboard or clicking. I have virtually everything I need right under my fingertips and because I used Bartender3 to mimic the keys on the Nostromo it is lightning fast. I use the mouse for movement so getting all my important skills for tanking keybound is important.

It does take some time to set it up and get it configured the way you want it, but the time is well invested. And you need the new driver here-

http://www.belkin.com/support/article/?lid=en&pid=F8GFPC100&aid=5234&scid=0

Check it out! It will make you a better tank and will make questing/grinding easier as well. Also I've researched it on the forums and several blogs and it turns out that most of the top PvP players use it--kind of an inside secret that they don't like to share/admit. If you PvP at all this is tremendous. I always wondered how the PvP videos I've seen had toons that moved so fluidly and reacted so quickly...now I know!

Just as an example to make a long post even longer...I can now shift from travel to cat so quickly that sometimes you don't even see the Tauren in between! Just a puff of smoke.

For tanking it has become much easier to keep my rotation up and it has been great for those emergency RD's etc...

Anyone else use this?
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http://wowoffspec.blogspot.com/

I have one I use to control a second computer/second account with.

It's a thing of beauty.

I second this, it's great! The n52 does though, take quite a bit of time to find a good configuration to fit your needs and to get used to (around 1 to 2 weeks maybe). The D-pad feels incredibly unnatural at first, but once you get used to it, it really is nice because it frees up the rest of the keys for spell/item use.
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Keiya - 70 - Proudmoore
"If everything had a point, there would be no place to sit."
HDO - Keiya's WoW Drivel

I use one, love it. I actually use the D-pad for actions and use the other keys like normal, with WASD-style moving and such. It's like gaining a finger
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Uther would have rolled a Blood Elf.

Too funny! Glad to see others are already using it. Funny thing is that you rarely if ever see anyone talk about it. Mods/addons/UI/macros are talked about all the time in order to improve gameplay, but the Nost is rarely mentioned. I had to dig a bit just to find some info on it and the info is sparse comparatively. I mentioned it on guild chat and no one had even heard of it.

So far for me, nothing else has impacted my gameplay nearly as much as the Nost. After using it for a couple of weeks I can't imagine going back!

I'm on a bit of a personal crusade to spread the knowledge about this toy since I'm actually a bit miffed that I've played this game for six months without it because no one told me about it.

Thanks for the replies from current users. What I would like also is to hear feedback from new users that get one because of this thread.

Spread the word!
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http://wowoffspec.blogspot.com/

At the risk of starting a firestorm, how does this compare to the Saitek Pro Gamer Command Unit?

I've been thinking about investing in something like these units and was curious if anyone has ever done a compare.

Thanks!!
Serrot
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Blog: Light's Defender

The saitek looks to have a couple more buttons, which I occasionally run out of on my N52. However I think a D-pad is more suited to WoW than an analog hat for a thumb controller, so meh, depends on how you plan on using it I suppose.
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Uther would have rolled a Blood Elf.

Personally, I use the G15... I find it very awesome, simply becuase the transition between the G-Keys and the standard WASD is very natural...

I can also access all 18 keys with little had movement, which is also nice...

I've read reviews saying that the Saitek isn't all that comfortable, but I've also heard similar things about the n52...so *shrug.* It probably depends on your hand size I guess.
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Keiya - 70 - Proudmoore
"If everything had a point, there would be no place to sit."
HDO - Keiya's WoW Drivel

The Saitek looks nice though my initial impression is that I don't want my pinky finger to be that important, just seems to have too many buttons for the pinky and not enough for the thumb. For most people I'd imagine their thumbs are more dextrous.

But it looks nice and I'm sure with practice will be just as effective as the Nost, it does share the most important features which as far as I'm concerned is having a ton of buttons all grouped together for quick access.

I would miss the dpad though because I use that for addtional spells, not sure if the analog stick is key bindable but if so that would be another plus.

Thanks for sharing another tool though, I'm sure there are people whose playstyle is better suited to the Saitek and I'm all for improving the gameplay of the community as a whole. More options to do that is always a good thing!

Oh, and they (Nost and Saitek) are both much less expensive than the G15, which while certainly adding functionality to a keyboard is still a keyboard.
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http://wowoffspec.blogspot.com/

I have been using the N52 for quite a while now. Even before I played WoW.

I have found that it really helps my speed in both PvE and PvP.

I use Trinity Bars, made a mimic of my N52 on the left hand side of my UI and a 2 column bar on the right hand side. See my ui here, ok well it's the one I used for my hunterard but it's pretty much the same with some minor changes.

I have loved my N52 since about the middle of the second week I had it. it does take some time to adapt. I don't use the page option. But along with my mouse, Logitech MX-518, I get quite a lot of key combos.

Whatever you choice to buy can really help. If you do plan on buying an N52, Belkin has not released Vista drivers. I went from Vista back to XP after spending 1 day trying to bet my N52 online.

Just my 2cp
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n52 crashes my computer, for some reason my usb just hates it. so alas it sits on the floor

My Keyboard:

http://www.ideazon.com/experience/MERC/

My mouse is just a 5 button HP mouse.
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